Assessment in early childhood education / Sue C. Wortham and Belinda J. Hardin. [print]

Includes bibliographies and index.

An overview of assessment in early childhood

How infants and young children should be assessed

How standardized tests are used, designed, and selected

Using and reporting standardized test results

Classroom assessment and documentation

Observation

Checklists, rating scales, and rubrics

Teacher-designed assessment strategies

Performance-based assessment strategies

Portfolio assessment

Communicating with families.

"Students preparing to become teachers of young children from infancy through the early primary grades must be prepared to measure or evaluate children who are in the period of development called early childhood. Tests and other types of assessments designed for young children are different from those intended for chil-dren in later grades in elementary school. Because infants and children under age 8 have developmental needs different from those of older children, a textbook that includes discussion of assessment in the early childhood years must be written from a developmental perspective. In the second decade of the 21st century, early childhood educators have been challenged in their efforts to assess very young children using the most important strategies for their ongoing development. As a result, it is especially important that future teachers and teachers who are struggling with these issues be fully in-formed about the range of assessment possibilities and when they are the most beneficial for young children"--Provided by publisher.