Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Preschool
ASSESSMENT
Principles and Practices
MARLA R. BRASSARD
ANN E. BOEHM
No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording,
or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.
Ann E. Boehm, PhD, Professor Emerita in the School Psychology Program at Teachers
College, Columbia University, is well known for her groundbreaking work in identifying
the importance of young children’s knowledge of basic relational concepts (e.g., next to,
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viii About the Authors
after, first) to their understanding of teacher and text directions. She has developed two
widely used early childhood tests to assess this knowledge—the Boehm Test of Basic Con-
cepts, Third Edition, for grades K–2 (2000), and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Third
Edition: Preschool (2001)—and is working on editions of both tests for children with
visual impairments. She is the author (with Richard Weinberg) of The Classroom
Observer (third edition) and has written extensively on assessment issues at the early
childhood level. Dr. Boehm also cosponsors an annual conference and teaches a graduate
course entitled “Observing and Assessing the Preschool Child.” Her research interests
include cross-cultural development of relational concepts used in different direction for-
mats, the role of comprehension in direction following, and intergenerational literacy. She
has been a preschool psychologist, a teacher, and a consultant for Head Start. Most of her
teaching has been focused on the psychoeducational assessment of young children,
practica on cognitive functioning, and issues regarding the practice of school psychology.
Preface
T his book presents an integrated analysis of the issues and practices of preschool
assessment, from our perspective as practicing clinicians-researchers. The book is written
both for graduate students and for practicing assessors, including school and child clini-
cal psychologists, early childhood and special educators, learning disability specialists,
and speech–language specialists. Designed to be a primary text in courses on preschool/
early childhood assessment and a manual for clinical practice, the book focuses on how
to think about assessment issues, select appropriate measures and procedures (extensive
test reviews are presented), and integrate diverse information for use in decision making;
there is less emphasis on how to administer tests. The book offers a synopsis of current
research, federal laws, and practice relevant to preschool assessment, illustrated with
actual case examples. It describes our thinking as we (1) share a comprehensive develop-
mental model of preschool assessment; (2) describe how to establish and evaluate screen-
ing programs for instructional and child-finding purposes; (3) present suggestions for
establishing good working relationships with families of children ages 3–6 from diverse
backgrounds; (4) collect information relevant to understanding developmental problems
and making diagnoses; and (5) link assessment findings to intervention and program
planning.
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, promoting chil-
dren’s early language and cognitive development has become federal policy. The require-
ments of the NCLB legislation have further prodded state policymakers into defining the
goals of formal schooling and articulating early learning standards for their preschool
populations. States are increasingly funding universal programs as legislators take note of
the research supporting the efficacy of these programs in preparing young children to
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x Preface
learn when they start formal schooling, especially children from low-income and minor-
ity populations.
The need for preschool programs to promote all areas of children’s development is
only gradually being acknowledged. When Scott-Little, Kagan, and Frelow (2006)
reviewed 46 early learning standards documents developed by state-level organizations
and compared them with the five domains of school readiness identified by the National
Education Goals Panel (NEGP, 1997), they found an almost universal emphasis on the
domains of language and communication development and of cognition and general
knowledge. There was a relative lack of attention to the domains of physical well-being,
social and emotional development, and approaches to learning (e.g., task persistence)—
all of which research shows to be important for school success. We hope that states’ early
learning standards will evolve into comprehensive multidomain standards that target the
whole child, as emphasized in this text.
These government initiatives expand the role of early childhood assessors—hitherto
focused primarily on assessment and placement of preschool children with disabilities—
into consultation around what to assess, what measures to use, and what curricula to
select in order to achieve these early learning standards. This book covers assessment of
all of the NEGP domains of school readiness except physical well-being. Moreover, it
goes beyond these domains by covering assessment of the strengths and needs of
preschool/kindergarten children within the contexts of the home, childcare center, school,
and other learning environments, and the integration of this information in planning
interventions that address the whole child. The focus on children 3 through 6 years of age
includes the traditional transition points from early intervention to preschool, from pre-
school to kindergarten, and from kindergarten to the formal learning demands of first
grade.
The two of us have been preschool psychologists and have taught and supervised
practica in this area for over 20 years. We contributed equally to the conceptualization
and writing of this book and flipped a coin to determine the order of authorship. The two
chapters on cognitive assessment and assessment of children with mental retardation
were written by Susan Vig, PhD, and Michelle Sanders, PsyD. We are grateful that our
readers can benefit, as have we, from their extensive experience and scholarship in these
areas.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have encouraged us and have contributed to the development of this
book; we are very grateful to them all. Many years ago we were motivated by Sharon
Panulla, who then worked at The Guilford Press, to write the book. After Sharon’s
departure, we were encouraged by Chris Jennison, who had confidence in us through
the years of research and writing the chapters. Craig Thomas has helped us greatly to
pull everything together with high-quality suggestions. Finally, we deeply appreciate the
marvelous editing by our copy editor, Marie Sprayberry, and production editor, Anna
Nelson.
We would also like to thank the many graduate assistants who have been of great
help in finding and reviewing tests and materials, including Pooja Vekaria, Anna Ward,
Kera Miller, Natascha Crandall, Arjan Graybill, Chris Mullen, Melania Puza Pearl,
and Lindsay Reddington; the secretaries who have worked with us throughout this
project, Colleen Wood and Laura Stellato; our students, anonymous reviewers, and
colleagues (Lois Dreyer, Richard Weinberg, Virginia Stolarski, Denise Green, Maria
Hartman) who have critiqued chapters, offering many helpful recommendations; and the
family members who co-read chapters (including our husbands and Lydia and Shaina
Brassard). Most importantly, we would like to thank our husbands, George Litchford
and Neville Kaplan, for their unending patience, encouragement, and pressure to finish
“THE BOOK” that has consumed our lives for these many years.
Contents
xiii
xiv Contents
References 577
Index 641