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Assessment is an important aspect of early childhood education which helps educators to know how each child is developing, how they can be taught and how to plan in future. The assessment strategies at Goodstart Early Learning Bayswater north Goodstart Early Learning center are in line with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and should be dynamic, holistic, and responsive to the personal needs of every child. Assessment is aimed not only to monitor the progress of the children but it is also aimed at making sure that each child is given the right support and opportunity to succeed. Continuous evaluation is part of our practice at Goodstart. Teachers are constantly evaluating children on their learning and development using a number of documentation formats such as observations, learning stories and anecdotal records. Such assessment instruments give useful information on the way children learn to respond to activities, to relate with their peers and to solve problems. Observing children in various settings will enable the educators to determine their areas of strength and areas of improvement, and they can design unique learning activities that will support the developmental needs of each child (Kearns, 2021).
Formative assessment is one of the most effective methods of assessment that we use with children in Goodstart. The assessment is more of observing and recording the learning of children in the daily activities and not just basing it on the formal assessment or tests. As an example, a teacher may notice the way a child solves a problem when playing, the way he/she communicates with other children, the way he/she controls his/her emotions in a social environment. The latter then record these observations in learning stories or anecdotal records, and they are used to inform how the educator plans future learning opportunities. Formative assessment is mainly aimed at having a full picture of how the child is developing in real-time and to give immediate feedback that can be used to develop learning.
Goodstart also uses summative assessment in gauging the overall development of children. This form of assessment is based on the examination of learning and development of a child over a long term usually at the end of a learning cycle. The teachers can collect data based on the learning stories, observation and anecdotal records and can utilize this information to evaluate the success of the child as well as his or her scope of improvement in the future. Summative assessment results are applied to reports to families, which give the general picture of the child progress, and the outcomes of his learning process. The summative assessment can also confirm that the child is developing as expected and it gives an overview of their progress in the framework of the EYLF outcomes.
The involvement of families is an important part of assessment at Goodstart. The role of families in the assessment process is crucial, and Goodstart supports effective communication between the educators and parents. This will also help in giving a more comprehensive view of a child as parents will be able to share their observations and insights to their child about his/her learning at home. Such a partnership between home and the learning environment will provide a comprehensive response to the learning needs of children both within and without the centre (O'Sullivan & Khan, 2022). Also, Goodstart assessment is child-centred and whole-child-based. The teachers do not focus on cognitive abilities, but also on emotional, social and physical growth. This comprehensive method of evaluation helps to guarantee that all factors of the child development are taken into account and contribute to the general wellness of the child and guarantee that the child will have the strong base of lifelong learning.
To sum up, the assessment strategies at Goodstart Early Learning Bayswater north Goodstart Early Learning center are part and parcel of delivering high-quality education that satisfies the needs of every child. Goodstart achieves this by consistently using formative and summative assessment, engaging with families through collaborative communication, and focusing on the whole child thus ensuring that the learning of children is well supported, monitored and celebrated. These forms of assessment, in accordance with EYLF, assist educators in delivering meaningful, personalised learning opportunities that foster the growth and development of each child.
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