katiecar Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi and happy new year to all of our members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi Katie -have you seen the Development Matters sheets that Helen designed? You'll find them in the Resource Library - I'm using those for baseline assessments and to record progress and attainment. They might give you a starting point for something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katiecar Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi Katie -have you seen the Development Matters sheets that Helen designed? You'll find them in the Resource Library - I'm using those for baseline assessments and to record progress and attainment. They might give you a starting point for something? Thanks wolfie, can you tell me how to get to them as I am not very familiar with the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Look down the left hand side of your screen, where you can select different pages, and at the bottom there's a Resources Option - click on that and then on Resource Library. Once in there, Helen's sheets are under the Observation and Assessment option, on the second page of downloadable resources. Hope that makes sense! Once in the Resource Library, you might find something else that suits your purpose better - once you get browsing, the possibilities are endless!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingertips Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Look down the left hand side of your screen, where you can select different pages, and at the bottom there's a Resources Option - click on that and then on Resource Library. Once in there, Helen's sheets are under the Observation and Assessment option, on the second page of downloadable resources. Hope that makes sense! Once in the Resource Library, you might find something else that suits your purpose better - once you get browsing, the possibilities are endless!! Thank you Wolfie! I'm a new user and didn't know any of that either. I think I'll start browsing the Resources Library now too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katiecar Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Look down the left hand side of your screen, where you can select different pages, and at the bottom there's a Resources Option - click on that and then on Resource Library. Once in there, Helen's sheets are under the Observation and Assessment option, on the second page of downloadable resources. Hope that makes sense! Once in the Resource Library, you might find something else that suits your purpose better - once you get browsing, the possibilities are endless!! Thanks Wolfie I have got it now. You are a star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi I too am using these sheets that Helen uploaded (many thanks!). I have altered them slightly so that i also have the look, listen, note section on. However are you all planning to assess each child on all the statements? I cannot possible see where i can get the time from to so this. I have given this much thought and decided that the best way to baseline my new intake would be to use these sheets, but to only assess them against the CLLD and PSED areas as these are the ones that chidlren tend to make the most intial progress in. Once the initial baseline is done i will then continue to use all of these sheets to record the children progress. I have 3 intakes each year and if i assessed them against each area (and all those statements) i would be observing them for 6 weeks! I only have them for one term and then they move to a new teacher! What do you all think about me just focussing my baseline on CLLD and PSED? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katiecar Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi I too am using these sheets that Helen uploaded (many thanks!). I have altered them slightly so that i also have the look, listen, note section on. However are you all planning to assess each child on all the statements? I cannot possible see where i can get the time from to so this. I have given this much thought and decided that the best way to baseline my new intake would be to use these sheets, but to only assess them against the CLLD and PSED areas as these are the ones that chidlren tend to make the most intial progress in. Once the initial baseline is done i will then continue to use all of these sheets to record the children progress. I have 3 intakes each year and if i assessed them against each area (and all those statements) i would be observing them for 6 weeks! I only have them for one term and then they move to a new teacher! What do you all think about me just focussing my baseline on CLLD and PSED? Hi Rufus, I too have three intakes over the year. It just gets settled and then we start again!! I would most likely do PSRN also. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi Rufus,I too have three intakes over the year. It just gets settled and then we start again!! I would most likely do PSRN also. Hope this helps. Oh i know that feeling. Every term you do the hard graft, get the chidlren to where you want them and then you start form square 1 again! It can be soul destorying. I appreciate why you would also do PSRN but i don't think it would benefit me since most children come in on a scale point 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 What do you all think about me just focussing my baseline on CLLD and PSED? A lot of current research points to the fact that these are the two most important areas to focus on developing during the early years so I would say that you've got it spot on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 A lot of current research points to the fact that these are the two most important areas to focus on developing during the early years so I would say that you've got it spot on! Thanks Wolfie, it always nice to feel reassured! I also recognise the fact that this is the area that we spend the most time on at the beginning of term, social skills and speaking and listening skills, so in fact it is a good area to assess progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 So can you tell me exactly how you're doing the baselining, Wolfie? I know I'm preaching to the converted here but I have visions of practitioners wandering around with their trackers ticking off boxes merrily... or setting up activities to 'test' How much time is devoted to the baselining process and how do you present the data once you have it? We have an observation tracker and our advisory teacher has said we should highlight the development matters statements as the child 'masters' them - using a different colour for each of the three terms of the profile year. It obviously works well for her setting because children only spend a year with her before going to school - if we do decide to start highlighting then everything they achieve before their profile starts could be highlighted in the colour of the first profile term. Perhaps we could highlight the trackers with a completely different colour to show where the children were when they joined and that would show progress? Anyway I'd be interested to know exactly how (and what) you all do! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Perhaps we could highlight the trackers with a completely different colour to show where the children were when they joined and that would show progress? Anyway I'd be interested to know exactly how (and what) you all do! Maz That is exactly what i did last term Maz. I highlighted where the children were using the developmental statements. I then changed colour for the autumn term. Those children have now moved accross to a new teacher but she will continue using these trackers but using a different colour for each of the 2 terms. You can clearly show progress this way and see which stage each child is working within. Is that what you were talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 That is exactly what i did last term Maz. I highlighted where the children were using the developmental statements. I then changed colour for the autumn term. Those children have now moved accross to a new teacher but she will continue using these trackers but using a different colour for each of the 2 terms. You can clearly show progress this way and see which stage each child is working within. Is that what you were talking about? Yes, but I've resisted doing this because of the fear that the trackers will turn into a checklist of what children can't do rather than showing where evidence exists to show what they can. Does that make sense? When does a tracker turn into a ticksheet? How long do you spend doing the initial baselining? A whole term? That would enable a fully rounded picture of the child's achievements to be derived from naturalistic observations of good child initiated learning rather than setting up a series of adult-led experiences. Especially given that our youngest children might only attend for two sessions initially! What you describe does sound sensible if I can get over my mental ticklist barrier - and obviously it works for you or you wouldn't be advocating it. Thanks! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Yes, but I've resisted doing this because of the fear that the trackers will turn into a checklist of what children can't do rather than showing where evidence exists to show what they can. Does that make sense? When does a tracker turn into a ticksheet? How long do you spend doing the initial baselining? A whole term? That would enable a fully rounded picture of the child's achievements to be derived from naturalistic observations of good child initiated learning rather than setting up a series of adult-led experiences. Especially given that our youngest children might only attend for two sessions initially! What you describe does sound sensible if I can get over my mental ticklist barrier - and obviously it works for you or you wouldn't be advocating it. Thanks! Maz I understand your fear about them becoming ticklists - although i think this fear is in all of us, it comes from so many advisors telling us that this is what we shouldn't be doing. However not one has told me what I should be doing - it's all very confusing! My situation is different because i only have each cohort for 1 term and then they move to another teacher. This term i plan to spend 4 weeks baselining but I am only going to baseline against CLLD and PSED. Hopefully I will then not get into the whole, setting up adult led activities and i can purely observe them, focussing on these 2 areas which will give me a good baseline. I can only try. Last term was a nightmare baselining against all 6 areas. I felt like i did nothing else and hand on heart I cannot say that all evidence cam from natural situations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Does any one here ask parents to help establish baselines and track progress - and if so how? - or does everyone just rely on 'in-house' observations by staff members? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I can only try. Last term was a nightmare baselining against all 6 areas. I felt like i did nothing else and hand on heart I cannot say that all evidence cam from natural situations! I am lucky in that we have children for up to two and half years - but as I said before we probably need to spend longer doing the initial assessments since they don't attend every day. I like the idea of concentrating on CLLD and PSED initially since these are the skills on which all other learning hangs on. However obviously I wouldn't ignore everything else - but it does take the pressure off, as you say. So I think I will invest in some nice purple highlighters for the initial baseline assessments and see how we get on! Decision made - thank you! Maz PS I'm not sure that many of us can honestly say that all our observations/assessments come from completely natural situations - we must all be tempted from time to time to set something up to enable a child to shine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Does any one here ask parents to help establish baselines and track progress - and if so how? - or does everyone just rely on 'in-house' observations by staff members? I rely on feedback from members of staff and the things that I observe to baseline. It can get tricky using parent information. We ask parents to fill out a profile of what their child's strenthgs and areas for development are and they can be very random! As always, parents want their children to appear in the best light so can embellish things a little! After the baseline is done, we send learning journeys home, once a term. Here the parent scan comment on work/photos/observations and include their own photos etc too. We inclue this in our ongoing assessment of the chidlren in relation to the dev matters statements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Thanks Rufus, sending learning journeys home once a term for parents to comment on and add photos to sounds like a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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