Early Childhood Education - See the Institute for Education Sciences' What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) for recommendations on early childhood education. The WWC reviews the research on the different programs, products, practices, and policies in education. Then, by focusing on the results from high-quality research, they try to answer the question “What works in education?” The goal is to provide educators with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions. (WWC, September 2013)...

Evaluating the Screening Accuracy of Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) - Student performance on the interim Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) was analyzed across grades 4-10 with the end-of-year Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) 2.0 to determine how well the FAIR and the 2011 FCAT 2.0 scores predicted 2012 FCAT 2.0 performance. The first key finding was that the reading comprehension screen of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) was more accurate than the 2011 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) 2.0 scores in correctly identifying students as not at risk for failing to meet grade-level standards on the 2012 FCAT 2.0. The second key finding was that using both the FAIR screen and the 2011 FCAT 2.0 lowered the underidentification rate of at-risk students by 12–20 percentage points compared with the results using the 2011 FCAT 2.0 score alone. (Barbara R. Foorman, Sarah Kershaw and Yaacov Petscher, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Evaluation, September 2013)...

A Next Social Contract for the Primary Years of Education - This report argues for expanding access to high-quality pre-k and increasing alignment of pre-k-3rd standards and practices. It also recommends starting public education at age three on a voluntary basis, embedding early education into the K-12 finance structure and providing professional development for all teachers of pre-k through third grade that covers the unique needs of young students. (Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation, March 2010)...

Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How - This National Research Council report articulates the latest understanding of best practices in early childhood assessments, leading with the basic principle that the purpose of each assessment should drive decisions about what to measure, how to measure it, and how to use the data. Guidelines for these processes are provided to ensure that the benefits of assessing young children outweigh any negative effects on the children, adults, or programs, such as making children anxious or overburdening teachers. (National Research Council, 2008)...

Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality - This report describes three critical components of any early childhood accountability system: An infrastructure that ensures high-quality assessments, efficient dissemination of information, and appropriate use of data; a system for assessment and program improvement that matches the purpose for collecting data; and alignment and linkage of the accountability system to the K-3 continuum. The report also offers guidance on when collecting child assessment data is necessary, precautions to take when doing so, and safeguards to "minimize the risks of misuse of assessment information." (National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force, Oct 2007)...