Learner Assessments

1. Why do we do Assessments?

The reason we do assessment in preschool is to

collect and give teachers and parents, important
information about a child’s development and growth.
Child development means how a child becomes able
to do more complex things as they get older.
Development is different to
growth. Growth only refers to the
child getting bigger in size. When
we talk about normal development,
we are talking about developing
skills.

We use developmental milestones

to guide our assessment because
all children grow and develop,
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mostly in the same order, but they go through the
stages at their own pace.
Skills such as taking a first step,
smiling for the first time, and
waving “bye bye” are called
developmental milestones.
Children reach milestones in
how they play, learn, speak, act,
and move (crawling, walking, etc.).
The example in the table below show the expected
sequence or milestones for motor development but
the age in months always differs from child to child.

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Handy Milestone checklist:

12 – months
CAN THE CHILD:

• Walk while supported

• Start to crawl up stairs
• Throw toys
• Release ball and roll ball
• Take lids off objects
• Imitate scribbling on paper
• Put two (2) forms in peg board
• Hold two (2) objects in one hand
• Enjoy dancing, music, singing
• Enjoy reading/looking at books
• Start to use different tones, pitches, sounds and words

18 – months
CAN THE CHILD:

• Walking unaided
• Crawl up stairs, walks up stair with help
• Throw and catch ball
• Thread beads on string
• Use paint brush to make strokes/hand prints
• Roll play dough and use mould to make shapes
• Use spade and put sand into bucket and tip over
• Identify themselves, body parts familiar objects by pointing to
them in books/pictures/photos
• Dance and sing to songs
• Enjoy reading books
• Do 2-4-piece puzzle/pincher puzzles

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 • Start to say words-lots of babbling – normally only the parent
care giver can make out what they are saying
• Start to say 2 words together or repeat one words over and over,
e.g. ‘No’, ‘Go’, ‘me run’, ‘me sit’, ‘go way’, etc.

24 – months
CAN THE CHILD:

• Move by themselves on wheeled toy (scooter)

• Kick ball
• Throw ball
• Catch ball
• Turn page of a book
• Make circular motions on paper
• String 2-6 large beads by themselves
• Know main body parts
• Put on and take off shoes
• Wash their hands and face
• Tell you if they have dirty nappy/want to go to toilet
• Start to put simple sentences together/can make themselves
understood

3-4 Years
CAN THE CHILD:

• Push and pull large items

• Move objects/themselves around obstacles in the way
• Hop on 1 foot
• Throw, catch and kick balls
• Climb stairs
• Trace and copy shapes
• Build tower, bridge, train use blocks of various sizes and shapes
• Name 3-5 colours
• Sort, sequence objects/colours
• Complete 6-12-piece puzzles
• Play in groups of 2-3
• Show awareness of numbers/quantity (more/less)
• Is familiar with daily routine – know what happening next
• Engage in imaginative play
• Start to put simple sentences together/can make themselves
understood

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 • Repeat what you’ve said – ask lots of why questions

4-5 years
CAN THE CHILD:

• Plan and build construction

• Copy shapes and letters
• Colours in 1 direction and within lines
• Can dress themselves
• Can recall a story
• Can sing songs – know songs
• Tap to rhythm
• Use greater fine hand control/ finger opposition
• Make conversation, repeat questions, answer questions, recall
stories, sing songs

2. What is Assessed

✓ Social and Emotional skills: interacting with

others, having relationships with family, friends,
and teachers, cooperating and responding to
the feelings of others.
✓ Gross Motor skills: using large groups of
muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, etc., keeping
balance and changing positions
✓ Fine Motor skills: using hands to be able to eat,
draw, dress, play, write, and do many other

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 things like cutting with scissors and playing with
small connector toys.
✓ Emergent Literacy and Language
development: speaking, using body language
and gestures, communicating, and
understanding what others say, recognising
their name and enjoying books and stories
✓ Emergent Numeracy and
Mathematics: understanding numbers,
counting, sorting and thinking skills including
learning, understanding, problem-solving,
reasoning, and remembering.

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3. How do we do the Assessment?

Children are assessed both formally and informally.

The formal assessment is done twice a year and is
done by the teacher in small groups.

The children are given a number of fun and playful

activities to do and the teacher observes how well
they are doing according to a checklist. The checklist
clearly describes the activity and gives a rating scale
of No = the child cannot do the activity according to
the description or Still Developing = the child is not
yet able to completely manage the activity or Yes =
the child can manage the activity according to the
description on the checklist.

The informal assessment is done throughout the

year. The teacher does daily
observations and monitors
the child’s progress and also
collects a portfolio of work
done throughout the year.

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4. How does the Assessment
information help?

The teachers review the children’s assessments and

then use the information to plan the daily educational
activities that are at a level that the children can
understand and are able to learn from. The teacher
is also able to see each child as an individual with
their own abilities and challenges.

Assessment is a critical part of a high-quality, early

childhood program. Observing and documenting a
child’s work and performance over the course of a
year allows a teacher to collect a record of the child’s
growth and development.
It is also very important to track a child’s development
in order to notice early if a child is not reaching their
milestones as expected and then inform the parents,
refer for a follow up assessment at a clinic or doctor
and get the child whatever intervention is needed.

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5. What do I do with my child’s
Assessment?

Remember that the assessment is meant as a guide

for the teacher and the parent. It is a way to keep
track of a child’s development.
No two children develop at the same pace, every
child is an individual and will grow and learn in their
own time.
Keep in touch with the teacher and do stimulating and
fun activities with your child at home.
If your child is falling behind and the teacher is
concerned, follow up with a visit to your clinic or
doctor. Early intervention is very important if there is a
developmental delay.
Read and talk to
your child every
day!

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