“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” -William Bruce Cameron
When checking boxes on an assessment, this is a good quote to remember. While we may be getting the results we need for mandates, it’s equally important to count the uncountable, to assess the whole child in ways that can’t so easily be categorized.
When we combine checklists and numbers with portfolios and interviews, we start to get a more wholistic picture of a child’s performance over time. We also gain a more integrated view of how development and learning are progressing, and when changes may be warranted.
The error, in our efforts to accomplish wholistic early childhood assessment, however, is that we often start with the “how” instead of the “what.” This leads to a fragmented and limited view of things.
Take for example, what happens when we start by thinking about “how,” as it relates to assessing 1000’s of children using a portfolio system, interviewing 1000’s of families, or measuring grit and resilience. It’s easy to become a bit lost, overwhelmed, and even paralyzed.
The challenges we face, when we start with “how,” often leads to a love affair with simple checklists, which require a yes/no decision; and that can easily be uploaded into a shared database.
While numbers, checklists, and large data bases have a place in the assessment landscape, they can’t be the only game in town. Rather, we need to approach assessment in terms of considering “what” we want to know more about, “what” will guide our instruction, and “what” really matters. Essentially, our charge is to start with defining the “what,” and then consider the “how.”
Getting to the Heart of “What”
To get to the heart of “WHAT,” you and your team first brainstorm what matters in terms of children’s development and learning. For example, you may decide that being able to count, being creative, and even being compassionate, are things you value teaching and children learning.
Even with something as simple as “counting,” however, there is work to be done around the “what” before we are ready to consider the “how.”
We need to define, generate examples, and consider a learning progression for each “thing” we value, and want to assess over time.
1. DEFINE: After you have identified “what” matters, spend time generating and agreeing upon a definition. You can search for definitions in online dictionaries and glossaries, search existing assessment instruments to see how they have operationalized the “what,” and check published research articles or books for definitions.
2. EXAMPLES: Next, try and generate a fairly comprehensive list of what “it” looks like when children are demonstrating the “what.” Be sure to consider both verbal and non-verbal expressions of the “what.”
3. PROGRESSION: Lastly, from your examples, cluster those that appear earlier in development and are easier or simpler for most children to perform from those which arise later in development and are harder or more complex. Sorting and classifying your examples, gives you a “natural” progression upon which to begin tracking children’s performance.
After You’ve Found the “What”
Once you have uncovered the “what” and have agreement on what “it” looks like in early development and learning, begin to explore how you can assess “it.” In general, here are a few guidelines for best practices in how to assess young children:
• Multiple assessors engage in assessment across time, settings, and using multiple methods and techniques.
• Ensure there are enough items which you are assessing, at both the low and the high functional levels, to detect small changes in performance.
• When using a numerical scoring system or a checklist, avoid dichotomous decisions such as yes or no. Instead, use a multi-point scoring numerical system paired with notes and images for assessing the quality of the child’s performance.
• Assess a child’s strengths, talents, gifts, and interests, not just areas of needs, delays, or deficits.
• Ensure assessment practices are universally designed, bias is avoided, and offer children multiple ways to show their competence.
• Look for changes in performance, not just mastery of the next skill. For example, look for greater accuracy, more independence, greater variability, and ease of use.
Lastly, as you aim to assess the whole child, remember this…
