ABSTRACT
Early childhood educators and researchers have historically distrusted standardized measures of young children’s learning (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 1988), and current legislation mandating new waves of testing has focused renewed attention on assessment practices. To contextualize the discussion of current practice and current concerns, this chapter begins by briefly reviewing the history of early literacy assessment and discussing the enduring issues surrounding assessment practices. Issues have largely centered on the appropriateness of the assessment practices and of the instruments used, the nature of information that is collected and the uses to which it is put, and impact of assessment practices on instruction for young children.
