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Mid-Year PreK Assessments: What Parents Should Know!

Welcome to my blog, The PreK Path Coach! My name is Ms. Nita and I’m excited to share tips, insights, and fun ideas to help PreK parents and caregivers navigate their child’s early learning journey. As a Pre-K teacher with 18+ years experience, my passion is helping little learners thrive both academically, socially and emotionally. Let’s dive into the first post!

As we reach the midpoint of the school year, its always exciting to reflect on nthe growth and progress my prek students have made. Mid-year assessments give clear picture of where each child’s in their journey, and they also provide valuable insights for parents.

In my classroom, we recently completed assessments in letter recognition, letter sounds, syllable segmentation, and expressive beginning sounds.

These foundational skills are key building blocks for literacy. While some students are confidently recognizing letters and producing their sounds, others still developing these skills. And that’s okay!! Every child progresses at their own pace!

What Do These Assessments Tell Us?

Mid-year assessments help us understand what skills your child is mastering and which need more practice. Here some examples:

• Letter Recognition- identifying letters of the alphabet visually.
• Letter Sounds- associating each letter with its correct sound.
• Syllable Segmentation- breaking words into syllables, a critical pre-reading skill.
• Expressive Beginning Sounds- producing the first of a word, which supports phonemic awareness.

These are just a few of the many ways we prepare PreK students for Kindergarten and beyond.

What’s Next In Our Classroom?

After our assessments, we jump back into our curriculum learning!

We begin in our mid-unit Maps and Me! We are beginning to learn the letter Ff and community helpers all around us, for example Firefighters, Mail Carriers and Doctors! Stay tuned to see what our dramatic play will transform into!

PreK students will learn about the important role of a Firefighter and other community helpers that they see all around them. We will integrate literacy and math skills into our theme.

In Math, we’re working on one to one correspondence with number 1-5. This means learning to match foundations for future math concepts.

How You Can Help At Home!

Supporting your child’s learning at home doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few simple ways to build on what we’re learning in class:

• Practice letter sounds- use everyday items to reinforce beginning sounds. For example- point to a fish and say “Fish starts with F! Can you make the F sound?”
• Count together- use snacks or toys to practice counting objects one by one.
• Read together-books about firefighters or community helpers are great way to connect to real life. Ask open/ended questions about what your child sees.

Remember Pre-K is a all about building confidence and curiosity. Celebrate your child’s small victories. They’re making huge strides everyday.

Final Thoughts

As a PreK teacher, my goal is to partner with parents to help children thrive. If you ever have questions about your child’s progress or need ideas for at-home activities, I’m always here to help!

Stay tuned for more updates and tips to support your child’s learning journey! Check out my Instagram as well.