Screening and assessment practices in early childhood education settings

¶ … IFSP/IEP Process

The school nurse checks the hearing and vision of all the children in a Head Start classroom.

- The teacher uses a checklist to observe a child's play skills.

Based on family concerns, a kindergarten student is tested by the speech language pathologist and school psychologist.

The scenarios described in the preceding statements represent the diverse array of assessment methodologies used to measure, record, and interpret vital information about children within the school environment. The systemized administration of standardized tests, annual physical examinations, and teacher-guided assessment of individual students and their abilities is used to refine the educational process and ensure the efficient and effective delivery of instructional goals. The characteristics of particular learners should dictate the direction of instruction design. Knowing how to create immersive, integrated lesson plans is of no use to instructors who are not capable of recognizing their learner's individual abilities and applying lessons accordingly. When an instructor is able to identify useful traits in students, this recognition allows them to form unique lesson plans that target student's specific weaknesses or strengths, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of instructional materials being used. While "tracking" and other detrimental practices associated with identifying and segmenting students have fallen out of practice, with good reason, the preponderance of scholarly research on the subject of IFSP/IEP assessment clearly shows that a responsible instructor can integrate personal characteristics such as learning style, social acclimation, language, and physical fitness into the composition of their instructional material.

There are two main forms of student assessment conducted to assist developmentally disabled students and those with special educational requirements: The Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) (Allen & Cowdery, 2011). Comparative analysis studies on the efficacy of both programs has revealed that "the major difference between an IFSP and an IEP is that an IFSP focuses on the child and family and the services that a family needs to help them enhance the development of their child ... (while) the IEP focuses on the educational needs of the child" (Emirson, 2011). An IFSP is applicable to children from birth through the age of three, while an IEP guides their specialized instruction throughout their elementary, secondary, and collegiate education.