Early Childhood Assessment


Book Description

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.




Spotlight on Young Children


Book Description

The debate surrounding testing and accountability in early childhood education continues, but one thing is universally agreed upon: effective observation and assessment of young children's learning are critical to supporting their development. Educators balance what they know about child development with observation and assessment approaches that both inform and improve the curriculum. This foundational resource for all educators of children from birth through third grade explores What observation and assessment are, why to use them, and how Ways to integrate documentation, observation, and assessment into the daily routine Practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive Ways to engage families in observation and assessment processes How to effectively share children's learning with families, administrators, and others Find inspiration to intentionally develop and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate observation and assessment practices to build responsive, joyful classrooms.







Assessing Multilingual Children


Book Description

Second language learners often produce language forms resembling those of children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). At present, professionals working in language assessment and education have only limited diagnostic instruments to distinguish language impaired migrant children from those who will eventually catch up with their monolingual peers. This book presents a comprehensive set of tools for assessing the linguistic abilities of bilingual children. It aims to disentangle effects of bilingualism from those of SLI, making use of both models of bilingualism and models of language impairment. The book's methods-oriented focus will make it an essential handbook for practitioners who look for measures which could be adapted to a variety of languages in diverse communities, as well as academic researchers.




Assessing Young Children


Book Description

Provides a comprehensive review of the issues involved in assessing children from birth to eight years, with or without disabilities KEY TOPICS: A comprehensive assessment system for birth through age 8; developing family partnerships in assessment; observation as the key method in a system; using basic concepts of measurement; choosing and using the right measure; assessment for planning intervention; conferencing, grading and reporting; building a child study; special issues in infant and toddler assessment, preschool assessment, and the primary grades; a child development chart o typical development; selected early childhood tests to consider for use in educational and child-care settings; test evaluation guidelines; choosing technology and software to support assessment; portfolio template; websites that adder assessment for teachers of young children; assessment bibliography for kindergarten and primary teachers MARKET: For pre-service teachers who want to understand the broad range of assessment issues in early childhood and deliver an effective educational program for all young children from birth through age 8.




Methods for Assessing Children's Syntax


Book Description

Designed in part as a handbook to assist in the choice and use of methods for investigating children's grammer, this volume presents a selection of methods and pointers for designing and conducting experimental studies and for evaluating research.




Assessing Children's Learning


Book Description

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.




Assessing Children'S Mathematical Knowledge


Book Description

'this work is highly relevant to the proliferation of accountability measures worldwide' James Scheurich and Douglas Foley In many countries, the lives of teachers and children are increasingly dominated by programmes of national testing of mathematics and other subjects. In England, the majority of the items in such tests have set mathematical tasks in every day situations such as 'shopping'. This requires children to make decisions about whether to use or not their own every day knowledge and experience in their problem-solving. Some children are likely to have a better 'feel for this game' than others. Assessing Children's Mathematical Knowledge draws on the analysis of national curriculum test data from more than 600 children of 10-11 and 13-14 years of age, as well as in-depth interviews with 250 of these as they attempt to solve test problems, in order to explore the nature of the difficulties children experience with 'realistic' items. The book shows, by comparing test and interview data, that many children, as a consequence of their confusion over the requirements of 'realistic' test items, fail in tests to demonstrate mathematical knowledge and understanding that they actually possess. The book also explores whether this problem of invalid measurement is equally spread across children from different social backgrounds, and across the sexes. The book will be of interest to academics and teachers studying for advanced degrees in mathematics education, sociology of education and educational assessment.




Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings


Book Description

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Assessing Children's Well-Being


Book Description

Behavioral medicine has now matured as a field to the point where all recognize that different populations are presented with different issues. Psychological reactions and patterns affect the health and well-being of children, as well as adults, and numerous standardized instruments for the assessment of a variety of areas of children's functioning are currently available. Yet, it can be difficult for practitioners and researchers searching through general compendia of resources for child assessment--which are frequently focused on general techniques rather than specific instruments--to identify the optimal ones to meet their particular needs and to choose among them. This practical and comprehensive reference guide is the first to sort, present, and review all the measures that can be used to evaluate the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of children's health. It organizes the measures under eight general headings, such as quality of life, adherence, pain management, and patient satisfaction. Each chapter begins with a leading authority's overview of the underlying theoretical construct and any concerns about how to measure it. Descriptions and reviews of relevant instruments follow; these include information on administration, scoring, psychometric properties, and ordering, as well as comments by the instruments' developers. Assessing Children's Well-Being: A Handbook of Measures will be welcomed by all those professionals and scientists who seek to assess and effectively address the complex interactions between physical health and mental health in children.