Assessment of early childhood development (การ ประเมิน พัฒนาการ เด็ก ปฐมวัย, which is the term in Thai) is a tool used to collect and provide parents, families, and educators with vital information relating to a child’s development and growth.
Assessment is a vital part of the early childhood program; it enables educators to observe a child and gather information about the child’s knowledge and ability.
When an educator observes and documents a child’s annual work and performance, the educator can track the child’s growth and development; and thus use this information to plan suitable curriculum and effective instruction for each child.
Parents also need this assessment record so they can follow their child’s progress at school, get to know their child’s strengths and weaknesses, and also help them to learn and develop at their homes.
Child assessment methods can be informal (natural observations and teacher ratings) and formal (using assessment tools like standardized testing and questionnaires).
Observations
Educators can observe all aspects of the development of a child, such as his or her intellectual, physical, linguistic, and social-emotional development, regularly with little or no intrusion into the child’s activities.
Portfolios
Portfolios involve recording data that is gathered through a child’s work input over a while. It shows the progress of a child’s development.
Educator Ratings
Educator ratings help in assessing a child’s cognitive and language skills. It also assesses a child’s social-emotional development. These ratings are similar to other assessment methods, such as standardized testing.
Parent Ratings
With parent ratings, parents are encouraged to observe their child, detect and play a role in their child’s development.
Standardized Tests
These are tests designed to meet a set of testing standards. Standardized tests are conducted and scored as a way of assessing the performance of a child in a program.
