1. Engaging Families in the Assessment Process
Nicole Lynch
Walden University
2/11/2017

2. Learning Objectives Participants will understand :
The importance of assessment at the selected grade level (choose from infants/toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, primary)
How teachers can involve families in the assessment process.
The information families can provide about their children
How to communicate results of assessments to families
What they can do to support diversity and multiculturalism
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this workshop. It is my hope that by the end of this presentation that you will understand:
-The importance of assessment in preschool
-How you can involve families in the assessment process.
-The information families can provide about their children
-How to communicate results of assessments to families
-What you can do to support diversity and multiculturalism

3. Assessment
Assessment is a collaborative and ongoing process in which professionals and families observe, document and reflect on children’s learning and development in order to make decisions about children’s progress (Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014).
There are many definitions of assessment. For the purpose of this presentation we will define assessment as a collaborative and ongoing process in which professionals and families observe, document and reflect on children’s learning and development in order to make decisions about children’s progress (Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014).

4. The importance of Assessing Preschoolers
Assessment in Preschool:
Facilitates the monitoring of children’s learning and development
Informs curriculum planning and instructional decisions
Identifies children who need special education services or focused interventions
(Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014).
Assessment is an essential component of early childhood education for several reasons (Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014). Assessment allows educators and families to monitor children’s development and learning. The data can be shared with families to help them to understand how their children are doing and what they can do to support their learning and development. Data from assessment can be used to inform curriculum planning and instructional decisions. Assessment helps educators to plan programs and lessons which meet each child’s individual needs in the various developmental domains. Through assessment we can identify children who may be in need of special education services or focused interventions.

5. Why involve families in the assessment process?
Families have a right to be informed about their child’s assessment (National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 2003)
We have an ethical obligation to involve families in the assessment process (NAEYC, 2003)
Families must be involved in the assessment process in order to gather comprehensive information about children (Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014)
There are many reasons for involving families in the assessment process. Families have a right to be informed about their child’s assessment and professionals have an ethical obligation to involve families in the assessment process (National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 2003). In addition, families must be involved in the assessment process if we are to gather comprehensive information about children (Ntuli, Nyarambi & Traore, 2014)

6. Why Involve Families in the Assessment Process?
According to Birbili and Tzioga (2014):
Families have a unique perspective about their children which may not otherwise be obtained
Inviting families to observe, document and reflect on their child’s development and learning can help families to identify and appreciate their child’s progress and strengths and also identify aspects of their learning and development which may need greater support
Being involved in assessment can help families to learn about resources and activities which they can use to support children’s learning and development.
It is important to involve families because they have a unique perspective about their children which may not otherwise be obtained
Another important reason to involve parents to participate in the assessment process is that their involvement can help them to understand and appreciate their child’s progress and learning and help them to identify areas where their children may need more support. Being involved can also help families to learn about resources and activities which they can use to support children’s learning and development (Birbili & Tzioga , 2014). Now let’s look at some practical ways we can involve families.

7. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Create formal and informal opportunities for families and teachers to communicate such as:
Family-teacher conferences
Written notes
Phone calls
Home visits
(Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).
Invite families to share their observations and insights about their child’s development and learning (Office of Head Start, 2011).
One way to involve families is to create formal and informal opportunities for families and teachers to communicate such as:
Family-teacher conferences
Written notes
Phone calls
Home visits
Another way to involve families is to invite them to share their observations and insights about their child’s development and learning (Office of Head Start, 2011).

8. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Parents often lack sufficient information about the purposes and interpretation of assessment (NAEYC, 2003).
Educators can help families to become assessment literate through:
Conversations about assessment of young children
Workshops
Booklets/Fact Sheets
Sharing websites which explain assessment practices
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2003) noted that parents are often not given enough information on the purposes and interpretation of assessment. This is a barrier to their full participation. Educators can help parents to understand assessment by having conversations with parents about what assessment in early childhood is and the role assessment plays in supporting learning and development. Offering workshops on formative, summative, formal and informal assessment can also lead to greater assessment literacy. It may also be helpful to share booklets, fact sheets and websites on assessment practices, their purposes, interpretation and the role families can play in supporting children’s development.

9. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Help families understand early childhood education standards and how they relate to their child’s development and learning (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).
Another way to engage families is to help families to understand what children should know and be able to do at different developmental stages. Workshops, parenting groups, classroom meetings and school-wide family events all provide opportunities for educators to discuss the various developmental expectations for children. When parents realize how assessment supports teaching and learning they are better able to understand the importance of them being involved in the process of observing and documenting children’s learning at home (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).

10. Tips for involving families in the assessment process.
Conduct home visits to establish a positive relationship with families in a setting which is comfortable for families (Faber, 2016)
Interviews can be conducted during home visits to learn more about the family’s daily life, their interactions with each other, the family’s hopes and dreams and the family’s view of the child (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013)
By conducting home visits teachers can get to know the child and their family; begin to build trust with the family and gain a better understanding of the child’s social and cultural background (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013). Home visits also provide an opportunity for families to get to know the teacher, to ask questions and share their expectations in a comfortable setting (Faber, 2016).

11. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Provide families with different options for participation (Birbili & Tzioga, 2014)
When designing an assessment system it is important to consider how you can provide parents with different options for participation. For example, some families may prefer to write reports, while another family may prefer a checklist or verbal communication (Birbili & Tzioga, 2014).

12. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Provide families with the tools, resources to confidently use assessment information to support their child’s learning and development at home and in their community (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).
Once parents have become more assessment literate they will have a better understanding of the significance of the assessment results. However, it is important to ensure that families have the tools, resources and confidence to use the information they have gained from their child’s assessment to support the child’s learning at home (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).

13. Tips for involving families in the assessment process
Invite parents to be a part of a multidisciplinary group which meets to discuss child assessment.
In order to fully engage families in the assessment process, educators should invite them participate when stakeholders meet and share ideas and lessons learnt about assessment (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013).

14. Information which parents can provide
According to Birbili & Tzioga (2014) families can provide information on their child’s:
Development
Needs
Interests
Learning style preferences
Families are a rich source of information about their children and can provide information which may not otherwise be available. Families can provide information on children’s developmental status, needs, interests and learning style preferences (Birbili & Tzioga, 2014). This information can lead to a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the child’s development and learning progress.

15. Information which parents can provide
The child’s behavior at home
Child’s health
The family’s hopes and expectations
The family’s culture
Family members experiences at school
Families can also provide information on their child’s behavior at home; the child’s health history; family hopes and expectations; the family’s culture and how it impacts their child-rearing practices and views of education; and family members’ own experiences at school.

16. How to communicate results
The Office of Head Start (2011) offers the following advice for communicating results effectively:
Make assessment information understandable and meaningful to families
Provide the data in a user-friendly format
Start with the family’s perspectives
Be positive, specific and descriptive
The Office of Head Start (2011) has provided guidance on how results can be effectively communicated to families. The results should be presented in a manner that is understandable and meaningful for families. When sharing data, educators should help families understand what the information may be suggesting about the child’s learning and development. Educators can ensure that the information is meaningful to families by asking about what the family would like to know; providing opportunities for the family to share their interpretations of the information; and allowing the family to ask questions and share hopes and concerns about the data.
Educators can promote understanding of the results by sharing the information in different user-friendly formats such as reports, checklists, charts, portfolios, and journals. The use of pictures, graphs and symbols can also help educators to communicate results effectively. When determining what information to share, educators should consider what information will be most important to the child’s family. In addition to sharing specific areas for improvement, educators should also share specific areas of strength. Children’s behavior should be described in simple, clear terms.

17. Supporting Diversity and Multiculturalism
Share results in the language which the family prefers
Find out what translator services are available in your community and provide a translator where necessary (Breiseth, Robertson & Lafond, 2011)
Provide notes and other forms of documentation in the home languages of the families in their class (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013)
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2003) noted that assessment should be done with a sensitivity to children’s cultural contexts. Educators can support diversity and multiculturalism by:
-Sharing results in the language which the family prefers
-Finding out what translator services are available in their community and providing a translator where necessary (Breiseth, Robertson & Lafond, 2011)
-Providing notes and other forms of documentation in the home languages of the families in their class (Caspe, Seltzer, Kennedy, Cappio & DeLorenzo, 2013)

18. Resources
_ELL_Families_FINAL.pdf &context=eugene_pubs
Here are some resources that may be useful if you want to learn more about engaging parents in the assessment process. Thank you for your time. I hope you now feel better prepared to go about the important task of engaging parents in the assessment process for children of preschool age.

19. References
Birbili, M., & Tzioga, K. (2014). Involving parents in children’s assessment: lessons from the Greek context. Early Years, 34(2), Breiseth, L., Robertson, K., & Lafond, S. (2011). A guide for engaging ELL families: Twenty strategies for school leaders. Retrieved from milies_FINAL.pdf Caspe, M., Seltzer, A., Kennedy, J. L., Cappio, M., & DeLorenzo, C. (2013). Engaging families in the child assessment process. Young Children, 68(3), Faber, N. (2016). Connecting with students and families through home visits. The Education Digest, 81(8), 32. 8–14. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. Retrieved from APEexpand.pdf

20. References
Ntuli, E., Nyarambi, A., & Traore, M. (2014). Assessment in early childhood education: threats and challenges to effective assessment of immigrant children. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 14(4), Office of Head Start. (2011). Family engagement and ongoing child assessment. Retrieved from system/family/docs/family-engagement-and-ongoing-child- assessment pdf