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Kylie Levin

Conducting assessments in early childhood serves several purposes. Testing is

needed to determine eligibility for special education programs. The list of families

interested in early intervention/early childhood special education services exceeds the

number of families covered under IDEA. Assessments are administered at the beginning

and after a year in a program in order to make sure the families receiving services are or

are still eligible. Assessments are also used to ensure the provided services are

facilitating the childs areas of concern and overall development. Through progress

monitoring, changes to the curriculum and tier of intervention can be established. The

three types of assessments include screening tools, norm-referenced diagnostic

assessments, and curriculum-based assessments.

Screening tools are used to identify if a child is at risk for developmental delay

based on observable red flags. They are a quick way to determine if a child needs

additional evaluation, or a norm-referenced diagnostic assessment. A majority of the time,

screenings are administered through parent questionnaires or direct observation. This can

be in the home or another familiar setting with the primary caregivers. In the early

intervention context, screening tools are used with children under the age of 3 to

determine if EI/ECSE services are needed. They are typically completed at 9-, 18-, 24-,

and 30-month visits. Examples of screening tools include:

Ages & Stages Questionnaire-3

Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional-2
MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories
Infant Development Inventory
Early Screening Inventory-Revised
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Norm-referenced diagnostic assessments are used if children failed or showed

concerns on a screening test. They are used if further evaluation is needed to determine

eligibility for EI/ECSE services. They are also used to indicate how a child is performing

in a specific developmental area compared to their peers based on test scores. From the

assessment results, a developmental age can be generated based on the percentile rank the

child falls in. This tool is utilized to figure out if EI/ECSE programs are showing

accountability by reaching their targets in their performance plan (McLean, Hemmeter, &

Snyder, 2013). Norm-referenced assessments are paired with a script and standardized

materials during administration. Findings can be retrieved through direct observation or

caregiver interviews. This assessment should be completed in the home with familiar

people. Examples of norm-referenced diagnostic assessments include:

Batelle Developmental Inventory-2nd edition

Bayley Scales of Infant Development-3
Peabody Developmental/Motor Scales-2
Vineland Social Emotional Early Childhood Scale
Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation

Curriculum-based assessments are used to monitor a childs progress and assist in

curriculum planning for EI/ECSE services. This tool is an easy way to follow a childs

growth in each developmental domain and evaluate if a services curriculum is positively

affecting the students development. In the early intervention context, these assessments

are completed after a child is eligible or enrolled in a curriculum-based program and

before the age of three. They are typically administered in the natural environment with

active parent involvement. The items on these assessments are functional and useful

when creating activity-based interventions. Examples of curriculum-based assessments

include:
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Hawaii Early Learning Profile

Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers/Preschoolers
Teaching Strategies GOLD
Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment
SKI-HI Learning Development Scales (Hearing Impaired 0-3)

Conducting assessments in early childhood serves several purposes. Eligibility of

services, program planning and evaluation, and monitoring childrens progress are the

primary purposes and functions of the three types of assessments. The initial step of

entering the early childhood assessment system begins with the administration of a

screening tool. If a child scores in the borderline range, another screening tool can be

administered at a later date. If a child scores in the at risk range, they will be referred

for a norm-referenced diagnostic assessment. If at that point a child has shown delays in

any of the developmental domains based on their age and scores, early intervention or

early childhood special education services will be offered to the family. Curriculum-

based assessments are used frequently in EI/ECSE services. It is an easy way to monitor a

childs progress and evaluate a programs curriculum. Early childhood assessments will

be useful tools as I enter the field of early intervention. As I collaborate with families and

individualize each intervention curriculum, I will utilize the assessment scores and results

to focus on the domain(s) of concern. Having knowledge on what a child can already do

will bring me closer to what new strategies I can teach and coach the parents on.
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References

McLean, M. E., Hemmeter, M. L., & Snyder, P. (2013). Essential elements for assessing

infants and preschoolers with special needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Person

Education, Inc.