Reference List

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Carr, M. (2001) Assessment in Early Childhood Settings. London: SAGE Publications. P.101-104

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All other images accessed via google images.

Should Assessment Happen in the Early Years?

It has been argued that children under four should not have to be academically assessed and should be left to just be themselves, not being pushed to meet guidelines or to learn academic skills at such a young age. The Early Years Curriculum was referred to as the ‘nappy curriculum’ in media when it was first issued, Dorothy Lepkowska explained in her Guardian article in 2011, and that specialists argued that children need time to develop before being put under a ‘stream of observations and assessments’. (Lepkowska, 2011). Lepkowska explains that she agreed that assessing children of under four years of age seemed ‘ridiculous’, but as soon as she attended the first parents evening at her ten months old nursery, she changed her mind.  Seeing that all observations linked to every aspect of her learning, at that she could now see what level her daughter was working at and it was ‘a revelation, and a wonderful insight into the part of Daria's life that was hers alone.’ (Lepkowska, 2011). Lepkowska’s only complaint was that practitioners may be taking too much time to observe and assess children rather than paying attention to them. 

Learning Story Observation

Learning Stories or learning journeys are a more structured approach to observation than just narrative, narratives contributing to learning stories along with things such as photographs, photocopies of children's work and children's comments all taken from the day children start within the early years system progressing straight through to their reception year. 

‘Stories can capture the complexity of situated learning strategies plus motivation.'

                                                     (Carr. 2001.P.95)

How to carry out a learning story:

-        Describe – describe what the child is doing or achieving.

-        Document – writing it all down and applying it to their learning story.

-        Discuss – is a discussion with child, colleagues, parents to decipher where about      the child is at in their learning and their interests.

-        Decide – deciding the next steps for the child to take so that they are able to        continue to progress and achieve.

By following out each of these "four D's" as Carr (2010.P.181) describes it allows the practitioners to carry out the learning story and then plan for the child's next steps. It allows them to see whether the child needs extra support or if they need challenging further.

Why are learning journeys so important?

Carr states that learning journeys are useful for both practitioners and parents as all of the information is collaborated, this is useful as it is all together in one place and it contains all observations that have been carried out, assessments and work done by the child (both individually and in a group). The learning journey focuses on one child as an individual but it contains all holistic aspects of their learning and allows the practitioner to see exactly where the child is currently at. A learning journey is a continuous piece of evidence, so therefore achievable goals can be placed for the child and then reviewed at a later date. (2001)

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is the second type of assessment made compulsory by the early years foundation stage statuary framework. Observation is key to formative assessment, practitioners should use what they observe every day to gage where the children are at, and how they can direct activities set up to allow each child to improve and develop in their own time. The EYFS Statuary Framework defines formative assessment as 'an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. In their interactions with children, practitioners should respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations that parents and carers share ' (2014).

Vicky Hutchin defines assessment in this way, "The purpose of the assessment process is to make explicit children's achievements, celebrate their achievements with them, then help them to move forward to the next goal" (1996, p.9). This definition means that assessment should happen alongside children's learning not in opposition to it. This allows the assessment not to be disruptive and keeps them on related tasks to what they are focused on. It also means that the children's progress can be constantly monitored and allows continuous improvements to occur. This is an example of formative assessment. Jan Dubiel also supports that assessment should not be disruptive or irrelevant, she states that ''Assessment has no intrinsic value; it cannot exist meaningfully as a self standing detached entity. The process of assessment is only as useful as the purpose for which it is used, the ways in which it is used, and the effect it has on how practitioners reflect on their pedagogy and the unique learning path that individual children take.' (2014, p.8).

Summative assessment

One of the two types of assessment made mandatory by the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statuary framework is summative assessment. This is where the children take part in exams, these help the practitioners manage their process and see where help is needed to ensure that the children improve. The Early Years Matters website defines summative assessment as two assessments, one when they are 24-36 months and another when they are near completion of the EYFS, the outcomes of these are recorded and parents and practitioners use the information gained to identify a child’s strengths and learning needs, (2014).

The Headteacher at Peasedown St. John Primary School explains in the YouTube video, RIGHT from the start early years good practice films: assessment 1 of 6, that she has decided to focus on summative assessment. By completing three assessments a year with the children and recording results for subjects across the whole curriculum, it allows the practitioners to pinpoint where the children are and where they need to progress to, (2014).