The number one question I hear as a teacher is, “How is my child doing?!” Parents want the best for their children and want to make sure they are developing. We couldn’t agree more! Assessment is a key part in our HighScope Curriculum and is play-based!
You can learn a lot about a child by just playing with them. For an infant it may be laying on the floor with them and exploring a rattle. For a toddler it may be getting messy with paint by exploring with your hands. For a preschooler it may be playing in the kitchen and eating whatever they serve up. Or for a Pre-Ker it may be writing their first words. 
One of our main tools we use here at LT to track child development is a program called, COR Advantage. COR Advantage guides our teachers to support child development from birth all the way to age six! So… how does it all work?? Every day your child’s teacher is playing, interacting, and engaging with your kiddo. They take notes based on their play-based observations. Then the login to COR Advantage and log their observation under one of the 9 developmental domains.
- Approaches To Learning
- Social & Emotional Development
- Physical Development & Health
- Language, Literacy, & Communication
- Mathematics
- Creative Arts
- Science & Technology
- Social Studies
- English Language Learning (ELL)
Then the teacher plans activities that promote growth in the areas each individual needs. During Fall and Spring, parent-teacher conferences are held! YAY! This is when the teacher will print out a ‘COR Report’ and you both will sit down and gush over all the things they have accomplished and what their next steps are. 
Check out some of these REAL observations from some of our classrooms! Children’s names have been changed to ‘Child A’.
INFANTS: Social & Emotional Development – Building Relationships with Adults
2/3: During ‘Child A’s’ diaper change, they looked up at Miss Emily and smiled.
TODDLERS: Language, Literacy & Communication – Speaking
1/30: Throughout the day ‘Child A’ said “I pod” (I potty) and “I poop” when they needed to go to the bathroom.
TRANSITIONAL PRE-SCHOOL: Approaches To Learning – Initiative and Planning
2/3: During work time, ‘Child A’ was observed putting a magnet tile in the sand table. The child reacted as they noticed little pieces of hematite clung to the magnet. The child stayed at sand table for 25 minutes.
PRESCHOOL: Mathematics – Numbers & Counting
1/29: During work time, ‘Child A’ drew a picture of the message board. He had written out in each square the numbers 1 through 4. He then pointed to each number and counted out loud. As he said the numbers he pointed to the correct match.
PRE-K: Mathematics – Data Analysis
2/4: During planning time Miss Erica made a graph on the white board. The graph had all the area pictures on it. Then we each took turns put marks where we wanted to work after we stated where we wanted to work. ‘Child A’ stated, “House area has the most friends in it. Book area and woodworking do not have a lot.”
Who is excited for Spring Conferences?!?!?!