University of Dayton: ECE Program
Assessment 6: Family Culture Project
1)
Description of Assessment
The Family Culture Project is completed in the junior year of the ECE program.
Candidates are placed in a Head Start or Title 1 preschool classroom in an urban setting
for a three hour practicum weekly. They are to explore the community where the center is
located, communicate with parents through introductory and final letters, and research the
community cultures. The final activity is a comprehensive reflection paper addressing
their own culture, the culture(s) of the community, and communication styles utilized
during interactions with families.
Note: This assessment was modified for the winter 2008 class based on data from
previous semesters. Data and analysis is provided for before and after changes to the
candidate directions and scoring guide.
2)
Description of how the assessment aligns with standards:
This assessment addresses NAEYC Standard 1 (Promoting Child Development and
Learning), specifically Multiple Influences on Development and Learning, and Standard
2 (Building Family and Community Relationships), specifically Family and Community
Characteristics. Standard 5 (Becoming a Professional) is integrated into the assignment
through the conducting of research, readings to reflect on beliefs and biases, and
continuous learning. The candidates are exploring the influence of community, culture
and communication on development, as well as resources available to families.
Community culture is valued and respected, while explored in comparison to the
candidate’s own culture.
Assignment Component
Family Letter
Regional Exploration
Reflective Project Paper
3)
NAEYC Standard
2b, 2c
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 5c, 5d, 5e
1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 5c, 5d, 5e
Summary of Data Findings
The 2006 data was based on a holistic score for the assignment. This did not allow for an
analysis of the individual components of the assignment, thus, a breakdown of the
components was utilized for the 2007 class.
In 2007, ECE students performed below what would be expected compared with other
benchmark assignments. Of the 45 students completing this assignment, 9 (20%) of them
did not meet expectations, 22 (48%) met expectations, and 14 (32%) exceeded
expectations. A common theme across the both of the reflection items on the rubric is
that the reflections were vague and incomplete. Also noted is that students performed
better on the professional writing style aspect of the assignment than they did on the 2
elements of the assignment that were more dispositional in nature. An analysis of the
reflections suggests that some students only have a vague understanding of their own
culture and many appear to minimize the impact of poverty on the families and children
with whom they work. They also were very vague on how their feelings had changed.
This finding could be due to a lack of specificity in the assignment sheet. Because of
this, the assignment sheet was redesigned to make expectations more clear. This redesign
was conducted with student input in conjunction with the Urban Teacher Academy. It is
also clear that the impact on instruction needs to be separated out into its own category.
2008 data reflected composite scores within the basic (N=23, 43%) or proficient range
(N=24, 45%), however individual standard scores reflected the need for further
refinement of the assignment and/or an analysis of the teacher candidates difficulties with
the task. The strong majority of the candidates were able to respectfully (2b, 2c) engage
the families (2c) and conduct research to determine complex characteristics of the
community (2a, 5e). They were also strong in the determination of how cross-cultural
communication can affect a classroom (2a, 2b, 2c, 5c), but remained weak (26% in the
unsatisfactory range) in their awareness of their own personal cultural framework and
how biases and assumptions could impact interactions with families (55% in the
unsatisfactory range). These weaknesses will need to be analyzed to determine if further
adjustments to the assignments or teaching strategies are needed.
4)
Interpretation of how Data Provides Evidence of Meeting NAEYC Standards
2006 data did not allow for an analysis of candidate performance beyond identifying that
all candidates scored within the basic to proficient range.
A review of the 2007 data indicated that the students were not completing the in-depth
reflection necessary to document meeting NAEYC standards. Thus, the assignment was
revised, with the assistance of experts in urban culture from our Urban Teacher Academy
Program. Data from 2008 was more definitive, but continued to document that our
teacher candidates have difficulty in understanding how their own culture affects their
perceptions (5c, 5d), and how culture affects development and learning (1b, 5d). The
course assignment will again be reviewed with regard to how to assist the candidates
increase their skills in these areas.
In contract, through the regional exploration they begin to understand community
characteristics (2a) and the child’s characteristics and needs based upon their culture (1a).
The letter to parents helps develop a supportive family relationship (2b) and involves the
family in the child’s educational setting (2c). Becoming a Professional (Standard 5) was
integrated into this assignment through continuous learning (5c), integrating multiple
perspectives (5d), and engaging in advocacy through understanding the available and
needed resources in the community (5e).
Assessment 6 (Family Culture Project) Attachments
Candidate Assignment:
Family Culture Assignment
100 Points Total
The purpose of this assignment is to give students an opportunity to learn about family
cultures in urban settings.
Part 1: Family Letters (20 points)
The first component of this assignment asks teams to develop 2 parent notes to be
distributed to the families of the children in your classroom. The first note is an
introductory letter while the second is a note that describes what children learned during
the lessons that you and your partner implemented. Each team member is responsible for
one note. See the scoring criteria below for more information.
Part 2: Regional Exploration (40 points)
The second component of this assignment asks students to develop a PowerPoint
presentation that describes the assigned priority board and provides evidence of resources
and hidden rules as described in Payne, 2005. Each regional team will visit and use
research tools to get to know the strengths and needs of the neighborhoods in the
assigned priority board. Part of the assignment requires a tour of the area including a visit
to the team’s assigned priority board office. Teams should call ahead, make an
appointment and visit the assigned priority board office. Once you get there, ask open
ended questions and allow the priority board representative to give you an overview of
the area. Ask more specific demographic data after getting an overview. Ask for
recommendations of things to see and do as well as areas to avoid. Students should take
note of the residential areas but stick to busier roads and conduct your tour during the day
as a group.
Teams will also use research tools to come to understand the demographics of the priority
board including such information as racial/ethnic make-up, poverty levels/indicators (i.e.
renters versus home-owners, home values), social services, shopping, public
transportation, medical resources, quality child care, cultural make-up, recreation, and
churches. Your goal is to come to understand the resources, cultural make-up, strengths
and challenges of your assigned area. Divide the research duties among the team
members to make this assignment manageable. Meet regularly to make sure that
everyone is on task. See the rubric below for more information.
Research tools and helpful links:
E-reserve readings about specific cultures
Montgomery County Real Estate Information:
http://www.mcrealestate.org/Main/Home.aspx
Priority Boards:
http://www.cityofdayton.org/planning/CP_Neighborhood_links.asp
Demographics:
http://www.bestplaces.net/zip-code/Dayton_OH-74540500000.aspx
http://ohio.hometownlocator.com/OH/Montgomery
Google Earth:
http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html
Part 3: The Family Culture Project Reflection Paper (40 Points)
Write a 3 page professionally written paper that includes a description of what the
regional team discovered about the neighborhoods that were visited and researched.
Include a description of the resources that were available to families as wells as those that
were absent.
Demonstrate an understanding of your own culture by including an in-depth analysis of
your personal cultural framework and communication style using the resources shared in
class. Include pertinent information from the following:
 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
 The Iceberg Concept of Culture
 The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
 Self analysis using the Communication Style and Values Inventory provided in
class
Demonstrate your awareness of other cultures by including an in-depth analysis of the
culture/s that comprise/s the groups in the EDT 313 lab experience. Use the following
resources to explain how biases and assumptions about this/these cultural groups might
impact perceptions and interactions with others:
 E-reserve readings about specific cultures
 Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty
 Analysis of communication styles of key adults in the EDT 313 lab experience
using the Communication Style and Values Inventory provided in class
Demonstrate your understanding of “Cross-Cultural Communication” by including an indepth comparison of the communication styles of key adults (teachers, supervisors,
parents) in the EDT 313 lab experience and your own communication style and values.
Describe key communication similarities and differences and how those characteristics
might impact how you build trusting and respectful relationships with peers, co-workers
and families from culturally diverse backgrounds.
See the assignment rubric for more information.
Scoring Guide: Effective Winter 08 Semester
Family Culture Project: Part 1
Parent Letter Rubric
Person completing the letter:
Criteria
Number of Points Earned
Not Met
Basic
Proficient
0 pts.
3 pts.
5 pts.
The letter was lacking
information about classroom
activities, areas of
development and academic
indicators addressed and by
inviting their contributions,
input and participation.
The letter was lacking information
about classroom activities, areas of
development and academic
indicators or did not invite family
contribution, input and participation.
The letter includes families in the
children’s development and learning
by informing them of classroom
activities, areas of development and
academic indicators addressed and by
inviting their contributions, input and
participation.
(NAEYC 2b, 2c)
The letter used a disrespectful
tone and/or was not family
friendly.
The letter used a respectful tone but
included information that families
would not relate to or used language
that was not family friendly.
The letter was written in a respectful
tone, included only family relevant
information and used family friendly
language.
3. Technology
skills
The letter did not include a
digital picture.
The digital picture was of poor
quality, cropped incorrectly,
distorted or attached but not
downloaded.
The letter included downloaded high
quality digital pictures that were
cropped correctly without distortion.
4. Professional and
quality writing
The letter contained 2 or more The letter contained 1 minor error.
minor errors
1. Encouraging
family
involvement
(NAEYC 2c)
2. Respecting
families
The letter was word processed and was
professional (neat, grammatically
correct, accurate spelling and
punctuation, clear sentence structure,
organized flow of thoughts).0 errors
Family Culture Project: Part II
Community Characteristics and Resources PowerPoint Presentation
40 Points
To be turned in by each Regional Team with copy of the Power Point Presentation in 6 slide per page handout format.
Team Members:
Priority Board Region:
The presentation includes/demonstrates:
Number of Points Earned
0
1-7 with comments
8
The community characteristics, demographics and factors that impact the
lives of young children and families in the assigned priority board
region. (NAEYC 2a)
An understanding of and evidence for the resources (Payne, 2005) that
are available to provide support for families as well as the resources that
are lacking. (NAEYC 2a, 5c)
Insight into the possible hidden rules of the groups that live in the region
that you are exploring. (NAEYC 2a)
An explanation of possible impact of culture on classroom routines and
policies with examples of how family culture can add to and/or impact
the classroom curriculum (NAEYC 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 5c, 5d)
Presentation was engaging. Students did not read from notes or the
slides. Professional use of PowerPoint (neat, grammatically correct,
accurate spelling, creative). Stuck to the 20 minute time limit.
3 or
more
errors
0
errors
Family Culture Project: Part 3
Reflection of the Experience Working with Diverse Students and their Families
______ out of 40 points
Name:
Priority Board:
Number of Points Earned
Criteria
1. Reflection on
Community
Characteristics
(NAEYC 2a, 5e)
2. Cultural
Understanding
(NAEYC 5c, 5d)
Not met
0 pts.
The description includes a
surface level understanding of
the community characteristics
and addresses resources to a
limited degree or is missing
entirely
The response lacks an analysis
of the candidate’s personal
cultural framework or is
missing more than one of the
required resources.
Basic
5 pts.
The description includes a
surface level understanding of
the community characteristics
or addresses resources to a
limited degree
Proficient
10 pts.
The reflection paper includes a description of
the complex characteristics of the community
explored including the results of the
community research. A detailed description
of the resources that were available to
families as wells as those that were absent is
included.
The response includes a
The response includes an in-depth analysis of
limited analysis of the
the candidate’s personal cultural framework
candidate’s personal cultural
based on the following resources:
framework or is missing one of  Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
the required resources.
 The Iceberg Concept of Culture
 The Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity
Self analysis using the Communication Style
and Values Inventory provided in class.
Criteria
3. Awareness
(NAEYC 1b, 5d)
4. Cross-Cultural
Communication
(NAEYC 2a, 2b, 2c,
5c)
Not met - 0 pts.
Number of Points Earned
Basic - 5 pts.
The response does not include
an analysis of family cultures
and/or includes an explanation
of biases and assumptions that
uses only 1 resources listed
and/or does not include and
explanation of biases.
The response includes a
limited analysis of family
cultures or includes a limited
explanation of biases and
assumptions or uses only 2 of
the 3 resources listed.
The response is missing more
than one of the following
elements:
 comparison of the
communication styles
 description of similarities or
differences
description of how
communication characteristics
might impact building trusting
and respectful relationships
The response includes a
limited comparison of the
communication styles or
inaccurately describes
similarities or differences or
does not address how
communication characteristics
might impact building trusting
and respectful relationships
Composite Score: _____ /100
Family Letter: ____/20
Proficient - 10 pts.
The response includes an in-depth analysis of
the family cultures represented in the EDT
313 lab experience. The candidate uses the
following resources to explain how biases and
assumptions about diverse groups might
impact perceptions and interactions and
describes how this knowledge can be used to
support and empower families:
 E-reserve readings about specific cultures
 Payne’s Framework for Understanding
Poverty
Analysis of communication styles of key
adults in the EDT 313 lab experience using
the Communication Style and Values
Inventory provided in class.
The response includes an in-depth comparison
of the communication styles of key adults
(teachers, supervisors, families) in the EDT
313 lab experience and the candidate’s
communication style and values. The
candidate describes key communication
similarities and differences and how those
characteristics might impact building trusting
and respectful relationships with peers, coworkers and families from culturally diverse
backgrounds.
Community Resources: ____/40
Reflection: ____/40
Data:
The scoring of this assignment has been refined over the three years of data
collection. The original holistic score did not allow for strong interpretation of
candidate’s skills, thus, the scoring rubric was refined for the 07 group, with a revised
assignment and rubric developed as a result or the 07 scores. The 08 data provides us
with a better analysis of the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Winter 2006
Component
Total Score
N = 53 (overall holistic score given)
Unsatisfactory
Basic
11 (21%)
Proficient
42 (79%)
This type of scoring did not allow for reflection of candidate’s true understanding of
cultures different from their own. The assignment was broken down better for the 07
group.
Winter 2007 N = 45
Component
Reflection on how
family cultures were
like or different from
the candidate’s own
experience and how
this might impact
instructional decisions
How feelings about
families changed
before and after the
neighborhood tour
Professional Writing
Style
Total Score
Unsatisfactory
19 (42%)
Basic
9 (20%)
Proficient
17 (38%)
16 (36%)
8 (18%)
21 (47%)
5 (11%)
13 (29%)
26 (58%)
Unsatisfactory
9* (20%)
Basic
22 (49%)
Proficient
14 (31%)
The number of candidates scoring in the unsatisfactory range was troubling, thus, the
assignment was revised for the 2008 class.
* Assignment revised and scoring rubric refined based on 06 and 07 data:
Winter 08 N = 53
Component
Unsatisfactory
Basic
Proficient
Encouraging Family
1 (2%)
2 (4%)
50 (94%)
Involvement (2c)
Respecting Families
2 (4%)
6 (11%)
45 (85%)
(2b, 2c)
Technology Skills
5 (9%)
2 (4%)
46 (87%)
Professional and
9 (17%)
8 (15%)
36 (68%)
quality writing
Community
0
1 (2%)
52 (98%)
characteristics (2a)
Resources (2a, 5c)
0
15 (28%)
38 (72%)
Hidden Rules (2a)
1 (2%)
14 (26%)
38 (72%)
Impact of culture
1 (2%)
15 (28%)
37 (70%)
(1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c,
5c, 5d)
Engaging
0
20 (38%)
33 (62%)
presentation
Reflection of
3 (6%)
0
50 (94%)
Neighborhood Tour
(2a, 5e)
Cultural
14 * (26%)
12 (23%)
27 (51%)
Understanding (5c,
5d)
Awareness (1b, 5d)
29 * (55%)
14 (26%)
10 (19%)
Cross-Cultural
Communication (2a,
2b, 2c, 5c)
Composite Score
6 (11%)
0
47 (89%)
Unsatisfactory
Basic
Proficient
6 (11%)
23 (43%)
24 (45%)
* low scores indicate a change in course information and/or assistance needs to be
provided to the candidates in meeting this assessment component, this will be addressed
in the Winter, 2009 course (the next time it will be offered)