Early Childhood Education Assessment

Test Administration

Test Site:

• School: Online

Paper & Pencil

No

Can the instructor take this test?:

No

Number of Test Items:

70 scored items and 10 nonscored (for research purposes)

Time Allowed (minutes):

Untimed; Average time is 45-65 minutes

Passing Score (percent):

Score is reviewed annually and posted at https://www.aafcs.org/credentialing-center/prepac/scoring.

Cost Per Test:

$20, single administration; $30, test/retest administration

Test Specifics:

http://www.aafcs.org/credentialing-center/pre-pac/portfolio/ece

Additional information:

The website provides general, specific, and scoring information regarding the assessment. The “Assessment and Certification Resources” segment of the website provides links to the following: (1) Competency List – Assessment Blueprint; (2) Assessment Information Bulletin (provides extensive outline of assessment content and sample test items); (3); Instructional Resource Directory (if available); (4) National scores and percentiles; (5) Alignment matrices to national standards and initiatives.
The Pre-PAC (Pre-Professional Assessment and Certification) in Early Childhood Education is a national, competency based assessment and corresponding industry certification designed for end-of-program/ pathway use in secondary and postsecondary family and consumer sciences and for employers conducting staff development and training for preprofessionals. The assessment and certification is provided by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), which is the national professional association in the family and consumer sciences industry/discipline. Through these assessments, AAFCS assures that preprofessionals are effectively prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary for demanding career opportunities, therefore providing a workforce to meet the needs of business and industry in the demanding U.S. economy. Consistent with the soaring demand for quality child care in the United States and recent brain research indicating that high quality child care and early education enhances later success, AAFCS developed a national standards-based competency assessment measuring knowledge and skills in the area of early childhood education.

The Early Childhood Education assessment and certification will address a skill set necessary for success in early childhood education which is one of the fastest growing programs that is reporting employment growth. The assessment and certification will be targeted for individuals preparing for careers related to early childhood education, such as those associated with: child care; teaching; community-based children’s programs; social services or counseling for children; and after-school programs. Depending on the competencies covered within the curriculum and instruction, the Pre-Professional Certification in Early Childhood Education serves as the culminating measure of technical skill attainment and workplace readiness of preprofessionals (secondary and postsecondary students and entry level, early career ladder individuals). The assessment and corresponding certification were designed to be administered at the end of a program, pathway, or sequence of courses in the content area. The credential provides a basic framework for preprofessionals to document their knowledge and skill in the content area.

The domains and competencies addressed within the Pre-PAC assessment are aligned with relevant industry standards (National Association for the Education of Young Children), the National Family and Consumer Sciences standards, Career Clusters Essential Knowledge and Skills, Career Ready Practices of the Career and Technical Common Core, the 21st Century Student Learning Outcomes, and the USDOE Employability Skills Framework. Alignment matrices illustrating these correlations are available on the Pre-PAC website at http://www.aafcs.org/credentialing-center/pre-pac/assessment-alignment
It can be used with other industry, workplace, and academic credentials (stackable) to further advance educational and professional opportunities.