Issues of assessment in the early years

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Issues of assessment inthe early years

• Geoff Lindsay
• Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal
  Research (CEDAR)
• University of Warwick
• Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage
  London, 17.3.09

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overview

• Purpose of early assessment
• Some history
• EYFSP early assessment revisited
• Implications

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Purpose drives

• Expected outcome
• Method
• Timing of assessments
• One-off v continuous
• Technical quality requirements
• E.g. Criteria for validity, reliability

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Complicating factors

• Multiple purposes
• Child trajectories
• Measurement factors e.g.
• Reliability different forms
• Concurrent validity
• Predictive validity
• Child v aggregated (e.g. school/LA)
• Interpretation of comparative scores
• Usefulness

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Child developmental trajectories times A-D
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School level value added
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School value added analysis whats significant?
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Variations by ethnicity

• Source Infant Index
• Significant difference between white and children
  of Asian origin
• White and African-Caribbean children are
  comparable
• Language effect is clear (English as an
  additional language)
• Children with EAL may then make more rapid
  progress from age 5-7 years, to catch up

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Purposes of early assessment

• pedagogic
• early identification of children with SEN
• early identification of childrens SEN
• monitoring progress of all children
• identification of targets learning strategies
• (summative, end of year/stage)

• managerial
• value added analysis
• school improvement
• resource planning
• budget determination
• plus..
• performance management

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Some history baseline assessment

• tradition LA development of schemes
• small number of commercial schemes
• early identification of SEN was key issue
• value added started with secondary, moved down
  age range
• School interest for fairer comparisons

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statutory basis

• Baseline assessment was legal requirement on
  schools from 1998 -2002
• assess within 7 weeks of child starting school
• only use a scheme accredited by the QCA
• parents must have the opportunity to discuss
• changed to end of foundation stage assessment
  from 2002-3
• Continuous assessment but summer term final
  assessment

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Purpose of baseline assessment

• Baseline Assessment means a scheme designed to
  enable pupils in a maintained primary school to
  be assessed for the purpose of assisting the
  future planning of their education and the
  measurement of their future educational
  achievements.
• (Education Act 1997)
• Also referred to identification of SEN

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National evaluation of accredited BA schemes

• Survey data from
• 982 schools
• 102 LAs and 5 non-LA providers
• Case studies in 16 LAs
• Interviews reception teachers, heads, parents
  etc
• Source Lindsay Lewis (2003)

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Main purposes in practice?

• Reception teachers
• grouping the children
• developing learning programmes
• assessing progress
• Heads
• comparison of school with others
• ammo for OFSTED
• value added

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Strengths?

• BA was generally an integral part of wider
  assessment procedures
• High levels of satisfaction with BA (particularly
  from LAs)
• Ease of use and manageability of schemes were
  rated highly
• Used for identification of children with SEN

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Areas to develop?

• Dissatisfaction re EAL
• Training was generally widespread in the use of
  schemes but not in the use of data
• Checks on reliability were reported by only one
  third of schools
• Variability in the timing of baseline assessment
• Parents were rarely involved in baseline
  assessment recipients of information

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Foundation Stage Profile

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, reasoning, numeracy
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development
• 13 scales each of 9 points
• 3 progressing towards early learning goals
• Approx order
• Not necessarily hierarchical

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• Assessment process
• Over year, termly recording is possible
• Finish in summer term
• sums up and describes each childs development
  and learning achievements at the end of the EYFS
  
• Reminder of the purpose

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Purpose of the EYFSP

• The primary purpose of the EYFS profile is to
  provide year 1 teachers with reliable and
  accurate information about each childs level of
  development at the end of the EYFS. This will
  enable them to plan an effective, responsive and
  appropriate curriculum that will meet children's
  needs.
• Source QCA (2008). Early Years Foundation Stage
  Profile Handbook
• But...

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assessing and collecting EYFS profile data has a
variety of benefits

• strength of provision across areas of learning
  for individuals and for groups
• Comparisons of individuals, groups and setting as
  a whole
• Impact of support for vulnerable groups (for LA)
  
• Targeting resources
• National perspective (for DCSF)

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National statistics? E.g.

• working securely within the early learning
  goals
• Physical development 89
• Maths numbers as labels for counting 88
• Communication, language and literacy 61
• But what do these mean?

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• National Indicator Set
• achieving at least 78 points across EYFSP with
  at last a score of 6 in each scale in PSED and
  CLL increased in 122/150 LAs between 2007 and
  2008
• The gap between lowest achieving 20 on the EYFSP
  and the rest lowered in 116/150 LAs

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Stress on

• Accuracy of data
• Training in administration for
  accuracy/consistency
• Moderation as quality assurance
• Observation as the method
• EAL, boys lower achievement and SEN issues
  addressed as challenges to accuracy and respect
  for diversity
• SEN alternative methods of communication

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Moderation

• Key focus to optimise accuracy
• Improvement in QCA ratings of LAs implementation
  and moderation 2008-9
• (QCA (2009)
• But focus on process e.g.
• Moderation plan reviewed
• Clear system in place for training
• Use of data is mentioned but basis of judgement
  that met effective practice?

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Conclusions

• Match?
• Summative measure is of very limited use
• Designed to assist the next teacher
• needs continuous measures
• Assessment for teaching for the present
• Child variation?
• Trajectories matter
• Single core at end of year/stage is of limited
  use

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• Managerial school and national levels
• Summative is fine trends, but
• Accuracy and validity are crucial
• Method -depends on purpose
• For teaching hypothesis generation and
  assessment-linked teaching
• For summative (school/national) - accurate/valid
  statement of how it is now

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Has EYFSP built successfully on baseline
assessment?

• Single scheme aids consistency
• Training and moderation also developed
• Quality assurance is central
• BUT
• Focus on accuracy
• Evidence of reliability? Validity?
• Focus on observation
• Exclusion of structured methods?
• Usefulness?
• Current teacher? National dataset?

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• SEN?
• What happens in last year of foundation stage?
  Lost opportunity?
• focus on access to assessment as accuracy issue
  may detract from assessment of specific child
• Assessment for teaching?
• Heads desire for managerial information?
• DCSF also

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conclusions

• EYFSP represents a generally positive development
  that followed our recommendations
• But important issues remain, not least need for
  evidence beyond descriptive statistics
• Essential to build into a system of monitoring
  all childrens progress, identification of
  special/additional needs, more specific
  assessment and appropriate provision

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Further reading

• QCA (2008) Early years foundation stage Profile
  handbook 2008. London QCA
• QCA (2009) Implementation and moderation of the
  foundation stage profile 2008
• Lindsay, G. Lewis, A. (2003) An evaluation of
  the use of accredited baseline assessment schemes
  in England, British Educational Research
  Journal, 29(2), 149-167.
• Lindsay, G. Desforges, M. (1998) Baseline
  Assessment. London David Fulton (154 pp)
• Lindsay, G., Martineau, E. Lewis, A. (2004).
  Content analysis of baseline assessment schemes.
  Journal of Reading Research, 27(2), 118-131.
• Lewis, A., Lindsay, G. Phillips, E. (2003).
  Assessment in special schools National early
  assessment procedures and pupils attending
  special schools in England, European Journal of
  Special Needs Education, 18, 141-153.
• Lindsay, G., Lewis, A. Phillips, E. (2000)
  Evaluation of Accredited Baseline Assessment
  Schemes 1999/2000. (For Qualifications and
  Curriculum Authority). Coventry CEDAR,
  University of Warwick. (60pp).
• Lindsay, G. (2004). Baseline assessment and the
  early identification of dyslexia. In G. Reid A.
  Fawcett (eds) Dyslexia in Context Research,
  Policy and Practice. pp 278-287. London Whurr.
• Statistical First Release (2008) Foundation Stage
  Profile Results in England. SFR/25/2008. DCSF