Preschool Assessment

Preschool assessment is defined as the systematic observation and evaluation of children younger than school age typically children ages three to five years who have not yet entered kindergarten. The process may include the assessment of preacademic skills, language development, cognitive ability, social and emotional status, hearing and vision screening, and motor skills. The assessment of children in this age range presents unique challenges and a thorough understanding of the normal developmental patterns of young children is essential for accurate interpretation of assessment information. The results of preschool assessments do not have the reliability, or stability over time, seen in the evaluation of older [Page 396]children. Even so, when done with this caution in mind, assessment tools designed for young children can provide a broad range of information that leads to effective treatment through in-home services, preschools, or referral to other appropriate agencies or therapists with the goal of implementing effective interventions plans.

The importance of early intervention for young children with special needs has been well established. Federal law requires early identification and makes provision for services for preschool children. An assessment process is necessary to access these services and helpful in determining the nature and extent of the services needed. In addition to making a determination regarding the need or eligibility for services, the goal of preschool assessment is to determine a child's strengths and weaknesses, assess the degree and type of deviation from normal development, and design appropriate interventions. The process is not designed to make a definitive determination regarding functioning or make firm predictions about future development; rather, the focus is on current levels of functioning and the identification of strategies that will facilitate ongoing development.

Assessment of the functioning of preschool children has been fraught with controversy, just as the assessment of older children and adults. Questions arose regarding the very nature of intelligence, the role of the environment, and reliability of tests developed. By the 1960s, however, evaluation of young children increased significantly because of the involvement of the government in providing educational opportunities for special populations. With the establishment of Head Start and Follow Through, federally funded preschool programs that required documentation of their effectiveness through assessment, the need for evaluation instruments became apparent. These instruments represented a shift in the conceptualization of cognitive functioning. The emphasis moved from assessment of intelligence as a fixed entity to looking at the whole child, comprised of many different skills and abilities.

With the passage of Public Law 94–142, the first comprehensive legislation regarding special education, a free and appropriate public education was mandated for all children regardless of handicapping conditions. Public Law 99–457 extended the guaranteed rights to preschoolers (three to five years), with the option to extend these services to toddlers and infants. The reauthorization of Public Law 94–142 in 1990 renamed this legislation the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This legislative act guaranteed special education services to young children and identified the same categories as provided for older children. Concerns developed regarding the specific identification of children in this group, given the nature of the development of young children and the assessment instruments available. Public Law 102–119 gave states the ability to use another category for preschool children, which is broader in nature. This category of developmental delay still required the use of appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures. The most recent reauthorization occurred in 1997 by Public Law 105–17, which directly dealt with provision of services to all children with disabilities from birth to 21 years.

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