Alternative Means of Assessing Children’s Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms

In its policy statement, NAEYC states that early childhood assessment practices should reflect and take into account children’s level of developmental capabilities and performance (2003). Early childhood professionals agree that the developmental characteristics of young children may affect their behavior in response to assessment procedures and outcomes (Gullo, 1997, 2005; Meisels, 1987; NAEYC, 2003). These include developmental limitations in areas such as language, cognitive, and physical responses (Gullo, 1997, 2005), motivational differences (Gullo, 1997, 2005), children’s perceptions of their performance (Gullo & Ambrose, 1987; Stipek, 1981), and their ability to generalize knowledge from one context to another (Hills, 1993; Meisels, 1993).