Exploring Early Childhood Curriculum Assessment within the Educational Community

This study aims to explore curriculum assessment in early childhood education within the educational community. For this study, six early childhood teachers working in an innovative kindergarten in the P region where a professional learning community is activated, were purposefully selected. Group interviews were conducted twice per institution, totaling four sessions, between January and February 2023. The data analysis revealed that the teachers' practices in curriculum assessment were categorized into three themes: ‘curriculum assessment conducted through co-creation and mutual care,’ ‘expansive implementation of curriculum assessment and creation of diverse assessment methods,’ and ‘curriculum assessment as a space for life and a trajectory.’ The findings are as follows: First, the teachers shared the understanding that curriculum is not created by an individual alone but is a process of collective creation, emphasizing that assessment is also a co-creation process driven not by individual teachers but through mutual care. Second, in the educational community, mutual care facilitated the co-creation of curriculum assessment, where teachers experienced curriculum practices that expand children's growth and learning, along with diverse assessment methods. Third, reflecting on the teachers' experiences with the educational community, it was confirmed that curriculum assessment, following the trajectory of children's learning, ultimately unfolds into the realm of life. This study, by examining the practice of curriculum assessment within the educational community alongside early childhood teachers in an innovative kindergarten, explores the teachers' perceptions and discussions about children, play, curriculum, learning, and teaching, seeks the relationship between curriculum assessment and the world, and aims to discover the ‘beyond learning’ co-created by the educational community.