Early Years Assessment and Learning

Tool (the EYALT) – Summary of modules

The EYALT has been developed to support teachers and co-educators to be more
targeted in their observations and intentional in their teaching practice. This
provides a more consistent and systematic approach to assessment for learning
and understanding of children’s strengths and abilities.
The EYALT contains 8 modules which gather information on children’s learning and
development aligned to the 5 learning and development outcomes in the VEYLDF
and the Victorian Curriculum as summarised in the figure below.

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The purpose of this document is to provide teachers new to using the EYALT with
an overview of the alignment of the 8 modules with the 5 outcomes as well as an
overview of each module and the types of questions that each module will cover.
This will support you to draw on observations you have made and to guide your
future observations of children.
Each module is provided with a short description of what is assessed. Groups of
indicative behaviours are listed, grouped according to broader capabilities.
Identity and community – social
Assesses the development of social skills including a child’s social interaction skills, as well as
their autonomy, responsibility, and care of others.
This module looks at how a child interacts with others.
The types of interactions that you might observe a child engaging in:
Social interaction:
• Showing an interest by responding to or greeting others
• Self-presentation by demonstrating independence
• Communication through conversational skills
• Emotional bonds through forming and maintaining attachments/friendships
Social responsibility:
• Sensitive to expectations and surrounding group activities by interacting/playing fairly
• Accepting the authority of familiar adults by following their directions
• Following group rules and expectations by contributing to group
discussions/activities/experiences
Transcending social difficulties:
• Social self-regulation through demonstrating perseverance
• Social problem-solving through considering alternative viewpoints

Communication – Interactions
Assesses the development of basic communication skills and the social conventions surrounding
communication, both verbally and non-verbally.
This module looks at how a child communicates with others.
The types of communication that you might observe a child engaging in:
Functional communication: the ability to achieve desired goals or ends
through communication:
• Requesting an object or activity
• Responding to communication initiated by another
• Repeating or re-telling a message or story
Awareness of social conventions of communication:
• Taking turns with communication partner
• Staying on topic during communication

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Form of communication:
• Using gestures, eye movements and facial expression to convey meaning
• Speaking in sentences
• Using vocabulary

Communication – Symbols & Text

Assesses the development of the use and interpretation of symbols and text as the basis of
beginning reading and writing skills.
This module looks at how a child makes and interprets meaning using symbols.
The types of symbol use that you might observe a child engaging in:
Awareness of symbols and print:
• Using the language of reading and texts (i.e., identifies parts of text)
• Matching symbols and meaning
• Recognising that print has consistent meaning
Motivation to participate in literacy activities:
• Participating in reading activities
• Choosing reading material (e.g., picture books, magazines, digital reading materials)
Knowledge of letters and sound-letter relationships:
• Identifying symbols, letters, or numbers (e.g., by sorting, pointing, matching)
• Matching words on the basis of rhyme (e.g., verbally or non-verbally, using assistive
technology)
• Blending sounds in words
Comprehension:
• Predicting the content of reading material
• Re-telling stories
Orthographic knowledge:
• Recognising the form of words and parts of words
Control of production:
• Selection and use of materials to communicate (including paper, pencils, computer
keyboard and mouse, iPad, assistive technology)
• Producing letter forms (using conventional materials or assistive technology)

Learning and Communication – Numeracy

Assesses a range of learning skills and ability to notice, describe, understand, and use numeracy
information and how symbols and pattern systems work.
This module looks at how a child notices and uses numeracy information.
The types of numeracy that you might observe a child engaging in:

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Quantity:
• Awareness of number/symbol through counting using number words and recognising
quantities of 1-3 without counting (using words, signs, or symbols)
• Working with concepts of time/duration
• Manipulating numbers through adding and subtracting objects from a group
Pattern:
• Working with concepts of pattern, irregularity and change through dividing an object into
parts and recognising and making patterns
• Interpreting and representing visual numerical information by sorting objects into categories
of size, shape and colour and identifying/naming Australian coins and notes
Shape:
• Spatial reasoning through comparing the length of common objects and describing relative
position

Learning and Identity – Thinking

Assesses developing dispositions for learning and a range of skills and processes such as problem
solving and inquiry and ability to transfer and adapt what they have learnt from one context to
another.
This module looks at how a child uses strategies to actively participate in learning.
The types of thinking that you might observe a child engaging in:
Understanding:
• Focusing on relevant information
• Recognising patterns and categories
Imagination:
• Planning through choosing a relevant or preferred outcome and sequencing steps to reach
a preferred or relevant outcome in a familiar activity
• Creating through being flexible and transferring strategies to new activities or objects
Reflection:
• Evaluating strategies and outcomes and monitoring progress
• Reasoning by predicting outcomes and understanding another’s viewpoint

Learning Dispositions
Assesses the development of basic skills related to attention, memory, and independence that lead
to an increasing sense of confidence as a learner.
This module looks at how a child uses skills to learn.
The types of learning activities that you might observe a child engaging in:
Attention:
• Attends to changes in environment (e.g., someone entering the room)

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 • Ignores external distractions
Self:
• Takes responsibility for own actions/demonstrates capacity for self-regulation
• Describes characteristics of self (verbally or non-verbally through gesturing, signing or
assistive technology)
Memory:
• Short term memory for visual and auditory material
• Recognises familiar people, places and locations
• Remembers familiar physical routines and personal experiences
• Remembers to follow through with an intention to do something (e.g., go to a particular
place, get an object, ask a question)
Tasks:
• Accommodates new ideas and activities
• Independently initiates activities/experiences
• Organises the sequence of a familiar activity/experience/routine
• Able to maintain concentration on a task

Wellbeing – Emotion
Assesses the development of understanding about the experience and expression of emotions in
self and others.
This module looks at how a child understands emotions in self and others.
The types of behaviours that you might observe a child engaging in:
Expression:
• Expression of sympathy/empathy in response to the distress of others
• Expression of self-conscious and social emotions (e.g., pride, guilt, shame,
embarrassment)
Regulation:
• Controls intensity of emotional outbursts (e.g., to provocation, not getting something they
want)
• Hides feelings for own benefit (e.g., hiding guilt to avoid trouble or pretending not to be
embarrassed)
• Participates in activities even when having difficulty
Awareness:
• Identifies and describes own and other’s emotion
• Indicates the cause of own and other’s emotional experience

Wellbeing – Movement
Assesses increasing responsibility for own physical movement and movement problem solving
skills.
This module looks at how a child understands achieves goals through use of movement.

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The types of movement that you might observe a child engaging in:
Balance, posture and positioning
• Maintaining balance and upright posture (seated or standing, using core strength)
• Regulating physical responses (physical regulation of the body)
Transportation of self and objects - mobility
• Remembering a movement sequence or strategy
• Moving from one position or place to another
Manipulation and use of objects and tools – Object control and
manipulation
• Using sporting or activity resources and equipment (such as mats, balls, swings, scooters,
climbing equipment, musical instruments, cooking utensils, dancing ribbons, blocks)
• Transporting objects from place to place
• Managing personal items (such as coat/jacket, hats, drink bottles, lunch box)
• Manipulating and using tools and materials (such as pencils, scissors, keyboard,
mouse/switch; jigsaw puzzle pieces, sticks, leaves, shells, sand, books, blocks, playdough,
glue, paint brush)
Communicative/interactive skills – Social interaction and
communication
• Sharing space interactively with others
• Using movement for self-expression and communication
Performance sustainment – Motivation and Fitness
• Persevering in movement tasks or activities
• Working within physical limits

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