This paper appeared as a chapter in Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning, Volume III: Examples of Assessment in the Service of Learning, edited by Eric M. Tucker, Howard T. Everson, Eva L. Baker, & Edmund W. Gordon and published by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

Increasingly young children spend time in formalized learning settings before they enter kindergarten. Although this period can be an impressive time of growth and development for young learners, early education practitioners and leaders often lack easy-to-use, reliable, and valid tools to inform their work. This paper describes the Measures for Early Success Initiative aimed at developing novel child assessments that accurately capture what all young students are learning.

It begins by introducing the ambitious vision motivating the Measures for Early Success Initiative, describing the goals and features of child assessment tools that are likely to be usable and useful across today’s early childhood education landscape. Then it describes the initiative’s approach to working towards this vision through inclusive, iterative research and development cycles involving interdisciplinary assessment developer teams working in collaboration with communities across the United States.

Initial learnings from this approach underscore the value of integrating user perspectives in the assessment design and development process to ensure tools can be used in the service of learning. In line with principles underlying the Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning, the paper highlights promising approaches to support engagement in assessment activities and allow respondents to draw upon their background knowledge and experiences.