DAP-Observing, Documenting, and Assessing

DAP: Observing, Documenting, and
Assessing Children’s Development and

Learning
Observing, documenting, and assessing each child’s development and learning are essential processes for
educators and programs to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the experiences they
provide to children. Assessment includes both formal and informal measures as tools for monitoring
children’s progress toward a program’s desired goals. Educators can be intentional about helping children
to progress when they know where each child is with respect to learning goals. Formative assessment
(measuring progress toward goals) and summative assessment (measuring achievement at the end of a
defined period or experience) are important. Both need to be conducted in ways that are developmentally,
culturally, and linguistically responsive to authentically assess children’s learning. This means that not only
must the methods of assessment, both formal and informal, be developmentally, culturally, and
linguistically sensitive, but also the assessor must be aware of and work against the possibility of implicit
and explicit bias, for example through training, reflection, and regular reviews of collected data.
Effective assessment of young children is challenging. The complexity of children’s development and
learning—including the uneven nature of development and the likelihood of children fully demonstrating
their knowledge and skills in different contexts—makes accurate and comprehensive assessment difficult.
For example, authentic assessment takes into consideration such factors as a child’s facility in each
language they speak and uses assessors and settings that are familiar and comfortable for the child. When
standardized assessments are used for screening or evaluative purposes, the measures should meet
standards of reliability and validity based on the characteristics of the child being assessed. When these
standards are not met, these limitations must be carefully considered before using the results. Using
assessments in ways that do not support enhancing the child’s education is not developmentally
appropriate practice. Yet, decisions regarding assessment practices are often outside of the control of
individual educators (also see Recommendations for research, page 31). When educators are aware of
inappropriate assessment practices, they have a professional ethical responsibility to make their concerns
known, to advocate for more appropriate practices, and, within their learning environment, to minimize
the adverse impact of inappropriate assessments on young children and on instructional practices.
The following practices for observation, documentation, and assessment are developmentally appropriate
for children from birth through the primary grades.
A. Observation, documentation, and assessment of young children’s progress and achievements is
ongoing, strategic, reflective, and purposeful. Educators embed assessment-related activities in the
curriculum and in daily routines to facilitate authentic assessment and to make assessment an integral part
of professional practice. They create and take advantage of unplanned opportunities to observe young
children in play and in spontaneous conversations and interactions, in adult-structured assessment
contexts as well as when children are participating in a group activity and doing an individual activity.
Observations, documentations, and the results of other formal and informal assessments are used to
inform the planning and implementing of daily curriculum and experiences, to communicate with the
child’s family, and to evaluate and improve educators’ and the program’s effectiveness. Especially in K–3
classrooms, care must be taken to avoid overuse of standardized assessments, which can cause stress for
young children and interfere with time for learning. Educators limit the use of digitally-based assessments,
especially for young children who (appropriately) should have limited exposure to screen media.
B. Assessment focuses on children’s progress toward developmental and educational goals. Such goals
should reflect families’ input as well as children’s background knowledge and experiences. They should
be informed by developmental milestones including use of state early learning standards. Goals should be
aspirational and achievable and should foster a sense of pride and accomplishment for educators, families,
and children. Children, educators, and families should have opportunities to celebrate both small and large
achievements, while recognizing that all children need time to build mastery on a current skill before
progressing to the next challenge.
C. A system is in place to collect, make sense of, and use observations, documentation, and assessment
information to guide what goes on in the early learning setting. Educators use this information in planning
curriculum and learning experiences and in moment-to-moment interactions with children—that is,
educators continually engage in assessment for the purpose of improving teaching and learning. Educators
also encourage children to use observation and, beginning in the preschool years, documentation to reflect
on their experiences and what they have learned.
D. The methods of assessment are responsive to the current developmental accomplishments,
language(s), and experiences of young children. They recognize individual variation in learners and allow
children to demonstrate their competencies in different ways. Methods appropriate to educators’
assessment of young children, therefore, include results of their observations of children, clinical
interviews, collections of children’s work samples, and children’s performance on authentic activities. For
children who speak a language the educators do not know, native speakers of the child’s language such as
family or community members may need to be recruited to assist with the assessment process. A plan
should be in place for employing volunteer and paid interpreters and translators as needed and providing
them with information about appropriate interactions with young children and ethics and confidentiality,
as well as about the features and purposes of the screening or assessment tool. Once collected, the results
are explained to families and children (as appropriate) in order to extend the conversations around what is
collected, analyzed, and reflected upon.
E. Assessments are used only for the populations and purposes for which they have been demonstrated
to produce reliable, valid information. If required to use an assessment tool that has not been established
as reliable or valid for the characteristics of a given child or for the intended use, educators recognize the
limitations of the findings, strive to make sure they are not used in high-stakes decisions, and advocate for
a different measure.
F. Decisions that have a major impact on children, such as enrollment or placement, are made in
consultation with families. Such decisions should be based on multiple sources of relevant information,
including that obtained from observations of and interactions with children by educators, family members,
and specialists as needed.
G. When a screening assessment identifies a child who may have a disability or individualized learning or
developmental needs, there is appropriate follow-up, evaluation, and, if needed, referral. Screening is
used to identify issues needing more thorough examination by those qualified to do so; it is not used to
diagnose or label children. Families are involved as essential sources of information.

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Assessing Children’s Development and

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