Checklists and rating scales are formal and informal assessment methods frequently used to obtain information from a variety of sources about young children’s development and learning and their environments in order to make important decisions about teaching and program improvement. Checklists provide a method for assessing presence or absence of a skill, behavior, or knowledge in a child and are typically formulated as “yes” or “no” questions. Rating scales are similar to checklists except they assess the degree of accomplishment of skill, behavior, or knowledge instead of just the presence or absence of it. Rating scales typically list performance statements in one column and the range of accomplishment in descriptive words, with or without numbers, in other columns (e.g., never, always, sometimes). This entry discusses ...