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3 Perspectives on Early Childhood Learning Standards and Assessment
Pages 43-56

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From page 43...
... The federal government, individual states, and local providers usually find themselves working at least partially backward to create workable processes 43
From page 44...
... We use the term "early learning standards," as defined by the Early Childhood Education Assessment Consortium of the Council of Chief State School Officers, in collaboration with several early childhood organizations. Early learning standards are statements that describe expectations for the learning and development of young children across the domains of health and physical wellbeing, social and emotional well-being, approaches to learning, language development and symbol systems, and general knowledge about the world around them (Council of Chief State School Officers and Early Childhood Education Assessment Consortium, 2007)
From page 45...
... . DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS Decades of research on effective programs have demonstrated that children participating in programs adhering to high-quality program and process standards exhibit improved developmental and learning outcomes compared with children with no program or those experiencing a low-quality program (Ackerman and B ­ arnett, 2006; High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2002)
From page 46...
... Appendix C provides more information about state early childhood standards. While acknowledging that adherence to high-quality program standards substantially increases the likelihood that participating children will benefit from the program, advocates have been forceful in expressing reservations about creating these sets of expectations (Hatch, 2001; National Association for the Education of Young Children and National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education, 2002)
From page 47...
... 2001 Publication of Eager to Learn (National Research Council, 2001) 2002 17 states have standards for children ages 3-4; 4 states have standards for children ages 0-3 Good Start, Grow Smart initiative (White House, 2002)
From page 48...
... Earlier work of the National Research Council (NRC) has played a key role in informing and developing that understanding and thereby supporting the develop ment of early learning standards.
From page 49...
... Development of the Framework The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework was developed in response to an unfolding set of congressional mandates beginning with the 1994 reauthorization of the Head Start Act, which mandated the development of measures to assess services and administrative and fiscal practices, to be usable for local self-assessment and peer review, to identify Head Start strengths and weaknesses, and to identify problem areas (Section 641A)
From page 50...
... , who used the Pyramid of Services as a basis for their deliberations. Bureau staff also consulted standards documents from professional associations and the existing state early learning standards, of which 10 sets existed at the time. Although those sets of state standards displayed some common elements, great disparity was reflected in the ways the developmental domains were described and in which domains were included.
From page 51...
... SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ­Administration Alternate Fig 3-1, from downloaded source, editable vectors for Children and Families (2006)
From page 52...
... Head Start assessment practices should reflect the assumption that children demonstrate progress over time in development and learning on a developmental continuum, in forms such as increasing frequency of a behavior or ability; increasing breadth or depth of knowledge and understanding; or increasing proficiency or independence in exercising a skill or ability" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2000)
From page 53...
... This system, combined with ongoing Head Start research and onsite program monitoring reviews, was envisioned as a source of comprehensive information on local program effectiveness. Local program data would be used to target new efforts in staff training and program improvement to enhance the capacity of Head Start to increase children's early literacy and school readiness.
From page 54...
... Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2006b)
From page 55...
... It requires ACF to discontinue administration of the NRS in its current form, directing it to take into account the results of this National Academies report and of other scientific research in any new assessment design, development, and implementation. At the time of this writing, administration of the NRS has been terminated, and ACF is under a requirement to follow a more r ­ igorous process as it develops new assessment tools for Head Start.


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