GOLD® is an ongoing observational assessment tool–based upon years of feedback from thousands of educators and important new research about how children develop and learn.
GOLD® is an assessment system that helps teachers be intentional in their teaching by accurately pinpointing where children are in their development and learning. It’s a teacher-friendly, easy-to-understand approach to observation, documentation, portfolio-building, and reporting–the essential components of a high-quality assessment system.
Districts are required to assess all preschool children enrolled in any district program with GOLD®. Iowa Code 279.60 was amended in 2013 to include the GOLD® assessment for every resident prekindergarten or four-year-old child whose parent or guardian enrolls the child in a district program. Examples include three-year-old, four-year-old, and mixed-age preschool classrooms, as well as those in which a child receives early childhood special education services. It also includes any community based early childhood program that receives Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program funding or Shared Visions preschool funding.