Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education, 3e (Bredekamp)
Chapter 11 Assessing Children’s Learning and Development
1) The ongoing process of gathering evidence of children’s learning and development, then
organizing and interpreting the information in order to make informed decisions about
instructional practice is called what?
A) observation
B) evidence gathering
C) assessment
D) evaluation
2) When a teacher is comparing a child’s observations from the beginning of the year to
observations at the end of the year to see how far the child has progressed, this is what kind of
assessment?
A) informal assessment
B) summative assessment
C) formative assessment
D) observation comparison
3) While reading a book, a teacher notices that half of her class is not paying attention, so she
leads the children in a group stretching activity and then gives the children a choice to choose
another area to play in, or to sit and continue hearing the story. This adaptation to her teaching to
keep her class engaged is called what?
A) informal assessment
B) formal assessment
C) evaluation
D) formative assessment
4) Which of the following is an example of a formative assessment?
A) curriculum-embedded assessment
B) aptitude testing
C) readiness testing
D) authentic assessment
5) Having a child read aloud to assess a child’s reading ability rather than giving him a multiple-
choice test would be what type of assessment?
A) reading assessment
B) dynamic assessment
C) formative assessment
D) alternative assessment
6) A test is said to be ________ if the tool is likely to get the same or similar results when used
by different people or on different days.
A) valid
B) reliable
C) standardized
D) useful
7) Since the SAT and ACT compare a person’s score to a predetermined level of performance,
they are examples of what kind of standardized test?
A) norm-referenced test
B) college entrance exam
C) criterion-referenced tests
D) skills assessment
8) The first step in the process to find out which children are at risk for a disability would be
which of the following?
A) screening test
B) diagnostic test
C) play-based assessment
D) norm-referenced test
9) Holding teachers, schools, or programs responsible for meeting a required level of
performance is called what?
A) standardized testing
B) program evaluation
C) accountability
D) formal assessment
10) Effective assessment
A) can be used to deny special services
B) is only necessary for identifying children with special needs
C) does not need to remain confidential
D) requires multiple sources of information
11) Many people agree that young children are not good test takers. For this reason
A) it’s best to not assess until after kindergarten
B) it’s best to use developmentally appropriate assessment
C) children should only be assessed by their parents or pediatricians
D) assessment should only be done in the home environment
12) Which of the following is true regarding culturally and linguistically responsive assessment?
A) Translations are an easy solution to the problem.
B) Valid and reliable assessment tools are available in multiple languages.
C) Academic language used in schools is very similar to conversational language that children
use on a daily basis.
D) It is estimated that it takes 4 to 7 years to acquire proficiency in academic English.
13) What are changes in assessment procedures, materials, or setting to eliminate barriers related
to the child’s disability that might keep children from demonstrating their full capabilities?
A) accommodations
B) modifications
C) individual assessment
D) screening test
14) All of the following are importing skills of systematic observation, except
A) describing behavior objectively
B) observing children only as individuals
C) observing children at different times of the day
D) being aware of individual biases
15) What type of record could a teacher use if he or she wanted to count how many times a child
hit another child during outdoor play?
A) checklist
B) frequency count
C) rubric
D) rating scale
16) What type of record could a teacher use when trying to see if a child usually, seldom, or
never performs a specific skill?
A) portfolio
B) checklist
C) diary description
D) rating scale
17) What are short descriptions of incidences that teachers write based on observations?
A) anecdotal record
B) checklist
C) frequency count
D) rubric
18) Which of the following would be an example of an item that would be seen on a
developmental continuum?
A) A child can write the first letter of his name.
B) Children first make marks on a page, then draw a line, then shapes.
C) Children can recite the alphabet before they reach kindergarten.
D) A child is able to answer questions based on the story read by the teacher.
19) What type of standardized test would a child take before entering kindergarten?
A) readiness test
B) aptitude test
C) achievement test
D) diagnostic test
20) Bias and negative effects on curriculum and teaching are common concerns about
A) Common Core Standards
B) High Scope
C) standardized testing
D) emergent curriculum
21) List the purposes of assessing young children.
22) Many people use the terms testing and assessment interchangeably. Explain why these terms
are not synonymous.
23) Describe the indicators of effective assessment.
24) Create a chart that outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the assessment methods
described in the chapter.
Chapter 11 – Assessing Children’s Learning and Development