Assessments of Students in the United States and Italy

In America standardized testing is the standard assessment of students.  The problem with this type of testing is that it is directly related to funding that schools receive.  Should schools fall below a certain level their funding is reduced, therefore schools place a great deal of importance on these tests.  In my own area schools actually "teach to the test" as they call it, in my personal opinion, they are basically teaching the test. Therefore, I don't feel the results are truly an accurate "assessment" of my child's abilities. If this weren't bad enough the teachers stress repeatedly to children how important this test is to the point that I have seen some children in tears because they were so afraid to take the test and possibly not live up to their teacher's standards.  There is no denying that we need to assess what and how well our children are learning but our assessments should be broader in scope and should not be related to school funding.

We should be assessing our children on not only academic areas but also social-emotional, critical thinking/problem solving, physical education, and creative thinking.  We should be assessing the "whole child" from the way they learn to their social-emotional skills.  Teachers should also review these assessments periodically with parents and share standardized testing results (academic areas), physical development, social-emotional development, and how their child learns.  Not only do parents need to know their child's strengths and what areas they need to work on but they also need strategies on how to help their child learn.

Italy

In Italy there is a five year primary (ages 6-10) cycle that is divided into two parts.  The first two years focus on basic skills and the final three years introduce students to broader concepts.  Subjects are grouped into areas and are taught by the same teacher / teachers for the entire five years.  They will normally also have a specialist who teaches religion.  The school week is normally 27 hours per week, increasing to 30 hours per week in the second year.  There are some schools who go the entire day, however they take a 2 hour break in the afternoon for lunch and relaxation.  This afternoon "break" is standard not only for schools but for all businesses, restaurants and shops. 

In Italy there is currently no national system of student assessment.  Their "assessment system" is based on teacher observation throughout the school year and are recorded on the child's report card or scheda (Living and working in Italy, 2009).  This assessments gives a complete picture of the child's academic skills and personality every three to four months and at the end of the school year.  This is the only type of assessment done in Italian schools and does not include standardized testing of academics.  So the downside to their assessment of students is that there are no other types of assessments done and they rely soley on teacher observation.  However, at the end of the five year primary cycle students are required to take an examination, both written and oral, and must pass this examination in order to move on, this is how they determine if students have learned the required courses (EURYDICE, 2004).

The subjects they teach in Italian schools include Italian art and a foreign language; religion; mathematics, sciences, and physical education; and history, geography, social studies and music.  They also make provisions for students with special educational needs.  There are typically three teachers for every two classes and four teachers for every three classes with a maximum of 25 students per class. 

References:

EURYDICE. 2004. Retrieved 12/10 from: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/italy.pdf

Living and working in Italy. 2009.  Primary school in Italy:  What you should know. Retrieved 12/09 from: http://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Italy-Guide/Education/Primary-school-in-Italy

Stressors and Young Children

Germany - World War II

My mother was born during WWII and was three years old when it finally ended.  Over 80% of her home town (Mannheim, Germany) was bombed out.  Food was rationed and items such as coal, yarn, and fabric were difficult to come by.  My mother told me that her mother was a beautician and she would barter with neighbors for yarn, fabric, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  One neighbor would give her yarn or fabric and in exchange her mother would cut the other family's hair.  Her father was a carpenter and would assist people in home repairs in exchange for coal, wood, or other items needed.  Her mother would sew their clothes and crochet & knit their scarfs and mittens.  Money was scarce but my mother said that she knew no other way of life and did not feel the "stress" of it; she believes this is due to the love and security she felt from her parents and siblings.  My mother's sister was very sickly and had severe chronic asthma.  My mother told me that all of the neighbors would help look out for her and would run to get the "neighborhood" doctor when he was needed.  She does believe that had that time not been so poor that her sister may have fared better with her health.  She remembers the chocolate factories opening when she was in Kindergarten and every 3-4 months each child in school would receive one bar of chocolate wrapped in parchment paper.  She said it is funny the things you remember but to her there was no other way of life.

CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN

The link below is an article I found on the children of Afghanistan and the many stressors they fight on a daily basis.  This article is their cry for help.  Everyday children live with war, poverty, sickness, death of family members and parents, having to relocate, as well as the affects of war such as lack of food and clean water.  Children are injured in bombings and in hidden land mines.  The United Nations (UN) is continuing its efforts to minimize these effects.  The article contains letters and drawings from children of Afghanistan crying out for someone to listen to them and help them.

http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/Afghanistan-s-20Children-20Spreak-20to-20the-20UN-20Special-20Session.pdf

Public Health Issue

The topic I chose for this portion of the blog is access to clean water.  I chose this topic because I have seen places, here in our own country, where access to clean water is not always easy.  While the United States has "one of the best supplies of drinking water in the world" the "threats to our drink water are increasing" (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).  Some individuals may be more sensitive to contaminents in drinking water than others such as, pregnant women and infants, individuals recieving chemotherapy, the elderly, and transplant patients.  Therefore, it is essential that we know what is in our drinking water and that we read our annual water statements and contact our local water departments to ensure that you are aware of what is in your local water supply.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked with Congress to pass the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) "to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply and protecting sources of drinking water" (EPA, 2009).  Even with these laws I have seen very rural areas in the Appalachian Mountains and even rural areas in my own state (Indiana) where individuals rely on well water for their drinking water.  I have even worked with families that have no running water. 

There are several microorganisms that can cause serious health affects on individuals.  There have been several local outbreaks of waterborne disease.  Last summer, in my own community, we were under a "boil order" due to contaminents in our tap water.  Some contaminents, such as nitrate, can not be boiled out of the water and pose serious health risks for pregnant mothers and infants.  Nitrates are turned into nitrites in the intestines, when they are absorbed in the bloodstream they prevent the transference of oxygen in the bloodstream.  Younger children, infants, and pregnant women do not have the enzyme to fight this and excessive levels can cause "blue baby" syndrome (EPA, 2009).

In Haiti cholera has killed more than 290 people and 4,150 cases have been reported (UNICEF, 2010).  Cholorea is a "highly virulent waterborne bacteria that causes massive and painful diarrheal dehydration" (UNICEF, 2010).  Cholorea can be easily prevented by washing hands in clean water and soap, but without access to soap or clean water this can be difficult.  This is the biggest "medical crisis" in recent years and most Haitians have never even heard of cholorea (UNICEF, 2010).  UNICEF is working diligently to stopping the spread of this epidemic.  Recently, a drop in  death rates does show that some progress is being made but it is important that the humanitarian efforts continue to stop this epidemic.

The impact of clean water is definitely knowledge I can use and will share with the families I work with on a daily basis.  It is important that pregnant mothers and families with small children have access to clean water.  One aspect I found interesting is that even in our country we need to be aware of the threats to our water supply.  Families living in old homes may have lead pipes that allow lead to seep into their water supply.  This is a condition that can even affect families living in newer homes whose pipes are considered "lead free' but still contain 8% lead.  After installation these pipes can leak significant amounts of lead into the water.  Other facts that brought to light the impact of lack of clean water include: 2.6 billion people live without proper sanitation; 1 billion have no access to safe, clean drinking water; and that 4,000 children die "each day" from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation (UNICEF, 2010).

    
References:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). December 2009. Water on tap: What you need to know. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/safewater

UNICEF USA, October 28, 2010. Containing the cholorea outbreak in Haiti. Retrieved from www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/containing-the-cholera.html

Childbirth

The following is a link to a video I found on childbirth in southern Mexico.  This video addresses the dangers and maternal death rate in the poorest parts of Mexico.

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/aol-news/giving-birth-can-be-deadly-in-mexico/79090468001

The article that accompanies this video can be found on AolNews at the following link:

http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/in-s-mexico-giving-birth-is-too-often-deadly/19441738

I found this article very interesting and very sad.  It clearly shows the affect that culture has on prenatal development and maternal wellness.  It demonstrates what poor health care and lack of education can have on child development.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

My oldest daughter, Samantha (12 years old), was born September 27, 1998, 5lbs 1oz, 19 inches long.  Samantha was quiet a surprise for me since prior to becoming pregnant I was told that due to my bicornate uterus I would be unable to carry a pregnancy to term and it was unlikely I would even become pregnant.  I had regular prenatal care throughout my pregnancy, which was deemed high risk.  I had several complications throughout my pregnancy including Polhydraminos, preterm labor, and in the end Eclempsia.  Samantha was taken by emergency c-section after they stabalized me.  My Eclempsia came on quiet suddenly and rapidly progressed.  Even after I delivered Samantha I continued to bleed into my incision and ended up back in the hospital.  My incision had broken open as I continued to swell.  By the grace of God my incision to my uterus did not break open and I was able to heal from the inside out once they were able to get the Eclempsia under control.  My mother had to come to stay with me for 3 months until I was completely healed.  I do not remember much of the delivery and only remember the days after a little.  I remember being very sad and feeling like I had missed so much already.  I cried when I could not give her first bath to her and remember my mother telling me to think of her 'firsts' as the first time I do them with her.  This helped tremendously and I was able to begin to enjoy my daughter as I healed and became stronger.  I am happy to say I went on to have two more children.  Samantha was my hardest birth but all of my pregnancies were high risk.  My children are my joy and the light of my life! 

I chose this personal birthing story because it demonstrates that complications can and do happen in the U.S. as well.  I almost died having my daughter.  I was young (26) and did not know what questions to ask and trusted my doctors.  I had a very good doctor but she was also young and just out of residency, I needed a more experienced doctor.  I am thankful that I was in an area and a country where I could get good care, had I lived anywhere else I'm afraid I would have been one of the maternal death statistics.

Coming to the end

Our course is coming to an end and I would like to thank everyone who commented on my blog and took time to read my posts.  I have learned so much from everyone and look forward to meeting up with you again in future courses.  This course has shown me how in depth the early childhood field is an what a difference we as professionals can make in adovacating for children and families.  Next week we begin another course in this journey and I eagerly look forward to continuing this path.  I wish everyone the best!

Ethical Responsibilities

As an early childhood educator I am obligated to abide by a code of ethics.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2005) has an entire list of principles and ideals that educators and caregivers are responsible for abiding by.  The three that resonate with me the most are:

• I1.1 - To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.
• I1.3 - To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.
• I1.9 - To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs have access to support services they need to be successful.

These ideals resonate with me because they represent a commitment to advocating and promoting high-quality care and education for all children.  The first ideal resonates with me because I am a firm believer that learning is a life long process and no matter what profession you are in you should continue professional development and remain current are issues, research, and strategies.  The second  ideal resonates with me because I believe each child is special and has special unique talents and strengths which we as educators, caregivers, and parents should support.  The last one resonates with me because now more than ever we need to continue advocating for high-quality programs for all children.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Code of Ethics (2009) also resonated with me with their ideals and principles including:

• Shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and cultures.
• Shall advocate for equal access to high-quality services and supports for all children and families to enhance their quality of life.

Respecting and honoring different cultures, beliefs, languages, traditions, values, and customs demonstrates to our children, families, and colleagues that we value them.  Everyone wants to be acknowledged and valued.

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an Early Childhood Education Conference in Evansville, Indiana.  I also had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Lillian Katz speak.  She spoke about creating experiences for children of all ages that are "mindful versus mindless" and that engage children in intellectual thinking.  She talked about the difference of "knowing" versus "understanding" stating that we all "know that airplanes can fly" but we don't all "understand how they fly."  Dr. Katz also spoke of the importance of social-emotional development in the early years.  She was very inspirational and I truly enjoyed listening to her keynote address.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

 The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.dec-sped.org/

COURSE RESOURCES

Course Resources

The following is a list of this week’s (Week 5) resources for my EDUC6005-1 Course Foundations:  Early Childhood Studies.  I have broken the resources up into: video/Podcasts, Position Statements / Influential Practices, Global support for children’s rights and well being, Early Childhood Organizations, and Early Childhood Journals. 

The resources I have added are marked by a different bullet (the diamond shaped bullet), I have also put the new resources in red type. 

I chose the Early Childhood News website because this is a recently found resource that I have found very interesting with the latest news on early childhood issues, classroom ideas, and teacher resources.  I

n the Early Childhood Organizations Section I have added two organizations which I have studied recently, Parent’s As Teachers (PAT) and The Brazelton Instiute.  The PAT organization I find very interesting because it focuses on home visiting and educating the family as well as the child.  The Brazelton Institute continues Dr. T. Berry Brazelton’s work on child development and observation.  Both of these last two organizations utilize the latest neuroscience for brain development which I also find very interesting.  The PAT Organization incorporates current brain research and development within their curriculum and the Brazelton Institute continues their research into brain development, provides information for parents, offers materials available for ordering, and provides links to current research projects.

Videos / Podcasts:

·       Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

v Early Childhood News:  Teacher Resources

 http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/teacher_resources/ecnradio.aspx

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/
  Read about OMEP’s mission.  
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/ 
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

v Parent’s As Teachers Organization (PAT)

http://www.parentsasteachers.org/

v The Brazelton Institute

http://www.brazelton-institute.com/index.html

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.) 

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education