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Assessment

preschool students playing
CUSD Preschool staff will regularly assess children’s learning and development to monitor how well they accomplish their goals using the Desired Results Development Profile (DRDP) system. Developed by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division, the DRDP Preschool assessment system is designed to improve the quality of programs and services provided to children enrolled in early childhood education and their families. Desired Results are defined as conditions of well-being for children and their families. Each Desired Result defines an overall outcome. The system was developed based on the following six Desired Results:
 
For the child...
1. Children are personally and socially competent
2. Children are effective learners
3. Children show physical and motor competence
4. Children are safe and healthy
 
And for the family...
1. Families support their child’s learning and development
2. Families achieve their goals
 
The DRDP system is a comprehensive approach that facilitates the Desired Results identified for children and families. The system is aligned to both the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for kindergarten.
 
The DRDP is aligned to the Foundations and CCSS for kindergarten in three ways. First, the DRDP measures are organized by the California Preschool Foundation Domains. Second, each measure is based on the same development continuum as the corresponding Foundation or Common Core State standard. Third, the DRDP is grounded in the same research and child development literature as the Foundations and CCSS. The DRDP is an assessment that documents the development level on a continuum separately for each child. The teacher can use the DRDP to identify each child's level of development and plan a curriculum to support individual children’s learning.
 
CUSD Preschoosl will also use the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) to self-assess its program's quality. Through the implementation of ECERS, we can evaluate the program’s environment, including those spatial, programmatic, and interpersonal features that directly affect the children and adults in an early childhood setting. ECERS has seven subscales in the evaluation process.
 
These are as follows:
  • Space and furnishings
  • Personal care routines
  • Language-Reasoning
  • Activities
  • Interaction
  • Program structure
  • Parents and staff
 
ECERS is designed specifically for preschool, kindergarten, and child care classrooms serving children 2 ½ through 5 years of age. It is a widely used program quality assessment instrument, and its established reliability and validity make it particularly useful for research and program evaluation.