Measuring Early Childhood Program Quality: An Item Response Theory Evaluation of the NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation Assessment

Haoyu Lin

Advisor: Timothy W Curby, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Thalia Goldstein, Divya Varier, Marvin Powell 

David J. King Hall, #2006
July 20, 2026, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Abstract:

High quality early childhood education depends on accurate and meaningful measures of program quality. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Early Learning Accreditation is one of the most widely used indicators of quality among early childhood education programs in the united states, yet little published research has evaluated the psychometric properties of the assessment used as a part of accreditation and reaccreditation procedures. This study examined the psychometric properties of the NAEYC accreditation assessment and explored whether the assessment could be shortened while maintaining its ability to support accreditation decisions. 

Using accreditation data from 3,220 preschool classrooms in 1,957 programs, Item Response Theory analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of more than 300 assessment items. Results indicated that the assessment demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties, with the greatest measurement precision for programs at the lower end of the quality continuum. A shorter version of the assessment maintained comparable reliability, predictive validity, and accreditation decision consistency.

These findings provide empirical support for the NAEYC accreditation assessment and demonstrate that a shorter assessment could be used to reduce assessment burden while preserving measurement quality and accreditation outcomes.