Week Seven Overview

This week we will talk about observations and assessments. In early childhood education both go hand in hand. You cannot assess a small child with a paper and pencil exam. The best way is through gathering of documentation that supports your claims about what a child is learning. In California, state funded programs are required to complete the Desired Results Developmental Profiles Links to an external site.. There are six goals in the system. You will notice that only one of the goals is related to cognitive competence, yet often that is where teachers tend to focus only. Children have to be healthy in all areas to be able to learn. Read through everything this week and enjoy!

• DR1: Children are personally and socially competent
• DR2: Children are effective learners
• DR3: Children show physical and motor competence
• DR4: Children are safe and healthy
• DR5: Families support their child’s learning and development
• DR6: Families achieve their goals

"The DR system implemented by the California Department of Education is a comprehensive approach that facilitates the achievement of the Desired Results identified for children and families. California is one of the very few states in the nation that has developed its own system designed specifically for measuring child progress toward desired outcomes. The system is aligned to both the state's learning and development foundations for early care and education programs and the content standards for kindergarten." (From the Desired Results Website Links to an external site.)