According to the Teachers’ Standards (2013), teachers are expected to “[m]ake accurate and productive use of assessment” (DfE [i], 2013, p.12). Assessment is, therefore, a fundamental aspect of one’s role as a teacher and to fulfil this standard effectively, a number of strategies have been proposed to conduct regular assessments. In light of this, I aim to provide a reflective commentary on the process of assessment and its purpose, with a focus on the Early Years Foundation Stage [EYFS], at a primary educational setting which will be referred to as school X. I will first examine the way assessment is structured in the EYFS, with reference to the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (2014), to discuss whether criterion
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Prior to this one must state, assessment is considered to be “a process by which we record what children know and how they do it” (Fleege, 1997, p.316). The process of assessment is complex, however, I will select particular points for consideration by focusing on strategies that have been observed and used in the EYFS.
At the focal point for a plethora of initiatives and guidelines to assessment in the EYFS is the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (2014), outlining specific criteria in six different areas for which children are expected to exhibit progress and cognitive development, see appendix one. One can identify similarities between the role of assessment in the study of cognitive development by Jean Piaget (1896-1980) for the reason that Piaget proposed development to be a “succession of stages, each marking a new advance” (Piaget, 1951 p.4). Similarly, the current mode of assessment in the EYFS consists of practitioners collecting qualitative data on a daily basis to evidence the the advances a child is making in their development within the six areas outlined in appendix one. At school X, teachers acquire evidence by performing ongoing assessments and compare the data to the six areas of development to determine which stage of development …show more content…
This can also be regarded as a relationship between divergent and convergent data. Practitioners of the EYFS collect qualitative data by conducting formative assessments, through observations and pupil interactions, which is then used for ipsative referencing. Although observations are a form of divergent data, unique to the situation and individual, observations are considered to be “the most reliable way of building up an accurate picture of children’s development and learning”; some are “planned” others are “spontaneous” (Standards and Testing Agency, 2014, p.9). In my teaching practices, I observed children in two settings - structured inputs and child-initiated activities when children are able to explore the provision. The purpose of the juxtaposition between the two settings is a reflection on the difference between planned and spontaneous observations. From this, I was able to widen my perspective of pupil’s progress when conducting convergent assessments with a specific focus. Although this mode of assessment provided valuable opportunities to assess children with a specific criteria, they were not always accurate. To exemplify this, when using the ‘thumbs up thumbs down’ strategy, individuals appear to be making progress but they were simply mirroring the actions of their
Prior to this one must state, assessment is considered to be “a process by which we record what children know and how they do it” (Fleege, 1997, p.316). The process of assessment is complex, however, I will select particular points for consideration by focusing on strategies that have been observed and used in the EYFS.
At the focal point for a plethora of initiatives and guidelines to assessment in the EYFS is the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (2014), outlining specific criteria in six different areas for which children are expected to exhibit progress and cognitive development, see appendix one. One can identify similarities between the role of assessment in the study of cognitive development by Jean Piaget (1896-1980) for the reason that Piaget proposed development to be a “succession of stages, each marking a new advance” (Piaget, 1951 p.4). Similarly, the current mode of assessment in the EYFS consists of practitioners collecting qualitative data on a daily basis to evidence the the advances a child is making in their development within the six areas outlined in appendix one. At school X, teachers acquire evidence by performing ongoing assessments and compare the data to the six areas of development to determine which stage of development …show more content…
This can also be regarded as a relationship between divergent and convergent data. Practitioners of the EYFS collect qualitative data by conducting formative assessments, through observations and pupil interactions, which is then used for ipsative referencing. Although observations are a form of divergent data, unique to the situation and individual, observations are considered to be “the most reliable way of building up an accurate picture of children’s development and learning”; some are “planned” others are “spontaneous” (Standards and Testing Agency, 2014, p.9). In my teaching practices, I observed children in two settings - structured inputs and child-initiated activities when children are able to explore the provision. The purpose of the juxtaposition between the two settings is a reflection on the difference between planned and spontaneous observations. From this, I was able to widen my perspective of pupil’s progress when conducting convergent assessments with a specific focus. Although this mode of assessment provided valuable opportunities to assess children with a specific criteria, they were not always accurate. To exemplify this, when using the ‘thumbs up thumbs down’ strategy, individuals appear to be making progress but they were simply mirroring the actions of their