Early Childhood Assessment Why, What, and How

The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary Part I: Early Childhood Assessment 1 Introduction 2 Purposeful Assessment 3 Perspectives on Early Childhood Learning Standards and Assessment Part II: Child-Level Outcomes and Measures 4 Screening Young Children 5 Assessing Learning and Development 6 Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Environments Part III: How to Assess 7 Judging the Quality and Utility of Assessments 8 Assessing All Children 9 Implementation of Early Childhood Assessments Part IV: Assessing Systematically 10 Thinking Systematically 11 Guidance on Outcomes and Assessments References Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Related to Early Childhood Assessment Appendix B: Information on Stakeholder Forum Appendix C: Development of State Standards for Early Childhood Education Appendix D: Sources of Detailed Information on Test and Assessment Instruments Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff Index