Areas of Expertise - Assessment
Assessment is the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. Early Childhood Associates, Inc. believes that thorough assessment can, in a profound way, inform instructional practice.
Early Childhood Associates, Inc. has extensive expertise in developing, piloting, and applying assessment tools for all populations, including young children, particularly those from low-income families and those entering preschool speaking a language other than English. Members of our staff have designed and taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses on human growth and development and assessment of children, and have designed assessment instruments with nationally renowned researchers from Harvard University, Tufts University, and Wheelock College.
Early Childhood Associates, Inc. staff administer, score, and provide training on a variety of assessment tools, including the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III), the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS), the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO), and the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Program (DECA).
The MA Department of Early Education and Care has identified four child assessment instruments that programs and providers can use to monitor the developmental progress of young children attending the state Universal PreK program. Early Childhood Associates, Inc. is coordinating training on the four assessment instruments: Creative Curriculum for Preschool, the Work Sampling system, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, and the High/Scope curriculum for programs and providers in Massachusetts who are preparing to become Universal PreK sites. The agency has also designed the model for an Assessment Learning Community funded by the MA Department of Early Education and Care to promote quality assessment practice among early childhood providers. The Assessment Learning Community is a multi-modal infrastructure (online and face-face interaction) that provides opportunities for early educators to
- Share and reflect on child outcome assessment practices, issues and challenges
- Study and use research to improve assessment practices and program quality
- Identify and/or access promising practices
- Promote collaboration and networking
- Strengthen staff knowledge and skills
- Assess current assessment practices
The Assessment Learning Community design reflects ECA’s philosophy that professional development will promote “best practice” if it is accessible, ongoing, responsive to individual learning styles and based on research.
