The Instruments

The 5Essentials® is a research-based school improvement system that identifies and measures key organizational conditions, including school culture and climate, to enhance student outcomes. It features a diagnostic survey with research-tested scoring and interactive reporting, offering insights into five essential factors for improvement: Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment, and Ambitious Instruction. The system also includes professional learning to help educators use 5Essentials data for informed improvement planning and to drive better school and student results.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is a screening instrument that measures developmental performance in young children aged 1 month-5.5 years. Early childhood educators and healthcare professionals use ASQ to collect information from parents on children‘s development in five domains: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and personal-social skills. ASQ-3 offers 21 parent/caregiver questionnaires that are used depending on the child's age.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Caregiver Interaction Scale (CIS) consists of 26 items usually divided into 4 subscales. Some researchers have conducted factor analyses on the 26 items and have found different subscales (e.g., Whitebook, Howes, & Phillips, 1989). Observers are asked to rate the extent to which 26 items are characteristic of the childcare provider whom they are observing. Items are scored on a 4‐point scale from (1) Not at all characteristic to (4) Very much characteristic of the child care provider. The measure usually contains the following subscales: Sensitivity (10 items), Harshness (8 items), Detachment (4 items), Permissiveness (4 items) “To rate the emotional tone, discipline style, and responsiveness of teachers and caregivers in a classroom. The items focus on the emotional tone and responsiveness of the caregiver’s interactions with children. The scale does not address issues of curriculum or other classroom management issues (such as grouping or flow of activities)” (U.S. Department of Education, 1997, p. 78).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

APT is one of three research-based measurement tools that make up the APAS System, a field-tested, user-friendly suite of evaluation tools built with OST in mind. Use APT to measure the quality of your program, identify the areas where you are succeeding, and pinpoint areas to improve. APT will give you a clear picture of your program by collecting data on practices that are linked to three key youth outcomes.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Population Measure: Developed with the Assessment Profile for Early Childhood Programs: Research Edition I (1992) was originally standardized using 401 preschool classrooms in childcare, Head Start, and kindergarten settings. Later revised using a national standardization sample of 2,820 classrooms. Subsequent analyses across the original 87 items were conducted to confirm the factor structures, to estimate reliability, and to recalibrate the IRT properties. Following the analyses, each scale was reduced to 12 items and the Assessment Profile: Research Edition II was published in 1998.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Attributions of Mathematical Excellence Scale (AMES) is designed to assess elementary teachers' beliefs about why students excel or struggle in mathematics. Its focus lies specifically on teachers' systems of racialized and gendered attribution beliefs. AMES consists of four subscales, each representing distinct lay psychological theories that aid individuals in making sense of the behavior of others. These subscales describe the following four attributions of mathematical excellence: genetic (AME-G), social (AME-S), personal (AME-P), and educational (AME-E). The genetic and social subscales characterize mathematical excellence as a fixed trait, while the personal and educational subscales characterize it as malleable.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID) measures the development of infants and young children (aged 16 days-42 months). Conducted by trained examiners, BSID includes several developmental play tasks to assess cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior development. BSID’s most recent fourth version was created in 2019.

The BRIEF was developed in 2000 and assesses a student's executive functioning in the home and school. It includes parent response forms and teacher response forms. Designed to assess the abilities of a broad range of children and adolescents, the BRIEF is useful when working with children who have learning disabilities and attention disorders, traumatic brain injuries, lead exposure, pervasive developmental disorders, depression, and other developmental, neurological, psychiatric, and medical conditions. The BRIEF has eight clinical scales (Inhibit, Shift, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials, Monitor) and is helpful in indicating attention disorders. The BRIEF has been adapted into 60 languages and for use from age 2-90. Recently, the BRIEF2 was created for ages 5-18. The BRIEF2 is shorter, but has no additional clinical items, allowing for consistency of data collection between the BRIEF and BRIEF2, and results can be translated from the BRIEF to the BRIEF2 to take advantage of new normative data. The BRIEF2 also has increased sensitivity for detecting ADHD and ASD.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The BERS-2 measures personal strengths and competencies in children 5-18. The BERS-2 is a multi-modal assessment system that measures the child's behavior from three perspectives: the child (Youth Rating Scale), parent (Parent Rating Scale), and teacher or other professional (Teacher Rating Scale). The BERS-2 measures six aspects of a child's strength: interpersonal strength, involvement with family, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, affective strength, and career strength. Subscore(s): Interpersonal strength, Involvement with family, Intrapersonal strength, School functioning, Affective strength, Career strength.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI) uses puppets to conduct structured and clinical interviews that assess children's perceptions of themselves, their families, and their school environments. Subscore(s): There are six subscores: Academic competence, Achievement motivation, Social competence, Peer acceptance, Depression-anxiety, Aggression-hostility.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Inventory of Early Development III (IED III) is a comprehensive tool that contains over 100 assessments (including literacy assessments)that are aligned to state and national standards as well as IDEA requirements. The tool can be used to provide ongoing assessment, monitor progress, and write IEPs for students from birth to grade 8. The IED III offers both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced measures.

The California After-School Program Quality Self-Assessment Tool (CAN-QSA) was developed by the California Afterschool Network and the California Department of Education with input from a broad range of after school program stakeholders. This self-assessment tool is designed for use in after school programs serving youth in grades K-12 in either school or community-based settings. It can be used to engage a range of program stakeholders (i.e., staff, school administrators, youth, families) in a reflective process regarding program quality, and to generate a concrete action plan to enhance program quality. The tool can be used both at the site level and programmatic level. Guidance for using the tool is provided in a comprehensive user manual.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Challenging Situations Task (CST) is designed to assess a child's affective and behavioral responses when presented with hypothetical peer situations. The design of this instrument consists of the presentation of pictures of a particular situations, accompanied by verbal descriptions. Children are then prompted to indicate how they feel about the situation and asked to choose from four emotion choices using schematic drawings.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ) measures the engagement of young children. Adults who know the child well complete the questionnaire. CEQ has 32 items on a four-point scale (1 not at all typical, 2 somewhat typical, 3 typical, 4 very typical). CEQ focuses on four domains: competence, persistence, undifferentiated behavior, and attention. 

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

COEMET is a classroom observation instrument that evaluates classroom culture and the use of specific math activities. It includes questions about how actively the teacher interacts with the children, how the teacher uses teachable math moments, how math is displayed in the physical environment of the room, how confident the teacher appears about math, etc. The specific math activities measured are not connected to a specific curriculum.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Classroom Practices Inventory is a classroom observation measure for early childhood classrooms. It is designed to assess the developmental appropriateness of classroom and curricular practices, teachers actions, children's activities, and teacher-child interactions.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

This comprehensive kit contains resources to support the development of infants’ and toddlers’ social and emotional health. The screening and assessment tool focuses on identifying key social and emotional strengths and the planning resources provide caregivers and parents with research-based strategies to promote children’s resilience.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The EATQ-R measures the aspects of temperament that are associated with self-regulation. The EATQ-R was designed to be used for research purposes. Subscore(s): There are nine subscores: Activation control, Affiliation, Attention, Fear, Frustration, Inhibitory control, Shyness, Aggression, Depressive mood

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM) is a classroom observation instrument that rates the nature and quality of academic instruction.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Using the frameworks of cultural responsiveness and classroom management, the Early Childhood Ecology Scale (ECES) is developed to be an observation and reflective tool to examine teacher candidates' notions of classroom ecology. It includes five sub-domains to measure teacher's interaction with diverse students. These subdomains are sociocognitive, sociocultural, sociolinguistic, socioemotional, and sociophysical. Subscore(s): Diverse Teaching Practice; Positive ethnic-racial attitudes

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is an assessment of classroom quality measuring environmental provisions and teacher-child interactions affecting the developmental needs of preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. The third edition of the assessment, ECERS-3, includes 35 items focusing on the following six domains: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and literacy, learning activities, interaction, and program structure. ECERS may be used to evaluate inclusive and culturally diverse educational settings. 

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS‐R) measures global quality in center‐based early childhood programs. The ECERS‐R can be used as a tool “to see how well a program is meeting children’s needs – to see whether children receive the protection, learning opportunities, and positive relationships they need for successful development” (Cryer, Harms & Riley, 2003, p. x). It can be used by researchers, practitioners, program monitors and early childhood professionals providing technical assistance to programs. The ECERS‐R is a revision of the ECERS originally published in 1980, which “… retains the original scale’s broad definition of environment, including those spatial, programmatic, and interpersonal features that directly affect the children and adults in an early childhood setting” (Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 1998, p. 1).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, 3rd ed. -- A thorough revision of the ECERS-R™, designed to assess group programs for preschool-kindergarten aged children, from 3 through 5 years of age.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a measure of children’s developmental health at school entry. Subscore(s): There are five subscores: Physical health and well-being, Social competence, Emotional maturity, Language and cognitive development, Communication skills and general knowledge,

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO) is a classroom observation measure that assesses the quality of the classroom environment and teacher practices across five key elements: classroom structure, curriculum, the language environment, books and book reading opportunities, and print and early writing support. The measure is primarily designed for administrators and teachers of preschool and early elementary classrooms to use for professional development and program improvement.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

An individual play-based assessment to measure a child’s developmental needs, and pre-literacy skills.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

These 6 items were used along with social skills and behavior items adapted from the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) by Gresham and Elliot (1990) in the ECLS-K: 2010-2011.

Indicators of Individual Growth and Development for Infants and Toddlers (IGDI) measure development outcomes for children between 6 and 42 months. IGDI assessments are evaluations of 6-minute play sessions with the child and require the use of a set of toys in addition to administration materials. IGDI assessments can be conducted live during the play session, based on a video recording of the play session, or by observing the play session virtually.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) measures the environmental quality of childcare programs for children up to 30 months old. The instrument was originally developed in 1990 and is now offered in a revised version (Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised, ITERS-R). The 39 items of ITERS-R focus on the following seven domains: space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents and staff. ITERS-R is suitable for inclusive and culturally diverse settings.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

K-TEEM is a web-based assessment designed to measure early elementary teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.