Take Picture. It’ll Last Longer! – Don’t forget to use your camera, cell phone, or video recorder if you have this media available. Photos and videos make excellent documentation of work in progress.
Digital Documentation – There are many systems for digital documentation these days. Some are more easily adapted for early education than others. From an article by Jennifer Rita Nichols, an intern at TeachThought.com, here are some you may want to evaluate for your program: Easy Portfolios, Evernote, Voice Thread, Open School ePortfolio, Three Ring, Kidblog, Wikispaces for Education, and Weebly.
Commonsense.org rates Seesaw, WeLearnedIt, Three Ring, FreshGrade, Edmodo, eBackpack, Evernote, Pthbrite, Exibi, Dropbox, GoogleSites, and Tackk, in that order on their site.
Creative Curriculum has its own digital assessment system called Gold, and High Scope has its great assessment system, COR in an online version that can be used with a variety of curricula. Anything by NAEYC approved or by Creative Curriculum and High Scope is OK by me!
What a Tool! – Your chosen curriculum usually includes a formal Assessment Tool or you can choose/purchase/create one that matches your program’s list of educational objectives.
Some curricula call for formal-sit-down-and grill testing of their children in order to complete the Assessment Tool, but I prefer a year full of factual observations gained by participating in purposeful play WITH your children; a portfolio of notes, samples of work, photos, and quotes; and careful and continuous communication between co-workers and between teachers and parents all brought together to determine strength and need for children from birth to three, and then a more formal approach for those heading to kindergarten.
Some teachers and parents like an Assessment Tool or Form that is detailed and explicit, showing child progress in every skill, while others may prefer a brief narrative picture. Here are two examples from the Winter Park Curriculum (a personally edited, as yet unpublished system).
Next Blog: A Bit of Ranting About Assessment and Accountability
Teach 'Em the Way They Learn 