In this re-released episode and article David Meechan critically explores the reception baseline assessment (RBA), questioning its purpose, reliability and impact on children, teachers and families. Drawing on his research and personal experience, he highlights practical ways educators and leaders can navigate the RBA while advocating for assessment approaches that truly reflect and support child-centred learning in the early weeks of school. 

Read the article here:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/whats-the-problem-with-the-reception-baseline-assessment/

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Episode breakdown: 

• 03:30 - How David's work started on the RBA
• 05:50 - Requesting his son's withdrawal from the assessment 
• 07:55 - Inconsistencies of withdrawal from the assessment
• 09:30 - Moral issues with assessment and testing
• 11:30 - Research into the baseline assessment
• 14:40 - Signing away a child's data footprint
• 15:57 - The datafication of early years
• 19:00 - Are the children's best interests at heart? 
• 20:40 - Taking teachers out of classrooms
• 21:58 - Key findings from David's baseline research
• 23:50 - Treating children as a means to an end
• 27:35 - Making the most of the reception baseline assessment
• 29:00 - A holistic approach to the baseline assessment
• 30:40 - Reliability of the baseline assessment
• 32:00 - Reducing lived experiences to abstract numbers
• 34:15 - Positives taken from the baseline assessment 
• 36:00 - Giving value to assessment
• 40:00 - Tips for teachers conducting the baseline assessment

Hear and read more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com