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Young children have the capability of making decisions, informed choices, and self-assessing their progress on their choices. In this classroom of 4- and 5-year-olds, children used pictorial contracts, rubrics, and various self-assessment techniques as a method for continuous learning. Gathering and reflecting on their own evidence about their accomplishments created a reflective loop by which the child evaluated their work, made revisions and ultimately applied the criteria to other conditions. Children in this prekindergarten classroom learned to reflect on their own knowledge. It is not only intrinsically motivating but offers young children a systematic approach to further their involvement in their learning in a developmentally appropriate and engaging environment.

Experiences of advantaged children were examined among 85 kindergarten, 72 first-grade, 61 second-grade, and 66 third-grade boys and girls. Preschool and nonpreschool/nonday-care groups scored significantly higher on academic self-esteem than a day-care group. The preschool group scored higher on CTBS Mathematics than the other two groups, and the preschool and day-care groups had significantly fewer absences in public school than the nonpreschool/nonday-care group.

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