Early childhood assessments gather and provide educators, parents and families with critical information about a child’s development and growth. Prekindergarten programs must incorporate a variety of developmentally appropriate formal and informal screening and assessment methods and tools to guide curriculum implementation and monitor children’s growth over time. In this session, participants will examine criteria for selecting effective assessment tools and methods and explore how to use this information to strengthen instructional practices and enhance teaching and learning within their preschool programs.
The Kansas Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Guides provide information on high quality instruction in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. These guides include information on child development, learning environments, classroom management, family engagement, Kansas curricular standards, assessment, and program structures for preschool and kindergarten. Participants will examine these resources to deepen their understanding of what is available and how they can be effectively utilized with early childhood staff to support the implementation of high-quality programming for the youngest learners in their community.
The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) believes that both the materials and the process used to select instructional materials matter. This session will help guide participants through selecting quality instructional materials for preschool programs based on current research.
