Standards, Assessment, and Curriculum Thursday, July 8, 2004 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Icebreaker Get into groups of three One of you represents standards One represents assessment The other represents curriculum Describe the ideal relationship that should exist between the three of you

Standards The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Position Statement Your school’s standards for the age group with which you work

My school’s standards Alignment with the NAEYC Position Statement Problems or areas that need improvement in order to better meet the principles outlined in the NAEYC Position Statement

Assessment Write down your own definition of “assessment” in relation to early childhood Compare your definition with the NAEYC definition

NAEYC defines assessment as: The ongoing process of observing recording documenting the work children do and how they do it to provide a basis for a variety of educational decisions that affect the child

Assessment is integral to curriculum and instruction In EC programs, assessment provides a basis for Planning instruction and communicating with parents Identifying children with special needs Evaluating programs and demonstrating accountability

Standards and Assessment System Using either your school’s standards or another set of standards, fill in the activity sheet Target specific performance objectives Determine what collection method you will use to collect the recordings

Curriculum Continuum… How do you define “curriculum” in early childhood?

NAEYC defines curriculum as An organized framework that delineates The content children are to learn The processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals

NAEYC definition cont’d What teachers do to help children achieve these goals The context in which teaching and learning occur

Traditional Curriculum “Children are consumers of curriculum.” Deb Curtis and Marge Carter Reflecting Children’s Lives

Child-Centered Curriculum “Children are inventors and creators of curriculum.” Deb Curtis and Marge Carter Reflecting Children’s Lives

Negotiated Curriculum “The child originates and the teacher frames.” Forman & Fyfe (1998) Authentic Childhood: Exploring Reggio Emilia in the Classroom

Case Studies Read each case study as directed Discuss with a partner the questions at the end Share your discussion with the group

The Learning Cycle: The Quest for Knowledge Awareness: recognition that develops from experience Exploration: construction of meaning through sensory experiences Inquiry: comparison of constructions within context of culture Utilization: Understandings can be applied and used in new situations

Early Literacy Confusabet Alphabet Four Components of Literacy Listening Speaking Reading Writing

Listening is a valuable academic and social skill Listening can Teachers should use songs, chants, poems, and rhymes to promote phonemic awareness Teachers must monitor children’s receptive language Hearing and listening are different! Teachers should use descriptive language and information talk to increase children’s vocabulary Listening Adults must model listening Listening is a valuable academic and social skill Listening can be learned © Linda Ruhmann, Child Development Department, San Antonio College

children are comfortable speaking Speech should be included in daily Adults should create a climate in which children are comfortable speaking Speech should be included in daily routines Speaking well is a valuable academic and social skill In order to learn to speak well, children must have many opportunities to speak Speaking Using a variety of questions encourages speech Sociodramatic play encourages speech Adults should model appropriate speech © Linda Ruhmann, Child Development Department, San Antonio College

Reading Teachers provide Children with Children must perceive Individualized Information on decoding Children must perceive reading as: Functional Purposeful Meaningful Teachers must help children to become hooked on books through book-rich environments and motivating read-alouds Reading Teachers must purposefully expand children’s knowledge about print Teachers must use a variety of strategies to promote reading comprehension © Linda Ruhmann, Child Development Department, San Antonio College

Requires both physical and cognitive development Modeling Encouragement Support Social and physical environment Composition is a process Materials Time Space Children's stages of writing are similar to their stages of drawing Writing Reading and writing are inter-related Spelling is a developmental process Requires both physical and cognitive development © Linda Ruhmann, Child Development Department, San Antonio College

Number Sense and Counting One-to-One Correspondence Logic and Classifying Measuring Math Concepts and Skills Comparing Ordering, Seriation and Patterning Spatial Sense Shape Parts and Whole

Controlling Variables: Investigations Observing Comparing Classifying Hypothesizing and Controlling Variables: Investigations The Basics of Science: The Processes of Inquiry Measuring Predicting Communicating Inferring