New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Early Childhood Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

Observational assessments during play activities are a prime example of formative assessment in early childhood education. This type of assessment focuses on the ongoing evaluation of a child's development and learning processes in a natural, real-world context.

Formative assessments are designed to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to enhance their learning. Observing children during play allows educators to gather insights into their social skills, problem-solving abilities, language use, and emotional development. This method fits seamlessly into early childhood environments, where play is a central component of learning.

In contrast, standardized testing, final exams, and peer evaluations are more structured and typically used at the end of a learning period to measure overall achievement rather than to inform ongoing instruction or support student growth. These alternatives do not provide the immediate, actionable data about individual student performance that formative assessments, such as observational assessments, offer.