Early childhood education spans birth through grade 3 (age 8). These early years are a time of vast growth and learning for children, but the course of development is uneven or scattered. As an early educator, it will be important to be familiar with children’s developmental milestones to provide developmentally appropriate curriculum and assessment practices for each of these age ranges.

This week you have been asked to create a reference guide for the new teachers that includes an example of a daily schedule and an assessment strategy for the different childhood age ranges. This reference guide will help them understand the process and rationale applicable when developing daily schedules and assessments.

Part 1: Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum

Create a visual organizer (e.g., table, diagram, flowchart) that illustrates an example of a developmentally appropriate daily schedule for each of the following early childhood age ranges:

Infants or toddlers

Preschool

Kindergarten

Grade 1, 2, or 3

Include the following for each of your 4 schedule examples:

• Specific time gaps and activities/lessons for the children to participate in throughout the day (e.g., opening activities, group time, lunch, dismissal activities)
• Opportunities for physical, social, and cognitive development
• A rationale for each schedule example that explains why the schedule is developmentally appropriate for the corresponding age level

Part 2: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment

Research different types of assessment tools or methods used for different early childhood age ranges (e.g., DIBELS®, observations, portfolios).

Identify at least 1 assessment tool or method appropriate for each of the following early childhood age ranges:

• Infants and toddlers
• Preschoolers
• Kindergartners

Grade 1, 2, or 3

Create an outline with your selected assessment tools or methods for each age level (4 total), and include the following information:

A brief description of the assessment tool or method and how you would implement it

Why the assessment tool or method is developmentally appropriate

Assessment modifications or accommodations you might make in consideration of learners with disabilities, learners with language learning needs, or learners who are gifted/talented

Potential for the use of technology with this assessment method