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Introduction to the Topic
Work Sampling provides a useful system for implementing ongoing, authentic assessment in the pre-kindergarten classroom. This system is made up of three complementary elements: checklists and guidelines, portfolios, and summary reports. Progress and performance are assessed in seven domains: (1) personal and social, (2) language and literacy, (3) mathematical thinking, (4) scientific thinking, (5) social studies, (6) the arts, and (7) physical development.
The Work Sampling Checklist is available for each age and grade level, beginning with age 3 and extending up through 5th grade. The checklist works hand-in-hand with either the Omnibus Guidelines or Developmental Guidelines. While the Omnibus Guidelines contains information on all the age levels, the Developmental Guidelines contains information on only one age or grade level. Each item on the checklist is contained in sequence in these guidelines, along with a rationale that briefly explains why it is important to consider the item and how typical development might look. Helpful examples of ways in which children demonstrate competence are included for each item The checklist helps bring focus to teacher observations, and the guidelines provide a standard for the teacher to use in evaluating what children know and can do, and identifying areas for further teaching. The checklist is not meant to be shared with parents; it is a teacher tool.
Portfolio items are collected in five of the domains in the Work Sampling System: (1) language and literacy, (2) mathematical thinking, (3) scientific thinking, (4) social studies, and (5) the arts. The teacher selects two important areas of learning that she will sample three times per year in each domain. By the end of the year, then, she will have six samples per domain. She also may collect samples that represent the child's unique interests or ability to apply knowledge, skills, or dispositions in an integrated way. Items collected for the child's portfolio present a picture of how the child learns and works. These items are meant to be shared with parents at regular parent-teacher conferences.
Summary reports are the third component of the Work Sampling System. They take the place of the traditional report card at the elementary school level. At the pre-kindergarten level, they provide an organized format for using narrative to share information about a child's progress and performance across all seven domains of learning. The teacher reviews the checklist and the portfolio in making decisions about what to include in the Summary Report.
Online Resources
- The Work Sampling System
(Rebus, Inc.)
Online resource including definitions, features, curriculum areas, and more.
http://phcatalog.pearson.com/program_multiple.cfm?site_id=1021&discipline_id=
802&subarea_id=0&program_id=941Editor's Note: this url is no longer active. - The Work Sampling System: Reliability and Validity
(Rebus, Inc.)
This study found a high internal and moderately high inter-rater reliability for the Work Sampling System in predicting performance on the norm-referenced achievement battery.
http://www.pearsonearlylearning.com/research_docs/wss_reliability_validity.pdf
Editor's Note: this url is no longer active. - The Work Sampling System: Omnibus Guidelines: Preschool Through Third Grade, 3rd Edition
(Jablon, Judy R., Marsden, Dorothea B., Meisels, Samuel J., & Dichtelmiller, Margo L.(1994). Rebus, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI.)
http://clas.uiuc.edu/special/evaltools/cl03980.html - Using Work Sampling in Authentic Assessments
(Educational Leadership, Volume 54, Number 4, December 1996/January 1997)
The Work Sampling System, an authentic performance assessment, is based on teachers' observations of children at work in the classroom learning, solving problems, interacting, and creating products. http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.459dee008f99653fb85516f762108a0c
- No More Grades: New Approaches to Assessment Replace Standard Tests and Report Cards in Growing Number of Schools
(The University Record, June 19,1995, University of Michigan)
The Work Sampling System is a widely used approach to performance assessment.
http://www.ur.umich.edu/9495/Jun19_95/grades.htm - Changes in the Ways Teachers Report to Parents about Children's Performance
(North Central Regional Educational Laboratory)
The Work Sampling System, for children 3 to 8 years of age, provides checklists and a set of guidelines to promote consistency in teachers' interpretations and care in classroom observation.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea5lk20.htm - AERA Position Statement Concerning High-Stakes Testing in PreK-12 Education
(National Council on Measurement in Education)
Published in November 2000, the views of the Association for Educational Research, the American Psychological Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education.http://www.ncme.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?ID=41&ArchView=y - Assessment in Early Childhood Education
(The National Association for the Education of Young Children)
NAEYC and the National Association of Early Childhood
Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) jointly developed these guidelines to inform decisions about curriculum
content and assessment in programs serving children 3 through 8 years of age. http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/pscuras.htmEditor's Note: this url is no longer active. - Critical Issue: Assessing Young Children's Progress Appropriately
(The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory)
The issues in how to determine what children know and how to use this assessment are important in carrying out the aims of early childhood programs. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea500.htm - Fact Sheets on Assessment
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing is an advocacy organization working to end the abuses, misuses, and flaws of standardized testing and ensure that evaluation of students and workers is fair, open, and educationally sound. The Center publishes Fact Sheets about issues in assessment from the kindergarten through the university level.
http://www.fairtest.org/facts/main.htm - The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture
In this scholarly paper, "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture," Lorrie Shepard explains the kinds of assessment that can be used to support learning in the classroom. She provides a historical framework for assessment and suggests ways that assessment practices can be improved. Shepard also makes suggestions teacher preparation.
http://www.aera.net/pubs/er/arts/29-07/shep01.htm Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.
ERIC Digests
- Performance Assessment in Early Childhood Education: The Work Sampling System
Sam Meisels describes the Work Sampling System and explains how testing of young children can be used inappropriately and result in inaccurate results and poor teaching. http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1995/meisel95.html - A Developmental Approach to Assessment of Young Children
Dr. Lilian Katz clarifies the main purposes for which children are typically assessed and discusses the relationship between assessment and instruction. http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1997/katz97.html - On Standardized Testing
Vito Perrone discusses the problems associated with standardized testing in the primary grades. http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1991/perron91.html
ERIC Database Search: Selected records
To search for ERIC resources on this topic, try the descriptors "work sample tests" or "work sampling systems (Meisels)"; or keywords "work sample" or "work sampling"; and combine the results with the descriptors "preschool children" or "early childhood education" or "preschool education."
How to Obtain ERIC Documents and Journal Articles:
References identified with an ED (ERIC document)or EJ (ERIC journal) are cited in the ERIC database. ERIC Documents (citations identified by an ED number) may be available in full text from ERIC at no cost at the ERIC Web site: http://www.eric.ed.gov. Journal articles are available from the original journal, interlibrary loan services, or article reproduction clearinghouses.
If you would like to conduct your own free ERIC database searches via the Internet, go directly to http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=advanced
Selected Records through December 2001
- Winning Ways To Learn, Ages 3, 4 & 5: 600 Great Ideas for Children. Goddard Parenting Guides
Author(s) Meisels, Samuel J.; Marsden, Dorothea B.; Stetson, Charlotte
Source: ED443538 PS028696
Pages: 156
Publication Date: 2000
Notes: For the parenting guide for ages 6, 7, and 8, see PS 028 697.
Availability: EDRS Price MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
Availability: Goddard Press, 380 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017 ($15.95).
Noting that parents have the opportunity to help their young children build a strong foundation for learning, this book shows parents of 3- to 5-year-olds how to make learning and discovery fun while developing attributes such as competence and curiosity. The book contains 600 creative and low-cost activities, based on the work sampling system, that build learning easily into everyday life. The book is divided into three major sections, one for each year. Each section covers the full range of knowledge and skills children need to succeed in school: mathematics, science, social studies, language and literacy, the arts, social skills, and physical development. Following a discussion of what a child at each age should be learning, the "It's Your Turn" section details dozens of age-specific activities and ideas for parents to use. All the activities involve simple materials or experiences that come directly from home, family, or neighborhood. - Starting on the Write Foot: Helping Parents Understand How Children Learn To Read and Write
Author(s) Butler, Julia; Liss, Carolee; Sterner, Peggy
Source: Texas Child Care, v23 n3 p2-9 Win 1999
Discusses how early childhood teachers can help parents understand the natural and uneven process involved in learning to read and write. Includes descriptions of classroom opportunities to write, the use of artifacts to educate parents, and procedures for the beginning of the school year. Includes suggestions for parents to help their children and suggestions for work samples for portfolios. - Portfolios as an Assessment Tool: Is Collection of Work Enough?
Author(s) Gronlund, Gaye
Source: Young Children, v53 n3 p4-10 May 1998
Uses examples from preschool teachers' classroom experiences to present suggestions for improving portfolios as an assessment tool. Issues discussed include distinguishing work that shows a child's learning progress, types of portfolios, and collecting work with a particular purpose in various curricula. Argues that portfolios should be supplemented with informative work samples; provides a framework for portfolio collection. - Work Sampling in the Classroom: A Teacher's Manual
Author(s) Dichtelmiller, Margo L.; Jablon, Judy R.; Dorfman, Aviva B.; Marsden, Dorothea B.; Meisels, Samuel J.
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 1997
Notes: "With contributions from Charlotte Stetson."
Availability: Rebus, Inc., Suite 6, P.O. Box 4479, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4479; Tel: 800-435-3085 (Toll Free); Harcourt, 555 Academic court, San Antonio, TX 78204; Tel: 800-211-8387 (Toll Free).
The Work Sampling System is a performance assessment system that is used in preschool through fifth grade to document and assess children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments across curriculum areas. This teacher's manual explains the use of the Work Sampling System in the following chapters: (1) "Introducing the Work Sampling System"; (2) "Developmental Guidelines and Checklists"; (3) "Portfolios"; (4) "Summary Reports"; (5) "Getting Started with Work Sampling"; and (6) "Special Topics." Five appendixes contain suggestions for core items, examples of a teacher's letter to parents and completed summary reports, and a glossary. (Contains 57 figures.) - The Portfolio and Its Use. Book II: A Road Map for Assessment
Author(s) MacDonald, Sharon
Author Affiliation: Southern Association on Children Under Six, Little Rock, AR.(BBB04885)
Pages: 116
Publication Date: 1996
Availability: Southern Early Childhood Association, P.O. Box 55930, Little Rock, AR 72215-5930 (SECA members, $13; Non-members, $15).
This book provides a guide for early childhood educators in implementing and using portfolio assessment to measure children's learning. Chapter 1 focuses on, "How Young Children Learn." It explains that children are active learners who learn by doing things repeatedly, by making mistakes, and by being exposed to varying approaches, materials, and experiences. Chapter 2 focuses on, "The Advantages of Portfolio Assessment." This chapter suggests that portfolio assessment shows growth over time, focuses on what is right about a child, and gives children an opportunity to be part of the assessment process. Chapter 3 covers "Building Portfolios" and discusses collecting work samples from each child, including audiotape recordings, videotape recordings, activity charts, checklists, and samples of writing, painting, and reading logs. Chapter 4 explores "Anecdotal Records." These records are defined as stories of what the child does in the classroom and must be factual, free of opinion, and non-judgmental. Specific formats and information to include in the records are detailed. The final chapter focuses on "Using the Portfolio" to gather and convey information about a child's learning, inform families and keep them involved, and transfer important information to children's future teachers. Contains references and a list of resources. - Developmentally Appropriate Assessment of Young Children: The Role of Portfolio Assessments
Author(s) Grubb, Deborah; Courtney, Anne
Pages: 17
Publication Date: 1996
Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Southern Early Childhood Association (47th, Little Rock, AR, March 11-16, 1996).
Interest in assessment of young children increased after readiness testing abuses in the 1980s. The pressure of demonstrating educational accountability through children's standardized test performance increased the use of skills-driven curricula. It also created an inappropriate learning environment in which readiness tests were used to remove from the classroom children who could not meet the inappropriately high standards. Legitimate purposes for early childhood assessment include educational planning and communication with parents, identifying children with special needs, and program evaluation and accountability. Assessment instruments should be matched to the type of information needed. Portfolio assessment is gaining popularity among educators and appears to be well matched to developmentally appropriate early childhood programs. As a purposeful collection of student work illustrating effort and progress in given areas, portfolios allow teachers to observe development, evaluate the curriculum, determine efficacy of teaching practices, and facilitate faculty discussion. They provide an avenue for student self-evaluation, goal-setting, and learning opportunities. Establishing guidelines for portfolio inclusion highlights the learning goals. However, there are problems in using portfolios, including inconsistent reliability and validity of portfolio scores. Contents for a preschoolers' portfolio will vary from those used in elementary school. The portfolio is best organized chronologically according to developmental areas. Children should be allowed to examine work samples and contribute to portfolio selection. Evaluation criteria provide the framework for thinking about student performance and clarify instructional goals. Systematic observation is important for collecting information for preschoolers' portfolios. - The Work Sampling System: Reliability and Validity of a Performance Assessment for Young Children
Author(s) Meisels, Samuel J.; And Others
Source: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v10 n3 p277-96 Sep 1995
Examined the reliability and validity of the Work Sampling System (WSS) for evaluating the schoolwork of 100 kindergarten children. Results indicated that the WSS checklist and summary report had very high internal and moderately high interrater reliability. The WSS accurately predicted the performance of the children on a norm-referenced achievement battery. - Sociodramatic Play: Assessment through Portfolio
Author(s) Diffily, Deborah; Fleege, Pamela O.
Pages: 14
Publication Date: January 1993
Many early childhood educators are beginning to experiment with and use portfolio assessment. Teachers are also observing young children at play and documenting their play activities for assessment purposes. Close observation of sociodramatic play gives teachers accurate perspectives on young children across the developmental domains of communication and cognition, and the aesthetic, physical, social, and emotional domains. However, insights gained through observation can be lost without some form of documentation. Teacher observations can be documented by means of checklists, rating scales, anecdotal records, photographs, and audio or videotaping.
In addition to student work samples of writing, artwork, and individual or group projects, portfolio assessments should include documentation of children's sociodramatic play. - Remaking Classroom Assessment with the Work Sampling System
Author(s) Meisels, Samuel J.
Source: Young Children, v48 n5 p34-40 Jul 1993
Maintains that the justification for using standardized achievement tests for children below grade three is questionable, and proposes the adoption of performance assessment that documents activities in which children engage on a daily basis. Explains the Work Sampling System, a performance assessment system that involves developmental checklists, portfolios, and summary reports.
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