The content of January’s “Curriculum, Assessment, and Teaching: Putting It All Together” cluster was culled from presentations at NAEYC’s 20th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. It includes a look at how creative and collaborative projects can address early learning standards, successful adult learning communities, and a report on how children’s fully developed play can enhance social development. Also included are ideas for incorporating arts into the STEM curriculum using Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood as a template, and a comprehensive approach to connecting young children with nature.

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Interlaced with real-life classroom video, this powerful DVD offers practical ideas and experienced insights from seasoned professionals who speak with the passion and perspective that can only come from years of working with directors, teachers, young children, and their families. Provides a rich platform for staff development and training sessions that will inspire, motivate, teach, provoke new thinking, and generate lively discussions.

Includes sections on:

• What is the purpose of child assessment?
• What are the benefits of gathering assessment data?
• When should teachers assess a child's developmental progress?
• How do we know that a child assessment is reliable?
• How can teachers gather useful information during assessments?
• What are the challenges of assessing a child whose first language is not English?
• In what way is assessment data useful to teachers?
• What are the common misunderstandings about child assessment?

From Child Care Exchange.

Watch a preview here. 

Administrators and staff need to know not only how children are progressing but also what challenges they are encountering. Teachers working on this standard will benefit from integrating assessment into their day, rather than making assessment a large task to be attempted all at once. Assessments should occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop. This resource, focusing on NAEYC's "Assessment" Program Standard, will guide you toward understanding how to organize and systematize your assessments.

Revised in 2008, this is one of nine booklets addressing the Standards and Criteria specific to NAEYC Accreditation of early childhood education programs. 

This resource explores the vital connection between observing and effective teaching, offering guidelines and specific strategies to help teachers and caregivers transform observing into an essential component of their teaching practices. Much more than just a set of skills, observation is a mindset of openness and wonder that helps teachers and caregivers get to know more about each child in their care. In this second edition, the authors have added extensive, up-to-date examples to help teachers apply what they learn about children as well as a study guide for use in staff development and college courses. Copublished with Teaching Strategies.