This sequential-explanatory mixed-methods study assessed the construct validity of the educative Teaching Performance Assessment's (edTPA) Elementary Education Literacy, Elementary Education Math, and Early Childhood assessment areas. The edTPA is a portfolio-based subject-specific teaching performance assessment developed by Stanford's Center for…

Traditional measures of reading ability designed for younger students typically focus on componential skills (e.g., decoding, vocabulary), and the items are often presented in a discrete and decontextualized format. The current study was designed to explore whether it was feasible to develop a more integrated, scenario-based assessment of…

Traditional measures of reading ability designed for younger students typically focus on componential skills (e.g., decoding, vocabulary) and the items are often presented in a discrete and decontextualized format. The current study was designed to explore whether it was feasible to develop a more integrated, scenario-based assessment of…

This report contains reliability and validity evidence for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment system (KEA) using a statewide sample of kindergarten children. The KEA was designed as a formative, developmental, authentic, and criterion referenced classroom resource for teachers. As a formative assessment, the KEA focuses on the…

Associations between scale scores obtained from a teacher observation-based authentic assessment measure, the "Teaching Strategies GOLD®", and (a) teacher ratings of children's social functioning and learning behaviors, and (b) child performance on external, individually administered direct assessments of academic skills are presented.…

The present study investigated a direct assessment of behavioral self-regulation (the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders; HTKS) and its contribution to early academic achievement among young children in Germany and Iceland. The authors examined the psychometric properties and construct validity of the HTKS, investigated gender differences in young…

Teacher-evaluation has become a key measure for determining teacher effectiveness and the examination of the evaluation process at early childhood levels is a critical area of study. Responding to federal policies, many states have reformed their teacher evaluation systems. One of the more recent developments in state policy is the inclusion of…

The early childhood professionals recognize the limitations of conventional testing with young children. This recognition has given rise to Authentic Assessment, now recognized officially as best practice by the major professional organizations. However, no national studies have been conducted to document the comparative qualities of either…

An important consideration in determining the validity of an observational assessment measure for young children is the variability attributed to the child versus that ascribed to the assessor or to some other factor such as classroom context. The "Teaching Strategies GOLD"® assessment system was used to elicit teacher ratings of a…

This study documents the reliability and validity of a new infant-toddler authentic assessment, the Learning Through Relating Child Assets Record (LTR-CAR), and its feasibility of use by infant-toddler caregivers in an Early Head Start program. In a sample of 136 children, results indicated a strong internal structure of the LTR-CAR as evidenced…

Three studies are described that examined the relation between performance-based (PB) feedback delivered via e-mail and preschool teachers' use of recommended practices. The authors conducted the first two studies in the same classroom with different classroom staff. The third study was conducted with three different teachers employed in…

Early childhood professional organizations support teachers as the best assessors of students' academic, social, emotional, and physical development. This study investigates the predictive nature of teacher ratings of first-grade students' performance on a standards-based curriculum-embedded performance assessment within the context of a state…

Research Findings: This study examined the measurement equivalence of the "Teaching Strategies GOLD[R]" assessment system across subgroups of children based on their primary language and disability status. This study is based on teacher-collected assessment data for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children for the fall of 2010, winter of 2010, and spring…

The assessment of literacy and numeracy skills of students as they enter school for the first time is not yet established nation-wide in Australia. However, a large proportion of primary schools have chosen to assess their starting students on the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools-Baseline Assessment (PIPS-BLA). This series of three…

Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,312) were analyzed to examine whether the adverse effects of early insensitive parenting on children's academic functioning can be offset by parents' later involvement in children's education. Observations of mothers' early…