About this resource
Before using this resource, read the Introduction: Assessment for children’s learning. The introduction provides insights into the importance of assessment in quality, evidence-based ECEC practice with cultural responsiveness at its heart.
Effective assessment involves thinking deeply and critically about the evidence you have collected relating to children’s learning, development and wellbeing. It also involves continually appraising and building your own knowledge and skills in assessment practice. Critical Reflection (Element 1.3.2) is embedded in the National Quality Standard (NQS).
Assessment strategies that support this Principle include:
- Develop reflexive practices through ongoing professional learning to identify and address personal bias and inequities, and the impact these have on pedagogical practice.
- Consider how theory and professional resources can provide ideas and perspectives that both affirm and challenge your thinking and practice. Use resources that translate research and evidence into ideas and concepts that you can use in everyday practice (such as the early childhood learning trajectories).
- Reflect on your own assessment practice to identify areas in which you feel capable and confident, as well as those you can further develop. Build your knowledge of assessment approaches that can assist you to provide a holistic and authentic representation of each child’s learning and development.
- Reflect on what is occurring in your service, access knowledge and ideas from outside your service, and make connections between the two. Research evidence can enhance critical reflection by introducing new assessment practices or supporting you to assess your current practice in relation to an evidence base.
- Draw on a range of professional sources to support the critical reflection process and to ensure that it reflects the social and cultural differences within the service. Consider how theory, service philosophies and underpinning ethics (such as the ECA Code of Ethics) are pivotal in promoting and sustaining equity, inclusion and socially just practice.
Reflection questions:
- Which areas of learning and development do you feel most confident noticing and assessing? How can you deepen your knowledge of how children learn?
- How do you gather evidence and ideas to improve your assessment practice? How can you access reliable sources from inside and outside your service?
This practice resource is part of a series of 8 Assessment for children’s learning practice resources:
- Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships
- Partnerships
- Respect for diversity
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
- Equity, inclusion and high expectations
- Sustainability
- Critical reflection and ongoing professional learning
- Collaborative leadership and teamwork.
They link to the early childhood learning trajectories suite of resources including the Learning trajectories user guide, Evidence report and the Play-based learning and intentionality practice resources.
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Keywords: educator reflection, educator professional development