Observation & Assessment
In nature-based learning programs, assessment measures of children’s learning and development are based on general and environmental literacy standards.
Minnesota Early Childhood Learning Standards In Minnesota, the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs) outline general developmental standards for young children (MDE, 2021).
The ECIPs have eight domains:
Skill levels differ among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, but they build on each other through learning progressions. Minnesota does not have formal environmental education standards for early childhood programs. Still, outdoor and nature-based resources developed by the Minnesota Department of Education (2021) refer to the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs (2019), which guide programs. Both of these standards documents recommend that early childhood educators implement authentic assessment practices to document children’s growth and learning. Authentic AssessmentAuthentic assessments are assessment practices typically embedded in children’s play that show what children know and can do (NAEYC, 2022).
They can include:
Educators generally observe and collect information about children’s learning over time, looking for patterns and reflecting on it to help them decide how to support their progress. (NAEYC, 2022). According to the Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children Ages Birth through Age Eight book (NAECY, 2022), observation and assessment for infants and toddlers is best done within the context of their routines, play, and exploration as they investigate, observe, and imitate to make sense of the world around them. In nature-based programs, the “world around them,” the learning environment, includes the outdoor classroom and nature. |
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