This paper aims to present and discuss tensions in the contemporary debate about the assessment in/of Brazilian early childhood education, based on the distinction between evaluation policy in/of early childhood education and policy evaluation of early childhood education. The text argues that the process of building the social problem "assessment" is beginning in the arena of negotiations in early childhood education policy, which gives rise to clashes concerning bipolar positions in the assessment models proposed and criticized. It emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations and of explicitation of political positions in evaluative research in early childhood education and warns against the danger of transferring to early childhood education hegemonic models adopted in Brazil at other stages of education.
curse evaluation; early childhood education; publics policies; ethics
