Assessing Young Children

Gayle Mindes is Professor of Education at DePaul University in Chicago.  She teaches in the pre-service early childhood and elementary education programs there.  Mindes, a life-long urban educator writes and speaks on the topics of assessment, social studies, and kindergarten.  Recent books include: Bayat, M. & Mindes, G. (in preparation) Addressing Challenging Behaviors and Mental Health Issues in Early Childhood and Beyond: A Function-Based Approach; Social Studies for Young Children: Preschool and Primary Curriculum Anchor, 2nd edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2014; Koralek, D. & Mindes, G. (2006) Spotlight on young children and social studies. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children; Ornstein, A. C. & Lasley, T. & Mindes, G. (2005) Secondary and Middle School Methods, 2nd Ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon; Mindes, G. & Donavan, M. A. (2001) Building character: Five enduring themes for a stronger early childhood curriculum. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.   Mindes is a consulting editor for Young Children and she presents regularly at NAEYC Annual Conferences. She is project director for a professional development program for Head Start Teachers, funded by City of Chicago Department of Family Support Services.      Lee Ann Jung, PhD, has been on faculty in the University of Kentucky's College of Education since 2002 and has worked in the field of special education since 1994. She has served in the roles of teacher, administrator, researcher, and independent consultant. Lee Ann's consultation with programs, schools, and organizations around the world has spanned 15 years. Her experience as interventionist with hundreds of children with disabilities and their families provides a valuable lens for this work. Lee Ann regularly provides leadership to programs and school districts on topics of assessment, family support, IEP/IFSP development, inclusive practices/natural environments, standards-based grading for exceptional learners, planning and implementing intervention, and measuring progress. This ongoing connection to practice in real-world settings grounds the research-based foundation of her university teaching.   She coauthored, Answers to Essential Questions about Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting, which was finalist for the Distinguished Achievement award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Lee Ann is also coauthor of the book, Grading Struggling and Exceptional Learners, which was a 2012 finalist for the same award in 2013.  She is currently authoring the book, Planning Intervention and Measuring Progress, for Solution Tree Press.  Lee Ann has written more than 35 journal articles and book chapters and has received in excess of 4 million dollars in funding to support personnel preparation and research. Lee Ann has served as associate editor for Young Exceptional Children (YEC), guest editor and editorial board member of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, and is currently an editorial board member for YEC and Journal of Early Intervention.