ECED-210 Child Observation & Assessment

Credits 3 / 4 Contact Hours
Pre-requisite: Placement into College Level Reading, completion of ELAP-120 with a 2.0 or higher, or successful completion of ACRD-090, ACRD-091 or ACRD-092, or a minimum score of 20 on the reading portion of the ACT; ECED 110  and PSYC 184  with a minumum grade of 2.0. Students must have current Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry (CA/NR) clearance or LARA eligibility letter obtained from the Michigan Department of Human Services to be presented in the first class. A copy must be on file in the Fine Arts/Social Sciences Office, MMB 2005. Students must meet all state licensing health requirements prior to start of their lab experience.  Must have transportation to/from lab worksite. NOTE: A requirement of 45 hours (39 with children) of participation outside of class in an approved child care facility must be completed simultaneously with course.

  Pre- or Co-Requisite: ECED-211. 
This course provides an overview of ongoing child assessment through authentic and systematic observation and documentation strategies and their role in the implementation of effective teaching practices using the NAEYC Standards for Higher Education, the Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten and the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) and is designed to expose students to the development of atypical and typical 0-8-year old across the physical, cognitive,  social/emotional and linguistic (including bilingual) domains; Students will gain knowledge of how the interrelationship of child development and learning process impacts child assessment and how observation and assessment occurs within
relationships in the contexts of families, culture, language, community and the 0-8 learning setting. A system of ongoing child observation and assessment will enable the teacher of young children to individualize instruction to the needs of each child thus supporting the early development and learning needed for school success. 
Students must be prepared to complete assignment requirement of up to 45 hours of participation outside of class in an approved child care facility to be completed simultaneously with course.

Course Outcomes

1. Students will use the NAEYC Standards for Higher Education, the Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten and the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) resources to describe and support the ways in which ongoing child observation and assessment are critical for guiding teaching practices that best support all children to develop and learn to their fullest potential.
2. Students will describe the various purposes for which assessment is conducted.
3. Students will demonstrate the appropriate selection and use of ongoing child observation and assessment strategies to critically guide teaching and facilitate children’s development and learning.
4. Students will demonstrate cooperative work with families and professional colleagues as they gather observation and assessment information and explain the purpose, process and results of assessments to families.
5. Students will explain how to modify and use observation and assessment tools and strategies with children with diverse needs.
6. Students will select and conduct observation and assessment that is developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate for the population served.
7. Students will seek information about the technical adequacy of commercially available assessments and the meaning of assessment scores.