Recognising Early Literacy Development

`This book examines the literacy development and assessment of children before
the age of five years. It is highly relevant to all those professionally
involved in assessment. Cathy Nutbrown explores the need for appropriate
assessment practice to support teachers and illustrates the mismatch between
the way teachers and researchers assess literacy. The book is worth buying for
the final chapter alone, which provides an analysis of the newly developed
Sheffield Early Literacy Development Profile. The actual tasks are included in
the appendices. Thus, Cathy Nutbrown does not leave us frustrated. We are able
to consider an ongoing assessment which is in tune with the best practice in
teaching.

This is a research text which balances theory with practical realism. It is
particularly relevant today with the introduction of Baseline Assessment.
Teachers and researchers will find much that they can relate to and learn
from. It is clearly written and deserves to be widely read. However, it may
make for uncomfortable reading as Cathy Nutbrown challenges all concerned with
the assessment of early literacy development to reflect on exactly what they
are doing and why' - British Educational Research

Recognising Early Literacy Development presents a new view of the many
purposes of assessment in early literacy development. Issues in early literacy
assessment, current assessment material, the purposes of literacy assessment,
government policy, practice in schools, baseline assessment of literacy, the
need for new research measures of early literacy, are all recurrent themes of
the book. The author reviews and discusses three decades of policy and
practice in assessing literacy development in the years 3 to 5 - from
recognising in the late 1960s that literacy in these years exists, to
proposals in 1997 for official assessment of literacy at 5 years.