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Child Outcome Assessment Tools For Early Childhood Programs

Child outcome assessments are ongoing activities to measure children’s learning and development. The results inform program administrators, early childhood teachers and providers, policymakers, parents, and the public about both children’s progress over time and the quality of early childhood programs and services. Some specific goals of child outcome assessments include identifying children eligible for special services, modifying curriculum to meet the needs of individual children, and easing the transition for children and families from home to school. This document provides basic information, examples and definitions, and resources on child assessment.

Key Points

  • According to the research, assessments have separate and distinct purposes. Assessments can be used to do the following:
    • Identify children for health or special services;
    • Track and promote children’s learning and development;
    • Monitor trends and evaluate the effects of programs on child outcomes; and
    • Provide accountability for public fund investments.
  • Clearly articulating the purpose of the assessment helps determine that the appropriate measures are used.
  • Policymakers must first ensure that appropriate standards have been met (including early learning guidelines), sufficient professional development and training have been conducted, and that the program has been implemented well and for a sufficient length of time before reasonably expecting an impact on children’s learning and development.

Additional information about assessment is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/topics/topic/index.cfm?topicId=7. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

Child Assessment Tools

There are many different types of assessment tools for young children. Assessments vary based on their focus. Assessments can measure developmental growth in young children within a single area or multiple areas or be used to screen for abnormalities and exceptionalities in development. The following is an overview of these different types of assessments:

  • Single domain assessments. These assessments focus on a single developmental domain (i.e., social-emotional, cognitive, language, or physical development). Assessments that focus primarily on early language or literacy skills are examples of single domain assessments.
  • Multiple domain assessments. These assessments measure more than one developmental domain (i.e., social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development). Assessments that measure all of these domains or more than one are examples of multiple domain assessments.
  • Screening assessments. These assessments are used to screen and diagnose delays, disabilities, giftedness, and other exceptionalities.

The following table includes information about child assessment tools and how they can be used to measure development in young children.

Assessment Tool Assessment Description Age Level(s)
Child Development Assessments: Multi-Domain
The Creative Curriculum® Developmental Continuum Assessment The Creative Curriculum assesses social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. Infant, toddler, and preschool
Galileo Preschool Galileo Preschool is a comprehensive early childhood knowledge management system that measures cognitive, social, and physical development. Preschool
The High/Scope Child Observation Record (COR)® COR is an observational assessment tool that assesses initiative, social relations, creative representation, movement and music, language and literacy, and mathematics. It can be used in a variety of early childhood settings. Infant, toddler, and preschool
Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI) IGDIs are quick, efficient, and repeatable measures of components of developmental performance. They sample child performance in major developmental domains (i.e., language, social, cognitive, motor, and adaptive), with a special emphasis on assessment related to long-term developmental outcomes that are common across the early childhood years. Toddler, preschool, and school age
The Marazon Systems The Marazon Systems (i.e., Classroom System, Home Visitor System, Family Child Care System, Christian System, and Parent System) are developmentally appropriate planning and assessment systems designed for a variety of educational settings for children of all ages. The systems assess six domains: affective (relating to self), social (relating to others), creative (originating from self), cognitive (thinking), language (communicating), and physical (doing) development. Information not available
The Ounce Scale The Ounce Scale assesses six major areas of development: personal connections, feelings about self, relationships with other children, understanding and communicating, exploration and problem-solving, and movement and coordination. It provides a way to evaluate children’s accomplishments, areas of difficulty, and approaches to learning. Birth to age 3
The Work Sampling System® The Work Sampling System documents children’s skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments across a wide variety of curriculum areas on multiple occasions in order to enhance teaching and learning. Curriculum areas include personal and social development, language and literacy, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, social studies, the arts, and physical development. Preschool and school age
Child Development Assessments: Single Domain
Social Competence
and Behavior
Evaluation		 This assessment measures social-emotional development (i.e., social competence, emotional expression, and adjustment). Toddler, preschool, and school age
Teacher Rating of
Oral Language and
Literacy (TROLL)		 TROLL assesses literacy skills (i.e., language use, reading, and writing). Preschool
The Devereux
Early Childhood
Assessment (DECA)		 DECA assesses social-emotional development
(i.e., initiative, self-control, and attachment).		 Infant, toddler, and preschool
Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Tool (ELLCO) ELLCO measures five key literacy elements: classroom structure, curriculum, the language environment, books and book reading, opportunities, and print and early writing supports. Preschool and school age
Developmental Screening Assessments
Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS) for Infants and Children® AEPS assesses fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, adaptive, social-communication, and social-emotional development. Birth to school age
Bayley Scales of Infant Development This scale assesses physical, motor, sensory, and cognitive development in babies and young children. Infant and toddler
Battelle Developmental Inventory This inventory assesses personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive abilities. Birth to school age
Brigance Inventory of Early Development This inventory is used to diagnose delays, disabilities, giftedness, and other exceptionalities. The tool assesses motor, language, cognitive, daily living, and social-emotional skills. Birth to school age
Child Development Inventory This inventory measures development in eight areas: social, self help, gross motor, fine motor, expressive language, language comprehension, letters, and numbers. Toddler and preschool
The Carolina Curriculum This curriculum assesses five developmental domains: cognition, communication, social adaptation, fine motor, and gross motor. Infant, toddler, and preschool

How States Are Using Assessment With ELGs

States and Territories use Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) monies to develop, revise, and/or implement early learning guidelines (ELGs), which identify outcomes in language, literacy, mathematics, and other  developmental domains for young children. In response to these efforts, many States support a variety of child assessment initiatives that are aligned to their respective ELGs. These aligned initiatives are designed to encourage and strengthen the capacity of early care and education programs to increase positive outcomes for young children birth to 5 years.

Representative examples have been included from the CCDF Plans for FY 2008–2009 to illustrate the different kinds of assessment initiatives States are implementing across diverse care settings and age levels. These examples do not include all State child assessment initiatives, but are meant to represent a range of approaches States have taken to address these issues. Minor revisions were incorporated in order to enhance readability. NCCIC does not endorse any practice, organization, publication, or resource.

California

The California Department of Education’s (CDE) Child Development Division has developed a desired results assessment system that is compatible with CDE’s accountability system for elementary and secondary education. Desired Results for Children and Families is a comprehensive system that allows educators to document the progress made by children and families in achieving desired results based on the California Early Learning Foundations (standards). It also allows educators to retrieve information to help practitioners improve child care and development services. A selection of Desired Results assessment materials and forms is available on the Web at www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/desiredresults.asp.

Iowa

The Department of Education has approved the following list of kindergarten assessments to be used to implement the requirements of HF 761. If a school district administers an assessment that is not on this list, the district will be required to demonstrate how it addresses the literacy components and meets technical adequacy for a kindergarten assessment.

The following list of assessments is standardized criterion referenced or norm referenced assessment instruments that appropriately assess literacy concepts in kindergarten children:

  • Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
  • Phonological Awareness Test (PAT)
  • Basic Reading Inventory, Early Literacy Assessments, eighth edition, or above
  • Observation Survey
  • Texas Primary Reading Inventory
  • Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation

Maryland

Maryland assesses the readiness of all children entering kindergarten each fall through the Work Sampling System (WSS). Since the implementation of the WSS assessments, the readiness of children in the State has increased due in part to the availability and implementation of the Guidelines, Maryland Model for School Readiness and other quality initiatives.

Minnesota

In the fall of each year, children are randomly sampled to participate in the study. Teachers rate the school readiness of each child during the first six weeks of kindergarten using a customized Work Sampling System assessment that includes 32 indicators in five domains, including personal and social development, language and literacy, mathematical thinking, the arts and physical development and health. The developmental domains and indicators in the Preschool-4 Work Sampling System Developmental Guidelines used in this study are consistent with and align with Minnesota’s early learning guidelines for 3–5 year olds. Results of these studies are published on the Department of Education website at
http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Learning_Support/Early_Learning_Services/Publications/index.html.

Ohio

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) utilizes the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation instrument (ELLCO) in its state funded programs to do the following:

  • Inform quality assurance as part of state funded early learning programs
  • Provide teachers and administrators with information to improve program quality
  • Identify professional development needs of teachers
  • Provide direction to program administration as to the allocation of resources
  • Ascertain the quality of early learning experiences

The ELLCO is a tool designed to gather data and develop profiles of classroom instruction and environment. It was selected because it provides an overall view of effective practice with particular emphasis on language and literacy, identifies the critical features of early literacy learning and is grounded in the research on emergent and early literacy development. The ELLCO is conducted by two trained independent observers in a 25 percent stratified random sample of classrooms implementing the Early Learning Initiative. ODE plans to expand the use of ELLCO in its other state funded programs, including Early Childhood Education (formerly public preschool) and Preschool Special Education.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is developing an early childhood assessment and accountability system that is based on the Early Learning Guidelines and uses the Work Sampling System. The assessment system was piloted in programs in September 2007 and will be required across all early childhood programs starting in September 2008.

Additional Resources

  • Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners: Draft Recommendations (January 2005), published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), was developed by a workgroup of experts in the field in collaboration with NAEYC staff, as a supplement to NAEYC and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education’s Joint Position Statement Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation: Building an Effective, Accountable System in Programs for Children Birth through Age 8. The document includes information about the specific issues and challenges related to assessing young English language learners. This resource is available at www.naeyc.org/statements/pdf/englearners.pdf.
  • Uses and Misuses of Data on Outcomes for Young Children with Disabilities: Draft (July 2004), by Kathleen Hebbler, produced by the Early Childhood Outcomes Center, identifies in table format the ways that data can be used effectively (or misused)—at the national, State, and local levels—to determine outcomes for young children with disabilities. This resource is available at www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pdfs/ECO_Outcomes_Uses.pdf.
  • Considerations Related to Developing a System for Measuring Outcomes for Young Children With Disabilities and Their Families (revised April 2004), by the Early Childhood Outcomes Center, presents a framework for thinking about the development of a system for measuring outcomes. This resource is available at www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pdfs/considerations.pdf.
  • “Beyond Outcomes: How Ongoing Assessment Supports Children’s Learning and Leads to Meaningful Curriculum” (January 2004),by Diane Trister Dodge, Cate Heroman, Julia Charles, and Jessica Maiorca, discusses how ongoing assessment can be a manageable and dynamic process, directly linked to planning curriculum and supporting each child’s learning and development. Additional information is available at http://journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=2891&sesID=1219777841828.
  • “Ensuring Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Assessment of Young Children” (January 2004), in Young Children, Issue 59, No. 1, by Rosa Santos, discusses useful tools accessible through the Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services. The article also includes a list of considerations for appropriate assessment. Additional information is available at http://journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=2895&sesID=1219777736636.
  • Basics of Assessment: A Primer for Early Childhood Professionals (2004), by Oralie McAfee, Deborah Leong, and Elena Bodrova, is intended to increase understanding of child assessment, including its specialized vocabulary. Focusing on children’s development and learning, the authors provide an overview of basic assessment concepts. Additional information is available at http://naeyc.org/shoppingcart/Itemdetail.aspx?Stock_No=257.

Updated September 2008

 
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