Early Level Literacy Trackers

Advice Note

The literacy trackers have been developed by a working group during session 2015/16 based on feedback from practitioners and parents. The new trackers are further informed by the Primary One Literacy Assessment and Action Resource (POLAAR) from Education Scotland.

Included with this advice note:-

  • Early Level Tracker #1 – mainly for use in ELC Settings for 3yr and 4yr old children
  • Early Level Tracker #2 (POLAAR) – mainly for use in Primary One – please enlarge to A3
  • Assessment with actions resource for ELC Settings
  • Assessment with actions resource for Primary One
  • Example completed tracker

The new trackers are designed to identify areas for challenge/support in each child’s learning. This information can then be reflected upon to plan next steps in learning.

Part 1: Guidelines for completing this tracker

1)This tool should be completed by staff twice per year ideally in September/October and then again in April/May. For children who join during the session, it should be completed approximately a month after they start.

2)Information should be gathered over time generally through observation, although sometimes staff may need to set up a specific small group or individual activity to fully assess a child’s progress.

3)It is important to involve parents in this process to share the information with them and gather their views.

4)Staff should be mindful of a child’s additional support needs when completing the trackerand ensure they fully capture the skills a child shows. Any activities to measure a child’s skills should be adapted in line with their particular needs e.g. allowing a child to indicate a response by pointing or gesture if their language skills are delayed.

5)If a child has English as an Additional Language it is important to reflect their skills in their home language (the ‘seen at home’ box should be used to do this) as well as English. Further guidance will follow to support this.

Part 2: Next steps and using this tracker in your practice

1)Staff should use the information collected using this tracker to plan next steps in a child’s learning and to reflect on their progress over time. The ‘Assessment with actions resource’ should be used to plan actions. Actions should be recorded on the second page.

2)If a child is showing early development in a range of literacy skills or staff haveconcerns about their literacy development they should use the Up, Up and Away resource to plan further adjustments and strategies to support their learning.

3)Having reflected on the Up, Up and Away guidance staff could consider involving relevant support services such as Speech and Language Therapy Service, ASL Service, Support Co-ordinator, Educational Psychology Service.

The tracker could be included in the PLP as a summary of progress and achievement and to identify next steps in learning. The tracker should be used to support transition. June 2016