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8.1: Defining Standardized Assessment Tools

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    272924
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    Standardized (or sometimes called conventional) assessment tools and methods are those that provide a snapshot of a child’s skills and knowledge on a particular day and specific context, typically using structured tasks and procedures that ensure reliability and validity in assessment outcomes (American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), 2014). It is because standardized assessments often mandate strict and “unnatural” procedures, that use of such tools with young children has significant limitations and they have received lower quality appraisals from professionals when compared to authentic assessment methods (Bagnato et al., 2014). Therefore, while standardized tests are widely used in various educational and clinical settings with older children and adults, their use in early childhood settings is typically limited to formal evaluation of development, diagnosis of disabilities, and to guide intervention strategies (McLoughlin et al., 2017). When used, standardized assessment should be combined with more authentic assessment methods.

    Screening Assessment Tools

    Early childhood screening tools are quick, broad measures designed to help identify children who may be at risk for academic delays, developmental delays or disabilities (Glascoe, 2013).

    Universal screening tools are those used to help identify children who may be at risk for academic or social-emotional needs and are often used to identify students who may benefit from additional support or intervention. Some universal screening tools include, but are not limited to: Individual Growth and Development Indicators (My IGDIs; Hojnoski and Floyd 2012) and the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Preschool (PALS-PreK; Invernizzi et al. 2004).

    Developmental screening tools are those used to help identify children who may have a developmental delay or disability. Tools including, but not limited to, the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ; Squires et al. 2009), the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL)/Speed DIAL (Mardel-Czudnowski and Goldenberg 2011; Mardel and Goldenberg 2011) and others help identify if there is a need for further comprehensive evaluation but do not diagnose or identify need on their own (Bricker and Squires 2009).

    Curriculum-Based Assessment Tools

    Curriculum-based assessments (CBA) are tools that evaluate students' progress in relation to specific curricular standards rather than comparing them to a normative sample (Deno 1985). These assessments, such as the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS; Bricker et al. 2022) and Teaching Strategies GOLD (Heroman et al. 2010), provide information that can be used for assessment and instructional planning.

    Diagnostic Assessment Tools

    Diagnostic assessment tools are those that provide in-depth analysis of a child's strengths and needs, for the purposes of informing specific intervention strategies. Early childhood diagnostic assessment tools include, but are not limited to: the Developmental Assessment for Young Children (DAYC; Voress and Maddox 2012), the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI, Newborg 2020), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT; Dunn and Dunn 2007), the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS; Folio and Fewell 2023), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Vineland, Sparrow et al. 2016). These and other diagnostic assessment tools are also used to aid in determining eligibility for special education or early intervention services.


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