Sample 5: Rating Scale
Developmental Assessment of Mobile Infants' Cognitive Skills
Child: Nunez, Katy         Age: 18 months         Date: 2/9

For each item listed below, rate the child's proficiency. The least amount of skill in this area is 1;
the highest level of skill is 5. NP indicates that this skill is Not Present in the child.
 
Developmental Skill  Skill Level
1. Solves problems on own  NP 1 2 3 4 5
2. Able to make choices between clear alternatives NP 1 2 3 4 5
3. Plans action before carrying it out  NP 1 2 3 4 5
4. Engages in dramatic play NP 1 2 3 4 5
5. Follows simple directions NP 1 2 3 4 5
6. Imitates animal sounds  NP 1 2 3 4 5 
7. Looks at picture book and turns pages  NP 1 2 3 4 5
8. Scribbles spontaneously  NP 1 2 3 4 5
9. Completes three-piece formboard (circle, square, triangle) NP 1 2 3 4 5
10. Refers to self by name  NP 1 2 3 4 5 
 

 Sample 6: Event Sampling Observation
Child: Nunez. Katy         Age: 18 months         Date: 2/15
 
Tally of Times
Duration of Stay 
(in minutes) 
1
2
1
6
1
1
1
11
1
2
1
5
1
-
1
6
1
-
1
-
1
2
1
4
1
5
1
7
1
1
1
-
1
9
1
-
1
-
  Red Flag Words

Red flag words are those that are subjective. Because they do not describe behavior in a factual way, they do not belong in observations. Here are some of the more common red flag words-avoid them!

Confidentiality

When dealing with observing and recording behavior, the issue of confidentiality must be discussed. Because observations become a part of a child's portfolio, the same rules that govern the use of portfolios need to be in effect. Here are some guidelines for protecting the confidentiality of children and families:

Conducting observations is a vital part of quality programming. At the same time, it carries with it an ethical responsibility to protect the privacy of Head Start children and families. When in doubt, discuss issues with the education coordinator or program director. In most instances, it is wise to err on the side of caution. The rights of children and families should always come first.
The Portfolio and Its Use
Contents

What goes into children's portfolios? You already know about much of the portfolio's contents. Records from comprehensive screening, developmental assessment (if conducted), and ongoing assessment go in the portfolio. All of your observations-informal as well as formal-should be housed in the portfolio, too.

The other major component of the portfolio is work samples-examples of children's work that have been saved as records of the children's progress. You might appropriately include any number of items as work samples. Here are some suggestions:

AUTHENTIC OR ACTUAL WORK COMPLETED BY CHILDREN
(AT HOME AND IN CENTER-BASED SETTINGS):

PHOTOS OF CHILDREN'S WORK: WRITTEN RECORDS: AUDIOVISUAL RECORDS: Suggestions

Education staff and children jointly select the work samples to put into the portfolio. Parents might contribute items such as drawings done at home or notes on examples of behaviors they have observed. Staff should make sure that taken together, the examples of children's work represent the child and reflect his or her progress during the year. They should also show the child's growth in all areas of development: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. They should also reflect the child's experiences in all interest areas, both indoors and outdoors.

It is recommended that you add something to each child's portfolio every two weeks. Share the responsibility and set a staggered schedule so you do not have to make entries to all of the portfolios at one time. Date each entry with the month, day, and year to show when in the year the work was completed.

At first you might find it difficult to decide what to put in a child's portfolio. It takes practice to become skilled in selecting examples that are truly representative of the child's work. Ask a colleague or your education coordinator for some help. Try to remember that you are creating an ongoing record of the child's growing skills that will be an alternative to a standardized test. Just as a test tries to measure children's progress and mas tery of skills, so too should the samples you put in a portfolio illustrate the child's progress and skills. Therefore, if Hakim has just learned to make a tower of blocks, this is a milestone worthy of inclusion in his portfolio. You could complete an anecdotal record or take a snapshot of one of his creations. In the same vein, if Desiree habitually plays with baby dolls in the housekeeping area, then this is a behavior that represents her interests and play preferences. Again, observation notes of her play or an audiotape of her talking to a doll as she feeds it would be appropriate for her portfolio.

Every two weeks, ask children what they would like to include in their portfolios. This helps children make judgments about their work, and they get the message at an early age that self-assessment is an important part of learning and growing. If children need help selecting samples, ask a probing question such as, Which painting was the most fun to do? or Which of these books that we worked on together do you think would be nice to have in a library?

Organizing the Portfolio

Portfolios are growing documents. To be useful, they must be expandable, durable, accessible, and portable. The containers used as portfolios should fit in the locked storage area, such as a closet with shelves or a tall cabinet with shelves and doors. Accordion files, unused empty pizza boxes donated by a local business, or plastic containers with lids can serve as portfolio containers. As long as the container has enough room for organizing the contents, it is appropriate.

As there will be a number of portfolio entries throughout the year, it is a good idea to group them by subject matter. Within each category, put dated items in the container chronologically. The following may be a useful way to organize portfolios:

Using the Portfolio

Portfolios serve three major purposes. First, they are a natural vehicle for sharing information with parents. Your agendas for parent conferences and home visits can come directly from the portfolio's contents since it is a complete profile of the child's ongoing development. You also have answers to most questions at your fingertips. Suppose a parent wants to know if Ruthie will be ready for kindergarten. You can share the checklist assessment of Ruthie's skills, show examples of alphabet letters that Ruthie wrote spontaneously, and go over the log of books Ruthie explored in the library area. You can also share your anecdotal observations and running records that document Ruthie' s refined motor skills, mastery of self-help skills, and creative approach to problem solving. In fact, you will probably have dozens of items to share that will answer the question about Ruthie's readiness.

Second, portfolios help education staff with planning. Because portfolios are a living record of children's progress, they provide an ongoing source of information that can be used for individualizing. Just as screening and assessment information were the basis for your original plans for individualizing, the information from portfolios can be used to update goals and plans for each child.

Third, because portfolios move with the child, they support the transition to school. With parental permission, the child's portfolio goes with him or her to kindergarten. Thus, the more complete and easy-to-use a child's portfolio is, the easier it will be for the child's new teachers and administrators to offer an appropriate curriculum. You can help children long after they have left Head Start by keeping portfolios that are self explanatory and representative of children's backgrounds, skills, interests, and needs.

Description of Observation Instruments
Introduction

This guide references several standardized observation instruments. Participants may want to make use of these instruments in their work with children. Although some of these instruments are primarily designed for program evaluation, they all have components that require observations of adult interactions with children. These instruments have all been field tested and lend themselves to being used with a partner to increase inter-rater reliability skills.

Assessment Checklist

Abbott-Shim, Martha and Sibley, Annette. Assessment Profile for Early Childhood Programs. Atlanta: Quality Assist, 1987.

This easy-to-use checklist has several versions that would be of interest to Head Start staff: preschool (with separate instruments for research and training purposes), infant, and family child care. The preschool version examines the components of quality in six areas: safety, health, learning environment, scheduling, interacting, and individualizing. All versions may be purchased for $27.75 each from:

Quality Assist
P.O. Box 15034
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-404-577-8880

Rating Scale

Harms, Thelma and Clifford, Richard. Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale. New York: Teachers College Press, 1980.

The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) and its companion instruments, the Infant & Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS) and the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), are observation-based instruments used to assess the quality of care. All use a seven-point scale that judges caregiver skills. Scores represent care that ranges from inadequate to minimal to good to excellent. The rating scales exam ine the following components of caregiving: space and furnishings for care and learning, basic care, language and reasoning, learning activities, social development, and adult needs. Copies of versions may be purchased for $8.95 each (sets of 30 extra scoring sheets are $7.95 each) from:

Teachers College Press
Columbia University
1924 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
1-800-575-6566
1-212-678-3929

Observation Record

High/Scope Child Observation Record (COR) for ages 2 1/2-6, is an inno vative evaluation instrument that measures the effect of the early child hood program experience on the developmental status of young children. The use of this instrument helps observers to: focus observations to cap ture meaningful and objective information about child development; streamline the note-taking process; incorporate information gained from the COR into daily/weekly plans for children; empower parents through parent reporting and parent-teacher conference strategies; and develop effective training and monitoring procedures.

The COR KIT, WPl084SET, $90.00, includes all the materials needed for observing a classroom of twenty-five children. Replacement components and Parent Report Forms in Spanish are available separately.

COR Key Experience Notes were, developed as a supplement to the COR KIT in an alternative note-taking format for teachers who wish to record COR information in terms of the High/Scope key experiences. Order num ber WPl092, $4.00.

These materials may be purchased from:

High/Scope Press
600 N. River Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-2898
1-800-40-PRESS; Fax: 1-800-442-4FAX (4439)

Sampling System

Meisels, Samuel J. The Work Sampling System. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan, 1992.

This comprehensive approach to the assessment of children from age three to grade three combines developmental checklists, portfolios, and teacher summary reports. Assessments, which take place three times per year, are designed to reflect the actual goals and objectives of the classroom and to help the teacher keep track of continuous progress. The observation-based developmental checklist examines seven areas: personal/social development; language and literacy; mathematical thinking; scientific thinking; social and cultural understanding; art and music; and physical development. Copies may be purchased (teacher materials are $61, a one-time cost, and student materials are $3 per student and come in sets of 20, 25, 30,35, and 4O) from:

Rebus Planning Associates
P.O. Box 1746
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
1-800-435-3085

Professional Development Opportunities

The High/Scope Educational Research foundation offers two-day seminars on the COR in locations throughout the United States. For more information or to cosponsor a workshop at your location, call 313-485-2000, ext. 218.

The publishers and authors of the other instruments discussed in this section also provide training. For more information, call the phone numbers listed.