Development and Assessment of Young Children

Developmental assessment of Young children 4 (1+3)

Lesson 13:Early childhood Assessment

Early childhood assessment

Assessment is the process of observing, recording, and otherwise documenting the work children do and how they do it as a basis for a variety of educational decisions that affect the child (NAEYC national association for education of young children, 1990).

Preschool children show a wide variety in emotional maturity and respond differently to the examiner. For some children the examiner can be sure that the test results reflect an accurate level of cognitive functioning, but with other children, this is not so.

A child can be shy and non responsive due to lack of cooperation. Preschool tests are more complex and focus more on the cognitive abilities of the child rather than the sensory motor skills. They have greater predictive validity. Team approach is suitable for assessment and tests need to be approached with caution to avoid the negative consequences of labeling or over diagnosis (Gregory, 2000).