Research Library
Accountability in Early Childhood: No Easy Answers
Author: Meisels, S.
Publisher: Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy – Erikson Institute
Publication Date: 2006, March
Summary or Abstract: This paper, written by Samuel J. Meisels and disseminated by the Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy at Erikson Institute, examines the genesis of accountability testing in preschool and argues that high-stakes testing does not belong in early childhood programs and could actually result in negative consequences for young children. Meisels discusses the reasons behind the growth of accountability testing in preschool and the early grades, the problems associated with high-stakes testing for children in early education, the rationale used to support the continued use of these tests, and the other strategies and methods of evaluation that are better suited to address the major questions policymakers expect high-stakes testing to provide.