Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment

Holly Bohart, Rossella Procopio, Holly Bohart, Rossella Procopio

• Publisher: The National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781938113864
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

Find inspiration to intentionally develop and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate observation and assessment practices to build responsive, joyful classrooms.

The debate surrounding testing and accountability in early childhood education continues, but one thing is universally agreed upon: effective observation and assessment of young children’s learning are critical to supporting their development.

Educators balance what they know about child development with observation and assessment approaches that both inform and improve the curriculum. This foundational resource for all educators of children from birth through third grade explores: 

• What observation and assessment are, why to use them, and how 
• Ways to integrate documentation, observation, and assessment into the daily routine 
• Practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive 
• Ways to engage families in observation and assessment processes 
• How to effectively share children’s learning with families, administrators, and others 
• Find inspiration to intentionally develop and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate observation and assessment practices to build responsive, joyful classrooms.

This volume is part of NAEYC’s best-selling Spotlight series―great resources for the college classroom and for staff development.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Overview. Reframing the Assessment Discussion
• Infants Through Third Grade. Common Assessment Terms and How to Use Them: A Glossary for Early Childhood Educators
• Infants and Toddlers. Appropriate and Meaningful Assessment in Family-Centered Programs
• Infants Through Preschool. Engaging Families in the Child Assessment Process
• Preschool. Using Observation to Build STEAM Experiences
• Preschool. Learning Stories
• Preschool and Kindergarten. The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom
• Preschool and Kindergarten. Facing the Challenge of Accurately Assessing Dual Language Learners’ Learning and Achievement
• Preschool Through Third Grade. Portfolio Picks: An Approach for Developing Children’s Metacognition
• Kindergarten. Effective Kindergarten Readiness Assessments: Influencing Policy, Informing Instruction, and Creating Joyful Classrooms
• Kindergarten. Developing a Performance-Based Report Card
• Kindergarten Through Third Grade. Combating Assessment Fatigue in K–3 Classrooms