Developmental Screening and Authentic Assessment

Through Developmental and Social-Emotional Screening and Authentic Assessment, teaching staff deepen their shared understanding of children's development and learning across domains to inform instruction. Teaching staff collect evidence of student learning, reflect and determine next steps to support individual growth. Please note, policies may vary for program type (Birth to Five, Family Child Care Networks, Early Head Start, and Head Start).

Developmental and Social-Emotional Screening

Developmental and social-emotional screening is a way to identify potential developmental and instructional needs. Used at the beginning of the school year, screening tools evaluate developmental milestones and assist educators in learning about the various aspects of a child’s development, such as language, cognition, perception, motor, and social-emotional development. Screenings quickly capture a glimpse of a child’s developmental status and can identify children at risk for developmental delays. Screening provides an opportunity for young children and their families to access a wide variety of services and supports parents' understanding of their child's health, development, and learning. 

• NYSED UPK Regulations - Section 151-1.3(C)(1)
• Commissioner's Regulations - Section 117.3

Developmental screening tools approved for use:

NYCDOE Expectations

Developmental screening is a key part of a student's transition into an early childhood program. Programs are required to use a valid and reliable developmental screening tool to identify potential developmental delays and language support needs.

Key Requirements

• As in previous years, teaching teams are required to administer a developmental screening to all children within 45 calendar days of enrollment.
• Children must be screened each year.
• Early childhood programs must enter screening results through Payroll or Vendor Portal within 21 calendar days of screening.
• Staff administering the screenings should take into consideration the needs and backgrounds of the children that they are serving and ensure that screenings are implemented using culturally, linguistically, and developmentally responsive materials.

Developmental screenings do not have to be administered to children currently receiving Early Intervention services or currently receiving preschool special education services. If a child's screening results indicate that they need to be re-screened for any reason, programs are required to re-screen the child within 8-10 weeks of the original screening. If the screening is not available in a child's home language, programs may mark a language exception for the child in the Portal. Programs should work to provide the child with language support and instruction.

Please note: the ESI-3 screening tool may not be utilized to screen children until they are three years old. Any child who is not yet three years old upon enrollment into 3-K must be screened between the date of their third birthday and February 14.

Early Head Start and Head Start programs:

Screenings must be valid and reliable for the population for which they will be used, and must be culturally and linguistically appropriate. 

If a child speaks a language other than English, a program must use qualified bilingual staff, contractor, or consultant to assess language skills in English and the home language, and for domains other than language skills in the language that best captures development and skills. Staff conducting screenings must know and understand the home language and have sufficient skill to accurately administer the screening.

If there is no qualified bilingual staff, contractor, or consultant, the program must use an interpreter in conjunction with a qualified staff person.

If there is no qualified bilingual staff, and no interpreter, then screenings may be conducted in English. The program must also gather and use other information for use in evaluating the child’s development.

Please refer to the Head Start Program Performance Standards for more information about Early Head Start and Head Start requirements. 

Staff Qualifications

Programs using ASQ-3:

• Must complete self-paced training. Training will be available through your Protraxx account after your program orders ASQ-3 materials through the screening survey, and your order is processed. To enroll for the online professional learning content:
  • Log in to ProTraxx. If you do not have a ProTraxx account, please register on the Division of Early Childhood Education professional learning website. 
  • Under the Enrollment drop-down, select “Search Courses.” Using the Keyword field, enter “ASQ-3: Introduction to Ages and Stages Questionnaire Developmental Screening” click the search/filter button. Please copy and paste this title of the online course exactly, and ensure that you are not using any other search terms like date range, or subject area.
  • Select the View Details button next to the course. At the top of the course page, click Enroll (if you haven’t already), and then select “Launch Course.”
• Must create a screening plan for inviting families and caregivers to complete the ASQ-3 questionnaires, considering the method of implementation that will work best for the program (for example, whether staff will complete questionnaires in partnership with families and caregivers through a phone or video call. Family and caregiver input is critical and the screening plan must include invitations for caregivers to participate.

• Must have an understanding of basic principles of standardized tests, including:
  • Knowledge of methods to ensure objectivity in the administration of the tool
  • Importance of following standard procedures for administration and scoring
• Must be a leader, teacher, paraprofessional, or other staff member experienced in early childhood education, with an understanding of early childhood behavior and development.
• Must complete training to include observation of an examiner administering the tool.
• Must be fluent and proficient in the language(s) used to administer the developmental screening tool. Screenings must be administered in a child’s home language.

Screening Materials

DECE provides materials for the ASQ-3 by request. Programs can continue to purchase other approved screening tools, not provided by the DOE by visiting the publishers’ websites.

You can order ASQ-3 materials by filling out the Developmental Screening Ordering Survey. 

Please note: ASQ:SE-2 materials can be photocopied and reprinted at your program as your wish, year after year - be sure to keep your master copies in a safe place. 

Please contact developmentalscreening@schools.nyc.gov with questions about ASQ-3 or ASE:SE-2 materials or ASQ Online access.

Training

Self-paced training for the ASQ-3 is available through your Protraxx account. If you do not have a Protraxx.com account, please register on the Protraxx registration page. For instructions on how to engage in these learning opportunities with your Protraxx account, refer to the Protraxx User Guide. 

The DECE will provide resources and materials to support the implementation of the ASQ:SE-2, including professional learning opportunities to provide an overview of the ASQ:SE-2 tool, support teaching teams to partner with families to complete the questionnaire, and review how to score ASQ:SE-2 and interpret scores.

For additional information, email developmentalscreening@schools.nyc.gov.

Communicating with Families

At the start of the school year, NYCDOE funded early childhood programs are required to send the following Introduction to Developmental Screening letter to families and caregivers of enrolled children. In response to this letter, families, and caregivers may opt out of the developmental screening.

Programs are encouraged to complete the Emergent Multilingual Learners Language Profile (EMLLPP) in partnership with families to gain valuable information about Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLLs), promote strong instructional and family engagement practices, and strengthen the language and literacy development of children in their home language and in English. Please be sure to share the benefits of participation, and assure families that any information collected will be strictly confidential and will only be used by teaching teams to inform instruction in the classroom.

Communicating with Families and Caregivers

• Arabic 
• Bengali Bangla 
• Chinese 
• English 
• French 
• Haitian Creole 
• Korean 
• Russian 
• Spanish 
• Urdu

Screening Outcomes

Screening outcomes must be communicated to families and caregivers. The method of communication is at the discretion of the site leader.

Birth to Five programs:

For the 2022-23 school year, screening results must be reported to the DECE through Payroll or Vendor Portal within 21 calendar days of screening. District school teachers can enter data using Payroll Portal under the DOE Applications tab, using UPK Survey. NYC Early Education Center teachers can enter data using the Vendor Portal. Please review this Submitting Developmental Screening Results guide for more information and step-by-step instructions.

Family Child Care Networks and Birth to Five Programs:

The DECE requires that if a child scores within the referral range of a screening tool, families/caregivers and programs should work together to collect information, support the child, and determine the next steps. If, after implementing a variety of strategies and/or supports, programs and/or families/caregivers still have concerns regarding a child's progress and believe that he or she may need additional support, the family/caregiver can make a referral for special education services.

For children younger than three, to make a referral to Early Intervention providers should complete the Early Intervention Program Referral Form (PDF) and fax it to a regional office in the family/caregiver’s home borough or Call 311 and ask for Early Intervention. Upon referral to Early Intervention, all families/caregivers are assigned a Service Coordinator to help them navigate the program. If found eligible, Early Intervention will work with the family/caregiver to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which outlines the services they will receive.

For children aged three and four, to make a referral to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE), parents must submit a referral letter to the CPSE by fax, mail, email to the CPSE Community Coordinator for the District, or in person requesting an evaluation for their child. For CPSE contact information, please refer to the CPSE homepage. After completing evaluations, if a child is found eligible for preschool special education services, the CPSE will work with the family/caregiver to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that will outline programs and services based on the child’s needs.

Early Head Start and Head Start programs:

If warranted through screening and additional information and with direct guidance from a mental health or child development professional and parent’s consent, the program must promptly and appropriately address any needs identified through referral for formal evaluation.

If a child is determined to be eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the program must partner with parents and the local agency and deliver services.

If a child is determined to be not eligible for services under IDEA, the program must seek guidance to determine if the formal evaluation shows the child has a significant delay, and if so, partner with the family/caregiver to help access services and supports.

Authentic Assessment