Evaluation and Observation of Children: A Detailed Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of child observation and evaluation within the context of childcare services. It begins by exploring different observation methods, including anecdotal records, learning stories, running records, sociograms, jottings, event samples, time samples, work samples, and photographs, providing examples of their practical application. The report then delves into the implementation of these methods, particularly focusing on the 'Running records' example to assess social and emotional development. It emphasizes the purpose and need for child observation, highlighting the importance of collecting information and explaining different assessment methods such as formative, summative, diagnostic, criterion-referenced, and ipsative assessments. The report also underscores the significance of these assessments for parents and families, discussing ways to involve parents in the observation process, and addressing the consequences of lacking observation and evaluation in childcare programs. Finally, it offers insights on implementing assessment methods into programs, and the ways parents can be involved in the process.

Running head: EVALUATION & OBSERVATION OF CHILDREN
Evaluation & Observation of Children
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
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Executive summary
The paper studies the importance of childcare services, which are growing in popularity year
after year. The paper shows the process of observation and evaluation that different childcare
institutions adopt. It also shows the importance of parent’s involvement in such observation and
evaluation program. Moreover, the paper also illustrates the negative impacts of observation and
evaluation process if it is not there in such institution.

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Table of Contents
Introduction-....................................................................................................................................3
A 1: Different types of observation method-...................................................................................3
1.1 Examples showing situations of handling observation-........................................................5
A 2: Implementing one example into childhood program-.............................................................6
A 3: Purpose of handling children and the needs to observe them-................................................7
A 4: Purpose of collecting information-..........................................................................................8
A 5: Explaining the different assessment methods-........................................................................8
A 6: Understanding the importance of assessment for parents and families-..................................9
A 7: Defining the observation and explaining its needs-...............................................................10
A 8: Personal experience on implementing the assessment into the program-.............................11
A 9: Ways to involve parents in the observation process-.............................................................12
A 10: What if a child care program does not have observation & evaluation-.............................12
Conclusion-....................................................................................................................................13
References-....................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction-
Childhood care services are widely popular in the different parts of world for the
innumerous benefits that it provides to the families attached to any of such child care centre.
Parents and families have always remained the primary learning centre for their kids for a long
time back in past. However, things are now shifting towards the modern way of nurturing, which
is done by the different child care centers across the world (Ruhm and Waldfogel 2012). The
main purpose of this assignment is to analyze in detail the process of childhood care services,
which is now in practice in the different countries across the globe.
A 1: Different types of observation method-
Following are the different kinds of observation method (Natale et al. 2013):
Anecdotal records- It is focused on observing the different child actions such as body language,
facial expressions, direct quotes, voice tone etc. This is important in analyzing the development,
skills, interest, needs and abilities of a child. These records are very useful n evaluating the
progress of an individual child.
Learning stories- It is more about learning the different things through painting works. It
encourages kids to be innovative and expressive with their paintings.
Running records- This is a technique to check the behavioral stage of kids. This is done by
allowing them to speak for 2 to 5 minutes. Based on what they have said, their behaviors are
analyzed. Such analysis helps in understanding the child’s behavior in depth.

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Sociograms- It is a diagrammatic representation of the social awareness that a child develops
being there in such child care service centers. This educates the observer on the interactions and
the different social behaviors of a particular child in the same group or with the others.
Figure 1: Sociograms
(Source: Cameron et al. 2012)
Jottings- It covers significant events, conversations and behaviors in short details. This can be
done in couple of sentences or within a paragraph if extended.
Event samples- This helps in collecting a series of samples of different events. Different events
can be the different situations and the related behavior of kids.

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Time samples- It helps in collecting the samples of children on terms that keeps on repeating
throughout the day. This helps in recording a particular behavior or a series of negative behavior
that are repeated in a single day.
Work samples- This includes the different kinds of works assigned to an individual child. Such
works can include but are not limited to such as drawings, paintings, writing and cutting.
Photographs- Pictures says a lot. A series of different photos helps in observing the different
expressions of a child under different circumstances.
1.1 Examples showing situations of handling observation-
1. Photographs-

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Figure 2: Photographs
(Source: Hancock et al. 2012)
2. Work samples- One of such examples can be of writing content over a given topic. This will
tell the level of understanding that the particular children has developed.
3. Anecdotal records- One of such examples can be of Jack playing with the others in groups.
Jack was very interactive while playing with the other group members. Jack was energetically
grabbing on his opportunity and shouting louder to encourage others. One of the group members
did approach Jack regarding some playing skills. Jack did laugh and had said that he is the best
because he is being approached by others.
4. Running records- One of such examples can be of saying on a topic such as “what do you feel
for others” for five minutes.
A 2: Implementing one example into childhood program-
Childhood assessment is a process of making a database of a child with the use of
available information. This further helps in planning the educational and the behavioral needs
that the particular child needs (Resources for Early Learning 2017).
The example given for “Running records” in the above section can be helpful in deriving
knowledge on social and emotional development in the target child. The topic will encourage the
particular child to express his or her emotions regarding the others in group (Pellegrini, Symons
and Hoch 2014). This will help in judging them on various skills such as the follows:
 Communication skills

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 Socialism
 Level of emotions
These are just few of the parameters; however, there can be many others. A series of such test
will help in comparing the data gathered on different such events.
A 3: Purpose of handling children and the needs to observe them-
Purpose-
The purpose of handling kids is to support those families who are concerned with the
early development of their child. Parents and families were believed as the primary learning
center for their kids in the long time back in past. However, they have largely been shifted to
childhood care centers. This is for several purposes such as a systematic handling of their kids.
Tools and techniques that the different childhood care centers use are more or less unknown facts
to the parents. This is what justifies the purpose of handling techniques of such institutions (Ernst
2012).
Needs-
Observation is needed as it helps in analyzing the successive changes particular to a
child. Observation is needed to check the improvement after children being incepted into a
childcare home. This is required to analyze the level of works that are still needed to support the
development in a child (Rusby et al. 2013).

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A 4: Purpose of collecting information-
Information collected through two most important techniques such as “Anecdotal” and
“Running” records helps in analyzing a child with the help of different aspects such as
communication and behavioral aspects. Such analysis tells the interest of a particular child.
Moreover, this also helps in analyzing the individual’s ability, which is useful in further
implementing the information on future learning. Additionally, these approaches are also
important in analyzing the further development that an individual need (Valerio et al. 2012). For
childcare centers, it is important that they have sufficient data on the different child enrolled in
the centre. This is necessary for both the attainment of their organizational objectives and also
for the strengthening of the parent’s trust on such institutions.
A 5: Explaining the different assessment methods-
There are different kinds of assessment methods such as the follows (Robinson 2017):
Formative assessment-
This kind of assessment encourages for a regular observation of kids based on
performance evaluation. This can be understood from the different observation method, which
has already been discussed earlier in this paper. The different observation style helps to find the
different learning stages of a child. This is how formative assessment progresses in a childcare
centers.
Summative assessment-

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The evaluation made at the end of each observation method supports the progress of
summative assessment. Summative assessment is the final analysis of a performance based on
the set parameters.
Diagnostic assessment-
It encourages the repairing of shortfalls that are there in a child. Such shortfalls can be
analyzed with the help of different observation methods such as the “Running records” and the
“Anecdotal records”.
Criterion referenced assessment-
This is criteria specific that encourages the progress done with the help of separate
parameters set for different children in a childhood care center. The different criteria are
analyzed with the help of the results derived from the different observation approaches discussed
above.
Ipsative assessment-
This is done to analyze the summative data, which are derived from the different
observation approaches. The results of different observational approaches for a particular child
help to progress the assessment done through Ipsative. The different results are compared with
each other to understand the progress of assessment.
A 6: Understanding the importance of assessment for parents and families-
The different assessment approaches that are conducted in the childcare centers are very
important for the parents and the families. They will get to know the successive progress in their

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children. Such information will also help them in assisting their kids when the kids will be with
their parents. They will then be able to analyze their kids based on different such parameters that
were not known to them earlier. Such assessments will make them understand the areas to work
for and to help their child overcome the identified issues. Such assessments will also assure the
parents about the particular childcare center. They will have an enlarged faith on the services
offered by their chosen childcare service provider. Moreover, this will act as an advertising stunt
for the respective childcare center (Perrin et al. 2014).
A 7: Defining the observation and explaining its needs-
Observation can be defined as a process that helps to analyze the performance of an
individual. This is highly required in a childcare center due to the purpose such centers serve.
Observation will help to gather information of every single child in the childcare center. This is
indeed required to effectively work with each child member in a childhood care center (Hamre et
al. 2012).
Observation helps to conduct a close monitor of each child member of a childcare center.
Such close monitoring is indeed required to justify the importance of childhood care centers.
Such close monitoring will help the childcare centers with the necessary data of the different
child member. This is extremely required to understand the capability of each child member.
This is also required to understand the needs & supports that a particular child needs. This is also
important to strengthen the trust of parents on childcare service providing centers (Denham et al.
2012).

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A 8: Personal experience on implementing the assessment into the program-
Using the following approaches the assessment method can be implemented into the program
(Resources for Early Learning 2017):
Aligning the assessment with set goals-
This is important as it helps to work according to the requirement of the set objectives.
Moreover, this will prevent any deviation from the destined path.
Acquaintance with the child-
The assessor should know the child. They both need to have a pre-existing relationship
with each other.
Authenticity-
The assessment needs to be conducted based on the experiences gained on each day.
Moreover, there should be a progressive approach, which will deepen the relationship of the
educator and the child.
Needs of diversity in observation-
The observation should be made with the help of a diverse range of activities of a child.
The concerned child needs to be observed from various perspectives such as communication,
socialism etc.
Assessment needs to be in sequential order-
The assessment should follow a systematic approach such as the follows: