The Helen Kelley Symposium for Excellence in Education will attract early childhood education professionals to Lincoln from 1-5 p.m. Nov. 11 to discuss the merits and implications of testing young children. Hosted by Child, Youth and Family Studies in the College of Education and Human Sciences at UNL, “Tested Before Their Time? Accountability and Early Learning” will focus on how best to assess the growth and development of young children and the programs and professionals who serve them.

Samuel J. Meisels, executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is the keynote presenter. His presentation from 1-2:30 p.m. is followed by breakout sessions from 3-5 p.m. The event is being held at the East Union.

Meisels, who is also a professor of child and family studies, will discuss high-stakes testing regimes, accountability standards and alternative assessments. He will also offer recommendations based on more than 40 years of experience in the field of early childhood education. He has published nearly 200 research articles, books, monographs and assessments and is co-author of “The Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention.” He earned a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The symposium is free and open to the public. For more information, or to register, go to http://cehs15.unl.edu/cyaf/conf/.