Answers parents' most common questions about alternative assessment. Discusses: why there is a need for change in the way students are evaluated; what alternative assessment is; how parents can recognize the components of an alternative assessment; when alternative assessment occurs; and how alternative assessment contributes to children's…

Discusses the use of jackdaws, collections of artifacts generating a visual representation of a time period, and historical fiction in the classroom to bring history alive for students. Reports on the success of jackdaws in an early-childhood classroom and in a university setting with preservice teachers. Includes jackdaws and related historical…

Notes that knowing how to estimate is crucial to becoming a good problem solver. Suggests that young children be exposed to the concept as early as kindergarten in order to learn to apply the skill effectively. Discusses the values of estimation skills and how they can be developed. Outlines five classroom activities that help students develop…

Discusses how, by taking advantage of naturally occurring events in the classroom and at home, adults can help young children acquire five important scientific processes: observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, and communicating. Stresses the importance of science-related children's literature as a component of the science curriculum, as…

Explains tenants of quality professional development using a beginning teacher's experiences for illustration. Suggests that professional development should: focus on single subject; focus on participants' needs; be ongoing and sustained; engage participants in pursuit of answers to genuine questions, problems, and curiosities; provide…

Describes a classroom e-mail project conducted during the 1996-97 school year in a southern suburban school. The project involved three fourth grade teachers and their students, and was developed collaboratively among faculty at a nearby university, the principal, and the fourth grade teachers. Reports on the project's activities, problems…

This study investigated the impact of a short-term interaction-focused parenting curriculum on maternal behaviors and child development outcomes. Participants were 94 teen-mother-child dyads; 48 in the intervention group received a relationship-focused curriculum offered in 24, 1-hour sessions. Maternal behaviors during play were videotaped and…

Special education legislation has placed an increased emphasis on early intervention programs for children at risk for early literacy delays and behavioral disorders. Given this trend, it is important to understand the characteristics of students identified and served in at-risk programs. This study presents the findings from a cluster analysis on…

The purpose of this study was to inform early intervention practice by exploring the various adaptations families make to promote their child's learning, the supports they perceive as helpful in creating adaptations, and the supports they perceive as still needed. Holistic case studies were developed for 5 families of infants and toddlers with…

The correspondence between direct observation and informant ratings of preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) was investigated. Preschoolers with and without SLI were observed during free play using the "Social Interactive Coding System" (SICS; Rice, Sell, & Hadley, 1990). In addition, teachers and parents completed the "Social…

Published articles about assistive technology (AT) from 1980 through 2004 were reviewed to identify those that focused on infants and young children. A total of 104 articles about AT with infants and toddlers were identified, and of these, 23 reported practices for teaching switch activation (12), computer use (6), power mobility skills (4), or…

To understand the role of early intervention (EI) practitioner confidence in the use and application of assistive technology (AT), a 24-item Assistive Technology Confidence Scale (ATCS) was developed and distributed to EI personnel. This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the ATCS and the relation between scores on…

The present study examined and contrasted beliefs and decision-making practices concerning the use of assistive technology (AT) with infants and toddlers. Participants were 424 multidisciplinary early intervention providers drawn from across the United States. A majority of professionals disagreed with proposed belief statements about AT with…

A random sample of 967 early intervention providers in 33 different states completed a telephone survey that was conducted with computer-assisted telephone interview technology. The survey solicited information about the service providers' views of assistive technology (AT) for infants and toddlers with disabilities. In particular, questions…

The Early Social Interaction (ESI) Project (Woods & Wetherby, 2003) was designed to apply the recommendations of the National Research Council (2001) to toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by using a parent-implemented intervention that (a) embeds naturalistic teaching strategies in everyday routines and (b) is compatible with the…