Assessment Concept Mapping

1. Would you use this assessment in your early childhood science classroom?

1.1. Check Lists- I would use this type of assessment in an early childhood science classroom.

1.2. Observations- Absolutely! Observations can be done quickly and easily in most cases. While students are busy working, observations can be done in a way that students won’t realize they are even being assessed.

1.3. Student Portfolio- I definitely would use this form of assessment especially because I am very familiar with it and had great success in the past. I would use portfolios to show the parents how well their child was progressing as well and included dated photos of the students meeting milestones that they had not previously been able to.

1.4. Rubric- Yes, I would use a rubric in my classroom. In my opinion, a rubric is the best way to create a fair and consistent grading system.

2. When teaching science, safety is an important factor. How can you include safety practices in the assessment?

2.1. Check Lists- A checklist with pictures on it for students to assess if they have followed the rules. The teacher would have the same list to check off as the students apply the safety practice.

2.2. Observations- Observations can be done to make sure that students continue to use proper safety equipment and precautions during science instruction.

2.3. Student Portfolio- The teacher can have the students create a Science safety Plan project to assess their understanding of the safety measures and procedures and include the project in the portfolio.

2.4. Rubric- Safety practices can be used as part of the grading system in a rubric. The student would need to follow safety procedures to maintain full credit for the assignment.

3. Why is it important to use multiple methods, in the most authentic contexts possible, to assess student understanding of science?

3.1. Check Lists- is a powerful tool for early childhood educators to analyze information gathered during everyday classroom activities and routines in order to understand each unique child's development.

3.2. Observations- Observations are a great assessment tool, but it should be used in conjunction with other assessments. Using multiple methods of assessment in science instruction helps to ensure that you are getting the most accurate data on a student’s comprehension of the lesson. Having accurate data allows for changes to be made to the instructions for better understanding.

3.3. Student Portfolio- Different assessment tools can be used together in order to collectively and accurately measure a student’s progress and retention as well as encourage comprehension. Students learn differently and therefore should be provided different assessment tools and techniques in order to demonstrate understanding.

3.4. Rubric- It is important to use multiple methods of assessment because not all students test the same. Test anxiety and learning disabilities need to be accounted for when creating authentic assessments. A rubric gives students some room for mistakes and allows teachers to see exactly where the student is struggling.

4. How might you change the assessment and what might you keep the same?

4.1. Check Lists- The nice thing about a checklist is that it can be adapted to whatever the teacher is observing, student can use them to self-check, they document the development of the skills, strategies, attitudes, and behaviors. And learning need of student checklist offer a way.

4.2. Observations- I think in most cases, it is important that observations are done more discreetly. We want to see students working without the pressure of being watched. There are some circumstances, such as watching how a child follows the steps of conducting an experiment where you may want them to know that they are being observed.

4.3. Student Portfolio- Overall, portfolios are a great assessment tool in order to track academic growth and progress. When implementing them into a science classroom, I would just ensure that the portfolio not only has a purpose, but that the students are provided an opportunity to evaluate, reflect on, and share their work.

4.4. Rubric- I really enjoy the way a rubric is set up. The only thing that I may change is how they are used by the teacher. I love to use them for grading and to give our students a set of expectations. I also feel as if they should be used when creating lesson plans. Using a rubric to create lesson plans would ensure that state standards are being taught.

5. Is this an effective way to assess student mastery?

5.1. Checklists- Checklists are used to evaluate and measure using specific criteria that allows the teacher to gather information in order to improve student learning, improve teaching, and communicate to others evidence that the student is learning. To be effective, the checklist should be useful and targeted toward the standard

5.2. Observations- Observations can be an effective assessment tool. Watching a child in their natural environment can be a great way to see what a child truly knows and understands.

5.3. Student Portfolio- Portfolios can be used as an effective assessment tool in order to assess and document the cumulative efforts and progress of learning of a student over a period of time and can reflect data such as a student’s improvement and overall skill mastery.

5.4. Rubric- A rubric provides visual guidelines and requirements for the students to follow. This minimizes confusion and allows the student to get the best grade possible.

6. How could the assessment be used to guide early childhood science instruction?

6.1. Check Lists- Checklists are assessment tools that set out goals, teachers use to gauge skill development or progress of their students. Checklists set out skills, attitudes, strategies, and behaviors for evaluation and offer ways to organize information about a student. Checklist can be adjusted as students reach their goals.

6.2. Observations- During the observation of student’s notes could be made as to what parts of the lesson students are grasping and where there seems to be a lack of understanding. This information can be used to change instruction methods in early childhood science to better meet the needs of the students so that they are able to meet the state standard or NSSG standards that are being taught.

6.3. Student Portfolio- Teachers can use a portfolio to track academic progress and development of students in all subjects including science. For example, a teacher may include a dated piece of artwork or project in the portfolio along with another project dated project completed later on to. The portfolio would be able to determine how well the student improved over a period of time.

6.4. Rubric- The rubric can be used to make sure that all guidelines are being followed and met that are set by state and national standards. The rubric can work for both the teacher and student. The rubric also creates a fair grading system.