A1. Create and maintain an observation system to document the development of children age 0–2, including language and pre-literacy development.

A2. Create and maintain an observation and assessment system to document the development of children age 3–5, including language and pre-literacy development.

A3. Use observation and assessment information to guide instruction.

A4. Support the identification of developmental delays or special needs by sharing observation and assessment information with families and specialists.

During this lesson, you and your team will review the Action Steps for the Assessment module and determine what your team would like to learn more about. Read each summary and use the resources to complete your assignment.

In Part 1, you will find a review of Lessons 1–4. You and your team will discuss the Action Steps and topics explored in each lesson and decide what you would like to learn more about.

Part 2 has a collection of resources that you can select from to learn more about Action Steps A1 and A2 related to establishing and implementing an observation and assessment system that is appropriate for the ages of the children you serve.

Part 3 has resources related to Action Steps A3 and A4.

To get started, download the Implementation Guide for this component and refer to the Action Steps for this lesson. Examine the Implementation Indicators for each level of implementation and note the Sample Evidence listed at the bottom of the chart.

The first four lessons of this module provided extensive information and resources related to assessment in early childhood. You most likely found that there were many more resources than could be explored in the time you had for each lesson.

In this lesson, you and your team have an opportunity to further investigate one or two key topics that were discussed in the previous lessons. Your assignment will be to narrow down what your team wants to learn more about, select resource(s) to review and discuss as a team, and explain how what you learned will be used to improve your site's/campus's ability to implement the Assessment component of the TSLP. First, read the summaries below to review the focus of each lesson.

Lessons 1 and 2 both addressed these Action Steps:

A1. Create and maintain an observation system to document the development of children age 0–2, including language and pre-literacy development.

A2. Create and maintain an observation and assessment system to document the development of children age 3–5, including language and pre-literacy development.

Lesson 1 provided an overview of the Assessment component, including the need for schools and sites to have an observation and assessment system to collect information about children's pre-literacy development. You also learned key terms related to assessment, including reliability and validity. This lesson also discussed what you and your instructional staff need to know to establish your observation and assessment system so that it is appropriate to the ages of the children you serve.

In Lesson 2, you and your site/campus-based leadership team learned about selecting appropriate assessment tools as part of your assessment system for infants, toddlers, and children age 3–5. You also read about the major steps to consider when establishing and maintaining an observation and assessment plan for children at these age ranges.

In Lesson 3, you and your team learned about supporting your instructional staff in using the information gathered from your assessment system to plan effective care and instruction that meets the needs of all the children they serve. You learned about the importance of setting clear expectations for instructional staff to use data while planning instruction, providing professional development and guidance in using data, and setting aside time for data meetings.

In Lesson 4, you and your team learned about how you and your instructional staff can support the identification of developmental delays or special needs of the children in your care by sharing information. You learned about the role of the early childhood instructional staff in the identification process and how to establish staff expectations accordingly. This lesson also included the steps instructional staff can take to effectively communicate with families about learning and development concerns and to support children and families in the identification process.

Now, decide with your team what Action Step(s) and topic(s) you would like to take the time to learn more about. Parts 2 and 3 have highlighted key resources that you can select from to review and discuss with your team. Your assignment is different for this lesson; you can preview the questions before moving on.

To further investigate Action Steps 1 and 2 and the topic of creating and maintaining an observation and assessment system for young children, you may review and discuss these resources from Lessons 1 and 2:

"Appropriate and Meaningful Assessment in Family-Centered Programs," found on the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website, includes information about different assessment tools educators can use for meaningful assessment. The article also describes the importance of reflecting on assessment information in collaboration with colleagues and families and the use of this information for setting goals and planning for individual children and groups.

"Assessment in Early Childhood" is available on the Get Ready to Read! website. The article provides educators with basic background information and a general overview of national standards for assessment, universal screening, progress monitoring, observation in naturalistic settings, and the use of teacher ratings to identify children at risk.

The Infant/Toddler Development, Screening, and Assessment module is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Office of Child Care. From the ZERO TO THREE home page, enter "Infant/Toddler Development, Screening, and Assessment" in the search box. You can then download the PDF version of the module by clicking on the title.

"The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom" describes how to effectively use documentation of children's learning and development. This article is available for download on the Past Issues page of the NAEYC website. See under June/July 2009, Vol. 2, No. 5.

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center has a page dedicated to screening, evaluation, and assessment of young children.

The article "Screening for Reading Problems in Preschool and Kindergarten: An Overview of Selected Measures" is available on the RTI Action Network site and provides guidance in identifying and selecting appropriate screening assessments for prekindergarten children.

To further investigate Action Step A3 and the topic of using assessment and observation data to plan instruction, you may review and discuss these resources from Lesson 3:

The Learning from Assessment Toolkit, available on the Head Start website, provides a collection of presentations, handouts, and guided practice exercises to help instructional staff in administering and analyzing child assessment. You can download various parts of the Toolkit by clicking on the different tabs at the top of the page.

The webinar Engaging Families in the Assessment Process and Use of Data: An Early Childhood Example examines strategies for promoting the effective use of early childhood assessment data at multiple levels, with a focus on families.

To further investigate Action Step A4 and the topic of your and your instructional staff's roles in supporting the identification of developmental delays, you may review and discuss these resources from Lesson 4:

What is governed by law (e.g., according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA). Information about what childcare providers need to know about disability laws can be found at the eXtension website.

Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECI) is a statewide program for families with children, birth to three, with disabilities and developmental delays. ECI supports families to help their children reach their potential through developmental services. Services are provided by a variety of local agencies and organizations across Texas.

Generally, five categories of skills are examined for developmental delays: gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, and social. You will find detailed descriptions and discussion at the My Child Without Limits website.

The Hand to Hold website provides guidance on the process for receiving services, both in children age 0–3 and children age 3–5. This information describes how to get help early, what to expect from the child's doctor, what to expect after the doctor's visit, how ECI can help, and how to make the transition between ECI and a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD).

The Talking with Families section of the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center describes resources and best practices related to talking with families about child and family outcomes.

With your site/campus-based leadership team, review your team’s self-assessed rating for Action Step A5 in the TSLP Implementation Status Ratings document and then respond to the four questions in the assignment.

TSLP Implementation Status Ratings 0-SE

Your assignment is to decide what your team wants to learn more about, select resource(s) to review and discuss as a team, and explain how you will use what you learned.

In completing your assignment with your team, the following resources and information from this lesson’s content may be useful to you:

• Refer to Part 1 for a review of Lessons 1–4.
• Refer to Part 2 for resources from Lessons 1 and 2 related to Action Steps A1 and A2.
• Refer to Part 3 for resources from Lessons 3 and 4 related to Action Steps A3 and A4.

To record your responses, go to the Assignment template for lesson and follow the instructions.

Follow instructions provided by your school or district.