Preschool Language Assessment Instrument

The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments.

This Element has two main purposes. Firstly, it discusses purposes, advantages, and disadvantages as well as the challenges of different formats of language assessment, concluding with a focus on educator-administered language assessment in early childhood and education programs. It addresses the selection of assessment domains, the trade-off between brevity and precision, the challenge of assessing bilinguals, and accommodating the requirements of funders (e.g., government agencies) and users (e.g., educators and schools). It draws on lessons learned from developing two instruments for a national Danish-language and preliteracy assessment program. Secondly, it introduces those two educator-administered instruments-Language Assessment 3-6 (LA 3-6) and Language Assessment 2-year-olds (LA 2)-with respect to content, norming, gender and socioeconomic influences as well as psychometric qualities. The intention is that this experience can help enable the extension of the educator-based approach to other languages and contexts, while simultaneously acknowledging that linguistic and cultural adaptations are crucial.

The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale is designed to provide the clinician with a comprehensive, easy-to-administer, and relevant tool to assess the preverbal and verbal aspects of communication and interaction in the young child. The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale is a criterion referenced instrument that assesses Interaction-Attachment, Pragmatics, Gesture, Play, Language Comprehension, and Language Expression. Behaviors can be directly elicited from the child, directly observed, or reported by parent or caregiver to credit the child's performance. All carry equal weight when scoring the scale. Results reflect the child's mastery of skills in each of the areas assessed at three-month intervals across developmental domains tested. The test items guide you in directing and structuring observations in order to monitor the child's progress in language developmental areas. The items are based on a compilation of author observation and descriptions from developmental hierarchies and behaviors recognized and used by leading authorities in the field of infant-toddler assessment. Only items considered discriminating and representative of a skill at an age were included. Severity rating guidelines help you interpret the results and confidently communicate the severity of the child's delay. Parent Questionnaire and report questions are in English and Spanish, found on the CD-ROM for quick printing.

The Language of Learning introduces the field of education to business professionals through the terminology that defines the field. It includes definitions of 52 terms that business professionals need to know about business education and training. Each term has a definition, a description of why that term is important, and an essay about why business professionals need to know this term and how they can use it. Each of the 52 terms was contributed by a leading expert in that specific area. Businesses need to ensure that their employees have the skills they need to be effective in their jobs. Education and training are a critical part of ensuring this is the case. The Language of Learning provides the vocabulary and concepts professionals need to understand so they can work with learning specialists to design training and education programs that are effective and efficient. In addition to the 52 main terms, there is an extensive glossary with more than 90 additional terms and more than 150 references for further exploration. The Language of Learning is a must-read for business professionals and learning and development specialists.