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. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary Part I: Early Childhood Assessment 1 Introduction 2 Purposeful Assessment 3 Perspectives on Early Childhood Learning Standards and Assessment Part II: Child-Level Outcomes and Measures 4 Screening Young Children 5 Assessing Learning and Development 6 Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Environments Part III: How to Assess 7 Judging the Quality and Utility of Assessments 8 Assessing All Children 9 Implementation of Early Childhood Assessments Part IV: Assessing Systematically 10 Thinking Systematically 11 Guidance on Outcomes and Assessments References Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Related to Early Childhood Assessment Appendix B: Information on Stakeholder Forum Appendix C: Development of State Standards for Early Childhood Education Appendix D: Sources of Detailed Information on Test and Assessment Instruments Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff Index

Today's military missions have shifted away from fighting nation states using conventional weapons toward combating insurgents and terrorist networks in a battlespace in which the attitudes and behaviors of civilian noncombatants may be the primary effects of military actions. To support these new missions, the military services are increasingly interested in using models of the behavior of humans, as individuals and in groups of various kinds and sizes. Behavioral Modeling and Simulation reviews relevant individual, organizational, and societal (IOS) modeling research programs, evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the programs and their methodologies, determines which have the greatest potential for military use, and provides guidance for the design of a research program to effectively foster the development of IOS models useful to the military. This book will be of interest to model developers, operational military users of the models and their managers, and government personnel making funding decisions regarding model development. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Part I: BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS, 1 Introduction 2 Military Missions and How IOS Models Can Help Part II: STATE OF THE ART IN ORGANIZATIONAL MODELING, Part II: State of the Art in Organizational Modeling 3 Verbal Conceptual and Cultural Models 4 Macro-Level Formal Models 5 Micro-Level Formal Models 6 Meso-Level Formal Models 7 Games 8 Common Challenges in IOS Modeling 9 State of the Art with Respect to Military Needs Part III: ADDRESSING UNMET MODELING NEEDS, 10 Pitfalls, Lessons Learned, and Future Needs 11 Recommendations for Military-Sponsored Modeling Research Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix B: Exemplary Scenarios and Vignettes to Illustrate Potential Model Uses Appendix C: Candidate DIME/PMESII Modeling Paradigms Appendix D: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

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.