SCHOOL OF EDUCATION: Assessment Practices in Early Childhood Education

The proliferation of early childhood education, early intervention, and early childhood special education programs (hereafter referred to as ECE/ECSE programs) has been accompanied and supported by a large and growing body of research illustrating the benefits accruing to children who attend them. Although not all ECE/ECSE programs have been uniformly successful, consensus has emerged that ECE/ECSE programs, if designed and implemented well, can lead to significant benefits for children and their families

This paper focuses on approaches to assessment in early education and the consequences for assessment of national views about child development, the image of the child and outcomes for young children. It uses the New Zealand experience of assessment to argue that a socio cultural approach contributes to a curriculum that is open to contribution from children, families and community and enables teachers to draw on their funds of knowledge. Valued outcomes include learning dispositions and working theories that contribute to lifelong learning.

The recently introduced Early Years Learning Framework challenges educators to think deeply about young children’s learning. However, whistle Framework reaffirms many existing practices and beliefs – including the centrality of relationships and the importance of partnerships with parents, play-based learning and the need for safe, stimulating and challenging learning environments – as central to quality practice in early childhood education, it has also ‘departed from tradition’ (Grieshaber, 2010) and introduced concepts and ideas that are much less familiar to the Feld.

This article addresses considerations for assessment and intervention planning in serving twice-exceptional preschool children. the authors propose blending recommended assessment practices in early childhood gifted education and early childhood special education in a comprehensive assessment process. In doing so, unique needs of twice-exceptional preschool children may be better met. Interviewing family members and other caregivers to determine strengths and needs in daily routines and observing young children in play are two practices that provide critical information about the preschool child’s developmental status, family priorities, and daily life.

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of different types of early childhood education programs in a Midwestern university town in the US. This study reveals the structural and process characteristics observed in the classrooms, according to the results from the application of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition (ECERS-R). Additional evidences such as sketches of classrooms, photographs of classrooms, daily classroom schedules, overall program philosophy and descriptions, and copies of children’s work samples, were also collected from the classrooms observed to evaluate the quality in these programs.

The study aimed at investigating kindergarten teachers’ assessment practices based on two subscales: (a)teachers’ modes of assessment frequently used, and (b) their reasons for selecting a particular mode of assessment. The sequential mixed methods research design was employed.

This research explored the knowledge, skills, and strategies early childhood teachers possess related to implementing curriculum and authentic assessment. Research suggests that early educators rate their knowledge of curriculum and authentic assessment and their implementation of both as excellent. Despite these self-reported, high levels of knowledge, researchers have established that early childhood authentic assessment is implemented inconsistently and often incorrectly.