Revised 1/31/2024

Be Prepared: Below are procedures for an individualized assessment of children’s progress in learning letter names and sounds. The assessment’s focus on uppercase letters is an efficient use of time. Children’s knowledge of uppercase letters is highly related to their understanding of lowercase letters. The main purpose of the assessment is to determine follow-up learning opportunities for promoting each child’s letter knowledge.

Begin the one-to-one assessments with half of the children in your class today (Week 43, Day 2), and continue assessments with the other half of the children in your class on Day 4 of this week. Invite a child to join you at a table in an area of the room with few or no distractions. The brief assessment session should occur during center time or some other period when children are not engaged in a small or large group activity.

Use the provided uppercase letter chart. Laminate the chart for repeated use, if possible, or print several copies so each child works with a clean chart (no scribbles or other types of marks).

Use the provided form for recording each child’s responses. Use one form for each child. The form has uppercase letters in the same order as the chart used by each child, plus a space next to each letter for you to record the child’s letter name response. Examples: If a child points to T and says T, write the letter T on the child’s record form. If a child points to F and says T, write the letter T on the child’s record form. If a child says “I don’t know,” put DK next to the letter on the record form.

If a child says the wrong letter name but then corrects him/herself without your help, this should be counted as correct. Enter both letters on the record form.

The assessment also asks the child what sound a letter makes. Invite the child to say the sound of a letter the child correctly names. Do not ask the child to say the sound of a letter the child does not know. If the child says a correct letter sound, put an asterisk by the letter on the assessment record form.

If the child says a correct letter sound instead of a letter name when pointing to a letter, repeat the letter sound made by the child and ask: “What letter makes the ____ sound?” Put an asterisk (*) by the letter on the record form for the correct letter sound. Record the child’s letter name response; enter DK if the child does not know.

Do not provide any hints or clues of letter names or sounds. Do not say whether a child’s response is right or wrong. As the child works with the letter chart, say “thank you” or “I know you are working hard” if it appears a child would appreciate some acknowledgment of his/her efforts.

DETERMINING A CHILD’S LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING

After the assessment, count the number of letters correctly identified by the child. You may wish to circle correct responses for ease in counting.

Letter Names

Got It: The child correctly named 18 or more uppercase letters.

Getting It: The child correctly named 1–17 uppercase letters.

Not Yet: The child correctly named 0 letters.

Letter Sounds

Got It: The child said a correct letter sound for each letter name the child correctly identified.

Getting It: The child said a correct letter sound for 1 or more (but not all) letter names the child correctly identified.

Not Yet: The child did not say any correct letter sounds.

FOLLOW-UP LEARNING SUPPORTS

The daily plans for the Language/Literacy domain include a review of all letters beginning in Week 47. Below are suggestions of additional learning options to pursue with children.

Reinforce

The following activities are designed to support children who correctly named 18 or more letters and sounds (Assessment = Got It). The activities are also appropriate for children who correctly named 1–17 letters and sounds (Assessment = Getting It).

• Invite children to go on a hunt to find specific letters on signs or posters in the classroom. Encourage children to say the sound of each letter they find.
• Encourage children’s use of writing tools during free play. Examples: journals, sand trays (with letters to trace), whiteboards.
• Invite children to help write a Morning Message or Words We Understand in a repeated book reading session (Days 1, 3, 5).
• Prepare for one-to-one work with a child by reviewing the form used to record the child’s letter knowledge and securing a chart of uppercase letters that you can put marks on. One at a time, say the names of letters the child correctly identified during the assessment and invite the child to point to each letter on a chart of uppercase letters. When the child points to the letter, ask what sound the letter makes. Circle the letters the child correctly names, and then ask the child if there are any other letters on the chart that he/she knows. Also, if there is a letter(s) the child initially identified incorrectly, but then correctly identified, invite the child to identify both the “incorrect” and “correct” letters on a chart of uppercase letters. Example: if a child initially said F for the letter T and then corrected him/herself without your help during the assessment, invite the child to identify letters F and T on an uppercase letter chart during a follow-up session.
• Use large letter cards in transition activities. What letter is this? What sound does it make?
• In a small group, invite children to stand or wave their hands when they hear the sound of a letter in their name. Clearly say sounds of the first letter or a prominent letter in the first names of children in your group. Encourage all children in your group to say the letter sound and name after a child(ren) has identified the sound as part of his/her name.
• Put a small collection of plastic letters on a table for a small group of children to identify and sort. Invite each child to pick up a letter, say its name and sound, and put it in one of several cups. One cup could be used for letters with straight lines, another cup for letters with curves, and a third cup for letters that have both curves and straight lines. Encourage children to use their finger to “trace” the shape of a letter. If available, use magnetic letters and a magnetic wand. You may wish to bury letters in the sand table for children to find.
• Encourage family members to support children’s letter learning at home. Suggest that parents talk with their child about the letters in the child’s name and invite their child to point to letters named by the parent. Names of other family members or pets also may be used for talking about and pointing to letters. It is also helpful for a family member to work with a child in writing some or all letters in the child’s name.
• Use the Week 12, Day 2; Week 19, Day 2; Week 26, Day 2; Week 32, Day 2; Week 36, Day 2; and Week 42, Day 2 plans to invite children to match letter cards with their letter mats.
• Provide children with tactile materials (pipe cleaners, glue, and sand) and printed forms of letters. Encourage children to use the tactile materials to form letters, using the printed form of the letter as a model.

Reintroduce

The following activities are designed for children who did not name any letters and their sounds correctly (Assessment = Not Yet).

• Use the child’s name card to review letters in the child’s name. Say a letter in the child’s name and invite the child to point to the letter named. Repeat the letter’s name and say the letter’s sound when the child points to the letter you name. Also, if name cards are used during the day (example: placed at a center occupied by a child), invite the child to point to a different letter in his/her name that you say.
• Say a letter’s sound when you point to and say a letter’s name during shared book reading, writing a message with children, and supporting children in writing part or all of their first name.
• Invite families to provide clean paper or cardboard items that have print, such as empty cereal boxes and juice containers. Invite children to use a marker to circle letters in their name or letters they know. Support children in saying the name and sound of each letter they circle.
• Repeat Week 6, Day 2 to help children understand that letters make up words and uppercase and lowercase letters can be used in words.
• Use the song “B-I-N-G-O,” from Week 6, Day 4. Invite one or more children to find the letter that you say as you begin singing the song. Encourage children to find the letter you say as you move through the letters in the song.
• For one-to-one work with a child, use a chart with a list of children’s names. Begin by asking the child to find his/her name. Next ask the child to find another name that starts with the first letter of the child’s name. Then ask the child to find a name that starts with a different letter that you say. If the child cannot find a name that starts with the letter, describe how the letter looks. If the child still cannot find a name that starts with the letter, narrow the choices to two names that you point to. If the child still cannot find the name, point to the letter that you named and describe the letter.

SAMPLES OF PORTFOLIO ENTRIES

Got It

Children are learning the names of letters and sounds that letters make. Recently I assessed Koae’s progress in naming uppercase letters and letter sounds. Koae correctly named 18 letters and their sounds. The ability to identify 18 uppercase letters is an optimal benchmark for the end of preschool. We will offer follow-up learning opportunities to support Koae’s knowledge of letter names and letter sounds.

Getting It

Children are learning the names of the letters and sounds that letters make. Recently I assessed Ariel’s progress in naming uppercase letters and letter sounds. Ariel focused on each letter. He named five letters correctly and four letter sounds correctly. The ability to identify 18 uppercase letters is an optimal benchmark for the end of preschool. We will offer follow-up learning opportunities to support Ariel’s knowledge of letter names and letter sounds.

Not Yet

Children are learning the names of the letters and sounds that letters make. Recently I assessed Ana’s progress in naming uppercase letters and letter sounds. Ana listened carefully to the directions for the assessment and pointed to an “A” and said, “That letter is in my name.” She did not correctly name any letters. We will offer follow-up learning opportunities to support Ana’s knowledge of letter names and letter sounds.

Be Prepared: Today’s activity promotes the important cognitive skillof sorting while helping children understand the kinds of things that can be made from different types of recyclable items.

Fill a box with four types of recyclables: plastic, glass, paper, and metal. Provide at least one item for each child in your classroom. Include items that are commonly recycled, such as clean used paper, milk jugs, glass food containers, cereal boxes, food cans, and plastic detergent bottles. Three pictures of glass items are provided if your center’s policy prevents the use of glass. You may wish to ask families to contribute a recyclable item for the activity. Wash all items so they are clean for children to touch. Affix one provided picture to each bin: metal, glass, paper, plastic.