‘I’m learning how to do it’: reflecting on the implementation of a new assessment tool in an Australian Early Childhood

ABSTRACT

The role of early childhood education and care (ECEC) is to support the learning and development of children in collaboration with families. The notion of inclusion in ECEC provides children with a sense of agency in becoming a learner able to participate fully and actively in their community. This paper illustrates how ECEC assessment approaches risk labelling young children in ‘deficit’ terms. The paper through a case study critically reflects on the implementation of a new assessment tool in kindergartens in the south-eastern region of Melbourne, Australia (low–middle income). Interviews were conducted with managers about the new tool, and documents (checklists and observations) were collected from the teachers. Findings show that the children were positioned as vulnerable with the introduction of the new assessment tool, leading to a diagnosis of ‘at risk’ for many children and a subsequent referral to education consultants, and health professionals. We explore the tensions of labelling young children, ‘at risk’ against the notion of ‘becoming’ that frames the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (Department of Education and Training 2019) and professional understandings of ‘inclusion’. The work of Nancy Fraser on ‘social justice’ augments the examination of this tension.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• planning
• becoming
• assessment
• early childhood education and care
• social justice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Keary

Anne Keary is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Monash University. She is a qualitative researcher and teaches into early childhood education and care undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Susanne Garvis

Susanne Garvis is a professor of education and the Chair of the Department of Education at Swinburne University of Technology. She is a mixed methods researcher within early childhood education and care.

Haoran Zheng

Haoran Zheng researches early childhood teacher education, international pre-service teachers' academic and professional experiences in early childhood education contexts.

Lucas Walsh

Lucas Walsh is Professor of Education Policy & Practice, Youth Studies, and Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education at Monash University. He is co-chief investigator on The Q Project to improve the use of research evidence in schools.