Bridging

"Blends holistic authentic assessment with purposeful, specific assessment experiences that are also child and classroom friendly."
—Vicki Hawley, Early Literacy Training Project Coordinator
Center for Early Education and Development
University of Minnesota

"Explains the research base, the reason for the assessment process, and current trends in assessment practices for early childhood education, and offers easy-to-use assessment tools that address the whole child."
—L. Kathryn Sharp, Early Childhood Instructor
University of Memphis

Use familiar classroom activities as an assessment tool!

Effective teaching requires skill in implementing challenging and inviting curricular activities. It also involves evaluating children′s learning in order to extend their development through the school year. Being able to implement and evaluate at the same time is a tall order but is at the heart of good teaching. Written for PreK–3 educators, Bridging blends curriculum planning, implementation, and assessment into one seamless process, providing a practical, performance-based approach to early childhood assessment.

Encouraging teachers to assess both what (content) and how (process) children learn, the authors have developed 15 activities across five curricular areas—language arts and literacy, visual arts, mathematics, science, and performing arts—with guidelines for implementing, interpreting, and "bridging" observations of children to classroom teaching practices. The book provides ways to:

• Identify children′s current status in content area learning and development
• Determine which children are ready to learn in upcoming weeks and months
• Make informed instructional adaptations to meet developmental needs, and more!

With a built-in facilitator guide for designing and leading preservice and inservice professional development, this resource offers an instructional framework for everyone committed to aligning sound early childhood curriculum with national learning standards.