McREL and Gesell Institute study will update popular developmental assessment
November 5, 2008
Denver—Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning and the Gesell Institute for Human Development have begun a year-long effort to update the widely-used Gesell Developmental Observation (GDO), a tool used by schools to assess the development of children entering kindergarten or preschool.
Although the current assessment is "much loved" in the educational community, according to Dr. Marcy Guddemi, executive director of the Gesell Institute, the updated GDO will be more valid and reliable and more reflective of "current thinking" in early childhood assessment.
The project will result in not only an updated GDO but also the creation of a new assessment, which has not yet been named. The new assessment will be a "combination of tried-and-true Gesell items and new items that focus on the whole child, including cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and adaptive areas of development," said Guddemi. According to Dr. Bruce Randel, senior director of Research and Evaluation at McREL, the new assessment will also be "more systematic, objective, and easier to administer."
McREL will help develop the new instruments and carry out pilot tests among more than 2,000 children from the ages of three and six who attend both public and private preschools that serve diverse populations of children. The project began in July of this year and will conclude in July 2009.
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McREL is a nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization located in Denver, Colo., dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service. In 2007, McREL provided research-based guidance to educators and policymakers in 47 states across the U.S.
