Symposium to address accountability in early childhood education

Released on 11/07/2013, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

WHEN: Monday, Nov. 11, 2013

WHERE: Nebraska East Union, Arbor and Center Drives, East Campus

Lincoln, Neb., November 7th, 2013 —
Samuel J. Meisels
Samuel J. Meisels

            Helen Kelley Symposium for Excellence in Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Nov. 11 will attract early childhood education professionals to discuss the merits and implications of testing young children.

            Hosted by the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies in the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences, "Tested Before Their Time? Accountability and Early Learning" will focus on how best to assess the growth and development of young children and the programs and professionals who serve them.

            Samuel J. Meisels, executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, will be the keynote presenter. His presentation from 1-2:30 p.m. will be followed by breakout sessions from 3-5 p.m. The event will be in the Nebraska East Union, Arbor and Center drives on UNL's East Campus.

            Is it appropriate to used high-stakes testing regimes and accountability standards that are based on methodologies developed for older children? Should alternative assessments that reflect the complex learning patterns of young children be the norm? Meisels, also a professor of child and family studies at UNL, will reflect on these and other pertinent questions and offer his recommendations based on more than 40 years of experience, research and writing in the field of early childhood education.

            Meisels, who earned a doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has published nearly 200 research articles, books, monographs and assessments and is co-author of "The Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention."

            Early childhood and elementary education teachers, directors and other professionals are encouraged to register for the event at http://cehs15.unl.edu/cyaf/conf. Also invited to register are legislators, state policy officials, school officials, university officials and others with an interest in young children.

Writer: Brad Stauffer

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