Contemporary Perspectives on Research in Assessment and Evaluation in Early Childhood Education

A volume in Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood EducationSeries Editor Olivia N. Saracho, University of MarylandResearchers, educators, professional organizations, administrators, parents, and policy makers have increased theirinvolvement in the assessment and evaluation of early childhood education programs. This interest has developed swiftlyduring the last decades. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the NationalAssociation of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) developed a positionstatement titled, Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountablesystem in programs for children birth through age 8, to address related trends, issues, guiding principles, and values.Appropriate and well-designed evaluations need to address several audiences including researchers, educators, policymakers, children, and parents. They need to encourage the implementation of a strong foundation that improves thequality of the children's education. Child assessment and program evaluation can lead to effective results and betteraccountability for preschool, kindergarten, and primary school programs. The purpose of this volume is to share acollection of research strands on contemporary perspectives on research in assessment and evaluation in early childhoodeducation. It provides a review and critical analysis of the literature on assessment and evaluation of programs, children, teachers, and settings. The volume begins witha brief introductory chapter that presents the reader with a map of the area, laying out the issues and alternatives, and linking these to the chapters that follow. Itaddresses several areas including (1) understanding assessment and evaluation with young children, (2) schools and assessment implications, (3) teacher evaluation andprofessional development, (4) social relationships and assessment, (5) content areas in early education assessment, (6) technology and assessment, and (7) conclusionwith future research directions in assessment and evaluation in early childhood education. The volume is of interest to researchers, educators, policy makers, universityfaculty, graduate students, and general readers who are interested in research on assessment and evaluation in early childhood education. The chapters are authored byestablished scholars in the field.