Promoting Linkages among Assessment, Curriculum and Child Outcomes

The Department of Family Studies at the University of Kentucky in collaboration with the Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison, and Nicholas Counties are working to develop a planning framework model that connects the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework with authentic assessment processes in an effort to link child assessment, curriculum planning, and child outcomes in Head Start programs. Specifically, Project LINK will develop authentic assessment strategies linked to the indicators outlined in the Child Outcomes Framework. Head Start staff will receive ongoing training and technical assistance in the implementation and revision of the planning framework. Staff will earn college credit through participation in the trainings. The project aims to identify functional, culturally relevant child assessment processes that Head Start staff can use within the context of their daily program to track child progress, plan and implement individualized curriculum, and demonstrate functional evidence of child outcomes. The assessment protocols will be piloted in two Head Start sites during the first year of the project. Intervention and control sites will be randomly selected for comparison in subsequent years. Steps in the implementation of the project include ... • Formation of a planning and oversight team for model development and implementation • Designing a process for providing training and technical assistance to Head Start teachers about the model • Development of authentic assessment processes to assess the legislatively-mandated Head Start Child Outcomes • Development of processes and tools that connect authentic assessment data to curriculum • Development of a data collection process that support the ongoing linkage of assessment to curriculum planning and implementation • Determining a process for integrating additional Head Start Child Outcomes indicators in the project model