A Model for Assessment in Play-Based Kindergarten Education

Abstract

Kindergarten teachers face the challenge of integrating contemporary assessment practices with play-based pedagogy. The current study addresses this challenge by presenting a kindergarten assessment framework rooted in theory and current classroom practices, based on teacher interview and observational data collected in 20 kindergarten classrooms. Ten teachers subsequently participated in extended observations and video elicitation interviews. Results uncovered seven different assessment pathways by which teachers mobilized learning goals through play pedagogies and assessment. Based on these pathways, a comprehensive assessment framework was developed underscoring the cyclical relation between student learning goals, types of play, and assessment contexts and practices. This framework supports teachers’ negotiation and integration of assessment practices with play-based pedagogies to promote both academic and developmental learning goals.

Learning Through Play at School – A Framework for Policy and Practice

“…This can be described as "collective sensemaking" or the "creation of coherent and shared explanations for 'how we do things around here"' (Louis, 2010, p. 18) The current push for evidence-based or evidence-informed practice within the field of education hinges on the ability to generate and access evidence of the effectiveness of an instructional practice in facilitating student outcomes such as academic achievement or growth (Pyle et al, 2017). It is fair to say that there is a tendency to favor outcomes such as literacy and numeracy development, where there are well-established means of assessing student progress, rather than the broader skills associated with learning through play (Pyle et al, 2020). This may explain, in part, the persistent questions about the effectiveness of playful pedagogies (Cheng et al, 2008), and may result in uncertainty on the part of educators who wish to integrate this approach in the classroom (Smith, 2015).…”

Absolute and Relative Judgment Accuracy: Early Childhood Teachers' Competence to Evaluate Children's Mathematical Skills

“…In early childhood (EC) education, children are younger than in primary school, and judging their knowledge and skills is particularly challenging since educational situations are multi-dimensional and less predictable than in a school context (Wickstrom et al, 2019 ; Pyle et al, 2020 ). Studies by Bruns ( 2014 ), Wullschleger ( 2017 ), Meier-Wyder ( 2020 ), and Vogler ( 2020 ) revealed specifically for German-speaking countries how much EC teachers struggle with, firstly, evaluating appropriately mathematical skills of children and then, secondly, adapting their educational activities to these.…”

The Effectiveness of a Formative Play-Based Mathematics Assessment in Supporting the Early Childhood Intentional Pedagogue

“…Research further highlights inconsistencies in appraisal of, and planning for, young children’s early mathematical development, exacerbating existing impediments to intentional teaching of mathematics in ECEC (Hedges & Cooper, 2018; Pyle et al, 2020). Intentional teaching is defined as pedagogical decisions that are thoughtful, purposeful and deliberate (DEEWR, 2009), including insightful decision making to plan and create supportive learning environments and knowledge-/skill-sharing with children (Edwards, 2017; Kilderry, 2015).…”

“…Research consensus suggests a need to adjust in the opposite direction – not away from intentional teaching, but rather to find ways to better align educators’ intentions with children’s current needs. For instance, equipping educators with tools to accurately appraise children’s developmental progress, which is then used to inform their planning, can support intentional teaching within play-based learning (Pyle & DeLuca, 2017; Pyle et al, 2020). Formative assessment (or assessment for learning) is detailed in the EYLF (DEEWR, 2009) as crucial support for pedagogy.…”

“…Although researchers advocate for the need for assessment to inform pedagogical decisions (Dunphy, 2010; Ertle et al, 2016; Goldstein & Flake, 2016), the use of formative assessment in ECEC contexts remains a significant challenge. Misunderstanding surrounding assessment use and utility, and a lack of tools to support assessment in play-based environments, means many educators find it difficult to reconcile within philosophies of child-centred pedagogy (Pyle & DeLuca, 2017; Pyle et al, 2020; Tayler et al,2011). Yet formative assessment is ultimately about making the ‘range of early learning visible’ (Dunphy, 2010, p. 52), and tools that are consistent with a play-based ecological context would be well-placed to enhance and optimise children’s learning (Papic, 2015; Pollitt et al, 2015).…”