5.9.1: Checklists

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the purpose of developmental checklists.
2. Identify how checklists are used to document children's skills across developmental domains.
3. Compare and contrast open-ended and closed-ended checklists.
4. Explain the advantages and limitations of open-ended vs. closed-ended checklists.

What Are Checklists?

Checklists are an efficient and practical way to collect information about a child's development. Checklists are based on "developmental norms". There are certain expectations and skills that a child should be able to achieve at each age range. Checklists are designed to track a child's competencies in all the developmental domains, including physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional. With a Checklist, professionals can easily see what a child can do and note what areas of development need further support.

Checklists can be either open-ended or closed-ended, depending on the amount of raw data, or observation, that is written for each indicator or category listed on the Checklist. If the Checklist is merely a mark on the paper with a checkmark, or an "X", then the Checklist is closed-ended. If the Checklist requires a comment or an Anecdotal Record to accompany the checkmark, then it is open-ended.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Table \(\PageIndex{1}\). Advantages and Disadvantages of Checklists

Advantages	Disadvantages
Ideal for tracking a child's progress over time	Checklists do not provide rich details or context like anecdotal notes or running records
Different observers (the teacher, assistant, or a support team) can check off skills that they observe the child doing	There is no clear sequence of events regarding certain actions or behaviors
Checklists can be created to measure specific areas of development, or a subset of developmental skills	Checklists focus on developmental norms and typical development with no regard for environment, family influences, cultural influences, and individual development
Checklists can be used to observe a group of children or an individual child	Teachers tend to focus on the skills and milestones that haven’t been mastered, focusing on the deficits rather than highlighting the strengths. This can make the child and parents feel as if they have failed,d or add unnecessary stress
Checklists are quick and easy to use, and no training is required	Checklists must be updated regularly using other observation methods
Checklists can be used in conjunction with other observations	Intentionally left blank.
Checklists highlight the developmental strengths a child has mastered, as well as those skills that need further support	Intentionally left blank.
Developmental Milestone Checklists are readily available online through various agencies (i.e. Centers for Disease Control)	Intentionally left blank.
Data can help plan curriculum activities	Intentionally left blank.

When to Use Checklists

Checklists must be created ahead of time, requiring a great deal of structuring. Creating a valid Checklist is difficult. It can be done, but developing and validating a Checklist is hugely time-consuming. So, in other words, use one that has already been created and verified. Why reinvent the wheel?

As far as selectivity, it depends on the categories listed on the Checklist. Since you are looking for specific behaviors, Checklists are considered selective. As an observer, you must judge if the behavior you want to observe fits into the definition listed on the instrument.

Collecting Data

Whether you design your own Checklist or download one, use it regularly to collect data. The Checklist can be utilized in two ways:

1. You can observe a child on a specific day while engaged in an activity (either child-directed or teacher-directed). As you observe, you will check off the skills or milestones that the child can do on that day, at that moment.
2. You can also review data from other observations (e.g., running records or anecdotal notes, work samples) that you collected, and ADD any other skills or milestones that were mastered during those previous observations.

*Note: You must note the dates you observed the skills being mastered. A checkmark alone will limit the reliability and validity.

Organizing Data

Schedule a day and time to review your observation data regularly. Data collected from other observations (mastered milestones and developing skill sets) can be added to the Checklist so you can see a child's progress. You may use colored pens to track the dates on which milestones were achieved. As you review the Checklist, what can you interpret from this data? Does the child demonstrate strengths in any of the developmental domains or areas of learning? Which milestones and skills need further support? As you consider those questions, reflect on a plan of action that you might use to further support that child's development. How can you provide opportunities for the child to gain more practice? What adjustments need to be made to make the activity more challenging? What extensions can be added to continue the learning pattern (Head Start ECLKC, n.d.).

Checklist Example

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). For original work, please see page 61.

References, Contributors and Attributions

This section is a derivative from:

Peterson, G., Elam, E. & Studinka, D. (2020). Observation, assessment, and participation in early childhood. College of the Canyons, CA. https://www.palomar.edu/childdevelop...rly-childhood/ CC BY 4.0.

Head Start ECLKC. (n.d.). Using Checklists Highlight Video. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/...ight-video.pdf