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Preschool Assessments and Tests

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Free, universal, and easy-to-administer screeners for identifying what children know and can do. Available in both English and Spanish!

In just 10–15 minutes, these developmentally appropriate assessments for children aged 4–5 check student progress as they build important foundation skills.

We recommend that students are assessed three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of the Pre-K school year).

Pre-K Assessments

Readiness & Writing Check Readiness

The Readiness & Writing 1:1 Assessment can be used to assess Pre-K children as they develop their skills. You will assess naming colors, shapes, crayon grip, letter naming and writing. Keep track of a child’s response on the Assessment. As you watch children play and participate in activities use our Observation Checklist to note additional skills.

Download includes assessment, directions and observation checklist pages.

English | Spanish

Language & Literacy Check Literacy

The Language & Literacy 1:1 Assessment can be used to assess Pre-K children as their skills develop. You will assess letter naming, describing and comparing, rhyming, and words/word parts. As you watch children play and participate in activities use our Observation Checklist to note other skills. Keeping track of a child’s response is made easy with our new 1:1 Assessment Record.

 

Download includes assessment, directions and observation checklist pages.

 

English | Spanish

Numbers & Math Check Math

Numbers & Math
Use the Numbers & Math 1:1 Assessment to assess skills as they develop. You will assess naming numbers, counting and comparing, positions, ordinal numbers, and AB patterns. As children play and participate in math activities use the Observation Checklist to note their development with other skills. Keep track of a child’s response with our new 1:1 Assessment Record.

 

Download includes assessment, directions and observation checklist pages.

 

English | Spanish

Portfolios

Keeping track of a Pre-K child’s progress is easier using our new Portfolios handout. Use our Portfolios handout to learn more about their purpose and how they can be used in your Pre-K classroom/center. We offer suggestions for how and when to create portfolios and what types of work samples to include. Tips are provided for how portfolios can be shared with families or colleagues.

Portfolios Information

FAQs

    Traditional paper and pencil forms of assessment are not appropriate for Pre-K children. Our developmentally appropriate assessments address young children’s growth in Language & Literacy, Numbers & Math, and Readiness & Writing skills.

    They will help you to:
    1.    Identify the different learning experiences of all children in your class
    2.    Plan meaningful learning experiences
    3.    Measure children’s academic progress
    4.    Gather information to share with families, specialists, educators, and administrators
    5.    Identify children who might benefit from special services

    Assessing young children should be observational and holistic, impacting your hands-on instructional time as little as possible. We recommend using the assessments with each child three times a year: at the beginning, middle and end of their Pre-K year.

    Each assessment takes just 10-15 minutes.

    Look at each assessment as a snapshot in time. Looking at those snapshots over weeks and months shows the path of a child’s development and learning. Use these assessment tools along with your daily experiences and professional judgment. Do not make decisions about a child’s long-term grouping or placement based on a single assessment.

    Pre-K teachers, therapists and parents can use these assessments. They are universal and developmentally appropriate for children ages 4-5.

      Some people you might want to consider include fellow Pre-K teachers, parents, therapists, administrators, and kindergarten teachers. This will provide all of those involved a clearer understanding of the child’s progress.