1. Early Childhood Development (ECD) Scales: Overview & Lessons Learned Dr. Ghazala Rafique Aga Khan University Pakistan
Regional Consultative Meetings on SEAMEO Basic Education Standards (SEA-BES) & SouthEast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM)
4 - 5 November 2014
Penang, Malaysia

2. Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)
Early Learning and Development standards (ELDS) have been developed by a number of countries in East Asia and Pacific with the support of UNICEF
Standards developed for all domains of child development (as defined by the countries)
They include competences that children are expected to acquire in each domain

3. ELDS Domains Physical development and well-being
Socio-emotional competencies
Intellectual development
Creative and aesthetic
Cultural and spiritual development

4. Cultural, Contextual Early Learning and Development Assessment
Culturally and contextually appropriate assessment of ECD is important to:
Monitor child development in the context of school readiness and learning outcomes
Track the development of vulnerable and at-risk children
Improve teaching- learning process and materials
Analyze the impact of early childhood policies and programs on children

5. Genesis of East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scale (EAP-ECDS)
Many countries in East Asia Pacific supported that the assessment of children should encompass all dimensions of children’s learning and development
No globally accepted ECD assessment tools existed that could inform about what children understand, know and can do
Developing a culturally and conceptually appropriate assessment tool to validate that learning and development goals, as defined in each country’s ELDS/Curricula, are achieved

6. Initiation of East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales (EAP-ECDS)
Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) initiated the development EAP-ECD scale to equip East Asian and Pacific countries with a common measurement tool that can assess the holistic developmental progress of children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years.
Multi-country initiative managed by ARNEC with support from UNICEF EAPRO and the Open Society Foundation and implemented by the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

7. Phase I: Development of the Scale
Selection of items to be used in a tool to assess early child development in the EAP region
These items were based on a comprehensive desk review of the Early Learning and Development Standards from 7 countries in the Region

8. Source: HKU Research Team
EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014

9. Determined # of indicators Developed categories +
Development of the Items
Converted indicators
to items
Form a 100-item measure
Selected indicators
in each category
To construct a 100-item regionally-sensitive measure
Determined # of indicators
in each category
Based on the proportion of the total # of indicators in each category
Developed categories +
sub-categories
7 categories
Established an
Indicator Database
1738 indicators for children aged 3, 4, and 5 from seven countries’ ELDSs
Source: HKU Research Team
EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014
Focus on rationale and process

10. Phase II: Revision and Refinement of the Scale (Pilot Studies)
Pilot testing of selected items in children aged 3-5 from three countries (Fiji, Mongolia, and China)
Scale modification based on the results
Development of a final revised version of EAP-ECDS

11. Field Consultancy Support
Pilot study
Mongolia
Fiji
China
Modification
Field trials
Sent draft to
countries
Translation
& checking
Field Consultancy Support
Source: HKU Research Team
EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014

12. Evaluating Effectiveness of the Scale
Reliability
Cronbach’s alpha: > .70
Validity
Content validity: expert review
Age Validity: older children scoring significantly higher than younger children
Age Appropriateness
Cross-cultural differences
Item discrimination
Item facility

13. The Revised Scale after Phase II
1. Approaches to Learning
7 items
21 items
2. Cognitive Development
10 items
3. Cultural Knowledge and Participation
16 items
4. Language and Emergent Literacy
7 items
5. Motor Development
9 items
6. Health, Hygiene and Safety
15 items
7. Socio-Emotional Development
Source: HKU Research Team
EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014
85 items
Total

14. Phase III: Final Validation of the Scale
Construct norms across the region on representative samples from each country
Assess psychometric properties such as test-retest reliability
Comparisons across different domains and groups (age, gender, urban/rural)
Correlations between parent ratings and EAP-ECDS domains and total scores ‘

15. EAP-ECDS - Way Forward
Data Analysis with the provided dataset to address country-specific research questions
Fine-tuning ELDS
Curriculum revision
Mainstreaming EAP ECDS for National Research Initiatives and M&E mechanism
Feed into ECCD policy framework development
Improve coordination among existing systems – ELDS, curriculum, teacher training, etc.

16. Challenges for Developing new Scales
Defining and implementing learning and development goals require systematic efforts and country commitment (from national, sub-national levels to schools and teachers)
Another challenge in developing a scale for multiple countries is the issue of item bias and it is crucial to ensure that items are fair to children with different cultural background