Assessments
Our Children are assessed in terms of whether or not they are able to demonstrate certain outcomes for eg. Counts to at least 10 everyday. They are assessed against criteria that indicate if an outcome has been attained.
We would like the assessment to serve as a positive affirmation of your Child and we acknowledge whatever competencies & outcomes your Child has attained to date. In addition to monitoring your Child’s progress on an ongoing basis, we give Children more than one opportunity to demonstrate their ability to attain an outcome. Their progress is assessed regularly on an ongoing basis (2-3 times a term). These assessments form part of their in their portfolio with a sample of their work as evidence of their developments and improvements. Our broad based assessments include attitudes, processes as well as knowledge and skills.
The mains reasons for assessing Children at school are,​
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To recognise prior learning
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To help us to identify whether or not they are ready to take the next step in the learning process
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To identify any difficulties that they may be having and to help them to overcome these difficulties
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To give us a clear idea of each Child’s abilities, personality and learning patterns so that we can pass this information on to you as parents
What do we assess?
We carefully consider what we are wanting to assess and then we choose activities and observe to see whether each Child is able to meet the outcome. We try and ensure that the Children have several opportunities to show that they are capable of meeting the appropriate level during the term.
How often do we send home proof of our assessments?
In Term 1 we send home a short report, which focuses mainly on how your Child has settled into the new year. Comments are made pertaining to your Child’s interests and basic skills. This is aimed at giving you a brief insight into what your Child enjoys doing at school and how they have adjusted socially & emotionally.
In term 2 we send home a comprehensive assessment with tasks and activities attached, so that you are able to see what your child has been assessed on. This is broader and assesses all the learning areas, namely:
A: Social Development
B: Emotional Development
C: Physical Development
D: Cognitive Development
F: Personal Development
G: Knowledge of Personal details
In Term 3 we send home another short report, which focuses mainly on how your child has progressed through the year.
Comments are made pertaining to your child’s progress in the different areas of development.
Here we also give you insight as to the various milestones that need to be reached at the different stages. In the 4th Term your child will receive a follow-on report to that of Term 1 so that you are able to compare their level of progress.
REPORTS
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Our reports are a combination of ratings and summarized comments about your Child's’ performance. At the end of each term, we also send home your child’s artwork.
Please take the time to carefully go through it with your child so that they are able to share what they have learnt with you.
LEARNING STORIES
In 2021 we introduced a new form of assessment in the form of a learning story. It is a concept created by Margaret Carr and Wendy Lee.
A ‘Learning Story’ is just that, a story that tells a tale to those who are reading it. It focusses on a Child or a group of children, the decisions they make and the consequences that follow. With detailed descriptions like in a narrative, a Learning Story provides an informative approach of the experiences and events that occur during a morning at school. The ‘Learning Story’ format is used to document a Child’s learning through a “story telling” approach to describe a Child’s learning process. Details are incorporated into a learning story to describe an experience that has un-folded or an event and how a Child interacted with others through conversations, interests that emerged or skills that were developed. It’s a narrative that recognizes and describes the learning that takes place through a Child’s play.
Learning Stories focus on what a Child CAN do rather than on what a Child cannot do. Unlike observations there is no need to focus on a specific skill and what steps the Child takes in order to complete that specific skill. Observations describe exactly what the Child does such as “Robert, picked up the pencil with his left hand using a palmer grasp began to write the first letter of his name...” With a learning story, it differs as it is written like a story. “Robert was eager to begin to write his name...”
Learning Stories are also used as an assessment tool in interpreting a Child’s learning habits that take place during the experience. This helps us to evaluate and plan for further experiences to extend upon a Child’s interest and strengths. When analyzing a story, the teacher will identify and include the learning that took place within this experience and aim to describe why the events are significant to the Child and describe why this experience was important for the Child involved. It becomes a 'learning' story when the adult adds his/her interpretation of the Child's competencies and dispositions toward learning (such as courage and curiosity, and perseverance).
The written story may be as short as one paragraph or one page or longer. It is usually focused on a specific incident or episode, but it may also be a snapshot of a Child's activities over a specific amount of time. It may focus on a group activity and be a learning story about an activity that the Children did together such as visiting a fire station or going on a walk.
By linking these stories to the guidelines within the CAPS curriculum, the class teacher will try to explain what the Child (or group of Children) have learnt. The teacher will take photographs or videos to include with the written story, and the written story along with the images will be shared with the Child and the Child's family and peer’s families only.
How good is the Learning Story method for assessing Children's learning?
While Children in early Childhood education are not assessed with end of year tests, our program is ‘'informed by assessment, planning and evaluation, that demonstrates an understanding of Children's learning, their interests, family and life contexts''. We hope that this Learning Story method of assessing Children's learning will have ease of access for parents and teachers because the assessments is written like a story and will include photos which make them attractive to read, share and keep. While they are a good way of collecting interesting examples of a Child's activities,
‘Learning Stories’ are not the only way we will be assessing the Children’s development. We hope however that it will provide a small snapshot of your Child's learning.
Stories play a vital role in the growth and development of Children. The books they read and the characters they get to know can become like friends. Reading also helps Children with their confidence levels, coping with feelings and language and learning. Learning stories are key methods in the development of a Child's sense of identity. By knowing what it is they are doing and understanding how they learn, Children can develop their own interests as well as an all-important sense of self-worth. They can help Children learn what it is to be part of a community.