Play School for Best Academic Foundation
Assessment is the gathering of information through observable evidence of what a child can do, say, and apply. Evaluation involves the judging and interpreting of the assessment data to determine the child’s progress in achieving the overall learning expectations.
Observation is the most important aspect of assessment in the Kindergarten classroom and is an integral part of all other assessment strategies. Assessment is the key to effective teaching and is the starting point for instruction in the Kindergarten program. The assessment of a child’s achievement is intended to improve the child’s learning. At 360 Kids Play School teachers continually observe, monitor, document, and assess children’s learning, and regularly report on children’s progress towards the achievement of the Kindergarten expectations to parents and the children themselves.
Play School children when in their first years of school and go through the process of adjusting to the school environment. They are given ample time to demonstrate their achievements through varied learning opportunities that are appropriate for their stage of development and that are within the range of things they can do with and without guidance. Teachers at ‘360 Kids Play School’ also take into consideration that the period of adjustment to school is longer for some children than for others.
Young children will demonstrate their learning in many different ways. Their success in demonstrating what they know or are able to do will also vary, depending on such factors as the time of day, the situation, the type of questions asked, familiarity with the content, and facility with the language of instruction. To allow for the range of influences that may affect a child’s performance at any one time, our play school teachers assess the child’s learning on an ongoing basis in the context of everyday classroom experiences, using a variety of strategies and tools.
Our assessment strategies encourage children to show what they know and can do, rather than focus on what they do not know or cannot do. An assessment that focuses on what children can do takes into account the developmental stage of the child. Assessment enables our teachers to determine how well their planned activities and teaching strategies are working, and to make any changes needed to enable children to achieve the learning expectations.
Some children may need differentiated instruction to meet their individual needs.
Observation, as well as the documentation of observations, is the most important method for gaining assessment information about a young child as he or she works and interacts in the classroom. Observation is the primary assessment strategy used in our play school. Teachers focuses their observations on specific skills, concepts, and characteristics, as described in the learning expectations, and record their observations. Daily observation includes both planned observations and on-the-spot observations. There are various ways of documenting observations, such as using anecdotal notes, checklists, and rating scales on our software. Assessment strategies and tools include the following:
1. Portfolios records of reading behaviours
2. Developmental continua conferences
3. Age and stage-of-development charts
4. Self-assessment and peer assessment