A major challenge to promoting effective early science and engineering education is the lack of reliable and validated assessments that align with current educational guidelines for science and engineering. Existing early science and engineering assessments either cover a narrow range of concepts and practices and/or are not designed in a way to…

This longitudinal study focused on the effects of two different principles of intervention in children at risk of developing dyslexia from 5 to 8 years old. The children were selected on the basis of a background questionnaire given to parents and preschool teachers, with cognitive and functional magnetic resonance imaging results substantiating…

Preschool experience plays a role in children's development. However, for programs with language and early literacy goals, the question remains whether preschool instructional experiences are sufficiently effective to achieve these goals for all children. In a multisite study, the authors conducted a process-product description of preschool…

This report provides a portrait of children entering Head Start for the first time in fall 2009, as well as of their family backgrounds and the classrooms and programs that serve them. The report also offers comparisons across the past decade of the Head Start program to delineate trends and changes in the population served and the services…

The research indicates that there are many benefits to pre-kindergarten participation which includes positive social and emotional benefits and academic achievement gains (Barnett et al., 2005; Cody, 1993; Neuman, 2007; U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, 2010). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of the…

The McCarthy Scales, which were designed to assess general intellectual abilities in the 2 1/2 to 8 1/2 age-range, are described and criticized on the basis of substantial experience in their use as a research instrument. It is concluded that they are particularly useful for the assessment of the preschooler. (Author)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DESIGN INSTRUMENTS WHICH WOULD DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THE CHILD WHO IS A CONFORMIST OR NONCONFORMIST AND THE CHILD WHO IS FREE TO USE EITHER CONFORMING OR NONCONFORMING BEHAVIOR. IN THIS WAY THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE ABILITY WHICH IS RELATED TO CONFORMITY IN BEHAVIOR CAN BE STUDIED. TWO INSTRUMENTS WERE…

BEGINNING WITH A REVIEW OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL MOVEMENT (FROEBEL, MONTESSORI, AND MCMILLAN,) THIS EVALUATION RELATES THE HISTORICAL MATERIAL TO HEAD START, SPECIFICALLY IN CAMBRIDGE MASS. DURING THE SUMMER OF 1965, MATCHED GROUPS OF 33 HEAD START CHILDREN AND 33 NON-HEAD START CHILDREN (CONTROL GROUP) WERE STUDIED. SCHOOL PRE-REGISTRATION LISTS…

This report is a summary of an evaluation of the predictive efficacy of profiles derived from a kindergarten rating scale. (Author)

The appropriateness of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests for economically deprived urban children was the subject of this article. It was concluded that due to item difficulty other tests should be considered. (Author/BY)

This document provides information for teachers and administrators about 54 tests which can be used with young children (2-5 years of age) to assess and evaluate early childhood education programs. Brief descriptions of the tests, presented in charts, include the following information: the name of each measure its author, the publisher, age or…

A SOCIAL COMPETENCY SCALE DESIGNED TO RATE PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AGED TWO YEARS, SIX MONTHS THROUGH FIVE YEARS, SIX MONTHS WITHIN A NURSERY SCHOOL CONTEXT WAS DEVELOPED AND STANDARDIZED. AFTER EXTENSIVE OBSERVATIONS OF PRESCHOOLERS, DISCUSSIONS WITH PRESCHOOL PERSONNEL, AND REVIEWS OF AVAILABLE MATERIAL THE FIRST FORM OF THE SCALE WAS WRITTEN, BASED…

High quality preschool programs that bring long-term benefits for children can be achieved by cooperation with the community to determine what is appropriate for local children. Existing programs must be evaluated for information and to avoid similar problems and children's "burn out" from tightly structured approaches. (CJH)

The overall purpose of the national Head Start evaluation is to assess the impact, on the children and parents being served, of: (1) the educational services component of Head Start, and (2) a new demonstration program within Head Start, Basic Educational Skills. The evaluation deals with a total of 65 Head Start programs and their families. This…