perspectives in Education and Deafness

Portfolios and Parents—An Unbeatable Combination

Assessment with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Toddlers

Two-year-old Alex arrived at school with the ability to scribble, run, and climb. He seemed to enjoy his snack and eating with the group of preschoolers. Watching him proudly, Alex's mother emphasized these skills to us. Like so many parents, her hopes for her son were very high.

As teachers, however, we were concerned. Alex applied insufficient pressure as he scribbled, and he repeatedly ate the crayons. When he ran, his gait was awkward. Although he enjoyed snacking with the group, he did not eat appropriately. These behaviors concerned us, as they sometimes indicate developmental delays. As teachers, we found that the most effective way to convey these concerns to parents was through involving them directly in their children's assessment.

Assessment is required by law and used by local educational agencies and school administrators, primarily to determine risk for developmental delays. Teachers also use assessments for the purpose of determining the basis for appropriate developmental activities for young students both at home and in school, and to evaluate the success of our own teaching. Assessment is important because it helps teachers-and parents-understand each child more thoroughly (Bredenkamp, 1993).

Portfolio Assessment
A Critical Addition

Accurate assessment of young deaf and hard of hearing children can be a challenge. Checklists exist, but they offer limited views of the child's capabilities. Observations are important, but the setting for this is critical. The more naturalistic the setting, the more likely typical behaviors will be observed (Dondurant-Utz & Luciano, 1997).

Even when used together, checklists and observations leave gaps. The recent use of portfolios has added another source for documenting how young children grow and learn over time. While checklists and tests sort children into categories, portfolios focus on the growth of the individual child (Bredekamp, 1993). We decided that using portfolios would be an effective way to combine a variety of assessment strategies and methods, and provide an in-depth, comprehensive view of each child.

Bringing Parents
To The Team

After brainstorming, we agreed that a strong team, consisting of ourselves, the families of each student, the students themselves, and other professionals such as administrators, school district personnel, and communication specialists, was essential. We had to develop and maintain a rapport with each other and each of these groups. By teaming with parents and approaching assessment together through a variety of checklists and portfolios, parents and teachers become partners and are able to develop an appropriate educational plan for their child.

We developed a "Back to School Questionnaire" and asked the parents to complete it during our first interaction with them. The questionnaire gave us an initial understanding of the child's interest and temperament, as well as the parents' desires and concerns, and how they wanted to be involved in the classroom.

At our final parent conference, we returned the questionnaire to the parents and used it to discuss the child's experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of the past year. In talking with the families, we kept in mind a caution we discovered during a 1992 workshop at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside: Assessment should support parents' relationships with their children. It should not undermine their confidence in their children's or their own abilities, nor should it devalue the language and culture of the family.

Building a Portfolio—
Several Easy Pieces

1. Observation: Recording What We See

We begin recording our observations of the children with our very first interaction together. We assess each child's level of functioning in five developmental areas-psychomotor, literacy, cognition, self-concept, and social skills (Maryland School for the Deaf: Essential Curriculum for Early Learners, 1995). We watch as students participate in the daily routine of the class-caring for class pets, joining in snacktime and storytime, and contributing to student journal activities. We also record how they manage their "center time," when they are free to choose and explore a variety of independent learning activities. During center time, we see the children interact with each other and teachers as they pursue activities of art, housekeeping, dramatic play, sand, water, construction, reading, writing, and exploring American Sign Language (ASL). Observational anecdotes are recorded and later used to write our biannual progress reports.

2. Checklists: Standardized Data

The checklist we use with each child depends on the individual needs of the family and child. For example, we don't use the Child Observation Record (COR) until late spring, when our children reach the two and a half-year minimum age for which it is designed. We like to add the COR to our portfolio as a part of the transition of our students to the three-year-old class. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is designed for parents to do themselves. Some parents choose to complete it on their own and others choose to do it with us. We use this checklist partly because the phrasing is parent friendly and free of professional jargon. The Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (E-Lap) is a developmental checklist for children from birth to three years old. It breaks down skills into very specific tasks, and shows incremental successes which might not otherwise be obvious.

3. Student Work: Meaningful Samples

It is relatively simple to include student art and writing samples in the portfolio. It is much more difficult to find artifacts that reflect a child's cooperative play, investigations, explorations, and constructions. We approach this most successfully by using a photo journal. For each student, we compile photos in a small album, and write brief explanations of each photo. Together, photos and printed explanations document our students' growth in a tangible way.

4. Video: Essential Component

Shortly after the parent conferences, we ask parents to come for a video session. This is essential. Our goal is to create a natural play environment in which we can document on video the child's behavior and skills. The plan is for the child to make his or her way around the room, reacting to materials. There is a book, selected from the class bookshelf, which sits in the reading corner surrounded by toys and objects related to the story, with which the child may enact the narrative. There are writing implements, such as scissors, glue, crayons, and stamps, which will enable the child to express ideas on paper. There are class photo albums to assess the child's ability to recall people and events. There are balls on the floor to assess gross motor skills, ability to follow directions, and turn taking. Teachers and parents facilitate movement from one activity to the next. The session lasts for about 30 minutes.

The video is especially worthwhile because it enables evaluation of each child's skill in ASL. At Maryland School for the Deaf, this is done by our program's ASL specialist, along with deaf teachers and other professionals who make observations about the child's proficiency and suggest ways to support continued growth. We also use the Visual Communication Checklist under development (Hafer, 1997) to assist in looking at students' abilities. Filmed in the beginning of the year, the video is presented to parents at the end of the year, providing teachers and parents a chance to see the child's growth.

Portfolios & Parents
Keys to Success

In the two years that we have included parents in the portfolio development in our Family Education program at the Maryland School for the Deaf, we have experienced remarkable results. Portfolios enable evaluation and assessment in a variety of settings. Parent involvement enables children to have developmentally appropriate activities and begin their first schooling in a truly positive way. When June arrives and children leave school loving it, and parents understand and have evidence of their child's strengths and abilities, we feel we have done our job.

Tips for Incorporating Portfolios into the Classroom

• Read as much as possible about portfolio and authentic assessment. See our list of suggested references.
• Team up with a colleague who shares the interest; support each other.
• Start small; first try it with one or two students with whom you feel comfortable.
• Welcome parents' feedback; incorporate parents into the process as much as possible.
• Recognize that authentic assessment is an evolving process; it is always changing.
• Have fun. Enjoy watching your students grow!

References

Bredekamp, S. & Rosegrant, T. (1998). Reaching potentials: appropriate curriculum and assessment. Washington, DC: National Association of the Education of Young Children.

Bricker, D. Squires, J., Mounts, L. et. al. (1995). The ages and stages questionnaire. Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company.

Chapel Hill Training Outreach Project. (1995). The early learning accomplishment profile. Chapel Hill, NC.

DeFina, A. (1992). Portfolio assessment: getting started. NY: Scholastic, Inc.

Dondurant-Utz, J. & Luciano, L. (1997). A practical guide to infant and preschool assessment in special education. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Hafer, J. (1997). Visual Communication Checklist. Unpublished manuscript, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

High Scope Educational Research Foundation. (1992). The child observation record. Ypsilanti, MI.

Jasmine, G. (1995). Early childhood assessment. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Jasmine, J. (1993). Portfolios and other assessments. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Maryland School for the Deaf. (1996). Essential curriculum for early learning. Unpublished manuscript, Maryland School for the Deaf, Family Education Department, Frederick, Maryland.