Kindergarten Assessment Tool

Kindergarten
Assessment Tool
August 2013
Revised October 1, 2013
Table of Contents
Context
Context 1
Kindergarten Assessment Tool Goals 2
The Areas of Assessment 3
Emotional and Social Development 3
Intellectual Development 3
Literacy Development 4
Numeracy Development 6
Reading Suggestions 7
Teacher’s Guide
Section A: Emotional and Social Development 8
Attention Span 8
Problem Solving 8
Behavioural/Emotional Regulation 8
Section B: Intellectual Development 9
Oral Language 9
Expressive Language 9
Writing and Representing 9
Reading and Viewing (Letter Recognition) 10
Concepts of Print 10
Isolating Sounds 11
Rhyme 11
Blending and Sentence Segmenting 11
Compound Deletion 11
Number Sense 12
Appendix
District Collection Sheet – Section A: Emotional and Social Development
Attention Span 13
Problem Solving 14
Behavioural/Emotional Regulation 15
District Collection Sheet – Section B: Intellectual Development
Oral Language 16
Picture A 18
Picture B 19
Writing and Representing: Think-Draw-Label Activity 21
Writing and Representing 22
Letter Recognition Recording Sheet 25
Upper Case Letter Sheet 26
Lower Case Letter Sheet 27
High Frequency Word Recognition List 28
High Frequency Word Recognition Student Response Sheet 30
Concepts of Print Exercise Sheet 31
Concepts of Print 32
Isolating Sounds Exercise Sheet (developmental):
Isolating Initial Sounds 33
Isolating Final Sounds 33
Isolating Sounds 34
Rhyme Exercise Sheet (developmental) 35
Rhyme 36
Blending and Sentence Segmenting (development):
Blending 37
Sentence Segmenting 37
Blending and Sentence Segmenting 38
Number Sense:
Counts Forward 41
Counts Backwards 41
Recognizes 1 to 5 Objects at a Glance 41
Five Frames 42
Counts Objects in a Collection 43
Constructs a Set of Objects 44
Part/Part/Whole 45
Compares Quantities, 1 to 10, Using 1 to 1 Correspondence 45
Demonstrates Understanding of Repeating Patterns 46
Pattern Card A 47
Pattern Card B 47
Number Sense 48
CONTEXT
Context
School District 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) has a long history of using a tool to assess how Kindergarten students are
performing. Using such a tool allows for teachers and schools to determine how effective practices are, and which students
need to be flagged for possible future intervention in order to achieve the highest level of success at school possible. The
District tool used for the past several years, in most Kindergarten classrooms, focused mostly on reading readiness and
language development.
Over the last two years, Kindergarten teachers began describing how the District tool was not meeting their needs. As
well, they described that the tool did not focus on social responsibility or numeracy, two areas of growing concern in K
classrooms. Ultimately, the message delivered by Kindergarten teachers was that they were very interested in a District
assessment tool for Kindergarten students; that the tool needed to address reading readiness, language development,
social responsibility and numeracy; that the tool be redesigned; and that the tool be used in all District Kindergarten
classrooms.
The District agreed, and pulled together a task force, made up of 4 Kindergarten teachers, the District’s Learning
Coordinator, two elementary Principals, and the Director of Instruction. The goal of the task force was to determine what
worked with the current assessment tool, and what specifics needed to be in the newly designed tool. Once this work was
complete, a smaller working group, made up of two Kindergarten teachers, the District’s Learning Coordinator, two
elementary principals, and the Director of Instruction, began to redesign the tool.
One of the first tasks for the working group was to examine current tools being used by other Districts in the province.
This task proved to be interesting, in that it was discovered that many Districts were not using any assessment tool for
Kindergarten students. As a result, the working group began the redesign from scratch.
Kindergarten Assessment Tool Task Force Membership:

Kathy Koshey – Teacher Jill Morgan – Teacher
Judy Philipzyk – Teacher Christa Salsiccioli – Teacher
Denise Flick – Learning Coordinator Teresa Berdusco – Principal
Brian Stefani – Principal Kere MacGregor - Principal
Bill Ford – Director of Instruction
Kindergarten Assessment Tool Working Group:

Judy Philipzyk – Teacher Jill Morgan – Teacher
Denise Flick – Learning Coordinator Teresa Berdusco – Principal
Brian Stefani – Principal Bill Ford – Director of Instruction
Assessment is an essential part of teaching. Assessment informs teachers about what to teach and whether their students are reaching the goals
set for them. Individually assessing all of the students in a teacher’s class is well worth the time expended. Remember that the other students
may still be engaged in worthwhile learning activities, even when the teacher is not standing in front of them.
Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 1

Kindergarten Assessment Tool Goals
The goals for the Kindergarten Assessment Tool are:
 To provide Kindergarten Teachers with a District Kindergarten Assessment Tool that will…
 …provide a picture of individual student learning performance in the areas of reading readiness, language
development, social responsibility and numeracy
 …provide information to use when reporting on student progress to parents
 …provide learning benchmarks, based on curriculum learning outcomes, to assess students against
 …provide a profile of each Kindergarten student’s strengths and areas requiring further development
 …provide a profile of their class strengths and areas requiring further development
 …provide information on students at risk and possibly requiring intervention(s)
 …provide information to support and inform instruction
 To provide Principals with a District Kindergarten Assessment Tool that will…

 …provide a profile of each Kindergarten student’s strengths and areas requiring further development
 …provide a profile of each Kindergarten class strengths and areas requiring further development
 …provide a profile of how all Kindergarten students are performing
 …provide a profile on the effectiveness of Kindergarten programs
 …provide information on students at risk and possibly requiring intervention(s)
 To provide the District with a District Kindergarten Assessment Tool that will…
 …be used in all Kindergarten classrooms
 …provide information on how effective Kindergarten programs are
 …provide information on areas for possible professional development for Kindergarten teachers
 …provide information on the needs of Kindergarten students in each school and of the District as a whole
 …provide information on potential resource purchasing to support student success and educational
programming in Kindergarten
Significant amounts of research has helped focus attention on the importance of early assessment, explicit instruction and early intervention.
The most effective prevention strategy is quality, strategic instruction based on purposeful assessment. Research affirms that, when done well,
classroom instruction has been shown to overwhelm the effects of student background and other deficits.

The Areas of Assessment
Emotional and Social Development
 Attention Span
 Problem Solving
 Behavioural/Emotional Regulation
During their early years in school, students have a variety of opportunities to observe, model, discuss, demonstrate and
develop emotionally and socially responsible behavior. The BC Performance Standards describe aspects of such
development as the ability for each to contribute to the classroom and school community, the ability for each student to
solve problems in peaceful ways, the ability for each student to value diversity, and the ability for each student to exercise
democratic rights and responsibilities. Students that fully meet expectations in these areas are usually welcoming, kind
and helpful; participate in and contribute to classroom and group activities; will try to express feelings honestly, manage
anger appropriately, and listen politely; will often rely on adult intervention in a conflict situation without considering
alternatives; will clarify problems and generate evaluative strategies; will treat others fairly and respectfully; are
increasingly interested in fairness; show an emerging sense of being a ‘learner’; show an increasing sense of responsibility;
generally follow classroom rules; and, are able to identify simple ways to improve the classroom, the school, the
community or the world.
Intellectual Development
Literacy Development:
 Oral Language
 Expressive Language
 Writing and Representing
 Reading and Viewing
 Concepts of Print
 Isolating Sounds
 Rhyme
 Blending and Sentence Segmenting
 Compound Deletion
Numeracy Development:
 Number Sense

Literacy Development
Effective early literacy instruction programming includes the following components:

 Phonological and phonemic awareness
 Understanding the alphabet (knowledge of phonics for decoding)
 Reading practice to build fluency and automaticity
 Oral language and vocabulary development
 Text comprehension
 Written expression (reading/writing connection)
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness:

Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think
about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words. It is one of the best predictors of reading success.
Children who fail to develop phonemic awareness have difficulty learning basic reading and spelling skills. When
children are taught phonemic awareness explicitly, they demonstrate stronger abilities to read and spell words.
Understanding the Alphabet:

The alphabetic principle is the understanding of how the sounds of speech are represented by the letters of the
code. It is phonics: the bridge between phonological awareness and the alphabet knowledge. Children must
understand the relationship between speech sounds and letters. One of the best predictors of early reading ability
is a child’s understanding that written words are made up of letters that represent sounds in speech. A child must
learn to think of words as having both meaning and sound in order to understand the alphabetic principle. Direct,
explicit instruction of the alphabetic principle is necessary for some children and is better than relying on students
to discover it for themselves. Children who are explicitly taught the alphabetic principle, along with phonemic
awareness, perform better on reading measures later on.
Reading Practice:
At the core of reading is the ability or skill to identify individual words quickly and accurately, and then make sense
of what has been read. All learners typically follow a continuum of development on the road to reading success:
Stage 1: decoding – children are learning the alphabet, blending letter sounds into words; they pay focused
attention to print
Stage 2: fluency – children are able to read familiar text, with increasing pace and with appropriate phrasing
Stage 3: reading with comprehension – children are now able to concentrate on comprehending new information
as they read; basic print-processing skills are mastered
Stage 4: analytic reading – children are able to read more critically; they are able to consider text information from
a variety of sources
Inherent to reading success are three foundational skills:

1) Decoding accuracy is the result of a reader’s sight word vocabulary or the use of decoding strategies.
2) Word recognition automaticity is the ability to recognize words with little cognitive effort or attention.
3) Oral text reading fluency is the ability to read with proper phrasing and expression.

Oral Language and Vocabulary Development:
It is now well understood that reading and writing are language based skills, and are foundational to developing
literacy. The development of oral language skills and literacy are linked, since students use their knowledge of
language to read and write. Oral language is the foundation on which reading and writing are built. Reading
comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are strongly correlated, and vocabulary size is a good predictor of
reading comprehension skills. Over time, students who read less acquire smaller vocabularies and reduced
comprehension of text read. It is in the primary grades when increases to vocabulary size are critical; if not, the
accumulation deficit over time is exponential.
Text Comprehension:
Reading is the construction of meaning, the ability to make sense of what has been read. Comprehension is not a
product of reading, it is the process. Children continuously make sense of the world; when reading, they make
sense of text. The process of making meaning is strongly connected to fluency, detecting and correcting error, and
‘figuring out’ words. All readers expect text to have meaning for them. All readers are driven to make sense of the
process. Readers’ understanding of the text being read is influenced by their prior knowledge. Ultimately,
comprehension begins before reading as readers make predictions and anticipate the text, and continues after
reading as they use their experience and extend it.
Written Expression:
Learning to write, like many other critical skills, is a complex developmental process. When children begin to write
conventionally, they need to know the purpose of their writing, and their audience. They need to develop an
awareness of the readers’ perspective and what they need to know in order to understand their written message.
Over time, they become more aware of the importance of the aspects of writing: meaning, style, form and
conventions.
Children who have many opportunities to use invented spelling eventually become better spellers than those who
are taught by rote memorization. Early word work should include analysis, sorting, categorizing, and interactive
activities. The way children spell provides information about what they know, what strategies they are using, and
what they are ready to learn next.
Time spent on assessment to inform literacy instruction is time invested in enhancing instruction to give children the best opportunities to
become proficient readers and writers, rather than getting permanently labeled as ‘struggling learners’.

Numeracy Development
Number Sense:
Number sense, or the ability to compare the sizes of two collections shown simultaneously, and the ability to
remember numbers of objects presented successively in time, is foundational to being numerate. Number sense
is innate; we all have number sense because numbers have meaning for us. Because we are all born with number
sense does not necessarily mean we will all become great mathematicians. But it does mean that most of us have
the potential to be a lot better mathematically than we think.
Counting:
Recognizing the number of objects in a small collection is part of innate number sense. It requires no counting
because the ‘number’ is identified in an instant. This is called ‘subitizing’. But when the number in a collection
exceeds the limits of subitizing, counting becomes necessary.
For a young child, counting is a complex process that uses a one-to-one principle. It involves saying number words
in the correct sequence while systematically assigning a number word to each object being counted. Eventually,
children recognize that the last number in the counting sequence tells them the total number of objects in the
collection. Students who do not attain this principle will be delayed in their ability to add and subtract with
meaning.
1. Each object to be counted must be touched or “included” exactly once as the numbers are said.
2. The numbers must be said once and always in the conventional order.
3. a) The objects can be touched in any order.
b) The starting point and order in which the objects are counted does not affect how many there are.
4. The arrangement of the objects does not affect how many there are.
5. The last number said tells “how many” are in the whole collection; it does not describe the last object touched.
Intuition about number is the most important foundation of a numerate child.

Reading Suggestions
Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print.
Allington, R. & Cunningham, P. (2007). Classrooms that Work: They Can All Read and Write.
Allington, R. (2006). What Really Matters for Struggling Readers.
Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary and
Spelling Instruction.
Cameron, A., Hersch, S.B., & Fosnot, C.T. (2004). Fostering Children’s Mathematical Development: Grades PreK – 3. The
Landscape of Learning.
Clay, M. (2000). Concepts about Print.
Fletcher, J.M., & Lyon, G.R. (2000). Reading: A Research –based Approach. Making a Difference Means Making it Different.
Fountas, I.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (1996). Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for all Children.
Fosnot, C.T., & Dolk, M. (2001). Young Mathematicians at Work: Constructing Number Sense, Addition, and Subtraction.
Glanfield, F. (2007). Reflections on Research in School Mathematics: Building Capacity in Teaching and Learning.
Johnson, P., & Keier, K. (2010). Catching Readers Before They Fall: Supporting Readers Who Struggle, K-4.
Kuypers, L. (2011). The Zones of Regulation: A Curriculum Designed to Foster Self-Regulation and Emotional Control.
Morrow, L. (2009). Literacy Development in the Early Years – Helping Children Read and Write.
Morrow, L. (2011). Teaching the Alphabet.
North Vancouver School District (2004). Reading 44: A Core Reading Framework (Primary).
Shanker, S. (2012) Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation.
Sousa, D. (2008). How the Brain Learns Mathematics.
Sousa, D. (2005). How the Brain Learns to Read.
Trehearne, M. (2000). Kindergarten Teacher’s Resource Book.
Trehearne, M. (2011). Learning to Write and Loving it.
Van de Walle, J. (2010). Teaching Student Centered Mathematics: Developmentally Appropriate Instruction for Grades
K-2.
Your own books:

TEACHER’S GUIDE
Section A: Emotional and Social Development
Please use your professional judgment based on observations made informally in the classroom to
assess the following areas:
Attention Span
Please reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:

 listen for an appropriate period of time with little or no support or redirection
 stay on task during class activities with little or no support or redirection
Fill in the Kindergarten Learner Profile Summary Sheet (one per student; see Appendix p. 13).
Problem Solving

 work independently
 work in small groups
 engage in his or her own learning (own decision making)
 interact cooperatively with others
 respect others’ space and belongings
Behavioural/Emotional Regulation

 express emotions in appropriate way
 solve problems independently
 persevere with any given task
Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 8

Section B: Intellectual Development
Please use your teacher judgment based on observations made informally in the classroom to
Oral Language

 speak clearly enough to be understood by peers and adults
 use language to express needs and feelings
Expressive Language
Based on the Expressive Language activity in the Appendix (pages 17-19), please reflect on each
student in terms of his or her ability to:
 use oral language to describe the picture provided
Writing and Representing
Based on student work samples, observations, and the activity in the Appendix (page 21), please
reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:
 print own name
 show an interest in, and positive attitude toward, writing and representing
 create simple messages using a combination of pictures, symbols, letters, and/or words to
convey meaning

Reading and Viewing (Letter Recognition)
Based on the Letter Recognition activities in the Appendix (pages 23-29), please reflect on each
 name 7 letters of the alphabet (Oct)
 name 20 upper case letters (May)
 name 20 lower case letters (May)
 identify 13 letter sounds (May)
 provide a word for 13 letter sounds (May)
 identify classmates names (May)
 identify high frequency words (May)
Concepts of Print
Based on the Concepts of Print exercise (one sheet per student) in the Appendix (page 31), please
 identify the front of a book
 identify the back of a book
 identify the title of a book
 identify where a story begins
 identify a letter
 identify a word (May)
 identify a sentence (May)
 identify where to start reading (May)
 identify the direction reading occurs (May)

Isolating Sounds
Based on the Isolating Sounds exercises in the Appendix (page 33), please reflect on each student
in terms of his or her ability to:
 identify specific initial sounds (May)
 identify specific final sounds (May)
Rhyme
Based on the Rhyme exercise in the Appendix (page 35), please reflect on each student in terms
of his or her ability to:
 correctly identify rhyming and non-rhyming pairs (May)
 generate a rhyming word when given a word (May)
Blending and Sentence Segmenting
Based on the Blending and Sentence Segmenting exercises in the Appendix (page 37), please
 correctly blend syllables together to form a word (May)
 correctly tap or clap the number of words in a given sentence (May)
Compound Deletion
Based on the Compound Deletion exercise in the Appendix (page 39), please reflect on each
 correctly identify part of a compound word (May)

Number Sense
Based on the Number Sense exercises in the Appendix (pages 41-47), please reflect on each
 count forward from 1 to 10
 count backward from 10 to 1
 count from a given number up to 10 (May)
 count from a given number down from 10 (May)
 correctly count objects in a collection by touching or tagging (May)
 recognize 1 to 5 objects or dots at a glance
 construct a set of objects when provided a number (1 to 10)
 name the number for a given set of objects up to 10
 match numerals to 10 with their given pictorial quantity
 demonstrate understanding of part/part/whole (May)
 compare quantities using 1 to 1 correspondence (1 to 10) (May)
 correctly identify the next element in a simple pattern
 correctly identify the next element in a complex pattern
 demonstrate understanding of the counting principles:
o items can be counted in any order
o the starting point and the order does not change the total quantity
o the arrangement of the items does not affect how many there are
Fill in the Kindergarten Learner Profile Summary Sheet (one per student; see Appendix pages
48-49).

APPENDIX
SD #20 Kootenay-Columbia:
Kindergarten Learner Profile Summary Sheet
Child: M F Oct May
Year:
Aboriginal Ancestry: Yes No Designated Special Needs: Yes No
Section A: EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Attention Span
Please use your professional judgment based on October May
observations made informally in the classroom
Approaching Meeting Approaching Meeting
to assess the following areas:
 Listens for appropriate periods of time with
little or no support or redirection (A4)
 Stays on task during activities with little or no
support or redirection (Social Responsibility
Performance Standard)
October comments:
May comments:
Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 13

Problem Solving
Please use your teacher judgment based on October May
observations made in the classroom to assess the
following areas:
 Ability to work independently (Social
Responsibility Performance Standard)
 Ability to work in small groups (Social
 Engagement in own learning (own decision
making) (Social Responsibility Performance
Standard)
 Interacts cooperatively with others (Social
 Respects others’ space and belongings (Social
October comments:
May comments:

Behavioural/Emotional Regulation
observations made in the classroom to
 Expresses emotion in appropriate ways
(Social Responsibility Performance
Standard)
 Able to solve problems independently
(Social Responsibility Performance
Standard)
 Perseveres with any given task (Social
October comments:
May comments:

Section B: INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Oral Language
observations made in the classroom to assess the
following areas:
 Speaks clearly enough to be understood by peers
and adults (A11)
 Uses language to express needs and feelings (A3)
October comments:
May comments:

Expressive Language
Using the picture provided (A or B), use the following prompts, if necessary, to engage the child
in a conversation about the picture:
General Prompts
 “Tell me about the picture.”
 “What’s happening in the picture?”
 “What else can you tell me about the picture?”
Specific Prompts for Picture A

 “What is the man whose bending down doing?” or “Why do you think the man is
bending down?”
 “Can you see the lady in the green shirt who is sitting down? What do you think she’s
looking at?”
 “Why would some people in the picture have towels on their head?”
Specific Prompts for Picture B

 “Is this a cold day or a warm day? Why you think that?”
 “What are people wearing? What do people usually wear to play in snow?”
 “Do you see the girl bending at the side of the picture? What do you think she’s
doing?”
Fill in the Kindergarten Learner Profile Summary Sheet (one per student) on page 20.

Picture A

Picture B

Expressive Language
Based on the Expressive Language activity in October May
the guide (pages 17-19), please assess the
following areas:
Labels nouns Uses some full Uses some full Uses full
 Uses oral language to describe the picture only; uses sentences, with sentences, with sentences, with
provided (A2) sentence some detail; some detail; increasing
fragments; needs few needs few detail; needs
needs prompts prompts prompts limited prompts
October comments:
May comments:

Think-Draw-Label activity (developmental)
Over several weeks prior the assessment, the teacher will model this in order for children to
understand the task.
 The “big idea” for the picture and message will be brainstormed by the class.
 The teacher draws a simple picture.
 Students suggest details for the picture (for example, colours, background, specific
items to add).
 When students are ready, based on the dialogue with the class, the teacher writes a
message about the picture, modelling emergent writing (beginning sounds, words, simple
sentences).
 Students then take this task on when ready.

Based on student work samples and October May
observations, as well as the Writing and
Representing activity in the guide (page Approaching Meeting Approaching Meeting
21), please assess the following areas:
Child scribes over Uses capital Uses capital Uses capital

 Prints own name (C7) teacher printing followed by followed by followed by
to create name; lower case letters lower case letters lower case letters;
name is (reversals are (some reversals) all correct
incomplete acceptable)
 Shows an interest in, and positive
attitude toward, writing and represent-
ing (teacher judgment) (C3)
 Creates simple messages using a
combination of pictures, symbols, Draws a simple Draws a picture Draws a picture Draws a picture
letters, and/or words to convey picture lacking with some with some with supporting
meaning (Think-Draw-Label activity) supporting detail supporting detail supporting detail detail; some
labelling (for
(C1) example, a letter
to represent a
word)
October comments:
May comments:

1) Use the Letter Recognition Recording Sheet (one per student) to address Letter name,
Letter sound, Letter/word connection:
Letter Name (Oct only):

 As below, but the criteria for meeting the expectation in October is that the
student is able to name 7 letters in total (combination of upper and/or lower case).
Letter Name (upper and lower):

 If using the alphabet flash cards, put the cards in the order found on the Letter
Recognition Recording Sheet.
 If using the upper case letter sheet, and then the lower case letter sheet, cover the
sheet leaving the top row of letters exposed.
 Have the student name the letters as you show a flash card or point to each on the
letter sheet.
 Check off letters that the child is able to name on the Letter Recognition Recording
Sheet (one per student). (Automaticity of recall is important. Only check letters on
the Sheet that the student is able to name within a couple of seconds.)
 Stop the assessment if the student appears anxious and ask if they are able to
identify other letters on the page or in the flash card deck.
Letter Sound (Oct optional): (developmental)

 Using alphabet flash cards, or the upper or lower case letter sheet, point to a letter
and ask the student what sound the letter makes.
 Check off letters that the child is able to provide the correct sound for on the
Letter Recognition Recording Sheet (one per student). (Automaticity of recall is
important. Only check letters on the Sheet that the student is able to provide a
sound for within a couple of seconds.)
 Stop the assessment if the student appears anxious and ask if they are able to
identify other letters on the page or in the flash card deck.
Word that begins with… (Oct optional): (developmental)

 If the student can provide the correct sound for the letter (see above), then ask if
the student can say a word that starts with that sound.

 Check off letters that the child is able to provide a word for the correct sound given
on the Letter Recognition Recording Sheet (one per student).
2) Identify classmates names (Oct optional): (developmental)

 Using student names on cards. Ask the student to read you the names that s/he
knows.
 Keep track of the number of names correctly read by the student.
3) Identify high frequency words (Oct optional):

 Using the High Frequency Word Recognition List, start at the top of the list and
when you point, ask the student if they can read you the word.
 Allow a few seconds of ‘think time’. If the student does not offer a word after that
time, move to the next word.
 Record student responses on the High Frequency Word Recognition Student
Response Sheet (one per student).

Letter Recognition Recording Sheet
Name: ______________________________ School Year: ______________
Letter Recognition Letter Sound Word that begins

with…
Oct May Oct May Oct May Oct May Comments
(opt) (opt)
Oct
May
total

Upper Case Letter Sheet
M S D F
G L J U
R W B N
O C X E
Z Q A H
T Y K T
V P
Lower Case Letter Sheet
m s d f
g l j u
r w b n
o c x e
z q a h
t y k i
v p
High Frequency Word Recognition List
T in
and to
a the
is that
was it
of he
yes me
she no
play like
love go

High Frequency Word Recognition Student Response Sheet
Name: ______________________________ School Year: ______________
October (optional) May

Word List NR  X response NR  X response NR  X response
I
in
and
to
a
the
is
that
was
it
of
he
yes
me
she
no
play
like
love
go
total correct
NR = no response  = correct x = incorrect response

Based on the Letter Recognition activities in October May
the guide (pages 24-30), please assess the
following areas:
 Letter name (B8):
o Names letters of the alphabet
(combination of upper and lower case) less than 7 7 or more
o Names upper case letters (May only)

optional optional less than 20 20 or more
o Names lower case letters (May only)

 Letter sounds (B8):
o Identifies letter sounds (May only)

 Letter/word connection (B8):
o Can provide a word for letter sounds
(May only) optional optional less than 13 13 or more
 Identifies classmates’ names (May only)

 Identifies high frequency words (May only)

October comments:
May comments:

Concepts of Print Exercise Sheet
Using I Feed The Animals or The Hockey Game, from Literacy Place:
Say: “Here is a book. Can you show me…”
Oct May
“…the front of the book?”
“…the back of the book?”
“…the title of the book?”
Say: “Now we are going to open the book. (Turn to the first page.) Can you show me, using your
finger…”
Oct May
“…where the story begins?”
“…a letter?”
“…a word?”
optional
“…a sentence?”
optional
Say: “I will read this page. I need you to help me. Can you show me…”
Oct May
“…where to start reading?”

optional
“…which way I go? Use your finger to show me.”

optional

Concepts of Print
Based on the Concepts of Print exercise in the October May
guide (page 32), please assess the following
areas:
 Identifies the front of a book (B7)
 Identifies the back of a book (B7)
 Identifies the title of a book (B7)
 Identifies where a story begins (B7)
 Identifies a letter (B8)
 Identifies a word (optional in Oct) (B8)

optional optional
 Identifies a sentence (optional in Oct) (B8)

optional optional
 Identifies where to start reading (optional in

Oct) (B7) optional optional
 Identifies the direction reading occurs

(optional in Oct) (B7) optional optional
October comments:
May comments:

Isolating Sounds Exercise Sheet (developmental)
Isolating Initial Sounds
Say: “Listen carefully to the sound at the beginning of the word I say. Sat. What sound do you
hear at the beginning of sat?”
 Allow ‘think time’ for the student. The student should tell you the correct beginning sound.
If the student responds by naming the letter associated with the sound (in this case, “s”),
ask them to give you the sound that letter makes.
Say… Oct (opt) May

“What sound do you hear at the beginning of fire?”
“What sound do you hear at the beginning of tall?”
“What sound do you hear at the beginning of sick?”
“What sound do you hear at the beginning of mouth?”
“What sound do you hear at the beginning of duck?”
Total
Isolating Final Sounds

Say: “Listen carefully to the sound at the end of word I say. Rat. What sound do you hear at
the end of rat?”
 Allow ‘think time’ for the student. The student should tell you the correct ending sound. If
the student responds by naming the letter associated with the sound (in this case, “t”), ask
them to give you the sound that letter makes.
Say… Oct (opt) May

“What sound do you hear at the end of bat?”
“What sound do you hear at the end of tub?”
“What sound do you hear at the end of book?”
“What sound do you hear at the end of sweep?”
“What sound do you hear at the end of bag?”
Total

Isolating Sounds
Based on the Isolating Sounds exercises in the October May
guide (page 34), please assess the following
areas:
 Identifies all 5 initial sounds (f, t, s, m, d) (B8)

optional optional less than 5 all 5
 Identifies 3 of the 5 final sounds (t, b, k, p, g)

(B8) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
October comments:
May comments:

Rhyme Exercise Sheet (developmental)
Say: “I am going to say two words. Star. Car. The words star and car rhyme. The words star
and car rhyme because they sound the same at the end. Boat. Shoe. Boat and shoe do not
sound the same at the end. Boat and shoe do not rhyme.”
“I’m going to say two words and you’re going to tell me if they rhyme.”
 After the student responds to each word pair below, say, “Can you tell me another word
that rhymes with [the first word of the pair]?”
Oct May
Word pairs Correct Another word Correct Another word
response? that rhymes with response? that rhymes with
the first word? the first word?
ball / fish
optional optional
snake / cake
optional optional
dog / door
optional optional
bear / pear
optional optional
hat / cat
optional optional
Total

Rhyme
Based on the Rhyme exercise in the guide October May
(page 36), please assess the following areas: Approaching Meeting Approaching Meeting
 Correctly identifies rhyming and non-

rhyming pairs (May only) (A12) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
 Generates a rhyming word when given a word

(May only) (A12) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
October comments:
May comments:

Blending and Sentence Segmenting (developmental)
Blending
Say: “I will say the parts of a word. You tell me what the word is. Par – (pause) – ty.”
 If the child responds with the correct word (party), move on to the assessment.
 If the child does not respond with the correct word, tell the child that the word was party.
Say: “Par / ty is party.”

can / dle
pen / cil
com / pu / ter
Kin / der / gar / ten
ham / bur / ger
Total
Sentence Segmenting
Say: “Listen carefully. I am going to say a sentence. Tap or clap one time for each word that I
say.”
Demonstrate: “John ran fast.”

clap clap clap

I like school.
My cat is brown.
We like to play.
The sun is so hot.
Birds can fly up high.
Total

Blending and Sentence Segmenting
Based on the Blending and Sentence Segmenting October May
exercises in the guide (page 38), please assess the
following areas:
 Correctly blends syllables together to form a word
(A12) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
 Correctly taps or claps the number of words in a

given sentence (A12) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
October comments:
May comments:

Compound Deletion (developmental)
Say: “I will say a word and then say it again without one of its parts. Birthday. Now I will say it
again without day. Birth. Now I want you to try. Say ‘skateboard’. Now say it again but
don’t say ‘skate’.”
Say…: Oct (opt) May
“Say ‘sunshine’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘shine’.
“Say ‘football’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘foot’.”
“Say ‘classroom’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘room’.”
“Say ‘hotdog’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘hot’.”
“Say ‘backpack’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘pack’.”

Compound Deletion
Based on the Compound Deletion exercise in the October May
guide (page 40), please assess the following areas: Approaching Meeting Approaching Meeting
 Correctly identifies part of a compound word (B12 –

gr. 1) optional optional less than 3 3 or more
October comments:
May comments:

Number Sense
Counts Forwards
Say…: Oct May
“Can you count to 10, starting at 1?” to ___ to ___

to ___
“Can you count to 10, starting at 3?” to ___
optional
to ___
“Can you count to 10, starting at 6?” to ___
optional
Counts Backwards
Say…: Oct May
“Can you count backward from 10 all the way to 1?” to ___ to ___
to ___
“Can you count backward from 8 all the way to 1?” to ___
optional
to ___
“Can you count backward from 5 all the way to 1?” to ___
optional
Recognizes 1 to 5 Objects or Dots at a Glance
Using the dot cards from Math Makes Sense, and then the five frames provided, briefly (for
about 2 seconds) show one card at a time to the student. The intent if for the student to see
how many dots are on the card but not have enough time to count (automatic recognition of
quantity).

Number of Dots
dot card five frame dot card five frame
1
2
3
4
5

Five Frames

Counts Objects in a Collection
Using the farm placemat, put 15 animals in front of the mat.
Put 3 animals in the green part of the barn area.

Say: “Please put the animals in the barn for me. Count them as you move them.”
 Remove the animals from the mat.
Put 6 animals in the yellow square.

Say: “Please count the animals for me as you put them in the blue circle/pond.”
Arrange 9 animals in a straight line on the brown rectangle/field.

Say: “If you start counting here (teacher moves the middle animal out of line slightly to indicate
the starting point), how many animals are in the brown rectangle/field?”
Take the 9 animals into your hands and shake them. Scatter them in the brown rectangle/field.
Say: “How many animals do we now have in the brown rectangle/field?”
(Repeat the exercise one more time if the student has to recount to find the total number of
animals.)
Counts objects in a collection Oct (optional) May

counts and touches to counts and touches to
counts and touches to 3
_____ ____
counts and touches to counts and touches to
counts and touches to 6
_____ ____
counts and touches to 9 (starting in counts and touches to counts and touches to
middle of a row) _____ ____
shows understanding that the
arrangement of the objects does not
no yes no yes
affect how many there are

Constructs a Set of Objects
Using the farm placemat, put 15 animals in front of the mat.
Say: “Please put 3 animals in the forest.”

Say: “Please put 5 animals in the blue circle/pond.”

Say: “Please put 10 animals by the tractor.”

Constructs a set of objects… Oct May
…to 3
…to 5
…to 10
optional
Matches Numerals to 10 with Their Given Quantity
Give the student 5 numeral cards (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in the fall; 10 in the spring (1, 2, … 10).
Using the animals in the bucket, have the student count out the number of animals to match
each card.

Part/Part/Whole
The teacher places 3 cows and 2 pigs on the mat.
Say: “How many pigs are there? How many cows? How many pigs and cows are there altogether?”
The student should answer that there is a total of 5. If not, assist the student by counting
each animal with him/her. Once the total number of 5 is established, ask: “How does this
make 5?” The student’s answer should name the number of cows (3) and the number of pigs
(2) together make 5.
The teacher places more pigs and cows on the mat.
Say: “Is there a different way you can make 5?”
Allow the student to build a group of 5 using a different number of cows and pigs.
Repeat the exercise for the number 8.
Understands part/part/whole… Oct (opt) May
…for the number 5
…for the number 8
Compares Quantities, 1 to 10, Using 1 to 1 Correspondence
The teacher puts animals into the barn area of the mat (or at least 10).
Say: “Can you put more than 6 animals into the pond area?”
 Clear the pond area of animals after the student is done.
Say: “Can you put fewer, or less than, 5 animals by the tractor?”
 Clear the tractor area of animals after the student is done.

Clear the mat. The teacher places 7 animals into the barn area and 3 animals into the pond area.
Say: “Where are there more animals, in the barn area or the in the pond area?”
After the student responds, ask: “How do you know?”
Clear the mat. The teacher places 4 animals in the barn area and 5 animals in the pond area.
Say: “Where are there more animals, in the barn area or the in the pond area?”
After the student responds, ask: “How do you know?”
Repeat the above two exercises, with the same numbers of animals (7 and 3, then 4 and 5), but
this time say: “Where are there fewer animals, in the barn area or in the pond area.” After the
student responds, ask: “How do you know?”
Using 1 to 1 correspondence, Oct (optional) May

compare quantities, 1 to 10… ‘more’ ‘fewer’ ‘more’ ‘fewer’
…for 3/7
…for 4/5
Demonstrates Understanding of Repeating Patterns
Using pattern A provided, have the student identify the next element in the simple pattern.
Using pattern B provided, have the student identify the next element in the complex pattern. If
a student answers with shape or colour pattern only, prompt with: “Can you see another pattern?”
Demonstrates an
understanding of repeating Oct May
patterns
Simple pattern no yes no yes
identified identified identified identified
Complex pattern
one pattern two patterns one pattern two patterns

Pattern Card A
Pattern Card B

Number Sense
Based on the Number Sense exercises in the guide October May
(pages 42-47), please assess the following areas: Approaching Meeting Approaching Meeting
 Counts forwards from 1 to 10 (A1)

to 3 to 5 to 5 to 10
optional optional relies on a automatic

 Counts from a given number up to 10 (A1) counting response
strategy to
complete task
 Counts backwards from 10 to 1 (A1)

optional optional relies on a automatic

 Counts from a given number down from 10 (A1) counting response
strategy to
complete task
 Recognizes 1 to 5 objects or dots at a glance (A2) automatic automatic

recognition up recognition up
to 3 to 5
 Correctly counts objects in a collection (touches optional optional requires correctly

or tags) (A3) support to counts 9
complete objects
 Constructs a set of objects when provided a
number, 1 to 10 (A3) successful successful successful successful
 Matches numerals to 10 with their given pictorial requires successful requires successful
quantity (A3) support to to 5 support to to 10
complete complete
optional optional needs support independently

 Part/part/whole (A4) with task successful for
both numbers,
5 and 8
 Compares quantities, 1 to 10, using 1 to 1 optional optional needs support independently

correspondence (A5) with task successful with
both sets of
numbers
 Correctly identifies the next element in a simple
pattern (B1) needs support can identify needs support can identify
to identify to identify

 Correctly identifies the next element in a complex
pattern (B1) needs support can identify needs support can identify
to identify to identify
October comments:
May comments:
Kindergarten Assessment Tool: DISTRICT COLLECTION SHEET page 49

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Kindergarten

Kindergarten Assessment Tool Task Force Membership:

Kindergarten Assessment Tool Working Group:

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 1

The goals for the Kindergarten Assessment Tool are:

 To provide Principals with a District Kindergarten Assessment Tool that will…

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 2

Emotional and Social Development

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 3

Effective early literacy instruction programming includes the following components:

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness:

Understanding the Alphabet:

Inherent to reading success are three foundational skills:

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 4

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 5

3. a) The objects can be touched in any order.

Intuition about number is the most important foundation of a numerate child.

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 6

Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print.

Allington, R. (2006). What Really Matters for Struggling Readers.

Clay, M. (2000). Concepts about Print.

Morrow, L. (2011). Teaching the Alphabet.

Sousa, D. (2008). How the Brain Learns Mathematics.

Sousa, D. (2005). How the Brain Learns to Read.

Trehearne, M. (2000). Kindergarten Teacher’s Resource Book.

Trehearne, M. (2011). Learning to Write and Loving it.

Your own books:

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: CONTEXT page 7

Please reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:

Please reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:

Please reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 8

Please reflect on each student in terms of his or her ability to:

Writing and Representing

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 9

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 10

Blending and Sentence Segmenting

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 11

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: TEACHER’S GUIDE page 12

Section A: EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 13

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 14

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 15

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 16

Specific Prompts for Picture A

Specific Prompts for Picture B

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 17

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 18

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 19

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 20

Think-Draw-Label activity (developmental)

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 21

Child scribes over Uses capital Uses capital Uses capital

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 22

Letter Name (Oct only):

Letter Name (upper and lower):

Letter Sound (Oct optional): (developmental)

Word that begins with… (Oct optional): (developmental)

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 23

2) Identify classmates names (Oct optional): (developmental)

3) Identify high frequency words (Oct optional):

Kindergarten Assessment Tool: APPENDIX page 24

Name: ______________________________ School Year: ______________

Name: ________________ School Year:

Name: ________________ School Year:

“Can you count to 10, starting at 1?” to _ to _