Early childhood science assessments.

By: Jasmine Garner, Jasmine Green, and Chasity Daniel

The purpose of an assessment portfolio is to collect documentation of the students work on a specific curriculum. What better way for a teacher to see what the students have learned, than to have them do series of activities that collectively express what they know.

It gives the students an opportunity to be a part of guiding their own experience. Almost like a map to guide them through the portfolio. As a collaborative experience between the teacher and students the lines of communication are open and clear when it comes down to what’s expected of each other.

Specific aspects of the portfolio may change due to the age or grade of my students in my class. Having the students take some control of their learning experience will still be important. The skill may change, for example pre-k students will most likely need more help organizing their portfolio than a first grader would. Instead of sentences to explain the science activity, the students may be asked to color or have simpler activities.

As a teacher I would ensure the safety of my students during this assessment by having guided experiments or activities done with me. Having the students reflect in various other activities in groups or individually.

Using multiple methods will not only show the students in more than way the information you’re trying to teach them. It will also give the teacher a better understanding of what the students understands and how they learn.

Observation assessments are very effective way to assess student mastery.

When the teacher is performing direct observations, she will be able to give immediate feedback to help his/her students make progress.

Observation assessments can be used to guide early childhood science instruction by helping educators plan individualized instructions for his/her students individual or as a group that are at the same stage of development. Observation assessments can also be used to guide early childhood science instructions by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the science lesson along with the information on how well the science lesson meets the goals and needs of the children.

Yes, I would use the observation assessment method. There's not anything that I would change. My reason being is that when it comes to science and children of all ages hands-on activities becomes the center of attention.

When teaching science, safety is an important factor with all ages. I would include safety practices in the assessment by making sure that all sharp, and pointed objects are out of sight and out of harms way. I will also make sure that the children know to stay in their seats while engaging in science activities, I will also make sure that the room is free of sharp and pointed tables, shelves, chairs as well as other things with corners. I think important to use multiple method, in the most authentic contexts possible, to assess students understanding of scienc. My reason being is that authentic assessments are an effective measure of intellectual achievement and they also require the students to demonstrate their deep understanding, higher order thinking as well as complex problem solving through the performance of exemplary tasks.

oPerformance-based assessments are very effective. When assessing student mastery, performance-based assessments provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they have obtained. The assessments are used to measure and evaluate the student’s ability to apply what they have learned not only in the classroom, but also in real world situations. Performance-based assessments are also effective because they both meaningful and engaging. They allow students to complete tasks that prove they have learned, acquired skills, and can apply the obtained knowledge and acquired skills.

There are several ways to conduct a performance-based assessment and utilize those assessments to guide early childhood science instruction. Implementing assessments such as experiments, scientific explorations, observation, investigations, and so on aid in providing students the opportunity to “do” science rather than just learn science. Therefore, these performance-based assessments can be used to guide early childhood science instruction and complete tasks that correlate with the teacher’s instructional goals or learning outcomes.

Performance-based assessment are definitely one of the methods I want to use in my science classroom. The reason being I want my classroom to be both fun and academically beneficial. I would have my students engage in many different science experiments, observations, and investigations to apply and demonstrate their knowledge. I would also incorporate oral presentations and small group projects in my classroom so that my students are able to show their ability to verbally express their findings and their ability to collaborate with their peers.

Including safety practices is extremely important, especially in a science class. First, I would ensure dangerous supplies is out of reach of my students. I will always supervise my students when dangerous or potentially supplies are around. Before allowing my students to use any tools or materials I will make sure they are age appropriate. I would also teach my students tasks/material specific safety measure when conducting experiments or other performance tasks. Lastly, upon completing the activities I will ensure the classroom is properly cleaned, materials are organized, and have students wash their hands.

It is important to use multiple methods of assessments when assessing students’ understanding of science because doing helps students gain a more in depth understanding of concepts and content. It also provides teachers with a more accurate evaluation of their students’ skillset and knowledge. Not only does it provide accurate evaluations and measurements, it also accommodates different learning styles. Children are very diverse in their learning styles; not every child learns the same or processes information the same. Therefore, implementing a variety of assessments gives each students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills. Also, the variety makes learning and assessing students more fun.

The initial idea of standardize testing is to have a final score to sum up the understanding of all the material taught in a specific time frame. It hold the schools, teachers, and students accountable. This my opinion isn’t the most effective way to mastery level of the students.

Knowing what information that will be asked on the standardized test will give a guide for teaching early childhood science,because it gives the teacher key points to teach.

I would use standardized test in my early childhood science classroom when required. While I would not want it to be my only form of assessment, standardized test serves a great purpose of pinpointing students’ strengths and areas they need to improve. It also helps schools evaluate progress and find trends to help improve instruction. I personally would try to limit the use of standardized tests as much as possible as they can cause students to become stressed and anxious

Safety is very important when teaching science. With that being said, standardized testing does not pose any physical harm. Though, it can be dangerous mentally or emotionally if students to become too overwhelmed and stressed when testing. Some safety practices I would include in this assessment include is avoided using words like test or assessment when addressing the test, create a relaxing and calming learning environment, find ways to incorporate test prep into my regular class routine rather than cramping or dedicating too much learning time to prepare for the test,and lastly I would encourage my student to just do their best and try not to pressure them.

Multiple methods gives a better insight of what your students may need to work on or if they have mastered the concept.