Roadmap to Authentic Assessment Support
Step into Authentic Assessment and explore ways to gather information about children and families in daily activities and routines. You can investigate elements of the EcoMap, the Routine-Based Interview, and the development of Functional Outcomes.
Authentic assessment is the assessing of a child’s functional abilities and skills within everyday activities and settings (also known as a child’s natural environment). We do this to determine goals and activities so that we can enhance a child’s development and learning opportunities. Authentic assessment is distinct from standardized assessment, where one examines children’s discrete skills in an artificial environment and with artificial tasks. When we use authentic assessment, we want to be able to look at the entire child and the child’s functioning within his/her typical environment with goal of full participation in home and community settings. Without an understanding of child’s functioning in his/her natural environment, strategies and solutions for child success are limited.
Based upon the work of Robin McWilliam, each section in this module will describe and demonstrate to the learner the elements of the EcoMap, the Routine-Based Interview™ and the development of Functional Outcomes. The EcoMap section and the Functional Outcomes section are designed to be useful for any professional supporting young children’s development and learning. The RBI™ section is designed for professionals who are serving young children with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. Each section will provide hands on practice experiences to develop and enhance skills and capacity for eliciting information that is rich and thorough, based on a family’s concerns, priorities and resources. Feel free to personalize your experience by engaging with one or more segments as you consider what information to explore, how much information to engage with, and identify how this information could support your work with families and caregivers of young children. The Routines Based Interview™ requires a full certification for use in professional practice, however, the philosophies of this practice can be incorporated into day to work with caregivers and families.
Resources
Gathering Information with Families:
http://ectacenter.org/topics/families/famassess.asp
Division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices:
https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PrmtgPositiveOutcomes.pdf -DEC Position Statement- Promoting Positive Outcomes
https://divisionearlychildhood.egnyte.com/dl/NRAghl7roM
https://divisionearlychildhood.egnyte.com/dl/tgv6GUXhVo
Using Authentic Assessment in Family-Based Programs:
http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201307/Appropriate_and_Meaningul_Assessment_Elicker.pdf
Using videos and photographs to document children’s learning and progress:
http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/meetings/data2014/Edelman-UsingRichDocumentationToEngage.pdf
Authentic Assessment Reference List:
http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/calls/2010/earlypartc/earlypartc-s3-references.pdf
Authentic Child Assessment (ECTA- PG)
