An authentic approach to assessing pre-kindergarten programs: redefining readiness.

An authentic approach to assessing pre-kindergarten programs: redefining readiness. In the wake of No Child Left Behind (NCLB NCLB No Child Left Behind (US education initiative)), academic achievement,including school readiness, has come to be redefined as children'sability to earn a passing score on required standardized tests A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a standard manner. The tests are designed in such a way that the "questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent" [1] . Byrelying on test results to tell us if children are ready for school, itis easy to explain achievement gaps and low test scores as being causedby poverty, family circumstances, or other outside factors. In short,families and children may be "blamed" for children not beingready for school. Several years ago, the state of South Carolina South Carolina,state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW).Facts and FiguresArea, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. turned to experts inearly childhood education to address the school readiness issue for itsK-2 schools. Rather than asking, "Is this child ready forschool?," the state created a program assessment system thatreframed the question of school readiness by asking, "Is thisschool ready for all children?" This approach avoided on-demandtests, and focused instead on a school's ability to meetresearch-based criteria shown to enhance children's growth,development, and learning--that is, their chances for school success. Asa result, the state's kindergarten kindergarten[Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be and 1st-grade performance-basedauthentic assessment Authentic assessment is an umbrella concept that refers to the measurement of "intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful,"[1] as compared to multiple choice standardized tests. instrument, which is based on the Work SamplingSystem (Meisels, Jablon, Marsden, Dichtelmiller, & Dorfman, 2001),has been left intact and uncompromised. This article begins with a short history of assessment, focusingparticularly on issues related to the assessment of young children andtheir school readiness. It then describes the Conditions of Learningassessment system and the results from its initial implementation. Weconclude with recommendations about how this approach might bereplicated to protect children from readiness assessments that exposethem to inappropriate tasks that tell us little of value about whatchildren know and are able to do. Early Childhood Educators' Long History of ResistingStandardized Testing Early childhood educators This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details. have steadfastly objected to theproliferation proliferation/pro��lif��er��a��tion/ (pro-lif?er-a��shun) the reproduction or multiplication of similar forms, especially of cells.prolif��erativeprolif��erous pro��lif��er��a��tionn. of high-stakes, on-demand testing, particularly thetesting of young children conducted in the name of programaccountability. They have buttressed but��tress?n.1. A structure, usually brick or stone, built against a wall for support or reinforcement.2. Something resembling a buttress, as:a. The flared base of certain tree trunks.b. this position with their knowledgeof child development, their understanding of the strengths andweaknesses of currently available psychometric psy��cho��met��rics?n. (used with a sing. verb)The branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and instruments, and theircommitment to social justice. They know that young children'sgrowth is episodic episodicsporadic; occurring in episodes. e. falling a paroxymal disorder described in Cavalier King Charles spaniels in which affected dogs, starting at an early age, experience episodes of extensor rigidity, possibly brought on by stress. e. and uneven; understand that great variability existsamong and within typically performing children; and appreciate thattests do a poor job of measuring the complex social, emotional,cognitive, and physical competencies that children from birth to age 8need to succeed in school. Experts in early childhood assessment alsorealize that such tests often can be culturally biased. They are highlycorrelated cor��re��late?v. cor��re��lat��ed, cor��re��lat��ing, cor��re��latesv.tr.1. To put or bring into causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relation.2. to mothers' educational level, family income andsocial/economic status, home language, and other family characteristics.In short, they realize standardized tests do a better job describingwhat children bring to a program than what they take from it (Kamii,1990; National Research Council, 2001; Scott-Little & Niemeyer,2002). Early childhood educators have expressed these concerns in positionstatements released by three well-known professional organizationsrepresenting early childhood educators in the United States United States,officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. : theAssociation for Childhood Education International (ACEI ACEI Angiotensin Converting Enzyme InhibitorACEI Association for Childhood Education InternationalACEI Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland ), NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the largest nonprofit association in the United States representing early childhood education teachers, experts, and advocates in center-based and family day care. (NAEYC NAEYC National Association for the Education of Young Children (Washington, DC)), and SouthernEarly Childhood Association (SECA SECA Solid State Energy Conversion AllianceSECA Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance AssociationSECA Southern Early Childhood AssociationSECA Sulphur Emission Control AreaSECA Self-Employment Contributions Act of 1954 ). ACEI's 1991 and 2007 position papers on assessment trace thehistory of reliance on standardized tests to evaluate young children,reporting that in spite of political pressures to test young children,standardized standardizedpertaining to data that have been submitted to standardization procedures.standardized morbidity ratesee morbidity rate.standardized mortality ratesee mortality rate. , on-demand assessments were infrequently in��fre��quent?adj.1. Not occurring regularly; occasional or rare: an infrequent guest.2. used in earlychildhood programs prior to 1965, despite political pressure to do so(ACEI, 1991, 2007). That moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on testing young children had liftedby the mid-1980s to such an extent that the authors of NAEYC's 1987Position Statement on Standardized Tests assumed that tests were anecessary part of the accountability equation. NAEYC focused onreminding educators to use assessments only for their designatedpurposes and only when their use improved services and outcomes forchildren. NAEYC's Position Statement on School Readiness (NAEYC,1990/1995) took a stronger and more proactive stance by asserting thatyoung children are, by their very nature, poor test takers; therefore,researchers' attempts to determine an instrument's reliabilityand validity (i.e., attempts to achieve standardization standardizationIn industry, the development and application of standards that make it possible to manufacture a large volume of interchangeable parts. Standardization may focus on engineering standards, such as properties of materials, fits and tolerances, and drafting ) are fruitless fruit��less?adj.1. Producing no fruit.2. Unproductive of success: a fruitless search.See Synonyms at futile. .This position statement also highlighted the normal variability amongchildren of the same age and cautioned professionals about the dangersof using standardized instruments to make high-stakes decisions,specifically in determining children's eligibility to enter school. SECA's position paper on assessment (1990/1996/2000) goes onestep beyond NAEYC's by stating that testing itself is a fruitlessexercise. SECA's authors insist that testing be held to the samehigh standard as other components of the curriculum. It is not enoughthat testing do no harm; assessment activities must contribute to youngchildren's growth, learning, and development. NAEYC's most recent position statement on assessment wasdeveloped in collaboration with the National Association of EarlyChildhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE)(NAEYC & NAECS/SDE, 2003). It expresses the concern of theseorganizations that curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation Program evaluation is a formalized approach to studying and assessing projects, policies and program and determining if they 'work'. Program evaluation is used in government and the private sector and it's taught in numerous universities. dimensions of quality programming have been addressed in a"disconnected and piecemeal piecemealpatchy, e.g. necrosis of the liver in which groups of hepatocytes are separated by small groups of inflammatory cells and fine, fibrous septa following extension of the inflammatory process beyond the limiting plate. fashion." Through this positionstatement, NAEYC and NAECS/SDE remind early childhood educators andpolicymakers that high-quality early childhood programs assesschildren's progress and program effectiveness in coordinated,connected, and continuous ways, rather than through on-demand tests thatare disconnected and separate from children's experiences inhigh-quality classrooms (NAYEC NAYEC National Association for the Education of Young ChildrenNAYEC Northern Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp & NAECS/SDE, 2003). The growing threat posed by inappropriate testing is also evidencedin NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment.Assessment issues were not mentioned in the first version of the Code orin its 1992 and 1997 revisions (Feeney & Kipnis, 1989, 1992, 1997).The 2005 version of the NAEYC Code, which has been endorsed by ACEI,includes nine items addressing assessment and testing. These itemsreflect the field's current concerns about the pressure on teachersto assess children in inappropriate ways, and provide early childhoodeducators guidance as they strive to honor the Code's firstprinciple: "Above all, we shall not harm children" (NAEYC,2005). Resisting Testing--Welcoming Accountability: South Carolina'sProactive Response South Carolina enacted the Educational Accountability Act There are a number of piece of legislation known as the Accountability Act: Canada's Federal Accountability Act The American Syria Accountability Act, Darfur Peace and Accountability Act Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1998,several years before the passage of NCLB. This state law requires allpublic schools to publish annual report cards to: * Inform parents and the public about the school's performance * Assist in addressing the strengths and weaknesses within aparticular school * Recognize schools with high performance * Evaluate and focus resources on schools with low performance. (EOC EOC Emergency Operations CenterEOC Equal Opportunities Commission (UK)EOC Educational Opportunity CenterEOC End Of CourseEOC Epithelial Ovarian CancerEOC Environment of Care (JCAHO), 2006a, Appendix C) Report cards of elementary, middle, and high schools rely, in largemeasure, on results from state-mandated achievement tests. Because SouthCarolina's legislature has supported early childhoodeducators' position that testing young children is imprecise im��pre��cise?adj.Not precise.impre��cisely adv. andunethical unethicalsaid of conduct not conforming with professional ethics. , however, mandated standardized tests are not administereduntil 3rd grade. That means another assessment strategy was needed toevaluate the 20-or-so schools serving only young children betweenkindergarten and 2nd grade. In 1999, an Early Childhood Study Group,made up of representatives from all stakeholder stakeholdern. a person having in his/her possession (holding) money or property in which he/she has no interest, right or title, awaiting the outcome of a dispute between two or more claimants to the money or property. constituencies,developed an evaluation protocol upon which primary schools' reportcards would be based. The yardsticks selected to measure program quality fall into fourcategories: 1) measures of school climate, such as attendance and classsize; 2) measures of teacher quality, such as certification levels andprofessional development opportunities; 3) measures of the extent andquality of parent involvement; and 4) external evaluation of programquality. These structural and programmatic pro��gram��mat��ic?adj.1. Of, relating to, or having a program.2. Following an overall plan or schedule: a step-by-step, programmatic approach to problem solving.3. criteria are being used invarious forms and combinations to evaluate primary school programs inother U.S. states A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States, although four states use the official title "commonwealth". The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and as well as in several western European nations(Literature Review, 2005). The proposal to evaluate schools'readiness for children garnered support by relying on study groupmembers' informed professional opinions as well as nationalexperts' teachings and advice (Darling-Hammond, 2004; Shepard,Kagan, & Wurtz, 1998). South Carolina's Conditions of Learning Primary SchoolAssessment Plan The Conditions of Learning assessment protocol had to rely on dataalready being collected by the State Department of Education, because nofunding had been allocated for either the collection of additionalinformation or for the creation of new assessment instruments. (1) Thestate settled on these seven criteria that correlate to children'slater school success: Student Attendance: Percentage of children in attendance, based onthe number of children enrolled on the 45th day of school Pupil/Teacher Ratios: Calculated by dividing the number of studentsenrolled in the school on the 45th day of school by the total number ofteachers assigned to the classroom full time on that date (Biddle &Berliner, 2002; Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; Phillips, 1987) Parent Involvement: Calculated by dividing the number of studentswhose parent(s)/guardian(s) attend at least one individual parentconference during the school year by the total number of studentsenrolled on the 135th day of school (Eldridge, 2001; Epstein, 1995;Isenberg & Jalongo, 1997; Powell, 1998) External Evaluation: Accreditation by the Department of Education,the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditation agency for over 13,000 public and private educational institutions ranging from preschool to college level in the southern United States. , NAEYC, and theAmerican Montessori Society The American Montessori Society (AMS) is a non-profit, member supported, organization which promotes the use of the Montessori teaching approach in private and public schools. are weighted (Bredekamp & Willer, 1996;Cost, Quality & Child Outcomes Study Team, 1995) Professional Development: The amount of early childhood-specificprofessional time devoted for teaching personnel and administrators(Ackerman, 2004) Professional Preparation (2): The proportion of teachers withdegrees and certifications in early childhood education (Snider &Fu, 1990) Environmental Measures of Classrooms: All classrooms, except thosepursuing identified alternative accreditation, were to be evaluatedusing the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Commonly known as the ECERS, this evaluative system assists early childhood professionals in determining the level of optimization of an environment in which young children learn. (ECERS) (Bryant,Burchinal, Lau, & Sparling spar��ling?n.1. The common European smelt (Osperus eperlanus).2. A young or immature herring.[Middle English sperlinge, from Old French esperlinge, , 1994; Burchinal et al., 2000; Cost,Quality, & Child Outcomes Study Team, 1995; Harms, Clifford, &Cryer CRYER, practice. An officer in a court whose duty it is to make various proclamations ordered by the court. , 1998). This strategy was appealing for two important reasons. First, theseassessment criteria are strongly linked to positive student outcomes,and, second, it leaves intact and uncompromised the state'scommitment to hold off testing until 3rd grade. A Portrait of South Carolina's Primary Schools Primary School Report Cards have been issued in South Carolina eachyear since 2001. Schools are evaluated by five criteria: studentattendance, pupil/teacher ratios, parental involvement, externalaccreditation, and professional development devoted to early childhood.The ratings were scheduled to factor in schools' ECERS scores in2005, but political pressure applied during the 2004 legislative seasonscuttled those plans. Legislators were responding to concerns that someitems, such as the requirement that classrooms have in-room, child-sizesinks with hot water, might amount to unfunded mandates An unfunded mandate is a statute that requires government or private parties to carry out specific actions, but does not appropriate any funds for that purpose. Examples . Performance on each of the identified criteria is averaged to awardan Absolute Rating of Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, orUnsatisfactory. In addition, report cards indicate each school'sImprovement Rating Index, which is determined by applying a mathematicalformula that compares the current year's performance with theschool's past performance. Adjustments are made for schoolsmaintaining an Excellent Absolute Rating for two consecutive years (EOC,2006a). It is important to note that the assessment system becomes morerigorous over time. For example, in 2004, a 3.5 average score on a5-point scale earned an Excellent Absolute Rating. A score of 4.0 orabove is required for an Excellent rating in 2009; by 2014, an Excellentrating will require 4.5. In 2014, a score of 3.2 will be consideredUnsatisfactory, a far cry from the Good rating it would have earned in2004 (2005-2006 Accountability Manual). Beginning in 2004, the Absolute Ratings of schools unable todemonstrate their ability to make Adequate Yearly Progress Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically. (AYP AYP Adequate Yearly Progress (National Assessment of Educational Progress)AYP Anarchist Yellow PagesAYP American Youth Philharmonic ), asrequired by NCLB, will be decreased one rating category (2005-2006Accountability Manual). To date, all schools (the number of K-2 schools has ranged from 18to 28 during this period) have achieved an Excellent Absolute Rating.Table 3 summarizes ratings earned, each school's ImprovementRating, and their attainment of Adequate Yearly Progress. This tableillustrates that with the addition of AYP the system began to show morevariability and was better able to distinguish among schools'performance in meaningful ways. Refining refining,any of various processes for separating impurities from crude or semifinished materials. It includes the finer processes of metallurgy, the fractional distillation of petroleum into its commercial products, and the purifying of cane, beet, and maple sugar the Assessment System The Primary Schools Ratings Advisory Group, a subcommittee sub��com��mit��tee?n.A subordinate committee composed of members appointed from a main committee.subcommitteeNoun of theEducation Oversight Committee, was created in 2005. It was made up ofprincipals of primary schools, district curriculum coordinators, andrepresentatives from the State Department of Education, EducationOversight Committee, and higher education higher educationStudy beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. . Their charge was to reviewimplementation of the Conditions of Learning assessment system to date.It recommended three modifications: the inclusion of several additionalcriteria, the elimination of one criterion, and the change in theoperational definition of another. The three additional criteria, whichrequire no additional data collection, were: * The amount of Prime Instructional Time * Percent of teachers with advanced degrees * Percent of teachers returning from the previous year. Parent Involvement was re-defined and Student Attendance wasdeleted DeletedA security that is no longer included on a specified market. Sometimes referred to as "delisted".Notes:Reasons for delisting include violating regulations, failing to meet financial specifications set out by the stock exchange and going bankrupt. because it is a component of Prime Instructional Time.Unfortunately, Prime Instructional Time had not been explicitly definedand was not yet included in schools' report cards (South CarolinaEducation Oversight Committee, 2006b). Progress Toward Accomplishing the Study Group's Goals When the Early Childhood Study Group originally convened in 1999,it identified two goals: to focus on programs' readiness forchildren rather than children's readiness for school, and to applythe assessment system they would devise to evaluate all of thestate's programs serving young children. This Conditions ofLearning assessment strategy has effectively accomplished that firstgoal. Young children continue to be protected from state-mandated,inappropriate high-stakes tests. The second goal is more ambitious andhas not yet been reached. Applying the Conditions of Learning protocolto K-2 programs situated within elementary schools elementary school:see school. would requirelegislative action modifying school report cards. The Primary SchoolReport Card system has not yet been able to generate enough variabilityto warrant that step, nor has the state amassed sufficient data linkingprimary schools' performance to children's 3rd-grade testresults to justify making this addition to elementary schools'ratings. We remain encouraged, however, by state policymakers and theircommitment to assessing a program's readiness for young children,rather than trying to create an assessment to measure the elusiveconstruct of children's readiness for school. Conclusion There is a growing appreciation that assessing early childhoodprogram quality is a complex task that requires a sophisticatedapproach. Taking a simplistic sim��plism?n.The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications.[French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple , additive additiveIn foods, any of various chemical substances added to produce desirable effects. Additives include such substances as artificial or natural colourings and flavourings; stabilizers, emulsifiers, and thickeners; preservatives and humectants (moisture-retainers); and approach to program assessmentignores commitments to issues of equity, access, and equal opportunityand acknowledges the bias that cannot be avoided when program evaluationrelies upon standardized, on-demand assessments of children. TheConditions of Learning approach to program assessment might serve as aroadmap toward improving opportunities for all young children. It may bemost useful in communities struggling to fully fund early childhoodprograms because it provides incentives to invest in small classes,freedom to schedule sufficient unstructured time for the implementationof developmentally appropriate instruction, specialized spe��cial��ize?v. spe��cial��ized, spe��cial��iz��ing, spe��cial��iz��esv.intr.1. To pursue a special activity, occupation, or field of study.2. training forearly childhood teachers, and a school climate that will attract andretain early childhood professionals with advanced degrees and specialexpertise. Early childhood educators in South Carolina are confident thatimplementation of the Conditions of Learning approach has been effectivein broadening the definition of quality. It takes a holistic HolisticA practice of medicine that focuses on the whole patient, and addresses the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of a patient as well as their physical treatment.Mentioned in: Aromatherapy, Stress Reduction, Traditional Chinese Medicine view ofchildren and offers a strategy for recording and interpretingquantitative data in a way that captures the diversity and uniqueness ofindividual children's educational experience. The long-termeffectiveness of this evaluation plan will be demonstrated through theuse of sophisticated tracking software that will make it possible todocument young children's performance throughout their K-12education. We are hopeful this approach will prove to be a worthy onethat serves children, families, and teachers well. We asked three members of the original study group to reflect onthe success of the Conditions of Learning assessment system to date.Each reiterated his or her support for its approach, but expressedconcerns that a number of school districts had bowed to pressures fordata on children's performance. These districts are supplementingthese measures of program quality with on-demand testing of youngchildren. We realize that challenges remain as we strive to bringeducators, the legislature, and the public to the point where they willembrace this new definition of school readiness that honors what we knowabout young children and how they learn and develop. Acknowledgment acknowledgment,in law, formal declaration or admission by a person who executed an instrument (e.g., a will or a deed) that the instrument is his. The acknowledgment is made before a court, a notary public, or any other authorized person. : With special thanks to Linda Mims, Assistant Professor of EarlyChildhood Education at University of South Carolina Upstate Colleges and SchoolsMary Black School of Nursing School of Business Administration and Economics School of Education HistoryAfter the Spartanburg General Hospital decided to discontinue its degree program for nurses, local politicians, led by and formerDirector, Office of Early Childhood Education at the South CarolinaDepartment of Education, who reviewed this manuscript during itsdevelopment. She added a valuable perspective, offered helpfulrecommendations, and contributed pertinent information that improved thefinal product. References Ackerman, D.J. (2004). What do teachers need? Practitioners'perspectives on early childhood professional development. Journal ofEarly Childhood Teacher Education, 24(4), 291-301. 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Developmentallyappropriate practice Developmentally appropriate practice (or DAP) is a perspective within early childhood education whereby a teacher or child caregiver nurtures a child's social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development by basing all practices and decisions on (1) theories of child development, (2) in early childhood programs (Rev. ed rev.abbr.1. revenue2. reverse3. reversed4. review5. revision6. revolutionrev.1. revise(d)2. .). Washington,DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Bredekamp, S., & Willer, B. (Eds.). (1996). NAEYCaccreditation: A decade of learning and the years ahead. Washington, DC:National Association for the Education of Young Children. Bryant, D. M., Burchinal, M. R., Lau, L. B., & Sparling, J. J.(1994). Family and classroom correlates of Head Start children'sdevelopmental outcomes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 9(3/4),289-309. Burchinal, M. R., Roberts, J. E., Riggins, R., Zeisel, S. A.,Neebe, E., & Bryant, D. (2000). Relating quality of center-basedchild care to early cognitive and language development longitudinally lon��gi��tu��di��nal?adj.1. a. Of or relating to longitude or length: a longitudinal reckoning by the navigator; made longitudinal measurements of the hull.b. .Child Development, 71(2), 339-357. Cost, Quality, & Child Outcomes Study Team. (1995). Cost,quality and child outcomes in child care centers: Public report. Denver,CO: Economics Department, University of Colorado at Denver :For the university encompassing this school, please see University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center HistoryIn 1912, the University of Colorado established a downtown Denver campus to meet the needs of the city's rapidly expanding . Darling-Hammond, L. (2004). From "Separate but Equal" to"No Child Left Behind": The collision of new standards and oldinequalities. In D. Meier & G. Wood (Eds.), Many children leftbehind: How the No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB (IPA: /ˈnɪkəlbiː/), is a United States federal law that was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 is damaging our children andour schools (pp. 3-32). Boston: Beacon Press This article or section needs sourcesorreferences that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. . Eldridge, D. (2001). Parent involvement: It's worth theeffort. Young Children, 56(4), 65-69. Epstein, J. (1995). School/family/community partnerships. SanFrancisco San Francisco(săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden : Jossey-Bass. 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Prepared for the Division of Accountability, South CarolinaEducational Oversight Committee. Meisels, S. J., Jablon, J. R., Marsden, D. B., Dichtelmiller, M.L., & Dorfman, A. B. (2001). The work sampling system. New York:Pearson Early Learning. National Association for the Education of Young Children.(1990/1995). NAEYC's position statement on school readiness.Retrieved June 27, 2007, from www.naeyc.org/about/positions/PSREDY98.asp National Association for the Education of Young Children, andNational Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departmentsof Education. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, andprogram evaluation. Retrieved June 27, 2007, fromwww.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/pscape.pdf National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005).Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved June 27,2007, from www.naeyc.org/about/positions/PSETH05.asp National Research Council. (2001). Eager to learn: Educating ourpreschoolers. Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy. Washington, DC:National Academy Press. Phillips, D. (1987). Quality in child care: What does research tellus? Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren. Powell, D. R. (1998). Families and early childhood programs.Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of YoungChildren. Scott-Little, C., & Niemeyer, J. (2002). Assessing kindergartenchildren: What school systems need to know. Greensboro, NC: SERVE.Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Additionally, UNCG is home to a bevy of research institutes and centers including the Center for Applied Research, Center for Creating Writing in the Arts, Center for Global Business Education & Research, Center for Biotechnology, Genomics & Health Research, Center for Music Research and . Retrieved June27, 2007, from www.serve. org/Syc/parents.htm Shepard, L, Kagan, S. L., & Wurtz, E. (Eds.). (1998).Principles and recommendations for early childhood assessments.Washington, DC: National Education Goals Panel. Snider, M. H., & Fu, V. R. (1990). The effects of specializededucation and job experience on early childhood teachers' knowledgeof developmentally appropriate practice. Early Childhood ResearchQuarterly, 5(1), 69-78. South Carolina Education Oversight Committee. (2006a). 2006-2007accountability manual: The 2006-2007 annual school and district systemfor South Carolina public schools and school districts. Retrieved June27, 2007, from www. sceoc.com/resources.htm South Carolina Education Oversight Committee. (January 23, 2006b).Executive summary, review of primary school ratings criteria andrecommendations for their revision. Columbia, SC: Author. Southern Early Childhood Association. (1990/1996/2000). Assessingdevelopment and learning in young children. Retrieved June 27, 2007,from www.southernearlychildhood.org/position_assessment.html Notes: (1) The one exception was the inclusion of the Early ChildhoodEnvironment Rating Scale (ECERS) (Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 1998).The state provided training for a cadre (company) CADRE - The US software engineering vendor which merged with Bachman Information Systems to form Cayenne Software in July 1996. of early childhood experts tobecome reliable in using the ECERS in preparation for the inclusion ofECERS data in 2005 and subsequent Primary School Report Cards. (2) This criterion was scheduled to be included in the evaluationformula beginning in 2004. It was eliminated because it was maderedundant by NCLB regulations. Nancy Freeman Nancy Freeman is a leading figure in the area of ethics in the classroom of young children. Freeman co-wrote (with Stephanie Feeney) the NAEYC's Ethics and the Early Childhood Educator: Using the NAEYC Code of Ethics is Associate Professor and Mac Brown is Professor,Department of Instruction & Teacher Education, College of Education.University of South Carolina ''This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia. You may be looking for a University of South Carolina satellite campus.••, Columbia.Table 1Criteria Used To Determine Absolute Ratings on PrimarySchool Report CardsCriterion Points Assigned 5 4 3Student 98% or greater 96-97.99% 94-95.99%AttendancePupil-Teacher 21 or less 22-25 26-30RatioParent 90% or more 75-89% 60-74%InvolvementExternal NAEYC or SDE and SDEAccreditation Montessori SACS-early childhoodProfessional More than 1.5 1 to 1.5 days 1 dayDevelopment days Points Assigned 2 1Student 92-93.99% Less than 92%AttendancePupil-Teacher 31-32 Greater than 32RatioParent 30-59% 29% or lessInvolvementExternal Conducting Not pursuingAccreditation self-study accreditationProfessional .5 to .9 day Less thanDevelopment .5 dayCalculate the Absolute Rating by adding the points assignedto each rating category and dividing the total points by thenumber of criteria used to calculate the ratings.Table 2Primary School Report Cards Absolute Rating Scale for Years2004-2014Year Excellent Good Average Below Unsatisfactory Average2004 3.5 and above 3.1-3.4 2.7-3.0 2.3-2.6 Below 2.32005 3.6 and above 3.2-3.5 2.8-3.1 2.4-2.7 Below 2.42006 3.7 and above 3.3-3.6 2.9-3.2 2.5-2.8 Below 2.52007 3.8 and above 3.4-3.7 3.0-3.3 2.6-2.9 Below 2.62008 3.9 and above 3.5-3.8 3.1-3.4 2.7-3.0 Below 2.72009 4.0 and above 3.6-3.9 3.2-3.5 2.8-3.1 Below 2.82010 4.1 and above 3.7-4.0 3.3-3.6 2.9-3.2 Below 2.92011 4.2 and above 3.8-4.1 3.4-3.7 3.0-3.3 Below 3.02012 4.3 and above 3.9-4.2 3.5-3.8 3.1-3.4 Below 3.12013 4.4 and above 4.0-4.3 3.6-3.9 3.2-3.5 Below 3.22014 4.5 and above 4.1-4.4 3.7-4.0 3.3-3.6 Below 3.3Table 3Primary School Report Card Ratings 2001-2006 Improvement Absolute Rating Rating * Excellent Good Excellent Good2001 18 (100%) 0 5 (30%) 12 (70%)2002 20 (100%) 0 10 (56%) 8 (44%)2003 23 (100%) 0 4 (20%) 16 (80%)2004 25 (100%) 0 11 (44%) 10 (40%)2005 28 (100%) 0 7 (25%) 17 (61%)2006 29 (100%) 0 9 (31%) 18 (62%) Adequate Yearly Progress Yes No2001 N/A N/A2002 N/A N/A2003 7% (44%) 9% (56%)2004 13% (52%) 12% (48%)2005 12% (43%) 16% (57%)2006 7% (24%) 22 (76%)* Total number of schools with Absolute Ratings doesnot equal total number of schools with ImprovementRatings, because each year's results include someschools not previously rated and others that no longerhave a K-2 configuration.South Carolina Education Oversight Committee. (2006a).2006-2007 accountability manual. Columbia, SC: Author.