Article

Developing and Validating the International Development and Early Learning Assessment

IDELA brings reliability and rigor to early childhood measurement

International Journal of Educational Research

This peer reviewed article highlights the proven rigor of IDELA and the strength of the psychometric properties of IDELA in comparison to similar measurement tools. It notes that IDELA is particularly well suited for use in low or middle income settings and can be used with accuracy in these contexts. A thorough overview of other ECD measurement tools is included, as well as an in depth look at the analysis used to test validity.

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Author: Lauren Pisani, Ivelina Borisova, Amy Jo Dowd
Organizations: Save the Children, UNICEF
Date: July 14, 2018
Country: Global

Abstract

Evidence about the importance of stimulation and learning in childhood has been mounting in recent years, culminating with the inclusion of early childhood development in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. In following, there is a need for reliable measurement of early learning and development at local, national, and global levels. None of the existing tools designed to measure learning and development at the pre-primary level have been proven to be appropriate and feasible in diverse national contexts, as well as psychometrically rigorous. Therefore, Save the Children developed the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) from 2011–2015. This paper presents evidence from the IDELA validation process including internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity.