Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning

Book excerpt: Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning is intended for teachers - both inservice and preservice - who work in early childhood classrooms. This new book synthesizes the literature on assessment into a guide that reflects the most promising practices in classroom assessment of young children's development and learning. Some of the outstanding features of the book include synthesis of "alternative" and "authentic" assessment approaches into a flexible, workable process for classroom teachers; extensive practical guides, examples, and organizational aids that can be used "as is" or adapted to suit the needs of a particular classroom or teacher; sections on portfolios, integrating assessment with teaching, cultural sensitivity, improving validity and reliability, interpreting and using assessment results, and collaborating with specialists; and easy to use developmental charts and guides to support teachers' decision making.