Early Childhood ISTAR-KR Assessment Handbook - Indiana ...

Checklists
Designed to record the presence or absence of specific behaviors; can be for an individual
or a group; easy to create your own; an advantage is the ease and quickness of
completion; one caution, checklists do not provide rich detail.
Rating Scale
Developed to record something specific and require a judgment about the quality of what
is observed; require little time to complete and are simple to complete; one caution – only
pieces of actions/behaviors are included, so the observer needs a good understanding of
the behavior being rated.
Participation Chart
Can be developed to record activity preferences, or length of time spent in activities, or
with what type of support vs. independence.
Children’s Work Sample
Meant to be collected over time to demonstrate growth, e.g., artwork, stories dictated or
written, photographs, records of conversations, etc.; stored in chronological order.
Technology
Photographs, videotape, audiotapes, portfolios; requires written consent from family.
(3) How do I organize my documentation/data?
o Portfolio = folders of child work samples
o Colored box on each child’s cubby
o Notebook per child
o Index cards in file box
o Create a CD of the child’s work
(4) What do I do with the knowledge I learned about a child?
Observation and assessment are interchangeable and are ongoing processes. To be
effective, they require you to watch, listen, take notes, reflect, collaborate with
colleagues, plan, implement, ask questions, respond, watch, listen, take notes, reflect, and
on and on and on….
� Review data, collaborate with team members – including family members
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