Conditions for Professional Development

Assessment of children’s educational achievements in early childhood education has recently become a controversial issue, not least because of the expected dual purpose — pedagogic and managerial — of such assessments. This paper outlines the evaluation of a national pilot baseline assessment scheme in Scotland. Based on samples of pre-school staff (N = 38) and primary school teachers (N = 27), views were sought by means of a questionnaire about the operation and value of the scheme. In addition, interviews were conducted with six pre-school staff, nine primary school teachers and four headteachers. A majority of those who participated in the scheme welcomed the professional judgement approach but identified significant issues in consistency of interpretation and time taken to undertake the task. The findings are related to the responses to the Consultation Document on Assessment Pre-school and 5-14.