1.6: Foundational Assessment Terms
- Page ID
- 363100
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)The following are foundational assessment terms that will be used throughout this resource:
Authentic Assessment
Assessment that occurs during children’s everyday activities, routines, and interactions. It focuses on observing natural, meaningful behaviors in familiar environments with familiar people rather than using artificial or test-like situations.
Criterion-Referenced Assessment
An assessment that evaluates a child’s performance based on specific skills or learning goals. Instead of comparing children to one another, it measures what a child can do in relation to defined developmental expectations or task sequences.
Developmental Domains
Adaptive (Self-Help)
Skills that allow a child to care for themselves and function independently in daily life, such as eating, dressing, toileting, and managing personal responsibilities.
Cognition and General Knowledge
Abilities related to thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding the world. This domain includes early academic concepts such as counting, memory, and basic literacy skills.
Communication and Language
Skills used to understand and express ideas. This includes listening (receptive language), speaking (expressive language), and early reading and writing development.
Physical, Health, and Motor
Development related to the body, including physical health and movement, which includes:
Gross motor skills: large muscle movements such as running, jumping, or climbing.
Fine motor skills: small movements such as grasping objects or using writing tools.
Social and Emotional
How a child understands and manages feelings and interacts with others. This includes developing relationships, regulating emotions, following expectations, and building social skills.
Developmental Screening
A brief assessment used to quickly identify children who may be at risk for developmental delays and may need further, more detailed evaluation in specific areas.
Formative Assessment
Ongoing assessment used to guide and improve learning. It provides information that helps teachers adjust instruction and support children’s development as it is happening. At the program level, it is also used to evaluate and improve the quality of services.
Norm-Referenced Assessment
An assessment that compares a child’s performance to that of a group of same-age peers (a norm group). The results show how a child performs relative to others, and the comparison is most accurate when the norm group reflects the child’s background and characteristics.
Portfolio Assessment
An assessment method that involves the systematic collection and display of a child's work and progress over time.
Reliability
The accuracy and stability of assessment scores. Developers ensure this by testing children multiple times or using multiple scorers to reduce error.
Standardized Assessment
Involves a predetermined set of items that represent standards of knowledge or skills. These tests use the same materials, administration procedures, and scoring for all children to maintain consistency.
Summative Assessment
Data gathered at the end of a period to provide performance information about an entire program or to summarize child development and student learning.
Universal Screening
A process where all children in a program or classroom are screened periodically (e.g., as part of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports) to identify those falling behind and in need of extra help.
Validity
An indication of how closely an assessment measures what it is intended to measure. For a test to be valid, it must first be reliable.
These terms can be found in "A Guide to Assessment in Early Childhood: Infancy to Age Eight" from the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2008).