August 1, 2008
PreschoolFirst to Present at 2008 NAEYC Conference

Staff from The Source for Learning’s PreschoolFirst.com web site will present at the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in Dallas, November 5-8, 2008. As part of the conference program, Mari Blaustein, SFL’s Director of Preschool Initiatives, and Margaret Puckett, Ph.D. will present “Authentic Assessment and Accountability: Striving for Meaningful Assessment & Accountability Practices Using Developmentally Appropriate Tools.”

Ms. Blaustein and Dr. Puckett will present current information related to best practices from NAEYC and NIEER (National Institute for Early Education Research). They will share experiences in the field of early childhood education to help participants relate meaningful practices with accountability in assessing child development. During the presentation, participants will discuss and review definitions of accountability and authentic assessment. Participants will also learn research-based strategies to tackle challenges early childhood educators face when implementing developmentally appropriate practices in programs that require child outcome reporting.

This session will present examples of: assessment that uses measurement tools appropriate for children 0-5 years of age; effective play-based assessment; and curriculum strategies educators can use to support learning standards and individual development in the learning environment. It also will also provide a model of ongoing observations used with online curriculum to monitor and improve program quality, and strategies and techniques to include families in the learning partnership.

More information on the NAEYC conference is available at http://www.naeyc.org/conferences/