Assessment in Early Childhood

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Assessment in Early Childhood

• Legislation

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Legislation for Young Children

• The need for measurement strategies and
• tests to evaluate federal programs led to
• the improvement of existing tests and the
• development of new tests to accurately
• evaluate program success and individual
• child progress.

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Legislation for Young Children

• Head Start and the War on Poverty
• Public Law (PL) 94142, the Education for All
  Handicapped Children Act (renamed the Individuals
  with Disabilities Education ActIDEA)

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Legislation for Young Children

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities
• the right to an appropriate education in a free
  public school
• placement in the least restrictive learning
  environment
• the use of nondiscriminatory testing and
  evaluation of each child

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Legislation for Young Children

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA)
• tests were no longer adequate for children with
  special needs
• classroom teachers had to learn techniques to
  identify students with disabilities and to
  determine how to meet their educational needs

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

• IDEA required that
• a team is used to identify and place students
  with disabilities
• the team screens, tests the individual child
• the team develops an individual educational plan
  (IEP) for the individual child

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Concerns about testing young children The least
restrictive environment (LRE)

• As often as possible the child should be placed
  with children developing normally, rather than in
  a segregated classroom for students in special
  education - MAINSTREAMING
• The ability of teachers to meet the needs of
  students with and without disabilities
  simultaneously in the same classroom is still
  debated

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Legislation for Young Children

• PL 99457. Federal Preschool Program and the
  Early Intervention Program
• Federal Preschool Programs extend the right of
  children with disabilities to children, ages 3-5
• In participating states Early Intervention
  Programs must now provide services for all
  infants and toddlers (birth to age 2) with
  developmental delays

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PL 101576 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• all early childhood programs must be prepared to
  serve children with special needs
• facilities and accommodations for young children,
  including outdoor play environments, must be
  designed, constructed, and altered to meet the
  needs of young children with disabilities.

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PL 101576 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• INTEGRATION OR INCLUSION began all young
  children learn together with the goal the
  individual needs of all children will be met.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004

• the NCLB Act of 2001 required that states must
  test at last 95 percent of their students with
  disabilities
• IDEA required special education students to
  participate in state tests and states were to
  report results of those tests to the public
• IDEA was aligned with the requirements of NCLB

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RTI

• Response to Intervention process involved
  providing intervention services for students.
• Students who did not respond could be referred
  for special education services.
• Students in private schools would be provided
  services through the public schools with IDEA of
  2004

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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

• Integrate scientifically based reading research
  into comprehensive instruction for young children
• Set and monitor adequate yearly progress
• Issue annual report cards on school performance
  and statewide test results
• Implement annual, standards-based assessments in
  reading and math for grades 3 to 8 by 20052006
• Assure that all classes are taught by a qualified
  teacher by 20052006

What does each bullet mean? Can you give an
example?
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

• Look at the report card...
• What components are connected to NCLB?

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No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

• All states are required to administer tests
• developed by the state and to set and
• monitor adequate yearly progress.

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Concerns about No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Provisions Children With Special Needs

• Highly qualified teachers must be hired
• states can create a state standard of evaluation
  for special education teachers
• States can still use other methods of diagnosing
  children with learning disabilities
• School districts are required to set aside a
  percentage of their federal funds for services
  for private school students

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Continuing effort to advocate appropriate
assessments

• Standardized tests and other measures used
  inappropriately to determine admission, promotion
  and retention of young children
• Fairness of existing tests to evaluate culturally
  and linguistically diverse children
• Early and appropriate assessment for children
  with disabilities

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Concerns about testing young children with
cultural and language differences

• Appropriate measurement and evaluation strategies
  that will enhance childrens potential for
  achievement
• The fairness of existing tests for children of
  diverse backgrounds serves as an indicator of the
  need for alternative assessment strategies for
  young children.
• How appropriate are tests and assessments in
  terms of the diversity of these young children?
  Is there bias?

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Concerns about testing young children with
disabilities

• Assessment should be based on the current
  understanding of development and better indicate
  what learning environments will best provide
  intervention services for the childs optimal
  development.
• Assessments are based on multiple sources of
  information that will reflect the childs
  capacities and competencies
• play-based assessment and
• structured tests are a part of an integrated
  approach

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Components of AYP

• Percentage of students who must score proficient
  or above in reading and math
• Percentage of students who must participate in
  reading and math testing
• Percentage of students who must be in attendance
  and graduate during the school year

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4 Ways to meet AYP

• Each subgroup meets or exceeds its target
• Meeting the Safe Harbor provision
• Meeting or exceeding the two year average
• Meeting the growth measure standard