Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
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Definition
Statements that describe expectations for the learning and development of young children across the domains of: health and physical well being; social and emotional well being; approaches to learning; language development and symbol systems; and, general knowledge about the world around them.
Academic standards; Academic content standards; Benchmarks; Child-based outcome standards; Content standards; Expectations; Goals; Guidelines; Indicators; Learning results; Performance standards; Program standards; Standards; Standards-based assessment; Student academic achievement standards
- This is an emergent term. It captures the multidimensional approach needed to portray effective expectations for the learning and development of young children.
- Early learning standards (or guidelines) should be based on research about the processes, sequences, and long-term consequences of early learning and development and are not simply downward extensions of content and/or performance standards developed for older students.
- Expectations are appropriate for the specific ages or developmental periods encompassed by the standards.
- The content and expectations accommodate variations (community, cultural, linguistic, and individual) that best support positive outcomes for the widest possible range of children's life situations and experiences, including disabilities. (NAEYC & NAECS/SDE, 2002)
- Early learning standards are intended to inform teachers/caregivers, programs and schools, parents and the community about what children are expected to learn and what teachers/caregivers are expected to guide them to learn. They help parents hold appropriate expectations for their children.
Administration for Children and Families. The National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Resource Center (2000). Head Start child outcomes framework. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.hsnrc.org/hsnrc/CDI/pdfs/UGCOF.pdf
National Association for the Education of Young Children & National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education. (2002). Early learning standards: Creating the conditions for success. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/earlylearn.pdf