Using the Foundation Phase

1
Training for Assessment
www.cymru.gov.uk

• Using the Foundation Phase
• Child Development Assessment Profile

2
The Training Agenda Four Sessions

• Introduction to the Guidance Materials and Record
  Form
• Considerations when planning and managing
  assessment
• Making judgements and recording evidence
• Checking understanding of assessment arrangements

3
Glossary

• Developmental Areas The assessment is holistic,
  divided into six Developmental Areas.
• Steps Each Developmental Area describes seven
  Steps in childrens progress.
• Descriptions of Behaviour These are the fine
  grain descriptions of assessment demands. Usually
  three (occasionally two) Descriptions of
  Behaviour are linked with each Step.

4
Introduction to the Guidance Materials and Record
Form
Session 1

• The six Developmental Areas
• Assessment stories
• Descriptions of Behaviour and Steps
• (Refer to the Record Wheel and Guidance to
  illustrate these terms. Examples from Personal,
  Social and Emotional development will be used in
  this session.)

5
Summary of Areas of Learning and Developmental
Areas
6
Guidance Materials Assessment story
7
Guidance Material for one Description of
Behaviour
8
How the guidance materials define illustrate
each Description of Behaviour
Activity One

• Look at the Descriptions of Behaviour within
  Personal, Social and Emotional.
• Think about and discuss likely behaviours you
  may observe which would count as meeting the
  various Descriptions of Behaviour.
• Can you think of behaviours that would be near
  misses?

9
Guidance Materials Assessment story
10
Purposes of the Assessment stories

• To provide an overview of the seven Steps in each
  Developmental Area.
• To serve as range finders to decide starting
  points in assessment.
• Typically, practitioners will need to explore at
  least three adjacent Steps to complete a childs
  assessment in any one Developmental Area.

11
Using Assessment stories
Activity Two

• Think of one child you know well.
• At what point in the Assessment Story can that
  childs point in development be located?
• What seems to be the appropriate range of
  Descriptions of Behaviour to be looking at in
  this childs performance?
• With which Description of Behaviour might you
  begin the assessment?

12
Session Two
Considerations when planning and managing
assessment

• Staff availability to carry out the assessments
• The number of children to be assessed
• The timetable of staff and childrens
  attendance
• The number of sessions attended by each child
• Availability of provision for specific
  observations
• Times of day when particular behaviours are
  observable
• The Developmental Areas selected to be assessed
• Some form of timetable or scheduling is likely to
  help!

13
Organising the assessment
Activity One
Three contexts in which children might show
relevant behaviours

• Behaviours that happen regularly so assessable
  at any time.
• Behaviours that happen in particular situations,
  e.g. dressing.
• Behaviours that require adults to set up
  situations, e.g. classifying objects physical
  activities as a group.
• Which contexts might be relevant when assessing
  each Description of Behaviour in Personal, Social
  and Emotional?

14
Planning and managing assessment
Observation Planning Sheet 1 (Focus on timetable
of attendance for children and staff)
15
Planning and managing assessment
Observation Planning Sheet 2 (Focus on areas of
continuous provision)
16
Planning and managing assessment
Observation Planning Sheet 3 (Focus on areas of
continuous provision and Description of Behaviour)
17
Session Three
Making judgements and recording evidence

• Possibilities for allocating responsibilities
  within the setting
• Individual staff responsibility for named
  children across all Areas
• Individual staff member responsibility for one
  Area at a time for all children to be assessed
• All staff together assess children, one Area at
  a time, Area by Area

18
Making and recording temporary judgements

• Consider using temporary recording methods (such
  as sticky labels, etc.) while gathering
  evidence.
• Ensure observations are relevant to the intended
  Description of Behaviour.
• Ensure the recording describes actual evidence.
• Look for positive behaviour which meets each
  Description of Behaviour.
• Extend assessment until no further independent
  success is likely.
• A temporary record can be changed.

19
Confirming and permanently recording judgements

• Transfer temporary information on those
  Descriptions of Behaviour judged confidently to
  be within childs capability to the Record Form.
  Initial and date.
• The person transferring the record must be an
  identified member of staff.
• Where a Description of Behaviour has not been
  met, do not transfer the temporary record onto
  the Record Form.
• Information on the Record Form should not be
  changed after dating and signing.

20
Making Best-fit judgements

• The process requires
• A review of the evidence of the childs
  capabilities as recorded on the Record Form.
• A decision as to which row is most
  characteristic of childs performance on that
  theme.
• The best fit decision to be recorded by shading
  and dating the relevant circle in the margin of
  the Record Form.
• Best-fit decisions require a review of all
  evidence relevant to the Developmental Area. The
  best-fit decision must reflect which one Step
  best matches a childs behaviour, even if
  performance is patchy.

21
Making a best-fit judgement

• Look at the sample record of the childs
  behaviour.
• Make a best-fit judgement that takes account of
  the recorded evidence.
• Shade in a circle indicating your view of the
  best fit.
• Write down your reasoning in making your best
  fit decision.

22
Row criteria met
23
Row criteria met
24
Both row criteria not met
25
Making best-fit judgements
26
Making best-fit judgements
27
Summarising progress on the Record Form

• The Record Wheel offers a summary of a childs
  progress across the six Developmental Areas.
• Each of the seven Steps in each Area is
  identified.
• Each Description of Behaviour is marked with a
  number and a letter. These are to be shaded when
  assessment judgements are recorded permanently.
• The smaller emboldened circles at each Step are
  to be used to record best fit judgements, by
  shading.

28
Session Four
Checking understanding of Assessment Arrangements

• Review of session.
• Review use of Guidance Materials.
• Review use of Record forms.
• Review recording evidence of meeting
  Descriptions of Behaviours.
• Review of making and recording a best fit
  Judgement.
• Review the process of summarising progress on
  the Record Wheel.

29
TimetableSeptember 2011- ImplementSeptember
(19th-23rd) 2011 Networking SessionsOctober-
Moderating
30
Thank You!For more information or further
support.gjenkins_at_carmarthenshire.gov.uk(01267)
246702