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Purposes/Functions of Assessment

Erin Goodridge
Purposes/Functions of Assessment
Kent State University

Purposes/Functions of Assessment
Assessment is a crucial part of early childhood intervention services. As this paper will
describe, there are different types of assessment and each serves its own unique and important
purpose. All assessments are used to inform those working in early intervention (EI) on where a
child is at and what further assessments or interventions need to take place. Screening tools,
norm-referenced diagnostic assessments, and curriculum-based assessments are three common
types of assessment used in EI. Their purposes and functions as well as examples of each type
will be discussed throughout this paper.
This first type of assessment tool that will be discussed is called a screening tool.
Screening tools should be administered very early in a childs life and then periodically
throughout development. This is to insure there are no concerns for delays or disabilities that
require further assessment and if there are that further assessment takes place. All children
should have screening tools administered throughout development. However, it is often only
those who receive high quality health care or those who are at risk due to poverty or health
issues. Children who fall in between those two categories may or may not receive appropriate
screening assessments. Depending on the type of screening tool (professionally administered or
parent-completed) as well as the type of services being considered, the screening tool may be
administered in a variety of settings. These settings include in the home, at a clinic, in an early
childhood classroom, online, or via telephone conversation. Some may even be administered by
paper copy through the mail for parents to complete and return (Clifford, Squires, Yockelson,
Twombly, and Bricker, 2011). A few examples of common screening tools used in early
childhood include:

Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3 (ASQ-3)

Brigance Screens
Child Development Inventory (CDI)
Parental Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS)

Purposes/Functions of Assessment

Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screening Test (BINS)

(Clifford, et al., 2011)

The second type of assessment tool that will be discussed is called a norm-referenced
diagnostic assessment. This type of assessment is more in depth than the screening tool and
would be administered if the screening tool indicated any concern for delays. The normreferenced assessment would be administered after the screening tool and before it is decided
if the child will eligible for EI services (the assessment being one of the deciding factors). It
may also be used to re-determine eligibility for other programs or continuation of services.
Any child who shows concerns on a screening tool and/or who is entering any type of early
intervention services would be likely to receive a norm-referenced assessment. This type of
assessment would preferably be completed in the home, but could also take place in a clinic
or classroom setting (McLean, Hemmeter, & Snyder, 2014). A few examples of normreferenced assessments include:

Battelle Developmental Inventory-2 (BDI-2)

Peabody Developmental Motor Scales- (PDMS-2)
Brigance Early Childhood Screens
(McLean, et al., 2014)
Bayley III
Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC)
(Jackson, 2006)

The final type of assessment that will be discussed is called the curriculum-based assessment.
This type of assessment looks at the childs social and play skills across a specific curriculum. It
is done mostly by observation of the child; therefore the setting where it is administered should
be the childs natural environment (ex. preschool classroom or home). Children who would
receive a curriculum-based assessment include those with disabilities, those who show concerns
in social development (based on a screening), and those who are simply struggling with social
and behavioral issues. This type of assessment would be done after a screening tool indicated

Purposes/Functions of Assessment

concerns, a disability has been diagnosed, or other concerns have been identified. As I mentioned
earlier it would be done when the child is interacting within his or her natural environment
(McLean, et al., 2014). A few examples of curriculum-based assessment include:

Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS-2)
Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs-2nd Edition
Hawaii Early Learning Profile 0-3
HELP 0-3

(McLean, et al., 2014)

The High/Scope Child Observation Record for Infants and Toddlers

(Kansas Inservice Training Program, 2010)

After reviewing three types of common assessment tools used in early childhood, one can see
that each has its own characteristics that help inform different aspects of early intervention. It is
important to recognize that all assessments must be administered with sensitivity and fidelity in
order to get accurate results. It is also important to choose an assessment tool appropriate for the
child and situation. With the knowledge about each type of assessment and the many tools in
each category, choosing the right one should be a lot easier now.

References
Clifford, J., Squires, J., Yockelson, S., Twombly, E., & Bricker, D. (2011). Developmental
screening in early childhood: Potential roadmaps for those considering the journey.
Young exceptional children series monograph no. 13: Gathering information to make
informed decisions: Contemporary perspectives about assessment in early intervention
and early childhood special education. (pp. 17-42). Division for Early Childhood of the

Purposes/Functions of Assessment
Council for Exceptional Children.
Jackson, S. (2006). List of norm-referenced assessments for preschool eligibility determination.
Retrieved from http://www.personal.kent.edu/~sljackso/documents/List%20of
%20Assessments%20for%20Preschool%20Eligibility%20Determination.pdf
Kansas Inservice Training System. (2010). Curriculum-based assessments for measuring early
childhood outcomes. Parson, KS: Kansas University Center on Developmental
Disabilities. Retrieved from
http://www.kskits.org/ta/ECOOutcomes/5_ECO_CBA_matrix_6_4_10.pdf
McLean, M.E., Hemmeter, M.L., & Snyder, P. (2014). Essential elements for assessing infants
and preschoolers with special needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.