A guide to the revised EYFS: Part 3 - Assessment

Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage has been described as 'the process of analysing and reviewing what we know about children's development and learning' (EYFS 2007). But it is more than this, because it also helps to guide decision-making about what we or others can do to support children in their learning and development. It can also provide crucial perspectives on our practice if we use it to inform evaluations of our provision.

The process of assessment is about taking evidence from several sources and analysing it to reveal what it tells us in respect of each child:

• needs

• responses to what is on offer

• current interests and achievements, as well as all other dimensions of their

• learning and development.

Our knowledge of the child is gained through discussions with them, their parents and our colleagues, as well as from information we have gathered when noting significant things they have done, or said, or from photographs and written observations we have retained.

In this process, in which the child is central, we arrive, almost on a daily basis, at new understandings that create and inspire questions about our provision and pedagogy, as well as about choices the child makes, the child's feelings and attitudes, how the child is progressing and about how and what the child enjoys and is learning.

Reflecting on this leads practitioners to consider what steps they should take to build on children's learning - either through planning new learning opportunities, or through evaluating their own role in supporting children to go beyond their current level of learning.

Reflecting in this way can often lead settings to change their provision significantly when they analyse what their observations tell them. One school I know radically revised their provision in a reception unit when they discovered that the current organisation meant that some children were not accessing certain resources because they lacked the confidence to go beyond their key worker base into the adjoining area.

Assessment should always have a sound purpose and identify the next steps for children's development and learning. Two types of assessment are referred to in the revised EYFS.

Formative assessment is often described as assessment for learning because it informs practitioners' thinking about aspects of the child's learning and development, and guides their immediate responses to the child's learning and development needs.

Summative assessment, sometimes termed 'periodic assessment', is best described as a summary of all the formative assessment carried out over a period of time and which is used to make informed statements about a child's progress. Essentially, it is an assessment of learning that has taken place.

Having established these definitions, it is important to emphasise that while distinctions do exist between these types of assessment, they will not be immediately obvious in the context of early years education, since assessments such as formal tests and exams, used routinely in other areas of education, are never used to assess children's progress in the EYFS.

DRAFT FRAMEWORK

So what does the draft statutory framework for the revised EYFS say about each of these types of assessment?

Formative (ongoing) assessment 'should happen as part of practitioners' ongoing interaction with children, informed by feedback from parents and other adults' (DfE 2011). Here, ongoing assessment is, as its name suggests, something that happens day to day. The revised document also indicates that parents and carers should be given 'regular updates on children's progress and achievements' (ibid).

Summative assessment, the draft document tells us, should be used at two key points - to create the summary report of progress at 24-36 months and at the end of the EYFS to show children's levels of progress against the Profile.

WHY ASSESS?

One of the principles for early childhood observational assessment states that it 'will enable practitioners to intervene, support and extend a child's learning as it is happening. It will inform planning for the next steps in learning for each child, deepening and extending children's learning' (DfES 2007, p9). This is consistent with the approach proposed in the revised EYFS, which describes formative assessment as being about 'observing children on an ongoing basis, understanding their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and shaping learning experiences for each child reflecting their observations' (DfE 2011, p12).

FUNCTIONS AND AIMS

Summative assessment in the revised EYFS has two separate functions: first, to check a child's early development, and second, at the end of the EYFS, to provide parents, practitioners and teachers with a picture of a child's progress against the new early learning goals.

The suggestion that paperwork should be reduced in the EYFS has been welcomed, so introducing a new assessment for two- to three-year-olds may cause concern when many practitioners are unsure what this should look like. How can paperwork be reduced when there is now a requirement for a written summary across the prime areas, with the addition of a targeted plan to support any child at risk of delay or with special needs or disabilities?

The first thing to hold on to is that effective settings already do ongoing assessment very well, so most will not need to make radical changes to current systems or produce more paperwork. However, it will be important to ensure that all staff have a sound knowledge of child development so that observations and discussions are focused on the essential elements of personal, social and emotional development (PSED), communication and language (C&L) and physical development (PD).

Similarly, it will be essential for leaders to ensure that practitioners are supported in devising plans for any children whose development is not progressing in line with expectations for their age and stage.

CREATING LEARNING JOURNEYS

The art of effective assessment is in knowing children well. This is achieved through:

• a robust key worker system

• a sound knowledge of how children develop and learn

• quality interaction

• engaging parents

• effective documentation.

Many settings create learning journeys, learning stories, learning diaries and other forms of documentation relating to a child's time in a setting. The purpose of these varies depending on the setting. As with any written documents, it is essential to be clear about who the audience is for the learning journey and the reason the document is being created in the first place. Some settings develop learning journeys with and for the children which become a significant part of the child's life, contributed to by them, and shared by their parents. Other settings develop learning journeys that are available at parents' evenings, and are not regularly discussed with the children. Still others present them as part of an enabling environment illustrating the processes of learning in which children and adults have been involved.

Given the concerns about paperwork, it will be important in future to find ways of making ongoing assessments that meet the day-to-day learning and development needs of children and contribute to documentation for learning journeys, as well as informing summative assessments.

Engaging parents

As the current EYFS states, 'When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on children's learning and development' (EYFS 2007). However, in spite of this being acknowledged, there is still a distance to travel before this incredibly rich source of information is fully utilised.

Anybody who knows young children recognises that parents and practitioners see different aspects of the child - indeed, many will say that they see different children. An example is the two-and-a-half-year-old who is shy at nursery but boisterous and outgoing with siblings or friends at home.

Current policy in early years is strongly influenced by findings from research which show that when parents and professionals work together, outcomes for children can be improved. A major shift in practice will be required if the benefits of working with parents are to be maximised for a 360-degree picture of children's development.

Increasing ownership of smart phones and other technologies is likely to mean that sharing electronic information between parents and settings will become more commonplace. Some schools and settings are already beginning to use such technology to good effect to share information which can be added to at home by the child and their parents.

PREPARATION

While awaiting the outcome of the consultation on the EYFS, this is a good time to take stock and think about how observational assessment can be made more effective without increasing paperwork.

Review current observations to ensure they are sufficiently focused and really do inform the next steps for children's learning. Focusing on getting the prime areas right would be a good starting point. It will help to evaluate how much of what is gathered as part of the assessment process is useful, so that only necessary information is gathered.

Much can be done between now and next spring to develop practitioners' skills in observational assessment so they can feel confident in making assessments to monitor children's progress. Starting to prepare for these significant changes will certainly pay off in the longer term.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: THE DEVELOPMENTAL CHECK FOR TWO-YEAR-OLDS

To fulfil minimum requirements for the two- to three-year-old check, as proposed under the revised EYFS, information is needed from observations to make judgements about development in each of the three prime areas of learning which are made up of the following aspects:

• PSED Self-confidence and self-awareness; Managing feelings and behaviour; Making relationships

• PD Moving and handling; Health and self-care

• C&L Listening and attention; Understanding; Speaking.

This written summary is to be provided in time to inform the health and development review which is carried out by health visitors, usually when a child is about two years old.

Providers are also encouraged to seek the consent of parents to share information directly with health visitors, where possible, to help strengthen partnership working.

Where there are delays or additional needs, the summary should also 'describe the activities and strategies providers intend to adopt to address any issues or concerns' (DoE 2011) about a child's development.

Beyond these areas, it is down to individual providers to decide what the written summary should contain.

The proposed approach, with the 24-36 month summary of progress, should strengthen what is currently an informal procedure by ensuring assessments are made at the most useful point to inform the health and development review when a child is 24 months-plus. This aims to identify those with developmental delays and additional needs for early intervention.

The majority of settings already carry out systematic observational assessments to alert parents to any concerns about their child's development and to inform the planning process. By far the biggest change here will be in relation to inter-agency working, when issues of co-ordinating reviews and sharing information will become significant. Preparation has already begun in many places, such as children's centres, where joint work by professionals is beginning to deliver results.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: CHANGES TO THE EYFS PROFILE

While much will remain the same about completing the EYFSP, the content will be substantially different and it will be some time before practitioners feel confident about making judgements. To fulfil minimum requirements for completing the EYFSP:

• Make arrangements for each child to be assessed throughout the final year by a competent practitioner.

• Analyse information from observations and ongoing assessments and discussions with the parent/child and relevant adults to make judgements about a child's development against the early learning goals in the prime areas plus the specific areas: PSED, PD, C&L, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design.

• Record assessments, but instead of making judgements about separate scale points, practitioners will use a 'best fit' approach and should indicate levels children are achieving as follows: 'Emerging' - not yet reaching expected levels; 'Expected' - in line with age/stage; 'Exceeding' - beyond the expected level (for a five-year-old).

• Share the profile with parents.

• Host moderation visits from local authorities for consistent standards.

A new area to consider will be how best to gather evidence to supplement the Profile assessment, since a commentary will be needed on each child's skills and abilities in relation to the key characteristics of effective learning; little has been said so far about how these can be demonstrated.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• DfES (2007) Creating the Picture. DfES Publications

• DfES (2007) The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for Children from Birth to Five DfES Publications

• DfES (2007) Effective Practice: Observation, Assessment and Planning DfES Publications

• DfE (2011) Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for Children from Birth to Five Stage Draft for Consultation Web-based publication downloaded from DfE Website

• Hutchin, Vicky (2007) Supporting Every Child's Learning across the Early Years Foundation Stage Hodder

With thanks to Ford Road Community Nursery, part of the London Early Years Foundation, for its help with photographs.