Child Study Key Assessment
Your progress towards becoming an effective teacher is evaluated by a variety of Key Assessments throughout your time in the program. These Key Assessments align with the Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers, developed by the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC). The InTASC Standards outline the knowledge, skills, and professional responsibilities expected of effective teachers. In this course, rubric ratings may contribute to course grades. Key Assessment results will also be used to inform program progression decisions and demonstrate readiness for continued advancement in the educator preparation program and future professional practice.
Full information on this assessment process is provided in the Teacher Education and/or M.Ed. in Special Education handbook. Or if you have any questions about this assessment, please contact your course instructor.
In this course, you will be evaluated based on your completion of the Child Study Key Assessment. You will be specifically evaluated on the following InTASC standards:
- InTASC #1: Learner Development
- InTASC #2: Learning Differences
- InTASC #6: Assessment
- InTASC #7: Planning for Instruction
The Child Study Key Assessment occurs in different courses depending on your major and area of specialization:
- TL 311 - Observing and Assessing Children (Early Childhood Education majors)
- TL 335 - Foundations of Reading (Elementary Education majors)
- TL 350 - Adolescent Development (Middle/Secondary Education majors)
- SPED 578 - Behavior Management (Special Education MEd majors)
- MUSC 439 – Methods and Materials of Early Childhood Music (Music Education majors)
A copy of the rubric used to score your Child Study is provided below; please familiarize yourself with it. For each criterion, you will be assessed on a scale of “exceeds standard”, “meets standard”, “progressing towards standard”, “does not meet standard”.
At this point in the Teacher Education program, most of your scores should be in the “meets standard” range. If you receive “progressing towards standard” in any area, you should consider this an opportunity for self-growth and discuss with your instructor ways in which you can improve in the future. If you receive a score of “does not meet standard” in any area, you will be contacted by your instructor or the Office of Teacher Education to discuss your progress in the program.
Assignment Framework
Your instructor will provide you with detailed instructions on how to complete the assignment aligned with this Key Assessment. However, all Child Study Key Assessment assignments will follow the same framework:
- Case Study expectations for a P12 student will be provided to you in your course syllabus. Follow all policies and rules regarding access to the child and their information. Keep all information confidential; remove identifiers and use pseudonyms in assignments referencing children.
- Administer at least two developmentally appropriate assessments that will help you determine the child’s level of development in one or more of the following domains that are relevant to your field of study: cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, physical, and/or musical.
- If your course does not use an assigned case study, determine how you will find out more about the child, their development, and their learning differences. This may be done through observing and/or talking with the child, talking with the child’s parent or teacher, reviewing artifacts of the child’s work or their school records, etc. Your instructor will provide more specific instructions on this component based on what is feasible and permissible in your course.
- Plan your assessments and gather information so that you can discuss the following
in your Child Study:
-
- Child’s patterns and level of development, including strengths and weaknesses
- Child’s learning preferences and interests
- Approaches to learning and social-emotional characteristics such as attitude, motivation, etc.
- Background information about the child’s language, culture, and family
- Other factors relevant to understanding the child’s development and learning needs
-
- Analyze your assessments and interpret your data. Using all the data you have gathered (been provided), draw conclusions about the child’s patterns and level of development, including strengths, weaknesses, needs, etc. Identify relevant factors affecting the child’s development, including those listed in item 4 above. Your child study should draw a holistic portrayal of who the child is and what their learning needs are.
- Based on your conclusions about the child’s developmental levels, strengths, and learning needs, identify appropriate instructional strategies that you would implement with the child if you were their teacher. Explain the learning theories that you used to help you determine the most appropriate instructional theories for the individual child. Include citations as appropriate.
- Write your child study report. Use academic language and professional terminology throughout the report.
- Include your assessments, assessment analyses, and other documentation as attachments to your child study report so that your instructor can see your entire information-gathering process.
- Include a reference page.
Child Study Template
Your course instructor will provide additional information regarding how to upload this assignment into Blackboard and Watermark Student Learning & Licensure.
Child’s Age:
Gender:
Grade:
Section I: Description of How Information was Collected, Assessments Administered and How They Were Administered
Section II: Background Information on Child
Section III: Assessment Results
Section IV: Discussion of Results in terms of Child’s Development
Section IV: Implications for Instruction
Section V: Reference page
Rubric Used for the Key Assessment
InTASC Standard #1: Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
| Indicator | Exceeds Standard | Target/Meets Standard | Progressing Towards Standard | Does Not Meet Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Creates instruction that reflects individual learners’ strengths, interests, and needs to support growth and acceleration. (InTASC 1b) |
Creates highly differentiated instruction that is intentionally aligned to each learner’s strengths, interests, and needs; plans clearly support accelerated growth for all students. |
Creates instruction that considers learners’ strengths, interests, and needs; plans support appropriate growth for most students. |
Creates instruction that reflects some learners’ strengths, interests, or needs; plans inconsistently support student growth. |
Does not create instruction that reflects learners’ strengths, interests, or needs; plans do not support student growth. |
|
Understands patterns of development. (InTASC 1d) |
Conclusions about the child’s patterns of development are:
|
Conclusions about the child’s patterns of development are:
|
Conclusions about the child’s patterns of development are:
|
Conclusions about the child’s patterns of development are:
|
|
Understands that a child’s learning is influenced by a variety of developmental domains:
(InTASC 1e) |
Candidate describes most (4 or more) developmental domains in instructional decision making including their impact on student learning. |
Candidate describes some (3) developmental domains in instructional decision making. |
Candidate describes few (1-2) of the domains in instructional decision making. |
Candidate doesnotdescribeanydevelopmental domains in instructional decision making. |
InTASC Standard #2: Learning Differences
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
| Indicator | Exceeds Standard | Target/Meets Standard | Progressing Towards Standard | Does Not Meet Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Designs instruction that builds on learners’ prior knowledge and experiences to support understanding and enable acceleration. (InTASC 2c) |
Designs instruction that strategically builds on individual learners’ prior knowledge and experiences; plans intentionally allow learners to demonstrate understanding and accelerate beyond grade-level expectations. |
Designs instruction that considers learners’ prior knowledge and experiences; plans support student understanding and allow for appropriate progression. |
Designs instruction that considers learners’ prior knowledge or experiences; plans inconsistently support understanding or advancement. |
Does not design instruction that considers learners’ prior knowledge or experiences; plans do not support student understanding or advancement. |
InTASC Standard #6: Assessment
The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision-making.
| Item | Exceeds Standard | Target/Meets Standard | Progressing Towards Standard | Does Not Meet Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Uses data from multiple assessments to reach conclusions. (InTASC 6g) |
Candidate uses data from multiple types of assessments and notes where additional assessments or differentiated learning experiences may be needed. |
Candidate uses data from multiple types of assessments and utilizes all of them to draw their conclusions. |
Candidate uses data from multiple types of assessments but does not utilize all of them to draw their conclusions. |
Candidate only uses data from one assessment to reach their conclusions. |
|
Designs assessment approaches that appropriately differentiate between formative and summative purposes to support student learning. (InTASC 6j) |
Designs clear, purposeful formative and summative assessments; plans demonstrate a strong understanding of when and why to use each to support and advance student learning. |
Designs both formative and summative assessments appropriately; demonstrates understanding of their distinct purposes in supporting student learning. |
Designs formative and summative assessments; demonstrates partial or inconsistent understanding of when and how to use each. |
Does not distinguish between formative and summative assessments; assessments lack clear purpose or alignment to student learning. |
|
Interprets assessment data. (InTASC 6l) |
Candidate accurately analyzes data, draws valid conclusions, and translates findings into specific instructional or intervention strategies. |
Candidate accurately analyzes data resulting in valid conclusions. |
Candidate has errors in analysis, but overall conclusions are still valid. |
Candidate has errors in analysis which invalidate the conclusions. |
InTASC Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
| Item | Exceeds Standard | Target/Meets Standard | Progressing Towards Standard | Does Not Meet Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Designs instruction plans that reflect understanding of learning theory, human development, cultural diversity, and individual differences. (InTASC 7i) |
Designs plans that thoughtfully integrate learning theory, developmental appropriateness, cultural diversity, and individual differences; plans demonstrate strong alignment to learners’ varied needs. |
Designs plans that reflect learning theory, development, cultural diversity, and individual differences; plans address most learners’ needs. |
Designs plans that reflect some aspects of learning theory, development, cultural diversity, or individual differences; alignment to learner needs is inconsistent. |
Does not design plans that reflect learning theory, development, cultural diversity, or individual differences; plans do not address learner needs. |
|
Demonstrates how to plan instruction based on individual learners’ strengths and needs. (InTASC 7j) |
Candidate accurately plans instruction that intentionally utilizes the learner’s strengths to support the learner’s needs. |
Candidate accurately plans instruction that meets both the strengths and needs of the learner. |
Candidate accurately plans instruction that focus only on strengths OR needs. |
Candidate does not accurately plan instruction based on the strengths or needs of the learner. |