The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for
Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
Definition
The measurement, comparison, and judgment of the value, quality or worth of children's work and/or of their schools, teachers, or a specific educational program based upon valid evidence gathered through assessment.
Related Terms (Not Synonyms)
Child evaluation; Formative evaluation; Large-scale evaluation; Meta evaluation; Program evaluation; Summative evaluation
Explanatory Comments
- Sources emphasize that the purpose of an evaluation must be clearly articulated and the evaluation methods used should be consistent with the purpose.
- The evidence or data collected should be relevant to the purpose of the evaluation and be used in a manner consistent with the purpose and method for collecting the data.
- Evaluations can be conducted on several levels-evaluations of: children's learning and development, particular teaching strategies or curricula, a teacher's effectiveness in implementing the program, the quality of the learning environment, and/or the system or community within which the services are delivered. The "level" that is examined and the methods for collecting data must be consistent with the purpose of the evaluation.
- Examples of inappropriate evaluation practices:
- Using test scores of the as a measure of the success of a program when the test, itself, is designed for use with children who are older.
- Using children's attendance as a measure of program effectiveness.
- In special education, the term evaluation often refers to the process used to determine a child's eligibility for services.
Web Sources
Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF). The program manager's guide to evaluation. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/core/pubs_reports/chapter_2_pmguide.html
Manitoba Ministry of Education. Education and Youth. Reporting on student progess and achievement: Glossary. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/docs/policy/reporting/glossary.html
Mirriam-Webster. (2000). Mirriam-Webster Online: The language center. Author. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?evaluation
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). Assessment glossary. Author. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.cse.ucla.edu/CRESST/pages/glossary.htm
Scriven, Michael (1999). The nature of evaluation part I: Relation to psychology. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 6(11). Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=6&n=11
Shadish, William (1998). Some evaluation questions. Practical assessment, Research & Evaluation, 6(3). Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=6&n=3
State Preschool Accountability Research Collaborative. SPARC glossary. Author. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/Sparc/survey/sparcglossary.htm
UNM Center for Family and Community Partnerships. Glossary of assessment terminology. Author. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.newassessment.org/public/communication/Terms/default.cfm
Other Resources
Hills, T.W. (1998). Finding what is of value in programs for young children and their families. In Seefeldt, C, & Galper, A. (Eds.). Continuing issues in early childhood education. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Kamil, M., Mosenthal, P., Pearson, P., & Barr, R. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of reading research. Vol. 3. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 99-107.
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