The Process Of The Preschool Assessment

Introduction

At pre-school level, observation is a commonly used method of collecting information or evidence by caregivers or teachers. Be that as it may, observation can allow the teachers to determine the children’s current learning development and able to state an accurate remark in order to improve children’s learning skills as well as be more concerned. Simply said that observation methods which are not only in theoretical but also apply in solving problems in early childhood classroom. This approach can be done unpretentiously without a pupil knowing that he is being observed. By doing this, teachers can be exhibited the form of children’s behavior, interaction, process and work. Apart from that, this also will assist the teachers to see the development, growth and achievement of the children in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes or practices of noble values as intended by National Standard Preschool curriculum (KSPK).

Other than that, this preschool assessment is also a systematic process for collecting information about children development to help teachers evaluate them with the aim of identifying appropriate follow-up actions to help pupils achieve teaching and learning objectives in preschool. The process in the assessment involves the collection, analysis and interpretation of the information obtained by the observation tools.

OBSERVATION TOOLS

Knowledge, abilities and understanding of each child are differs when the child goes to school at the beginning. Assessing every child’s information and abilities in different formative areas when they enter a kindergarten can enable teachers to personalize direction in school and can help assess results of children’s initial learning encounters before kindergarten inside the setting of a thorough assessment plan. Many states that utilizing existing section appraisals to quantify and report children’s learning and aptitudes deliberately when they enter school.

Conventional tests are important and worth to get the data but are in actual fact for surveying information, not presentation or products. The teacher or a caregiver must assess or watch the children when they are accomplishing the tasks throughout the observation going on as this situation. That is because, reading or answering questions verbally as there is no data documented separately when those kind of task is being observed. It is really significant to look at the accomplishment of the children on what is being accessed rather than whether the children completing it perfectly or not. The reason is that the observer should be looking at the capability of the children. Generally, teachers or caregivers can evaluate an item without knowing who made it, permitting for further impartiality. In sequence, rating scale and checklists have been using to assessed or measure in preschool. Those are the commonly used observation tools. This can be an excellent learning movement for them and an extraordinary time saver for the observers.

OBSERVATION TOOL 1: RATING SCALES

A rating scale is one of the observation tools in order to surveying the accomplishment of assignments or tasks, learning skills and strategies levels, characteristics or behaviours and to assess the objective of a lesson are achieved or not. A rating scale could be a device utilized for evaluating the execution of assignments or tasks, expertise levels such as the children’s reading skills or writing skills, techniques on how the children are applying on what they have taught such as completing an artwork, methods such as checking on doing logical reasoning, qualities, amounts, or final results, such as passing information, mimicking, drawings, watering plants, computer programs and so on. These are judged at a characterized level inside a stated extend. Rating scales are comparable to checklists except that they show the degree of achievement instead of fair ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Rating scales list execution articulations in one column and the run of accomplishment in clear words, with or without numbers, in other columns. These other columns shape “the scale” and can demonstrate a run of achievement, such as from destitute to amazing, never to continuously, starting to excellent, or strongly disagree to unequivocally agree. Some errands, such as methods and forms, have to be be watched in arrange to be assessed.

The characteristics of rating scales are they have criteria for completion based on anticipated outcomes on what is going to be measured as the purpose of the observation. Furthermore, a rating scale must be clearly characterized its items where the statements should be concise and precise in order to achieve the objective of the observation. By doing this, the observer can get most reliable and solid outcome. For surveying conclusion items, it can in some cases offer assistance to have a set of photographs or genuine tests that appear the distinctive levels of accomplishment where the children can visually compare their work to the guidelines given. In addition, a rating scale must have explanations that are break apart coherently and cohesively. Next, the rating scale should be take account of perfect language and expression with numbers when a number scale is utilized. For an instance, when the execution articulation portrays a manner or quality, 1 = poor through to 5 = excellent is better than 1 = lowest through to 5 = highest or simply 1 through 5. The extended of numbers ought to be the same for all lines inside an area such as all being from 1 to 5.

The choice of numbers ought to continuously increment or continuously diminish. For illustration, if the final number is the most noteworthy accomplishment in one segment, the final number should be the most elevated accomplishment within the other areas. Besides, rating scales should have precise, clearly recognizable languages. By means of, great at that point fabulous is superior to great at that point exceptionally great since it is hard to recognize between great and exceptionally great. A few terms, such as regularly or sometimes, are less clear than numbers, such as 80% of the time. Then again, it should be brief sufficient to be practical and highlight basic skills. It also should indicate levels of victory required some time recently continuing advance, on the off chance that applicable. The person who prepares the rating scale could now and then have a column or space for giving extra feedback by the observer. A rating scale must have space for other data such as the children’s name, date, course, examiner, and by and large result.

According to Sattler (2001), rating scales can be helpful; they (rating scales) have been condemned as being impressionistic, lacking inter-rater unwavering quality, and being influenced by the subjectivity of the spectator. There are few types of rating scale such as Numerical Rating Scale which is also considered as one of the easiest rating scale. The observer needs to tick on the assessed value which is usually 1-5. Next is Alphabet Rating Scale which is similar to Numerical Rating Scale. The only difference is the value of the numbers change to alphabet, A-E. Unlike the two rating scales mentioned above, Graphic Rating Scale has to be assessed by placing a check to make a horizontal line. With the purpose to measure the connotative meaning of concepts, the Semantic Differential Rating Scale has designed. This rating scale has to be assessed by choosing scale between two bipolar adjectives Good-Evil. The general similarities and differences can be resolute by using this scale. Briefly, a rating scale is an arrangement of classifications intended to inspire data about a quantitative or a qualitative characteristic. Usually the Likert’s scale and 1-10 rating scales choose the number which is considered to mirror the apparent nature of an item.

There are many advantages of Rating Scale. It is time efficient and can be in a short time which will be easier for the teacher or the observer. It can be observed by anyone as long as the items match the children’s observing area. For an example, the next class teacher or the caregivers can help the class teacher to observe the children when the class teacher is not around as the items are specific. Besides of that, the observer can observe the children more than one time at the same time. Since rating scale’s data can be gathered just by ticking, it can be perceived more than one skills, behaviours or attitudes.

Differently from that, the observer or the teacher might find it difficult to sort out the children’s expertise because this is just rating which is really subjective. This is where the differentiation of the rating is not specific as usually it does in qualitative research instrumentation tools. Other than that, the observer can get biased by his or her personal feeling or feeling towards the children. Those are the disadvantages of the rating scale observation tool.

OBSERVATION TOOL 2: CHECKLIST

Similar with Rating Scale, checklist is a type of informative tool used to reduce failure while assessing children. It helps to ensure consistency and perfection in carrying out tasks. It helps the observer or the teacher to gather the data systematically. Checklist is also a valuation tool containing a list of items available to identify the development of physical, cognitive, language and social skills. The list of items provided is to test the students' knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities and behavior. It has to be prepared earlier before the observation as well as the items should be concise and simple in a point form. Apart from that, the items should be arranged the skills in a rank order from top to bottom. In order to get most reliable and valid data, the observation has to be done more than once.

A checklist is a tool for identifying the presence or absence of conceptual knowledge, skills, or behaviours. Checklists are used for identifying whether key tasks in a procedure, process, or activity have been completed. The tasks may be a sequence of steps or include items to verify that the correct sequence was followed. You may need to observe the tasks being followed because, in general, you cannot judge what tasks the learner did from the end product. It is an important key to remember that some attitudes may be indirectly observed. For example, safety attitudes can be observed by seeing if safety equipment is worn or the way the children communicating with their peers or classmates about daily conversation. A checklist may also be given to children to follow in completing a procedure. This can be done by giving the children a piece of paper filled with pictures as items of checklists. Usually will be assisted by a teacher or a caregiver in this kind of situation. Then the children can colour if they recognise the pictures. For an example, a checklist of stationery or fruits.

A checklist itemizes task descriptions in one column and provides a space beside each item in a second column, usually small column, to check off the completion of the each task. Characteristics of checklists are it should have criteria for success based on expected outcomes where it benefits the purpose the observation. Other than that, it has to be short enough to be practical. Generally, a checklist would not be more than two pages. Thus, the items of the checklist should be specified and the tasks chunked into logical sections or flow from start to finish. The critical tasks can be highlighted. To minimize to minimize the risk of misinterpretation of the other teachers to be an observer, it has to be written with clearly and detailed wording. A checklist must have space for other information such as the children’s name, date, course, examiner, and overall result or other indicated information to gather the data. It can be also be prepared so that the other observer or third party such as parents or the kindergarten’s administrators can read and understand the he whole idea of it.

A teacher or a caregiver as an observer should take note that the criteria for completion, based on anticipated results, give the indicators for evaluating a children’s accomplishment. In a few cases, basic criteria must be met for an execution to be judged a victory. These criteria regularly relate to safety issues or basic steps in a handle or strategy. One of the advantages of checklists is the data that collected will be more easily be assessed and measured qualitatively and quantitatively. Along with that, the children’s progress can be seen noticeably. Likewise rating scale, checklist also easy to measure the data and effective to use this tool in preschools sine the teachers do not have much time to observe the children in the classroom. More than one child can be observing at a time.

However, there are disadvantages of this observation tool in preschools. The data can be subjective since the observer can be influenced or be unfair when rating the children based on the personal feeling. That shows that the obtained data can be unreliable. Further, the data are be specified as it doesn’t explain in detail. For an instance, if an observer rate a child in ‘No’ category, it does not shows to which extreme is the ‘No’. Those disadvantages need to be considered in order to get most reliable data.