This free online child psychology course explains how to assess early childhood performance and growth indicators.

‘Performance’ is a broad term that can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the context. So what constitutes ‘performance’? In this child psychology course, we explain how the term works in the context of childhood development and explain how assessing progress is vital in early childhood. We lay out the criteria used to evaluate performance before exploring assessment methods.

Which areas of development and growth should evaluators and teachers keep in mind? We address this question after explaining the role of ‘effectiveness’ and ‘efficiency’ as indicators in the evaluation process. The meaning of ‘assessment’ becomes clearer when we lay out its tools and identify the areas of early childhood development that can be assessed. We then discuss the significant areas of childhood development (including cognitive, social, emotional, speech, language and fine and gross motor skills) to shed more light on childhood assessment methods.

Finally, the course presents a section on work sampling that elaborates on how performance assessment works in early childhood. We then outline the challenges and general factors to consider during child assessments. Since children are the building blocks of functional societal units, the ability to influence their growth and development will always be sought after, especially by those working in education or policy-making. This course provides valuable skills you can use to assess and cultivate childhood development.