Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/portfolios-tools-for-documentation-celebration-and-growth/5026434/
Every child in an early learning program brings a uniqueness that needs to be valued and recognized. Using authentic assessment, early childhood educators can focus on this developmental uniqueness by examining milestones as children progress through their classroom.
“Authentic assessment refers to the systematic recording of developmental observations over time about the naturally occurring behaviors and functional competencies of young children in daily routines by familiar and knowledgeable caregivers in the child’s life” (Bagnato & Ho, 2006; as cited in Bagnato, et al., 2014). Authentic assessments can be completed through various methods, including using observation techniques, completing developmental checklists, collecting artifacts created by the children, and writing teacher reflections.
The collection, organization, and usage of various forms of authentic assessments ultimately create an individualized child portfolio. Portfolios are the purposeful collection of a child’s work that demonstrates the achievements that child has made in multiple developmental areas over a specific time period (Texas Pre-K Guidelines, 2015). Children, families, and teachers can all benefit from the use of portfolios in an early learning program by being able to see the individual growth of each child, even when the child is part of a larger classroom group.
The creation of portfolios does not need to ...