Florida Learning and Developmental Standards - Personal Statement Example

Florida Learning and Developmental Standards YOUR FULL THE OF YOUR SCHOOL OR Florida Learning and DevelopmentalStandards The State of Florida has a partnership for school readiness for which it has developed a set of learning and developmental standards that recognize that the "first three years of life is the period of most rapid development for a child" (Florida Partnership for School Readiness, 2004, p. 3). The document sets forth a wide variety of information addressing topics from physical health and motor development to approaches to learning and cognitive development.

It also includes tables with recommendations for preventative pediatric care and BMI indices for both genders. I have a favorable disposition towards the document and the positions taken therein. Its developmental expectations section recognizes the importance of family relationships and the complex interaction of genetic predisposition with environmental experience. I agree that the best developmental environment is one in which good health and proper nutrition are combined with a caregiver environment of responsiveness and nurturing.

This includes the recognition of the fact that learning is not restricted to designated times of play or education, but also naturally occurs during daily routines and everyday experiences. There is an obvious relationship between the early developmental years and future success in both academic and social pursuits. In terms of the use of the standards themselves, the document recognizes the importance of creating a framework for caregivers and teachers to understand while acknowledging that the standards are limited by individual variations in development and should not be used as the sole device for assessing individual children.

That said, however, the standards are a useful tool for choosing curricula and determining adequate provision of services and experiences. It provides for assessment as a positive process, which brings about benefits for the children from whom the data was collected. It provides for consideration of the developmental stages of its subjects, and that such assessment should not be overly long;, nor should they be administered by strangers in unfamiliar settings. I like the way that the document incorporates families as partners in the assessment process.

The accountability principles set forth the need to have a comprehensive approach and include program assessment across design, implementation, and effectiveness parameters. They recognize that there are numerous stakeholders in the process and that no single instrument can properly address the wide variety of variables related to developmental assessment. Stressing the need for group data over that of individuals, the accountability principles provide for a fair and balanced expectation of developmental standards within this age group.

ReferencesFlorida Partnership for School Readiness (2004). Florida Birth to Three Learning and Development Standards. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Institute of Education.