Educators and researchers around the world, especially in countries with limited resources, need cost-effective, scalable tools for assessing early child development. Direct assessments, a commonly used approach, require children to complete a range of activities that measure academic, physical, and social-emotional skills. These assessments paint a nuanced picture of early child development and are useful to evaluate programs and policies. However, administering direct assessments often takes 30 or more minutes, making them impractical for measuring large populations. Practitioners and researchers need more practical methods.

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