Key Terms

Authentic assessment

A type of performance assessment in which a profile of the child’s abilities are documented through completion of real-life tasks. Authentic models are based on the assumption that behavior must be observed in real-life contexts.

Documentation

Any activity that provides a performance record with sufficient detail to help others understand the behavior recorded. Documentation goes beyond merely displaying or assessing performance; it also provides an explanation of the child’s learning processes. It is typically used to assess the development of a group of children working together on a project and focuses on the social dynamics of learning.

Social-constructivist approach

A model of child development, based on Vygotsky’s theory, that emphasizes the role of social interactions with adults in the child’s learning process. The child actively contributes to his or her own development and learns within a social context of culturally defined meanings and activities.

Project approach

An in-depth study, conducted over an extended period of time, of particular activities undertaken by small groups of children. Teachers carefully and systematically document the skills and concepts that children learn while participating in the project and select work samples for display at the end of the project.

Project narratives

A type of documentation that "tells the story" of a learning experience, such as the development of a project through the use of visual displays, stories for and by children, teacher journals, and narratives for parents in the form of books and letters.

Self-reflection

An essential component of portfolio assessment that refers to the statements children make that reflect their own knowledge and feelings about their work.