Assessments to Guide Instruction: Guiding Early Learning Success

The Get Set for School (GSS) Pre-K Assessments are designed with one clear goal in mind: to support you in understanding each child’s growth and to guide how you teach moving forward. These assessments not only give you insight into how well students are grasping the material, but they also help you decide if and where instructional adjustments are needed to maximize learning.

Where to Begin: Assessments to Guide Instruction

All of your Pre-K assessment resources can be found on the PreK Interactive Digital Teaching Tool, under Assessments to Guide Instruction. 

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Here, you’ll access educator packets, detailed directions, and the following types of assessments:

• Benchmark Assessments – Administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year, these assessments capture a snapshot of student’s skills. They focus on Language & Literacy, Numbers & Math, and Readiness & Writing.
• Unit Assessments – Similar in structure to the Benchmark Assessments, these are completed at the end of each unit, six times per year. You can log results directly into the Digital Assessment Tool or use a printed version, such as the Unit 1 Checklist.
• Weekly Observation Checklists – Designed for frequent use, these checklists provide an ongoing look at how students are progressing toward specific skills, making it easier to track growth over time.
• Check for Understanding - These questions appear at point-of-use with each lesson.

Getting Started with Pre-K Assessments

To ensure both you and your students get the most out of the assessment process, follow these simple steps:

1. Navigate to Assessments to Guide Instruction in your Pre-K Interactive Digital Tool. Review the educator packets for step-by-step instructions on when and how to use each assessment.
2. Set up your class roster in + Live Insights to organize student data in one convenient place.
3. Print documents or use digital tools to administer the assessments. For extra guidance, watch our free Pre-K Assessments webinar for tips and best practices.

4. Log data directly via the Assessments to Guide Instruction (AGI) or on the printable version. There is a consistent scoring system: 

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5. Share progress with families. Keeping families informed fosters strong school-to-home connections and ensures everyone is working together to support each child’s growth.

Setting Students Up for Kindergarten Readiness

By thoughtfully using these assessments, you’ll gain meaningful insights into each child’s developmental progress, empowering you to personalize instruction and meet every learner where they are. Even more importantly, you’ll be equipping your students with a joyful, purposeful foundation for learning—one that builds confidence, sparks curiosity, and prepares them for lasting success in kindergarten and beyond.