Early childhood authentic and performance-based assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss authentic, also known as performance-based, measures and methods that can be applied with infants, toddlers, and young children as alternatives to norm-referenced tests. These measures and methods provide meaningful information about young children’s functioning in real-life environments. In addition to describing characteristics of authentic assessment, this chapter details specific types, including embedded methods, transdisciplinary play-based assessment, mediated approaches, and curriculum-based assessment. Following in-depth discussion of different authentic assessment techniques and instruments, practical and systematic challenges are described. This chapter concludes with implications for clinicians, including a table of instruments that summarizes domains of assessment, theoretical rationale, strengths, and limitations.