Assessment is an incredibly important part of early childhood teaching!
As educators, we cannot hope to plan developmentally appropriate lessons, improve on our teaching efforts, partner with parents in the upbringing of their children and evaluate the progress and development of each child without assessing the learners as well as the success of the activities. Continuous assessment plays an essential role in early childhood teaching. It enables the educators to plan and prepare age- and developmentally appropriate activities according to the group and individual child’s needs and interests, the learning outcomes, and the purpose on the ECD centre.
Educators need to assess whether activities and play areas are developmentally appropriate, relevant and interesting. This is based on observations made on the children’s reactions, participation and time spent on each activity. These findings are then applied to future planning and preparation of activities, so that educators actively improve their teaching methods in order to recognise learning outcomes.
Another important facet of assessment is to enable educators to present reliable and valid information to parents on their child’s level of development and progress. Continuous assessment of each child, as well as the educator’s wealth of experience and knowledge on childhood development, makes providing reliable feedback and recommendations on “education at home” possible.
Assessment also plays a significant role in the early detection and prevention of possible developmental/learning barriers experienced by a child. Educators are responsible for guiding and advising parents on an appropriate course of action based on their assessment. This may involve referring the child to a psychologist, psychiatrist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or doctor.
The assessment results are then used as a progress report and the findings made available to the specialists, which enables them to make an informed decision on the course of treatment according to the child’s individual needs.
This information is then also used to create an environment and prepare learning activities in the classroom and at home. These activities enrich the child’s learning experience, particularly if they have special needs.
Lastly, progress reports are used to provide the child’s next teacher or principal (when progressing to the next grade or moving to a new school) with valuable information on the child’s level of development, successes and possible barriers. This enables them to continue assessment using valid information and adapt their teaching style and material if need be.