HiMama is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Pearson — the global leader in educational content and assessments — to provide the simplest way for child care centers to add assessments to their programming, all within HiMama.
Currently, many child care providers do not use assessments due to their high cost and perceived complexity. Pearson’s integration with HiMama provides centers with an affordable and intuitive way to add assessments to their programming and improve the quality of care. In a University of Washington study educators reportedly found Pearson’s Ounce Scale and Work Sampling System to be significantly easier to use than its largest alternative, Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG).
An assessment system will only work if teachers are able to use it effectively, and as these results show, Pearson’s assessments are the clear winner when it comes to ease of use.
Why are Assessments Important?
Early childhood educators use assessments to record how a child is developing relative to their age group. This enables educators to objectively understand developmental milestones and potentially address gaps in a child’s educational needs.
Additionally, most U.S. states have a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) program, which either requires or encourages centers to use an assessment tool in order to increase their rating and/or be eligible for funding opportunities.
What are Pearson’s Ounce Scale and Work Sampling System?
Pearson has two assessment tools designed for children in different age groups.
The Ounce Scale®
The Ounce Scale provides a structure for assessing the development of children from birth to 3 ½ years of age. As an educator, you would observe the child while you care for them and then record your observations on a regular basis. The child is then evaluated based on standards that describe expected behavior for their age and then its determined whether a child is “Developing as Expected” or “Needs Development.”
Work Sampling System®
The Work Sampling System is Pearson’s assessment tool for ages 3 ½ to Grade 3. It works on an assessment cycle that occurs 3 times throughout the school year (Usually Fall, Winter and Spring). Similar to the Ounce Scale, it allows educators to formally assess whether a child is developing as expected for their age.
How do Pearson Assessments Work in HiMama?
Each day, educators would continue to make observations about their kiddos in HiMama, such as the child’s mood, activity, or nap schedule. The educator would later use these observations to help fill out the child’s assessment report. When a report is due, the educator would spend a few minutes populating the report in HiMama.
Once a report is complete the educator can store them in HiMama. A completed report will show if the child is developing as expected or in need of further development in certain areas.
These assessments are private and not readily available to parents in their HiMama app. It’s up to the educator to decide what to share with parents.
With Pearson powered assessments, educators can now observe, track, and assess a child’s progress so that the focus remains on providing a nurturing environment for every child.
Interested in getting started?
Pearson powered assessments come at an additional cost and can be added to any HiMama plan. Pricing for assessments starts at $20 per month and is significantly more affordable than the alternatives. Call 1-800-905-1876 or email us at sales@himama.com to learn more.
