Chapter 6 Knowledge Check

Chapter 6

Quiz yourself using the following chapter review questions to check how well you can recall the material.

Review Questions

1. Early childhood education has a long history of relying on _______ to understand children’s needs and abilities.
2. True or False. NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) statement has always recognized the importance of systematic observation of child development in early childhood education.
3. Beginning in the 1980’s increasing pressure for  _______  led to more testing of young children.
4. The term assessment means
   1. Systematically collecting data about a child’s development
   2. Synthesizing data into an idea or theory about a child’s development
   3. Using systematically collected data and synthesized ideas about a child to make educational decisions
   4. All of the above
5. True or False. Observation is the only way that assessment can be carried out with young children.
6. Formative assessment…
   1. Happens only at the end of a learning period
   2. Helps the teacher see how the child is grasping information
   3. Often uses informal and authentic assessment methods
   4. Both B and C are accurate
7. True or False. Formative assessment can be more flexible and individualized than summative assessment.
8. The term observation is defined as
   1. Watching and listening to children to learn about them
   2. Giving children a standardized test to assess their learning.
   3. A haphazard and unintentional process.
   4. A process that makes children feel self-conscious.
9. To avoid bias in observation and documentation, it is important to be as  _______  as possible.
10. After observing the child by watching and listening, the next step is to  _______  what was seen.  This process ensures that observational data can be revisited to assist in understanding the child’s development.
11. The third part of the observational process is to  _______  the observational data.
12. The most common method of recording observations of development in early childhood education is
    1. Running record
    2. Checklist
    3. Rating Scale
    4. Anecdotal record
13. A work sample is…
    1. An artifact illustrating a child’s ability or developmental achievement
    2. A standardized test
    3. A portfolio of a child’s work
    4. Inauthentic assessment
14. True or False. Interpretation of documented observations requires expertise that comes with being a prepared educator.
15. Which of the following is the most important reason to carry out observation and assessment in an education setting?
    1. Accountability to funders
    2. To inform responsive teaching
    3. To advocate for the importance of early education
    4. To justify one’s teaching job

Answer Key

1. Observation has historically been used as a critical component of early childhood education by providing information about a child’s development and instructional needs.
2. True. NAEYC has always (and continues to) advocate for the use of systematic observation in quality early childhood education.
3. Accountability and standards. As education reform put more emphasis on “proving” the effectiveness of pedagogy through the use of accountability and standards, testing increased, even in classrooms serving young learners.
4. All of the above. These are all components of what assessment is.
5. False. While observation is a critical and highly appropriate method, we shouldn’t think that it is the only way to collect assessment data.
6. Both B and C are accurate. Formative assessment can rely on informal/authentic assessment methods AND provides the educator with information about the child’s learning.
7. True. Because formative assessment is not being used to make high stakes educational decisions (like whether to promote a grade, or a need for intervention), formative assessment can be individualized to the child’s own needs and learning style.  It is designed to inform the educator about the child’s learning and what needs to happen next.
8. Watching and listening to children to learn about them. As simple as it sounds, this is what observation is about.  In fact, it is a complex process when done well.
9. Objective. The best tool for avoiding bias in observation and documentation is to objectively describe what is observed and recorded.
10. Document/record. It is important to document what you’ve observed so you can return to that data to interpret it.
11. Interpret. Once you have observed and documented, it is important to interpret, or make sense of the observation using your expertise as a prepared educator, and by comparing and combining it with previously collected observations.
12. Anecdotal record. The anecdotal record is the most commonly used method because it is fairly short, but captures important evidence of development
13. An artifact illustrating a child’s ability or developmental achievement. A work sample is what it sounds like.  A piece of work completed by a child in the course of the school day.
14. True. While we can all interpret observations, and we all get better at it with practice and experience with children, it is important to note that without a strong background in child development, interpretation can be less than valid.
15. To inform responsive teaching. This is the most important reason to go to all the work of high quality observation and documentation.  Doing so increases the degree to which instruction supports the individual child’s development, improving outcomes for that child.