Assessment in early childhood education
Summary
The measurement and assessment of children begins very early in the life span. Newborns are tested for their neonatal status, and infant tests designed to assess development begin the trend for testing and assessment in the early childhood years. Assessments in the early childhood years have many purposes; some are beneficial for young children, and others are detrimental. The advent of measures to assess and evaluate young children’s development and learning occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. As the decades passed, significant trends in the study of young children and services and pro- grams implemented for young children have driven the need to develop stan- dardized tests and other measures to evaluate children’s progress and program effectiveness.
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CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Assessment in Early Childhood
Many issues surround the testing of young children. Some educators question the validity and reliability of standardized tests used with young children, as well as the purposes for administering tests to children who are culturally and linguistically diverse. At the same time, the use of individual testing and evaluation to identify children with disabilities and provide services for them continues to serve a valu- able purpose.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why are very young children measured in infancy and in the preschool years? Give examples.
2. Explain developmental deficits. How are develop- mental deficits identified and treated?
3. Why is research conducted on the development of very young children? How can such research be used?
4. How were Pestalozzi and Rousseau pivotal in the ori- gins of understanding and measuring young children?
5. Why has the child study movement been the major resource for understanding child development?
6. How does the history of standardized testing in- clude testing with infants and young children? What kinds of standardized tests are beneficial for children under age 6?
7. Why were standardized tests developed for Head Start? How were they used?
8. Why were standardized tests developed as a result of legislation for young children with disabilities? How are they used?
9. Why is it difficult to develop assessments for chil- dren who are culturally and linguistically different? What factors must be addressed in their assessment?
10. What are some of the weaknesses in assessments of young children with disabilities? How can these difficulties be overcome?
11. How is authentic assessment different from assessment using standardized tests?
