North
Carolina has an office known as the office of early learning which focuses on
grades pk-3. This office supports children by promoting other linkages for
reforming early education for North Carolina's children. The standards used for
early childhood is Foundations which describes goals for all children’s
development and learning, no matter what program they may be served in, what
language they speak, what disabilities they may have, or what family
circumstances they are growing up in. Foundations provides age-appropriate
goals and developmental indicators for each age level (infant, toddler, and
preschooler). The link to this information can be found at http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/earlylearning/
NAEYC
believes that policy makers, the early childhood profession, and other
stakeholders in young children’s lives should “construct comprehensive systems
of curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation guided by sound early
childhood practices, effective early learning standards and program standards,
and a set of core principles and values: belief in civic and democratic values;
commitment to ethical behavior on behalf of children; use of important goals as
guides to action; coordinated systems; support for children as individuals and
members of families, cultures,1 and communities; partnerships with families;
respect for evidence; and shared accountability.” (p.2) Foundations and one of NAEYC
positions align in the belief of using goals as guides. Foundations has goals
in areas such as literacy, mathematics, social-emotional, cognitive, and
physical. The goals set for each age level serves as a guide for activities and
lessons. As someone who has used Foundations I feel that all those teaching
early childhood should use this to serve as a guide for planning activities and
lessons. Everyone in the early childhood community should be using the same
guides to ensure that everyone is one the same page. Guides should be research
based.
1. How
can teachers use assessments to enhance cooperative learning?
2. How
can assessment in early learning be enhanced?
3. What
are some ways to create portfolios using assessment information for parents and
next year’s teacher to see?
4. What
are some things you can do to ensure that all children are being assessed?
References
Akers,
L., Atkins-Burnett, S., Monahan, S., Carta, J., Wasik, B., & Boller, K.
(2015). What Does it Mean to use Ongoing Assessment to Individualize
Instruction in Early Childhood? (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/what_does_it_mean_to_use_ongoing_assessment_to_individualize.pdf
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early
Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation. Retrieved from
https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf.
National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). (2012). Early childhood
generalist standards. (3rd edition). Retrieved from
http://boardcertifiedteachers.org/sites/default/files/EC-GEN.pdf.
Office
of Early Learning. (2016). Dpi.state.nc.us. Retrieved from
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/earlylearning/
