The Letter Name and Letter Sound Assessment for 4- to 5-Year-Olds is a summative tool designed to capture children’s knowledge of capital and lowercase letter names, as well as letter sounds. It helps track their progress in relation to age-level benchmarks and guides instructional planning. Rather than serving as a measure to evaluate educators or label children, the assessment functions as a “flashlight,” illuminating children’s strengths and areas for growth.
Typically, the assessment is administered at three points in the school year—Fall (beginning), Winter (midpoint), and Spring (end). It is recommended for children starting at age 4, since research on 3-year-olds’ alphabet learning is limited and developmental differences at that age are wide-ranging. Use of the assessment is optional and should be avoided if a similar tool is already required by your school or center, in order to prevent over-assessment of children.
Materials Needed
You will need the Letter Name and Letter Sound Assessment, which includes the following:
- Instructions for administering the assessment
- Guidance on determining the child’s level, based on results
- Letter name and letter sounds benchmarks
- Assessment records (pages 3–5): Print enough copies to record all all of your children’s scores.
- Capital Letters Card, Lowercase Letters Card, and Letter Sounds Card (pages 6–7): Print once, and cut page 6 in half to create three cards. For durability, mount on cardstock or place in sheet protectors.
- Cover Sheet (page 8): Print once and cut a “window” as directed to isolate target letters. Black cardstock works best to prevent other letters from showing through.
Getting Ready to Administer (Preparation)
- Prepare the assessment materials as described above (print records, prepare cards, make cover sheet window).
- Create a quiet, distraction-free environment for each child being assessed.
- Keep assessment sessions brief to maintain the child’s attention and comfort.
- Ensure the process is comfortable and positive for the children.
Directions for Administering the Assessment
General Guidelines
- This is not a timed assessment.
- If a child becomes tired or frustrated, you may stop the assessment and try again another day.
- Respond in a neutral and encouraging way to all answers, regardless of correctness; for example, “You’re trying hard” or “Nice attention.”
- Use consistent procedures for all children.
- Document results promptly and thoroughly after each assessment.
Administering the Capital Letters Part
- Place the Capital Letters Card in front of the child.
- Use the cover sheet to cover all letters except the first letter.
- Use the directions at the top of the Capital Letter Names Assessment Record to guide this part of the assessment.
Marking Responses
As the child responds, mark each item on the assessment record sheet:
- For correct answers, mark a ✔.
- For incorrect answers:
- Mark a – for no response or if the child states they don’t know the answer.
- If the child says an incorrect name or sound, write what the child says.
- Self-corrections are counted as correct answers.
- After completing each part, calculate the number of correct responses and record the total score.
Guidance on Determining the Child’s Level
After calculating the correct responses for each section, determine the child’s learning level:
- Refer to the "Letter Name and Letter Sound Benchmarks" table, looking in the column for your current season (Fall, Winter, or Spring).
- For each of the three sections (Capital Letters, Lowercase Letters, and Letter Sounds), identify the child’s current level based on their number of correct identifications.
- Mark the determined level (E for Emergent, D for Developing, or F for Fluent) on the record sheet.
Administering the Lowercase Letters Section
- Place the Lowercase Letters Card in front of the child.
- Repeat the procedure using the directions in the Lowercase Letter Names Assessment Record to guide this part of the assessment.
- Use the guidance above to document responses and calculate the total number of correct responses.
- Use the Guidance on Determining the Child’s Level to determine whether the child is emergent, developing, or fluent.
Administering the Letter Sounds Section
- Place the Letter Sounds Card in front of the child.
- Repeat the procedure using the directions in the Letter Sounds Assessment Record to guide this part of the assessment.
- Use the guidance above to document responses and calculate the total number of correct responses.
- Use the Guidance on Determining the Child’s Level to determine whether the child is emergent, developing, or fluent.