Not Your Grandmother's Scantron: Assessments in a Pre-k Classroom

The first years of school are far too critical to waste time on ineffective strategies. Accountability in pre-kindergarten programs is therefore vital to the academic and social growth of our youngest learners.

The word "accountability" may conjure images of standardized exams and hours of tedious test prep—not exactly what we would deem appropriate for a four year old. So what do assessments and accountability look like in a pre-k classroom? Well, despite the obvious attraction of handing a multiple choice test with fifty rows of neatly curved "a to e" oval bubbles to a four year old, the reality is that assessment in pre-k just isn't that easy. Yet that doesn't mean accountability in pre-k is or has to be non-existent.

Four year olds don't always show you what they know. Their moods, interests, and developmental stage can affect their performance on a day to day basis. And if they do demonstrate growth in a particular skill area, they certainly do not all do it in the same way like drawing a picture or responding to questions orally. But if you watch and interact with them everyday, all day, while taking anecdotes and collecting work samples, you can have the data needed to chart growth, design properly differentiated lessons that meet the needs of all learners, and hold programs accountable. My students' words, actions, drawings, and singing are my "a, b, c, d, and e" answers.

Take Tanasia, for example. For the first two months of school she spent the majority of her day either bawling and asking, over and over, "When is my mommy coming?" or in a state of total silence. Our one-on-one interactions often incited desperate pleas for her mother. Then, in early October I began to observe her making connections between the print around her and her friends' names during choice time. That is when I knew not only that she was starting to adjust and build relationships, but that she was picking up on basic literacy skills. She would point to letters on labels in Dramatic Play and say to her friend Karen, "Look, it's the K like in your name." If I confronted her with a barrage of letter identification questions, she would clam up and start to cry. I began to address more and more of those skills during choice time where she felt increasingly comfortable.

One of my students last year struggled with letter identification but masterfully used movement to act out stories or create his own. My extensive anecdotal notes reflected these weaknesses and strengths. I consequently decided to address the latter with the former by working with him one-on-one to create movements for each letter. We waddled like penguins for the letter "P," made elephant noises with a long trunk for the letter "E," and so on. I recently met up with him down the hall in his kindergarten class, at which point he pointed out a letter and made the movement we had devised.

My recent analysis of the anecdotal notes revealed that Kevin (aka the "anti-sharer") is a visual learner. Stay tuned for a post focusing on how my aide and I teach the fairness of sharing using a visual approach that puts him in charge.

Creative Thinking, Simple Resources

Whoever thought a big brown box could prove so exciting for four year olds and such a valuable teaching tool? Unlike other pre-kindergarten teachers in inner city areas, I am fortunate to have plenty of funds for classroom resources allocated by the great state of New Jersey.  Yet I have also learned that even the most simple and inexpensive resources can offer learning experiences equally as, if not more, rich than commercially bought toys.

This past week we explored boxes, and the students’ creativity took off. They transformed plain cardboard from the school cafeteria, my apartment, and the apartments of several friends into everything from a house where they could live with their family and friends to an enormous hat for Cat in the Hat. Their great ideas spawned discussions about parts of the house to add, common behaviors of a famous literary characters including The Cat in the Hat and the peddler from Caps for Sale, and even what I can only define as a precursor to some intense union negotiations. When an imaginary hurricane destroyed my roof, the students’ team of engineers said they could no longer work to repair it because the time was eight o’clock.

I can’t wait to see what they do with old newspapers and bottle caps. Oh, the possibilities…

Taking Charge

We work hard to keep students focused and engaged during circle time. Given their short attention spans, we need to incorporate plenty of songs, movements, and upbeat transitions to make sure those twenty minutes are productive. Today I decided to see how well they knew our routines by stopping before each transition and asking them what happens next. I shrugged my shoulders exclaiming, “Oh no! I don’t know what we are doing today. What should we do? Should we just sit here and look at each other until we get picked up?” Despite the obvious attraction of an all day staring contest marathon, the students opted to take charge and suggest we look at the schedule. We then decided it would be a good idea to have a Schedule Manager to remind the class daily. What would I do without them? 

The Horror of Sharing

Sharing space, sharing time, and sharing attention can be quite difficult for many adults…imagine teaching how to accept those realities in life to four year olds!  For my student Kevin, who exceeds most of the other children in academics, the idea of sharing is, simply put, horrifying.  He breaks down in tears when he doesn’t get picked for passing out the mats or if another child wants to play with the toy of his choice.  As an only child being raised by his grandmother he is not accustomed to sharing with other children.  Yet now, as a member of our classroom community, he faces thirteen peers, each with an equal right to the same toys and attention he seeks to hoard for himself. 

My aide, Ms. Morrison, and I, consistently remind the class of the fairness and value of sharing.  As the wise philosopher Dr. Pooh once said, “The more you share with others, the more they’ll share with you.”  We do not give in when the anti-sharers cry.  We provide plenty of opportunities for students to have special jobs and to explore our materials.  We also facilitate discussions between classmates focused on how we feel when our friends don’t share.  And yet, Kevin’s tears and wailing keep coming. 

Last week we tried to invest the whole class in our sharing goal by introducing a message they could send to each other and themselves: “Oh, well, I feel sad, but I’ll get picked another time.”  Results?  Too soon to tell.             

Wow!

I definitely had a “wow” moment today with my student Awana.  Awana came into our classroom in September with little knowledge and awareness of print, colors, numbers, or shapes.  While Ms. Morrison, my aide, and I have been working closely with her, we did not see significant progress until this past week.  But the great thing about her progress was that it came not just from our direct interactions with Awana, but also from Awana’s interactions with other students, her “fellow scholars.”

During afternoon choice time, I found Awana writing letters on whiteboards with a small group of her friends.  I was first happy to see Awana with the whiteboard marker that came from her own kit, since, for the first month or so, she would confuse her name with others and, consequently, use materials from other students’ supply kits.  Her friends had helped in this area by helping her find her supply kit numerous times.

Then, Awana and I had a conversation:

Ms. Pappas: What are you writing, Awana?
Awana: My friends.
MP: Oh, whose name is this? (pointing to the letter “S” Awana had written)
A: Samar.
MP: And what about this letter.  What is that?
A: “A.”
MP: Whose name starts with the letter “A”?
A: My name.
MP: Who else?
A: Aniyah.

As we discussed her writing, some of her friends began to take out note paper and envelopes.  Awana quickly jumped up and said, “I’m going to write a letter.”  She watched her friends and followed their lead.  One of her friends reminded her to put the name on the envelope.  They both dropped their letters in the mailbox and moved onto something else.

The placement of children’s names all around the room, from cubbies to classroom job charts, to mats, paid off.  Moreover, Awana’s interactions with her friends generated excitement for writing letters that represent her friends’ names and writing a letter to her mom which reflected a growing awareness of how we use writing in everyday life.

Learning from Each Other

Partnership and cooperation between teachers and parents are so critical to pre-k. What happens at home impacts events at school and vice versa. Even though I spend months interacting with my students, recording their progress, and collecting their work samples, I need parental involvement to fully understand each child’s interests and needs. And I need parents’ trust if I’m going to get the information that, as David’s mother put it, will help their children go “sky high and have a better life.”

For example, last week our school held a parent-teacher conference night. But well before that week, I laid the groundwork to make sure my students’ parents came. I share information about their child's progress 2-3 times per week, either orally for those parents who drop off and pick up their children or through informal notes to those parents who work during school hours. I also reinforce that they are always welcome in my classroom by inviting them to special events like “Family Show and Tell” and our “Giving Thanks Party.” The use of both formal written invitations and constant oral reminders to anyone and everyone in the family we see helps boost attendance and demonstrate my sincere desire to invest each family member in their child’s education. Then, during conferences, I use an open dialogue format, as opposed to a more overbearing and arrogant top-down approach with me talking at them. Rather than just delivering and explaining the report card, I use an individualized action plan to guide discussion of the child’s strengths, target areas, and ways both families and I can move the child forward.

This last time, thirteen out of fourteen parents or guardians showed up for conferences. Several parents remarked that their child does things like rhyming and retelling stories at home -- activities I’d not seen these children do in school. This information is invaluable, since I now know the issue is not a skill deficit but a matter of not feeling comfortable or motivated to show these skills in the classroom. Now I can design teaching strategies that more accurately reflect each child’s needs. Thank you, families!

I think results like these prove that parents will make time to be involved if teachers make time for them and create strong home-school connections.

Making Peace

Karen and Tyrique had a breakthrough today. When I came to the rug after breakfast time, they and two other students were excited about the latest edition of a nature magazine. I responded by complimenting their enthusiasm and slipping in a little vocabulary expansion: "I feel so elated to see you all getting excited about a book!"

The honeymoon did not last long. As I walked away to greet a latecomer, I noticed some of the excitement on the rug was turning into an aggressive and loud conflict over who would turn the pages. Camp David was not available at the moment, but we managed to devise a three stage solution through informal talks on the rug.

1. Two of them would read the magazine for a few minutes while taking turns to turn each page;
2. The first two would then peacefully hand the magazine off to the other two with Ms. Pappas facilitating the transition; and,
3. The other two would read the magazine on their own while taking turns to turn each page.

Through a fair "Ini-mini" random selection process, Karen and Tyrique were chosen as the first two to read the highly coveted publication.

Well, mornings are a busy time, with math routines, morning announcements, newspaper letter hunts, and some anecdote collection before circle time. Sometimes Ms. Pappas forgets to go back to situations like the "Book Taking Turns Agreement." Today, however, my forgetfulness was not a problem. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karen and Tyrique walk over to the other two students, give them the book, and say, "Here you go. It's your turn now."

At that sight, I definitely felt elation. I quickly acknowledged their success by exclaiming, "Wow. I am so proud of Karen and Tyrique for being such great friends. I am looking out for you for purple." Sure enough, they continued to cooperate for the rest of the day and were both put on purple, the highest honor on our behavior card system. If only international diplomacy were this simple.

Going Above and Beyond

Yesterday, David finally helped another student. For the past three months he has consistently followed all the rules. He has never disrupted the class or disrespected others. He listens attentively and cleans up his mess. Yet, for the most part, up until now David has not gone above and beyond to help a friend.

I aim to make my students not only "law abiding" preschoolers but also individuals who respond proactively to someone in need. It is part of their developmental stage to focus primarily on themselves, but pre-k can also be a time when they become conscious of their larger surroundings and the importance of mutually supportive relationships.

During circle time we were all getting ready to crouch down like frogs and practice counting.  David immediately squatted on his own but then noticed his neighbor, Tanasia, continued to sit with her legs crossed. He told her, "Come on Tanasia, you can do it!"  Without another word, she sprang up, ready to rib-it with the rest of us.

We have spent months cheering on our friends when they come to the board to write or have difficulty opening a milk carton. But this was the first time David encouraged another student on his own. Way to go David!

Class, Say "Hello" to Our Special Guest... the Blogosphere

Welcome to Inside Pre-K and thanks for visiting! On this blog, you can read about what's going on, day to day, in a real pre-kindergarten classroom, namely my own. I'll be your host/blogger, Sophia (a.k.a. Ms. Pappas). You can learn a lot about me here, but today I want to introduce you to a few of the 14 amazing four year olds in my class this year. You'll soon meet them all. (Note: Their names have been changed to protect their privacy and security.)

• Tyrone - or Doctor Smith, as we call him in Dramatic Play - has a strong foundation in basic literacy knowledge, but he was not very invested in the class at the beginning of the year. His attention span was shorter than most of the children during circle time, and he was often sitting and looking around the room, not participating with the other children or listening to me. He is showing improvement, though, and has since responded positively to activities like singing songs about his classmates and more hands-on tasks.
• Kevin came to school with a strong math and literacy foundation. He picks up on new academic concepts quickly and constantly participates in class activities. Socially, however, he has struggled and frequently cries when he does not get picked for something or has to wait his turn. He is the only child in his household, which may account for some of the difficulties.
• Karen arrived in my class with a strong academic foundation, but until coming to school she did not have much contact with other children. She had been only around adults for most of her early years and initially displayed a hesitance to interact with the other children. From day one, she has followed directions and been focused and actively engaged in whole group activities. She has made real progress since September in smaller group interaction and now frequently reads, shares, and plays with her classmates.

I also am fortunate to have a teacher's aide, Ms. Morrison, who has been working with young learners for more than 20 years. Her experience is very helpful to me, and so is yours. Whether you're an educator by profession, a child's first teacher (a.k.a. a parent/guardian), or just curious about pre-k, I hope you will comment on this blog and tell me and other readers your thoughts and questions about pre-k.