Assessing our students: How young is too young, how much is too much?

This past Wednesday, I attended the last day of a three day workshop at the Central New York/Oswego County Teacher Center.  The workshop was designed for pre-kindergarten teachers to discuss lesson development and assessment strategies that can be implemented specifically in the pre-kindergarten classroom.  With the book, Common Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work by Kim Bailey and Chris Jakicic guiding our discussion, each pre-k teacher present at the workshop was given the opportunity to share and learn the similarities and differences among the types of assessments used in varying school districts and early childhood programs in the surrounding area.

Since I started my position as a pre-kindergarten teacher six years ago, I have questioned and continue to question the amount of time spent on formally assessing my three to five year old students, specifically when they are only in my classroom for two and a half hours at a time.  It was reassuring for me to hear that many school districts and programs administer similar benchmark assessments throughout the school year, as well as conduct similar formative assessments throughout the school day and week.  However, while I administer benchmark assessments with my students three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year), I discovered that other school districts and programs only administer these assessments twice a year (beginning and end of year).  I understand that each school district and program has their own plan established regarding the timeline of when assessments should be completed, and this often is based upon the schedule created by the publisher, which is the case for me.  

I am interested in learning though if any research has been done regarding appropriate methods for assessing our youngest learners; common methods that could be implemented in every pre-kindergarten classroom, and methods that do not take away from the invaluable teacher-directed and student-directed instruction and learning time.  I will post any information that I find on this topic, but I ask if you already know of any current research on this topic that you would like to share?  

I am also interested in hearing how often and what types of assessments are administered across the country.  How do you assess pre-kindergarten students in your school district or program?

      

Please allow me to introduce the kindergartener in the photo . . .

Yes that is me!  Even at five and a half I was in front of a classroom teaching the letters of the alphabet.  Here I am holding the letter P printed on a pink construction paper heart on February 15, 1988.  (Thank you mom for always writing the date and a brief description on the back of each of my childhood photos!)  

My passion for learning and for teaching has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.  Some of my fondest memories as a child include the stacks of books that I would bring to my mom on the couch to read, the large chalkboard in my basement that I would use to "teach" my younger brother, and the word processor that I had on my desk in my bedroom which I would use when pretending to "work."

Today I look into my student's eyes and I cannot help but wonder if a passion for learning is beginning to develop in their pre-kindergarten minds.  Are they building memories that will last them a lifetime?  Are their special moments, like mine in the photo above, being captured for them to hold on to into adulthood?  

These are the questions that I reflect upon as I step into that familiar position in front of my students every day.  Each of my students may only be in my classroom for two and a half hours at a time, but I strive for each minute to be filled with opportunities for them to explore, play, learn, and grow.

And just as my students grow throughout the school year, I grow as a teacher as well.  Times have changed drastically in the twenty five years since the above photo was taken, but one thing remains the same; the passion that an early childhood educator has for the field and for their students.  It is my hope that through this blog we can share our successes and learn from our setbacks, but most importantly, grow together as a strong community of early childhood educators!

~ Julie Bennett

Welcome!

I want to thank you and welcome you to my blog!  

This is my sixth year as a Universal Pre-Kindergarten teacher and I cannot wait to share my thoughts, experiences, as well as, information on the field of early childhood education with you, from my own classroom to the community, both locally and nationally.  

I appreciate your feedback and encourage you to share your own thoughts and experiences!