Work Sampling Online

I N S I D E THIS
I S S U E :
Assessment 1
Managing
Portfolios
1
Photos 2
Work Samples
2
Matrices 2
Developmental
Checklist
3
Resources 4
Work Sampling Online
B A C K T O S C H O O L
Assessment – Focusing on Quality
Welcome to WSO 2012!
What a wonderful time to
be part of Georgia’s Pre-K
Assessment.
This year 81% of Pre-K
teachers will be using
WSO. In the 2013-2014
school year 100% of our
teachers will be online.
To start the year off
right, teachers will need
to refer to the WSO IQ
Guide for Assessment for
deadlines and reminders.
A few weekly reminders
that will help you be successful.
This year, teachers are required
to enter all students in
a section instead of a class.
Directions on how to create a
section can be found on the
BFTS website.
1) Enter your documentation
on a weekly basis.
2) Review documentation
and rate indicators
on the WSO developmental
checklist.
3) Plan ahead – Use
group reports for lesson
planning.
4) Last, but not least,
focus on quality notes
and a variety of documentation.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2
Managing Portfolios
All forms of documentation –
notes, photos, work samples,
and matrices are now required
online.
When entering documentation,
use only initials in titles: M, N, P
or WS.

P A G E 2
Matrices save
time by
allowing you
to upload
information
about
multiple
students all at
once.
Photos – Important Points
Photos can be an excellent
way to collect
documentation. Often,
children demonstrate
their knowledge by
showing rather than
talking or writing. Photos
make learning visible.
Pre-K classrooms
provide many opportunities
to take photos,
e.g., during dramatic
play and science exploration.)
Work Samples
When taking photos, a
good rule of thumb is
to ask yourself, “Does
the picture depict the
skill I want to capture?”
Photographs taken for
assessment can also be
used as great talking
points during parent -
teacher conferences.
Uploading digital re-
Similar to photos, work samples document the skills of individual
children. WSO allows teachers to upload student’s
authentic work and monitor progress. Work samples
can include, but are not limited to: writing
samples, dictation, drawings, and collages. It is best
to be selective and upload work samples in which
multiple performance indicators can be selected.
Work sample descriptions are required online, but
work sample pictures may be uploaded or kept in
the student’s portfolio.
cordings are another
great way to capture children’s
communication
and language.
Tip: To save time, remember
to delete all unwanted
photos from your
camera before you upload
class photos to your
computer.
Matrices – Capturing Children in Motion
Matrices are an excellent
way to measure
your students’ basic
skills and become
more familiar with
them at the beginning
of the year.
Matrices help teachers
assess easily observa-
ble, predictable skills.
Matrices save time by
allowing you to upload
information about multiple
students all at
once.
Examples of when to
use a matrix:
cleaning up at the end of
center time or when the
children are engaged in
running , hopping, and fine
motor activities.
Tip: Go to the BFTS website
to find sample matrices.

B A C K T O S C H O O L
P A G E 3
The Developmental Checklist – Using Teacher Knowledge
Effective assessment of
young children must be
ongoing. When completing
the developmental
checklist, all 55 indicators
should be rated by the
end of each period. Documentation
is no longer
required for Personal
/Social and Physical
Development /
Health domains. Teachers
need documentation for 35
indicators only, unless the
child has an IEP in Personal
& Social or Physical Development
& Health or if the
teacher feels the child may
need a referral.
Teacher knowledge coupled
with collecting documentation
in the other five do-
When do I archive a student?
mains will suffice when determining
your ratings for all performance
indicators.
Tips: To make the most of your
group reports, update the developmental
checklist often. Also
look at areas that are not well
documented, and use your group
reports to help with lesson planning.
Update
checklists
often.
When a student leaves your program, make sure all the student’s information is current. After updating the
student’s portfolio, archive the student.
How to Archive a Student
Click on the Your Account tab > Click on the Manage Students tab > Select checkbox next to student
> Click Archive
Check the Archived Database
Before you add a student to your WSO roster, email PreKAssessment@decal.ga.gov with the child’s name
and date of birth.

WSO Updates
The WSO Network currently has 3,817 participants!!!
New Feature: Now a PRINT CLASS button enables all narrative
summaries to be printed at once.
New Feature: A new notes column on the developmental checklist
tracks the number of pieces of documentation within each performance
indicator.
Resources
Review the WSO FAQs, Revised WSO IQ Guide, the WSO Handbook, and the
most recent WSO resources on the BFTS website.
www.decal.ga.gov
Work Sampling Website
www.worksamplingonline.com
WSO Assessment Coordinator
Deanna.Echols_Hibbard@decal.ga.gov
Assessment Coaches
Betty.Carithers@decal.ga.gov Frances.Marshall@decal.ga.gov
Kathy.McCollister@decal.ga.gov Moneesha.Smith@decal.ga.gov
Technical Support
PrekAssessment@decal.ga.gov