Developmentally appropriate evaluation (DAE) and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) are clearly allied. The concept of DAP has expanded to include cultural, economic, ethnic, religious, and familial appropriateness. These same concepts are equally applicable to appropriate evaluation. Factors to consider for appropriate evaluation include: (1) the importance of naturalistic observation; (2) evaluation effectiveness; (3) the context of the child, including the child's social environment; (4) biological maturation; (5) measuring quality of care; (6) parents as partners, including improving parent-teacher communication; and (7) professional observation. Key components of DAE include: (1) objective recording of the child's behavior; (2) selection of appropriate methodologies for recording; (3) recognition of biases; (4) emphasis on process of individual development; (5) basing of evaluations on objective data; (6) validation of inferences drawn from observations; and (7) careful use of theoretic models. (Contains 13 references.) (BGC)