Early Years Assessment for Learning Tool

Project Director

The Assessment Research Centre, in partnership with the Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood Centre (REEaCh), is working with the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training to develop and validate an evidence-based tool designed to support all children in funded 3 and 4-year-old kindergarten programs to have the best start in life. The Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool (the Tool) has been developed to better understand children’s learning and support their progress on developmental progressions.

The observation-based Tool is strengths-based, skill referenced and not a test.  It draws teachers' attention to the next steps in a child’s learning and supports them to be more intentional and goal-directed in their teaching practices.

The development of the Tool will take place over three phases. The first will be a testing phase designed to adapt the current Early ABLES suite so that it is valid for use by educators with typically developing children aged two to six years. Experienced early childhood teachers and leaders will be engaged in this phase.

The second phase will pilot the use of the adapted Tool in kindergarten services to determine how easy the Tool is for educators to use, what professional learning and support is required, and the Tool's impact on teaching practices.

The third phase is the consolidation phase to respond to pilot outcomes and complete the work to finalise the Tool in preparation for its broader use in 2023.

The Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool will be rolled-out in a phased way, with up to 350 services gaining access in the first tranche from Term 1 2023. This will be coupled with implementation support to enable best practice in observation and assessment of children’s learning and kindergarten program planning.

The project commenced in June 2020 and will conclude in 2023.

For more information about the Tool and the rollout, please visit the Victorian department’s website.