Best Start Kindergarten Assessment

1
Best Start Kindergarten Assessment

• Information for parents with children beginning
  Kindergarten in the Diocese of Lismore .

2
The Best Start Kindergarten Assessment will

• identify children literacy and numeracy skills
  and understandings at school entry.
• This is not a test.

3
Who will be involved?

• All Kindergarten students in
• Lismore Diocesan schools.

4
What is the Assessment for?

• To help teachers in finding out what each child
  can do in literacy and numeracy so that they can
  best plan the learning activities for ALL
  children.
• To provide you with feedback on what your child
  can do, and how you can support your childs
  learning

5
When will the Assessment take place?

• During the first week of Term 1, 2012.
• Your school will let you know when your child is
  taking part.

6

• Providing feedback to you
• Schools offer many opportunities to provide
  feedback to parents.
• You will be invited to meet with your childs
  Kindergarten teacher during Term 1 to share the
  information.

7
What are the teachers looking at in literacy?

• Reading text Writing
• Speaking Comprehension
• Concepts about print Phonics
• Phonemic Awareness

8
What are the teachers looking at in numeracy?

• Counting (numeral recognition and forward number
  word sequences)
• Counting as a problem solving process
• Pattern recognition

9
How will the Assessment take place?

• Kindergarten teachers will observe and record
  your childs responses in a one-one session on a
  nominated day during Week 1 of Term 1.

10
What are students asked to do during the Best
Start Literacy Assessment?

• Teachers ask a series of questions to
• gather information about childrens early
• literacy knowledge.

11

• For example
• To assess a childs understanding of a
• text read to them, the teacher may ask
• the student to retell what happened in
• the story in their own words.

12
What are students asked to do during the Best
Start Numeracy Assessment?

• Teachers ask a series of questions to
• gather information about childrens initial
• mathematical knowledge.

13

• For example
• To see how far a child can correctly count, the
  teacher may ask them to start counting.
• The child will be asked to stop when the
• teacher gets a sense of how well they can count.

14
Will all children be assessed?

• Best Start is inclusive. All children will have
  the opportunity to participate.
• If you have any concerns regarding your childs
  participation please contact your principal.