Children's Learning and Development: Contemporary assessment in the early years is an introduction to early childhood learning and the what, why and how of assessment for diverse learners. Assessment has become a key part of the developments for the Early Years Learning Framework in Australia and Te Wh?riki in New Zealand. Assessment has several important purposes, including: - Informing what and how teachers plan learning experiences - Identifying areas of learning and development where children may need support or extensions - Integrating learning with curriculum and program provision Children's Learning and Development explores assessment through historical theories, philosophies and beliefs, social and cultural contexts, individual differences, and provides information on current assessment tools. These tools include national standardised testing, school entry assessments and international benchmark testing such as PIRLS and PISA. It also discusses how early years assessment is approached and understood within Australian and New Zealand frameworks and how we compare to international curriculum documents from countries such as the US, the UK, Sweden and Singapore. With the aid of teacher reflections, case studies and pedagogical features such as reflection points, key terms and useful resources, Children's Learning and Development is a must have resource for all early childhood education students and practitioners. Key Features * Discusses how early years assessment is approached and understood within a range of international curriculum documents. * Boxes containing teacher reflections and case studies throughout the text help students place learning in context. * Current assessment tools in use in Australian and New Zealand are examined, including national standardised testing, school entry assessments and international benchmarking testing such as PIRLS and PISA.