Early Childhood Case

Study
ETE 443

Ashley Kainrath

Table of Contents
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2.
3.
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7.

General Information.................................................................................................2
Background Information..........................................................................................3
Observations............................................................................................................4
Assessment data.......................................................................................................5
Assessment Results................................................................................................12
Instructional Recommendations and Educational Goals ......................................13
Communication Plan .............................................................................................14

General Information
Name: Gage
Birthdate: 6/2/2010
Gender: Male
Educational Placement: Kindergarten
Language Spoken at Home and School: English
Ethnicity/Race: Caucasian

Background Information
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Developmental History:
Gage was born slightly preterm at 37 weeks. He had jaundice but experienced no other birth
complications. He developed normally with regards to physical and mental developmental
milestones including walking, eating, and normal physical and mental development. He has no
significant medical concerns. He dresses and feeds himself, and is capable of carrying out daily
tasks which are appropriate for his age. He is experiencing some developmental challenges with
regards to speech. Specifically, Gage exhibits word substitutions and vowel substitutions, and
experiences challenges with consonant and vowel blends.
Educational Experiences:
Gage is a five year old attending a full day public kindergarten in a general education classroom.
He receives speech accommodations once a week with a specialist outside of the classroom to
work on the challenges described above.
Family and Social Development:
Gage lives at home with his mother, stepfather and four month old brother. He visits his father
periodically, as well. His mother and stepfather both work, so he often spends the day with his
grandmother. He is very active, verbal, and imaginative and demonstrates this by interacting with
his peers in and out of the classroom (for example, gymnastics) and family. He enjoys playing
role play, gross motor and fine motor related games (dominoes, legos, tag, etc) with his cousins
and other family members, as well as taking care of his baby brother.

Observation Times and Dates:

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10/11/15- Visit to Grandmothers house- Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, observed

conversations with topics of his choosing.
11/ 26/15- Thanksgiving with family- Observed interactions with family members, played
various games and activities.
Note: Few observation times due to consistent communication with family, and Gage lives in
Chicago.

Assessment Data

Informal:
Work Samples: (Work Sampling System, Kindergarten Developmental Checklist, Rebus Inc)
Sample 1:

Art: VI. A.3. Uses a variety of art materials to explore and express ideas and emotions.
Literacy:
II.D.2. Uses letter-like shapes, symbols, letters, and words to convey meaning.
II.D.3. Understands Purposes for writing.
Description: This sample is a page from Gages journal. Gage expresses that he likes Halloween
by drawing and coloring aspects that he enjoys about the holiday. He uses words to state that he
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likes Halloween, and the words are clear and legible, although not a complete sentence. The
drawing corresponds to the words below, which shows that he is communicating a message.

Sample 2:

Mathematical Thinking:
III.B.1 Shows an understanding of number and quantity.
III.C.2. Recognizes, duplicates, and extends patterns.
Description: This sample is a worksheet from Gages math class. He practiced tracing the
numbers in order and was able to demonstrate an A, B pattern. He created the pattern using red
and blue crayons to show each part of the pattern throughout the row of apples.

Documentation Panel: This documentation panel shows more work samples that Gage
completed, demonstrating Language Arts, Mathematics, and Personal and Social Development
Benchmarks. The Language Arts and Math Benchmarks are described below. He also

demonstrated the following Personal and Social Development Benchmarks: I.D.2. Interacts
easily with familiar adults and I.C.1. Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner. Gage
demonstrated his knowledge with enthusiasm, without prompts and demonstrated eagerness to
interact with me (a familiar adult since I am his cousin).

Anecdotal Notes:
10/ 11/15-

-Gage initiated a discussion about the zoo, since he had gone there with his parents earlier in the
afternoon. He talked about his favorite animals that he saw at the zoo.
-He began naming animals and other words that began with the initial sound of g such as
goat, game, and giraffe II.C.3- Knows letters, sounds, and how they form words.
-During the Peobody Assessment, he began tallying the amount of words he thought he identified
correctly. III.F.1- Begins to collect data and make records using lists or graphs.
11/26/15
-Gage played dominoes with another cousin and I. We showed him how he could place the
dominoes vertically and space them evenly, and then tip one over and it would cause the rest of
them to fall in a ripple effect. He decided that he wanted to make a snake with the dominoes in
this manner to create a pattern rather than a straight line. This showed a Physical Development
and Health Benchmark: VII.B.2- Uses eye-hand coordination to perform tasks effectively.
-Gage helped his cousins clean up the dominoes and put them away after we were done playing
with them. We told him we were doing this so that people would not trip over them. This showed
a Social Studies Benchmark: V.C.1 Demonstrates awareness of the reasons for rules.
-Gage played no more monkeys jumping on the bed, by telling the story and acting it out on
the futon. II.D.1- Represents stories through pictures, dictation, and play.
- Gage showed Scientific Thinking throughout the time by IV.A.1. Seeking information through
observation, exploration, and descriptive investigations. He explored the house by investigating
areas, hiding, and explaining and showing to others what he saw. For example, there was a room
that has wooden blinds forming a set of windows that lead to the other room. He showed me
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how they open and close, then told me to go into the other room. He opened and closed them
when he thought I wasnt paying attention to surprise me. This shows that he makes observations
about how things work and shares them with others.

Formal Assessments
Gage completed the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Assessment. This assessment requires students
to view a set of pictures, listen to a word spoken by the assessment administrator, and point to

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the picture that correlates to the word they heard. It assesses receptive vocabulary as well as
listening skills. I also used this assessment to assess Gages ability to stay focused for a long
period of time. He was able to do this by completing other tasks (such as tallying the number he
believed he answered correctly), and having discussions or making comments about the pictures
he saw.

Results of Assessment Measures

According to the results of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Assessment, Gage has a slightly
above average expected receptive vocabulary. His raw score was 106, which gives him a
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standard score of 106. This means that he scored an age equivalent of a child who is six years
and five months old, or in the 8th month of kindergarten. Because Gage is a young
Kindergartener (He was 5 years, 4 months at the time of the assessment administration) he has
scored above average. This means he has a solid understanding of word meaning, especially
those he hears spoken by others.

Instructional Recommendations and Educational Goals

Based on the results of the assessments, Gage is developing typically for a child his age with
regards to physical, mental, and social/emotional development. He is active and social and
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enjoys exploring the world around him. He is more engaged with an activity that involves
concrete materials rather than filling out a worksheet. I believe these kinds of activities give him
a greater understanding of content as well. Because of this, I would suggest more hands on
activities in the classroom related to content areas. For example, instead of or in addition to
completing a worksheet that requires him to color a pattern of apples, he could use manipulatives
such as small plastic apples to show the pattern. He also enjoys speaking and writing that
involves very little prompting and specifications. For example, an instructor could begin a
discussion by asking him, What was your favorite part of the zoo? He could begin telling a
story about the zoo, and then the instructor could ask him to write it down or draw what he saw
at the zoo. I also believe Gage would benefit from a variety of materials he can use to explore
content based topics. For example, to increase his comprehension skills, he could be encouraged
to read different independent reading level books about the zoo because that is what interests
him.

Communication Plan

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Communication is important with regards to assessment because it strengthens the relationship

between the instructor, student, and those involved in his or her life. It allows the instructor to
reflect on his or her teaching as well as how the student learns and what his or her specific needs
are. It allows everyone, including the student to stay accountable, establish specific and
measureable goals, and to keep track of his or her progress.
I plan to communicate this case study by first sharing it with Gages family. I will discuss the
results of the assessments, emphasizing his strengths and providing suggestions to help him with
challenges. I will explain the educational and instructional goals for him, and see if they have
any others. I will then ask them if they have any questions or if there is anything I can clarify for
them. I think it is important to discuss the results with Gage as well, because it is about his
education and what will benefit him the most. I will ask him more about his interests and what he
thinks his strengths and challenges are. This way, we will get a better understanding of how he
learns best. I will do the same thing with his teacher and speech specialist if appropriate asking if
he or she has any other additional goals or suggestions for Gage.

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