Assessment

The OR Preschool program engages in formative and authentic assessment.  The formative assessment used is the Brigance Inventory of Early Development II (standardized version) and is given 3 times per year.  Our ongoing authentic assessment is guided by Samuel Meisels' Work Sampling System (Dichtelmiller, Jablon, Dorfman, Marsden, & Meisels, 1994). 

The parents play a critical role as teachers gather information that will enable them to plan from the first day how to best meet the needs of the each child.  Parent input is solicited regarding their expectations for their child, what strengths they see, and what challenges may be present.  This information, coupled with screening results and observations of the child in the home setting, are used to begin planning from the first day a child enters preschool.  In addition, ongoing, daily assessment is occurring as the teachers develop a portfolio of each child's unique abilities.  Through the use of elements of Samuel Meisels' Work Sampling System and, the teachers develop a portfolio that provides ongoing feedback to parents through anecdotal records, developmental checklists and narrative reports.