Head Start preschool classrooms prominently emphasize performance standards as a way to assess educational programs for young children. However, this approach is often criticized as not appropriate for the assessment of young children (Hallam et al., 2007). Standards outlined in the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework were developed as an assessment system in response to the need for increased accountability in early childhood care and education. The Child Outcomes Framework was developed in 2000 as an outline for outcomes that are expected for four-year-old children as they leave the Head Start program. The concern about this type of framework is that it potentially results in disconnect between appropriate assessment processes and outcomes.

Hallam et al. (2007) investigated the classroom quality associated with an intervention that linked authentic assessment practices with the Head Start child Outcomes Framework. These researchers conducted this study by observing twenty-six preschool classrooms involved in Head Start....
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