GACE: Birth to Five

The Birth to Five assessment, offered as part of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators, is divided into two tests.

The first test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response assignments (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the first test are professionalism, building relationships, and promoting child development and learning. The topics covered by the professionalism and building relationships subarea are: the foundations of programs and services for young children and the issues, laws, and policies that affect children, families, and programs; the roles and responsibilities of members of the early childhood profession; the characteristics of families and communities and their roles in the development of young children; and the ways to establish and maintain positive and collaborative relationships with families, colleagues, and community agencies and organizations. The topics covered by the promoting child development and learning subarea are: growth and development in early childhood and the characteristics and needs of young children; the factors that influence the development of young children; basic health, nutrition, and safety practices for young children; human diversity and the creation of an inclusive and respectful environment; communication and language development in young children; and the creation of healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging classroom environments.

The second test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response questions (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the second test are teaching, learning, and building a meaningful curriculum. The topics covered by the teaching and learning subarea are: the means by which young children learn; how to create learning opportunities for young children; effective and appropriate learning goals for young children; appropriate instructional practices for young children; strategies for promoting positive relationships and supportive interactions; and the characteristics, goals, benefits, and uses of diverse assessment strategies. The topics covered by the curriculum subarea are: facilitating physical, emotional, social, linguistic, cognitive, and creative development in young children.

The examination must be completed within four hours. The total test score is placed on a scale of 100 to 300, with 220 as the lowest passing score. Scores are based on the number of selected-response questions answered correctly and the scores assigned by judges to the constructed responses. Test-takers will also receive performance indices indicating their success in each subarea of the examination. Scores will be available approximately a month after the date of the examination; unofficial results are posted on the internet, and an official score report is mailed to the test-taker, the Professional Standards Commission, and the institution specified by the test-taker during registration.

Practice Questions

1. For most children, what is the first step towards total bowel and bladder control?

A: nighttime bladder control
B: daytime bowel control
C: daytime bladder control
D: nighttime bowel control

2. Newborn infants typically display hypotonia in the trunk and neck. What does this mean?

A: These body parts are stiff.
B: These body parts are not fully mature.
C: These body parts are floppy.
D: These body parts are abnormally large.

3. During a play activity with very young children, it becomes apparent that a child does not understand that an object continues to exist even when it is out of sight. What concept is this child missing?

A: object permanence
B: objective existence
C: non-disappearance
D: objective solidity

4. Which of the following best describes the attention span of children before the age of 3?

A: Children can concentrate only for a few seconds at a time.
B: Children can only concentrate on one thing at a time.
C: Children are capable of attending to a number of different stimuli at once.
D: Children cannot fully concentrate on any one thing.

5. For most children, independent sitting is possible at what age?

A: 1 to 3 months
B: 12 to 18 months
C: 3 to 6 months
D: 6 to 11 months

Answer Key

1. D. The typical steps in bladder and bowel training are: nighttime bowel control; daytime bowel control; daytime bladder control; and nighttime bladder control.
2. C. It takes a while for a child to develop the strength to hold his or her head upright.
3. A. Some studies suggest that object permanence may not be fully ingrained until the end of the second year.
4. B. Children before the age of 3 consistently demonstrate what is known as single-channeled attention.
5. D. Approximately 90% of infants develop the ability to sit independently during this period.