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Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation

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Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation NAEYC & NAECS/SDE position statement 1 Approved November 2003 POSITION STATEMENT Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation Building an Effective, Accountable System in Programs for Children Birth through Age 8 A Joint Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) Introduction early childhood practices, effective early learning standards and program standards, and a set of core High-quality early education produces long-lasting principles and values: belief in civic and democratic benefits. With this evidence, federal, state, and local values; commitment to ethical behavior on behalf of decision makers are asking critical questions about children; use of important goals as guides to action; young children’s education. What should children be coordinated systems; support for children as indi- taught in the years from birth through age eight? How viduals and members of families, cultures, and would we know if they are developing well and communities; partnerships with families; respect for learning what we want them to learn? And how could evidence; and shared accountability. we decide whether programs for children from infancy • implement curriculum that is thoughtfully planned, through the primary grades are doing a good job? challenging, engaging, developmentally appropriate, Answers to these questions—questions about early culturally and linguistically responsive, comprehen- childhood curriculum, child assessment, and program sive, and likely to promote positive outcomes for all evaluation—are the foundation of this joint position young children. statement from the National Association for the Edu- cation of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National As- • make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable sociation of Early Childhood Specialists in State Depart- assessment a central part of all early childhood ments of Education (NAECS/SDE). programs. To assess young children’s strengths, progress, and needs, use assessment methods that are developmentally appropriate, culturally and The Position linguistically responsive, tied to children’s daily activities, supported by professional development, inclusive of families, and connected to specific, The National Association for the Education of Young beneficial purposes: (1) making sound decisions Children and the National Association of Early about teaching and learning, (2) identifying signifi- Childhood Specialists in State Departments of cant concerns that may require focused intervention Education take the position that policy makers, the for individual children, and (3) helping programs early childhood profession, and other stakeholders in improve their educational and developmental young children’s lives have a shared responsibility to interventions. • construct comprehensive systems of curriculum, • regularly engage in program evaluation guided by assessment, and program evaluation guided by sound program goals and using varied, appropriate, concep- Adopted November 2003 NAEYC & NAECS/SDE position statement2 Approved November 2003 tually and technically sound evidence to determine nected to later learning. Pedagogy or teaching the extent to which programs meet the expected strategies are tailored to children’s ages, developmen- standards of quality and to examine intended as well tal capacities, language and culture, and abilities or as unintended results. disabilities. • provide the support, professional development, and • Curriculum builds on prior learning and experiences. other resources to allow staff in early childhood The content and implementation of the curriculum programs to implement high-quality curriculum, builds on children’s prior individual, age-related, and assessment, and program evaluation practices and to cultural learning, is inclusive of children with dis- connect those practices with well-defined early abilities, and is supportive of background knowledge learning standards and program standards. gained at home and in the community. The curricu- lum supports children whose home language is not English in building a solid base for later learning. Recommendations • Curriculum is comprehensive. Curriculum The curriculum encompasses critical areas of development including children’s physical well-being Implement curriculum that is thoughtfully planned, and motor development; social and emotional challenging, engaging, developmentally appropriate, development; approaches to learning; language culturally and linguistically responsive, comprehen- development; and cognition and general knowledge; sive, and likely to promote positive outcomes for all and subject matter areas such as science, mathemat- young children. ics, language, literacy, social studies, and the arts (more fully and explicitly for older children). Indicators of Effectiveness • Professional standards validate the curriculum’s • Children are active and engaged. subject-matter content. Children from babyhood through primary grades— When subject-specific curricula are adopted, they and beyond—need to be cognitively, physically, meet the standards of relevant professional organiza- socially, and artistically active. In their own ways, tions (for example, the American Alliance for Health, children of all ages and abilities can become inter- Physical Education, Recreation and Dance ested and engaged, develop positive attitudes toward [AAHPERD], the National Association for Music learning, and have their feelings of security, emo- Education [MENC]; the National Council of Teachers tional competence, and linkages to family and of English [NCTE]; the National Council of Teachers of community supported. Mathematics [NCTM]; the National Dance Education Organization [NDEO]; the National Science Teachers • Goals are clear and shared by all. Association [NSTA]) and are reviewed and imple- Curriculum goals are clearly defined, shared, and mented so that they fit together coherently. understood by all “stakeholders” (for example, • The curriculum is likely to benefit children. program administrators, teachers, and families). The curriculum and related activities and teaching Research and other evidence indicates that the strategies are designed to help achieve these goals in curriculum, if implemented as intended, will likely a unified, coherent way. have beneficial effects. These benefits include a wide range of outcomes. When evidence is not yet avail- • Curriculum is evidence-based. able, plans are developed to obtain this evidence. The curriculum is based on evidence that is develop- mentally, culturally, and linguistically relevant for the children who will experience the curriculum. It is Assessment of Young Children organized around principles of child development Make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable assess- and learning. ment a central part of all early childhood programs. • Valued content is learned through investigation, play, To assess young children’s strengths, progress, and and focused, intentional teaching. needs, use assessment methods that are developmen- Children learn by exploring, thinking about, and tally appropriate, culturally and linguistically respon- inquiring about all sorts of phenomena. These sive, tied to children’s daily activities, supported by experiences help children investigate “big ideas,” professional development, inclusive of families, and those that are important at any age and are con- connected to specific, beneficial purposes: NAEYC & NAECS/SDE position statement 3 Approved November 2003 (1) making sound decisions about teaching and curriculum implementation and teaching practices. learning, (2) identifying significant concerns that may Assessment helps early childhood professionals require focused intervention for individual children, understand the learning of a specific child or group and (3) helping programs improve their educational of children; enhance overall knowledge of child and developmental interventions. development; improve educational programs for young children while supporting continuity across Indicators of Effectiveness grades and settings; and access resources and supports for children with specific needs. • Ethical principles guide assessment practices. • Assessment evidence is gathered from realistic Ethical principles underlie all assessment prac- settings and situations that reflect children’s actual tices. Young children are not denied opportunities or performance. services, and decisions are not made about children on the basis of a single assessment. To influence teaching strategies or to identify children in need of further evaluation, the evidence • Assessment instruments are used for their intended used to assess young children’s characteristics and purposes. progress is derived from real-world classroom or Assessments are used in ways consistent with the family contexts that are consistent with children’s purposes for which they were designed. If the assess- culture, language, and experiences. ments will be used for additional purposes, they are validated for those purposes. • Assessments use multiple sources of evidence gath- ered over time. • Assessments are appropriate for ages and other characteristics of children being assessed. The assessment system emphasizes repeated, systematic observation, documentation, and other Assessments are designed for and validated for use forms of criterion- or performance-oriented assess- with children whose ages,
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