Decades of research have consistently identified the essential ingredients of high-quality Pre-K programs. High-quality early education must be rooted in developmentally appropriate practice to ensure the best learning outcomes, and one of the most critical ingredients is play-based learning (Parlakian, 2023). Developmental theorists such as Piaget (1962) and Vygotsky (1978) emphasize that young children construct knowledge through active exploration and social interaction. Play-based learning center time in a Prekindergarten classroom serves as the essential engine for cognitive development (Lesniak, 2023). The research also distinctly clarifies that when these ingredients are missing, particularly play-based learning, the product ceases to be “high-quality” and actually becomes counterproductive to the extent that student performance is worse than their peers who never had Pre-K at all (Marcon, 2002; Durkin et al., 2022; Morgan, 2025).
"Play-based learning center time in a Prekindergarten classroom serves as the essential engine for cognitive development" (Lesniak, 2023).
Unfortunately, despite the research and guidance, early childhood instructional practice has drifted (Meisels, 1993). This drift correlates with the introduction of state-adopted standards which have introduced much more detailed and rigorous goals than what had previously been the norm (Lesniak, 2023). This change along with the implementation of standardized testing has caused increasing pressure on teachers to document learning in ways that they did not have to think about in the past (Bassok et. al, 2016). Nonetheless, the answer is not to reverse course and get rid of the high standards for learning outcomes and the accountability assessments. They are not the problem (Johnson et al., 2014). Rather, they represent a shift in early childhood education which demands that teaching adapt in order to preserve developmentally appropriate practices (King, 2023).
Furthermore, in Texas, Prekindergarten teachers are required to administer a standardized test three times a year. This formal assessment has to be administered one on one since Pre-K students are not able to take the test on their own. The pull out assessment takes a minimum of 20 minutes per student, and the average classroom has 20 students (Children’s Learning Institute, n.d.). This amounts to 20 hours of individualized assessment in the course of one year, which teachers usually accomplish during play-based center time (Thompson, 1991; Freeman et al., 2017). In fact, early childhood educators consistently report that using activity times for assessment leads to a direct lack of time to implement their actual play-based programs (Alaçam & Olgan, 2016). When distributed across testing windows, teachers often lose the equivalent of several weeks of high-value play-based center instruction. Thus three weeks of the most critical instructional time are lost in the course of one school year.
"...three weeks of the most critical instructional time are lost in the course of one school year."
However, as a natural consequence, this practice has migrated to report card assessment as well, which has led to a cascading effect in instructional practice. Teachers have narrowed their assessment lens by generalizing the standardized assessment model (Meisels, 1993). This narrow lens makes teachers feel that any data not collected in one on one assessment is invalid (Bassok et al. 2016). In turn, this compounds the instructional time deficit by adding an additional week of lost high-value instruction every six weeks (Thompson, 1991). In response to this loss of time, teachers are driven to worksheets and other forms of passive instruction as a survival tactic which only deepens the cycle of poor instruction (Dunphy, 2011). In the end, the most essential ingredients for High Quality Pre-K are displaced while the students are subject to counterproductive outcomes (Jones et al., 2023).
The good news is that the solution does not require the invention of a novel strategy. Rather, it involves the implementation of a foundational assessment practice in early childhood education known as portfolio assessment, which has long been recognized as a best practice in the field (Bagnato et al., 2014, as cited in King, 2019; Grace, 1992). Research emphasizes that young children are best assessed through observation over time rather than isolated snapshots (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, as cited in Bassok 2016; National Research Council, 2008). In contrast to formal testing, which requires lost time due to one on one pull-out, portfolios enable teachers to embed authentic assessment into the learning environment without interrupting it, particularly within play-based centers (Kingore, 2008, as cited in Alaçam & Olgan, 2016). By shifting the report card assessment process from formal testing to portfolio documentation, instructional time is freed up for developmentally appropriate instruction and meaningful documentation of student learning (Alaçam & Olgan, 2016; Thompson, 1991).
"...portfolios enable teachers to embed authentic assessment into the learning environment without interrupting it, particularly within play-based centers" (Kingore, 2008, as cited in Alaçam & Olgan, 2016).
Despite their benefits, traditional portfolio systems that rely on collecting paper artifacts and printed photographs can become cumbersome and time consuming to manage in busy classrooms (Jones & Shelton, 2006, as cited in Alaçam & Olgan, 2016). Advances in educational technology now allow teachers to efficiently record, organize, and analyze evidence of learning in real time by using digital portfolios (Barrett, 2001; Boardman, 2007, as cited in Dunphy, 2008). As a result, digital portfolios become a powerful tool that enables teachers to document learning, guide instruction, and embed assessment into the learning process while preserving valuable learning time (Seitz, 2023). One platform that supports this approach is Seesaw, a digital portfolio system designed to capture and organize student learning artifacts in real time.
"...digital portfolios become a powerful tool that enables teachers to document learning, guide instruction, and embed assessment into the learning process while preserving valuable learning time" (Seitz, 2023).
Seesaw supports the digital portfolio model by enabling students, teachers, and families to participate in documenting learning (Hooker, 2019). It empowers students to photograph work, record audio explanations, and capture learning artifacts through multiple modalities (Barrett, 2001; Seitz, 2023). Although the teacher will still guide the process and manage the portfolios in an early childhood setting, Seesaw cultivates active learning because teachers empower the students to document their own learning throughout the day (Johnson et al., 2015; Hooker, 2019; Parlakian, 2023). The students are not just posting artifacts, they are building a record of their own learning (Barrett, 2005; Hooker, 2019).
"The students are not just posting artifacts, they are building a record of their own learning" (Barrett, 2005; Hooker, 2019).
When teachers have the practical tools such as Seesaw to employ authentic assessment in the classroom, they’re able to capture learning that was otherwise difficult to record (Boardman, 2007, as cited in Dunphy, 2008). Since most Pre-K student produced artifacts are not written, they are hands-on creations using manipulatives, objects, and verbal communication, a digital portfolio enables teachers to observe learning in context through audio and video features (Hooker, 2019; Seitz, 2023). The record of learning generated over time allows teachers to identify developmental progress in a much more robust and accurate way than formal assessments could offer (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, as cited in Bassok 2016; Grace, 1992). Furthermore, learning time is recaptured since students no longer lose valuable play-based center time (Alaçam & Olgan, 2016; Thompson, 1991). The shift in assessment methods would support developmentally appropriate practice because there is now a way to measure play-based learning and hands-on exploration (Thompson, 1991). Digital portfolios such as Seesaw have features that allow teachers to measure growth, assess work, and aggregate data which can then be used to guide instruction (Hooker, 2019).
"Since most Pre-K student produced artifacts are not written, they are hands-on creations using manipulatives, objects, and verbal communication, a digital portfolio enables teachers to observe learning in context through audio and video features" (Hooker, 2019; Seitz, 2023).
Nevertheless, the initial adoption is time consuming for teachers because they still have to spend time learning new technology and new assessment practices (Seitz, 2023; Barrett, 2026). For this reason, it is best to roll out the plan in phases (Newman & Smolen, 1993). While digital platforms like Seesaw solve the organizational challenge of paper portfolios, the literature warns that technology alone is not a silver bullet. Without specific instructional goals and criteria, digital portfolios run the risk of becoming high-powered digital scrapbooks in the same way traditional portfolios can (Thompson, 1991).
The literature also notes concerns about screen time in K-12 classrooms. However, educational technology research counters the concern about screen time by emphasizing the student’s role as active creators as opposed to passive consumers of content (Johnson et al., 2012, 2015; Consortium for School Networking, 2025). The digital portfolio is not a digital curriculum, rather, it is the tool students and teachers use to collect authentic artifacts using multiple media types (Barrett, 2001). Creating a digital portfolio relies heavily on devices functioning as cameras and microphones to capture work samples of children’s hands-on learning (Seitz, 2023). Ultimately, students are using a digital device to actively engage the physical world, not a digital world.
Taken together, high-quality Pre-K requires play-based learning, but testing pressures have disrupted authentic learning. Instructional practice has consequently drifted into an all-encompassing standardized testing model, which leads to lost instructional time and low-quality activities such as worksheets. The literature suggests that digital portfolios provide a practical way to embed assessment into authentic learning experiences while preserving developmentally appropriate instruction. Seesaw is a practical digital portfolio system which enables the documentation of authentic artifacts. The digital portfolio facilitates the conversion of report card assessment from a formal scorecard to a story of growth. The instructional benefit is that play-based learning can thrive, assessment is embedded into the learning environment, and instructional time is maximized.
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