Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention


Book Description

Meeting a crucial need, this book provides clear recommendations for authentic developmental assessment of children from infancy to age 6, including those with developmental delays and disabilities. It describes principles and strategies for collecting information about children's everyday activities in the home, preschool, and community that serves as a valid basis for intervention planning and progress monitoring. Throughout, the book emphasizes the importance of enlisting parents as partners with practitioners and teachers in observation and team-based decision making. Special features of this well-organized, accessible volume include recommendations for developmentally appropriate assessment tools and "Best-Practice Guidepoints" in each chapter that distill key professional standards and practices.




LINKing Authentic Assessment and Early Childhood Intervention


Book Description

The only book with professional ratings and reviews of 80 widely used assessment measures for children birth-8, the new edition of this popular reference helps you select high-quality assessment materials for your early childhood program.




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.




Linking Assessment and Early Intervention


Book Description

A natural progression from the authors' widely known work on assessment and programming in early intervention, LINK is a revolutionary process that hurdles traditional obstacles to selecting and using authentic assessment-intervention-evaluation procedures for young children. Pulling the best properties from well-known assessment and curriculum models, LINK identifies critical markers for judging quality and effectiveness: authenticity, collaboration, convergence, equity, sensitivity, and congruence. The authors apply this unique six-standard index to more than 50 different curriculum-embedded and curriculum-compatible assessment and intervention systems, rating and analyzing each. In addition, they explain how early childhood professionals can perform their own quality reviews and then customize the system(s) of their choice to specific populations or programs. With this essential resource in hand, early intervention team members and administrators can ensure the individualized support opportunities every child needs for healthy deyelopment.




Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs


Book Description

There are many assessment systems available to provide the answers teachers and parents seek regarding the progression of infants, toddlers, and young children. However, simply choosing and administering an assessment instrument or procedure from the wide array of tools available today can be an overwhelming task. Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs helps prepare teachers for the task of evaluating the skills of infants, toddlers, and preschool children with developmental delays and those considered at risk to ...




Meaningful Assessments of the Young Child


Book Description

This book is not for the "tired and timid" but for those committed professionals who wish to think through a plan that is coherent, cohesive, learner- and family-focused, and work through the development of a defensible (reliable and valid) authentic assessment system. KEY TOPICS: Discusses emerging research in the area of brain development research and its implication for assessment practices. Provides information on the "standards movement" and how these standards can have either a negative or positive impact on developmental goals. Adds a developmental continuum as an appendix to help teachers focus on emerging development rather than on perceived deficits in children. Provides an added chapter on portfolio systems. Places more emphasis on the discussions of diversity and inclusion. MARKET: For educators and school administrators.




The Use of Authentic Assessment in Eligibility Determination for Early Childhood Intervention Programs


Book Description

The purpose of this study was to survey Part C Coordinators of early intervention programs across the United States and its territories to determine the actual use of authentic assessment methods to determine eligibility for services. The hypotheses were that authentic assessment is not widely used, that elements of authentic assessment are used, and that agencies that use an educational model use more authentic assessment than agencies that use a medical model. This was a descriptive study using quantitative methods designed to determine usage rates of authentic assessment for eligibility determination for early intervention services and any relationships between agency philosophy and the use of authentic assessment. Survey invitations were emailed to Part C Coordinators and results were analyzed to determine usage rates and statistical differences between agencies. No significant differences between the lead agencies and their usage of authentic assessment was discovered. A detailed summary of usage of elements of authentic assessment is included in the study results. It is hoped that this study will increase the focus on authentic assessment to determine eligibility for early intervention services and increase its use, thereby providing better, more individualized services for children with disabilities.




Authentic Assessment of the Young Child


Book Description

This book is not for the "tired and timid" but for those committed professionals who wish to think through a plan that is coherent, cohesive, learner- and family-focused, and work through the development of a defensible (reliable and valid) authentic assessment system. Discusses emerging research in the area of brain development research and its implication for assessment practices. Provides information on the "standards movement" and how these standards can have either a negative or positive impact on developmental goals. Adds a developmental continuum as an appendix to help teachers focus on emerging development rather than on perceived deficits in children. Provides an added chapter on portfolio systems. Places more emphasis on the discussions of diversity and inclusion. For educators and school administrators.




Handbook of Family Literacy


Book Description

The Handbook of Family Literacy, 2e, provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of family literacy of any available book. It documents the need for literacy education for children and parents, describes early literacy and math development within the home, analyses interventions in home and center settings, and examines the issues faced by fathers and women with low literacy skills. Cultural issues are examined especially those for Hispanic, African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, and migrant populations. Noted experts throughout the United States, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa analyze the commonalities and differences of family literacy across cultures and families. Key features include the following. Comprehensive – Provides updated information on the relation between early childhood literacy development, parenting education, and intervention services. Research Focus – Provides an extensive review of experimental studies, including national reviews and meta-analyses on family literacy. Practice Focus – Provides a comprehensive treatment of family literacy interventions necessary for program developers, policy makers, and researchers. Diversity Focus – Provides detailed information on cultural and diversity issues for guiding interventions, policy, and research. International Focus – Provides an international perspective on family literacy services that informs program developers, researchers, and policy makers across countries. Evaluation Focus – Provides detailed guidelines for ensuring program quality and fidelity and a valuable new evaluation perspective based on implementation science. This book is essential reading for anyone – researchers, program developers, students, practitioners, and policy makers – who needs to be knowledgeable about intervention issues, family needs, program developments, and research outcomes in family literacy.