Teaching Tool for Kindergartens (Assessment for Learning Tool project)

Project Details

The Assessment Research Centre, in partnership with the Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood Hub (REEaCh), is working with the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training to develop a Teaching Tool for Kindergartens (the Tool). The Tool will support early childhood educators to effectively observe and assess kindergarten children’s learning and understand their progress on developmental progressions. The observation-based Tool will draw teachers' attention to the next steps in a child’s learning and support them to be more intentional and goal-directed in their teaching practices.

The development of the Tool will take place over two 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.

Lessons learned from both phases will inform future implementation plans by the Department.

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

Researchers

Project Directors

Associate Professor Tricia Eadie
e: peadie@unimelb.edu.au

Jayne Johnston
e: Jayne.johnston@unimelb.edu.au

Staff

• Associate Professor Jane Page (Project Lead, Early Years Learning)
• Dr Toshiko Kamei (Project Lead, Assessment)
• Dr Cuc Nguyen
• Dr Jane Strickland
• Dr Ben Deery
• Catriona Elek
• Hilary Slater
• Nafisa Awwal
• Ruth McHale