What Is Asked During a Pre-K Assessment Test?

Pre-K (or prekindergarten) assessment tests help early childhood educators assess how ready a child might be for kindergarten. The assessments usually include number and letter recognition, counting, large and small motor development and the ability to tell a coherent story. Children might listen to a story and answer verbal questions, identify letters or numbers and perform various physical activities that will help future instructors assess their readiness level. Preschool attendance seems to help with preparedness.

  1. Letter and Number Recognition

    • The examining teacher might have a chart on which she can check off various skills. As the student correctly identifies letters or numbers, she marks that large box on the assessment page. Some assessment forms also include an area where she can mark whether or not the child can count forward to 10 and if he can recite the alphabet. Testers might use a game to engage your child's attention and to help him get over being nervous about talking to a stranger and taking a test.

    Large Motor Skills

    • Your child might be asked to attempt several activities during the course of a prekindergarten exam. These might include being able to stand on one foot, jump, hop up and down, bounce a ball or throw a bean bag. The assessor might simply ask your child to perform a variety of tasks, or she might introduce a game, such as hopscotch, that naturally includes some of the physical abilities that are being tested. Large motor skills help indicate your child's potential ability to participate in school activities.

    Small Motor Skills

    • Your child's ability to hold a pencil, use a crayon, cut with scissors and stick things together with glue can have an effect on how easily he can manage classroom activities. The assessment might include tracing over a letter or shape with a crayon or pencil, coloring a picture or cutting along a line. Small motor skill assessment might be combined with organizing a set of pictures in a particular order and gluing them down onto a paper.

    Anecdotal Assessment

    • The tester might read a story to your child and then ask questions about the story. Your child's ability to remember details and put them in order tells the assessor and future instructors how well he will be able to retain information. Anecdotal assessment might also include notes about whether or not your child is shy with strangers, whether he understands how to greet an adult politely and how he interacted with the test administrator in general. It also provides a place to add comments such as "wears glasses" or "needs wheelchair accommodation."

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