To enable students a comprehensive understanding of young children’s learning and development, this course provides an overview of educational assessment and introduces the principles and practices of authentic assessment which is highly valued in early childhood education. It explains why and how infants and young children should be assessed, discusses the contexts for authentic assessments, illustrates multiple strategies for collecting information on children’s learning and development, and highlights the importance of conducting systematic observations and recording in the information collecting process. Through this course, students will understand how to utilize assessment information in improving the curriculum and teaching quality and facilitating parent-school partnership. Assessment practices will be linked to the local curriculum guideline which also underpins authentic assessment as the principal means of assessing young children. Ethical issues in this area will also be discussed.

CILO-1: Explain the rationales of authentic assessment and to match the principles of authentic assessment with various observation and recording designs. CILO-2: Conduct different modes of observation and recording techniques and demonstrate how utilization of information can improve the quality of curriculum design and instruction. CILO-3: Facilitate parent-school partnership via appropriate analysis of information obtained through authentic assessment. CILO-4: Critique the pros and cons of outcome-based assessment and process-based assessment, and formulate arguments towards the ethical concerns in assessing young children.