Week One
1. Consider what you have learned about why we assess young children. Based on pages 33-35 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning and the video segment "Overview of Assessment"," briefly explain the importance of developmentally appropriate assessments.

2. Policymakers, the early childhood profession, and other stakeholders in young children's lives have many shared responsibilities regarding effective assessment (NAEYC & NAEC/SDE, 2003, p. 4). Using the information presented on pages 3–6 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning, explain the responsibilities of each of these groups in ensuring effective assessment.

3. Each child approaches, interacts, and processes their world in unique ways. Effective assessment takes this uniqueness into account through sensitivity to individual abilities and linguistic, social, and cultural differences. Review pages 18–24 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning, and explain, using examples, why sensitivity to each of these factors is such an important component of effective assessment. Then, summarize the role fair and impartial assessment plays in achieving this sensitivity.

Week 2
1. Pages 35-41 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning outline four general decision-making categories of assessment. Briefly, summarize each of these. Identify when assessment for each category is most likely to be effective.

2. Using the website childfind-idea-il listed under the Resources as an example, research a Child Find Project in the state where you live and identify the different professional roles in the assessment process.

3. The position statements, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), "Where We Stand on Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation" and "Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners" outlines recommended standards for developmentally appropriate and authentic assessment in early childhood. Review these standards, and explain, providing examples, how these standards can be used to ensure that appropriate assessment practices are in place.

Week 3
1. Review pages 52-65 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning and summarize two informal methods of assessment. Include each method's strengths and limitations and how each can be utilized effectively, in your response.

2. Assessment data is gathered through many "windows," or combinations of sources, methods, and contexts. Based on Chapter 4 of your course text, explain, using examples, why gathering data from multiple windows is most likely to achieve valid assessment results.

3. "It is the context that determines whether or not an assessment is an 'authentic assessment,'" (McAfee & Leong, 2007, p. 66). Reflect on what you have learned about authentic assessment and then explain how the context can support or detract from authentic assessment results.

Week 4
1. "Teachers compile and summarize classroom data to integrate and distill information from different sources, contexts, and methods, reduce it to a manageable size; and keep past assessments accessible for continued analysis and interpretation" (McAfee & Leong, 2016, p. 98). Portfolios represent one common strategy for achieving these goals. Review pages 98-100 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning. Explain the role portfolios play in an effective assessment system.

2. "Without reflection, assessment, and consequently instruction, assessment may not be linked to meeting children's needs" (McAfee & Leong, 2016, p. 110). The process of compiling and summarizing data through group and individual profiles and summaries can serve as an important tool to enhance your understanding of children's development and learning. Select either group or individual profiles, and based on the information presented on pages 112-116 of your course text, provide a definition of the profile that you selected, describe the content that you would include in your profile, explain how you would organize the content, and then summarize how you would use the information to help you reflect on children's development and learning.

3. Assessment needs to be "reliable, valid, fair, and adequate" (McAfee & Leong, 2016, p. 122). Review the safeguards essential to maintaining the quality and trustworthiness of data (pp. 122–1 23). Then consider Figure 7.2 on page 129, which provides an appraisal of a group's status and progress in fine-motor development. How effectively does the information included in Figure 7.2 meet the identified safeguards? What additional information, if any, would contribute to knowledge of an individual child's fine motor development?

Week 5
1. Professionals must develop plans for gathering and using assessment data. Select three of the strategies presented on pages 139–142 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning, and explain how each strategy that you selected can be used to provide ongoing support for children's development and learning.

2. How and what professionals communicate regarding assessment data will vary according to the purpose of the assessment and how the data is likely to be utilized. Review pages 204–210 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning and explain how assessment data can be used within different contexts and for different purposes.

3. According to the DVD segment, "Partnering with Families," communicating with families is an essential part of quality assessment practices. Review pages 194–205 of Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning and the DVD segment, "Partnering with Families." Put yourself in the place of a parent of a young child. Describe how you would like to be involved in the assessment process and explain which reporting strategy or strategies that you would like your child's teacher to use to communicate information about your child to you and why.

Week One 1. Consider what you have learned about why we assess you...