The COVID-19 pandemic forced practitioners in early intervention and early childhood special education to adopt new ways to conduct assessments. Using technology to administer assessments remotely provided new ways to learn about what children know and can do in everyday situations but it also presented challenges. An unanswered question is can early childhood capitalize on the opportunities technology provides for authentic assessment while addressing issues such as unequal access to technology, limited internet access, and security concerns.

What is INTECA?

INTECA is a technical assistance project to increase what is known about equitable and innovative approaches for implementing and integrating technology into authentic assessments for young children with disabilities. We also are building the capacity of the field to use technology to support authentic assessment through disseminating tools, methods, and frameworks.

What is INTECA doing?

INTECA has been conducting interviews around the U.S. to identify benefits, limitations, facilitators, barriers, and other information needed to effectively use technology to support authentic assessment. We have interviewed early intervention and preschool special education state coordinators, local administrators, practitioners, and families of young children with disabilities who have used technology as part of the assessment process. We also have reviewed the literature on the use of technology to support authentic assessment in early intervention and preschool special education and reviewed guidance from professional organizations.

From this information, we are developing frameworks for state and local administrators who are considering adopting virtual assessment and other related technologies. We also will be developing resources to support the implementation of these technologies.

Learn more about the project and check out the Project Resources page under Resources] for our newest project resources.

We will be presenting at the National Research Conference for Early Childhood (June 24-26), 2024 OSEP combined Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference (August 6-8), Division for Early Childhood International Conference (September 17-20), and the Bright Start International Conference (November 22-24, 2024). We hope you can join us to learn more about INTECA’s work!