Edmonton Early Childhood Measurement and Evaluation Needs Assessment

Principal Investigator: Rebecca Gokiert
Research Team: Lisa Noble and Lori Baugh Littlejohns
Funder: The Early Childhood Development Initiative: Innovative Research Grants program
Duration: 2006-2007

The Early Childhood Measurement and Evaluation Resource Centre (ECMERC) led a needs assessment to determine the assessment knowledge, purposes, and tool use and efficacy by surveying teachers, childcare workers, program directors, policymakers, researchers, and others in the early childhood development community.

A questionnaire was developed to answer the following questions:

  1. What is the current assessment knowledge of individuals working in the early childhood field?
  2. For what purposes do early childhood professionals use assessment tools?
  3. What are the current assessment tools used by early childhood professionals and are they meeting their needs appropriately?

The questionnaire was distributed to individuals and programs identified as being involved in screening and assessment of children from birth to 6 years of age. Questionnaire data was analyzed to determine the greatest areas of need in knowledge, practice, and use of screening and assessment tools. Results were used to guide our work in providing resources for those in the early childhood measurement and evaluation community.

Download a brief synopsis of the needs assessment.

Read the research papers:

Directions for professional development: Increasing knowledge of early childhood measurement. NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 16 (3), 1-20.

Enhancing early childhood professionals (EC) knowledge and practice of measurement. NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 16 (3), 142-148.