Preschool Outcomes Measure

The Preschool Outcomes Measure is a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments. It is a key reform under the Preschool Reform Agreement.

On this page:

We are piloting the Preschool Outcomes Measure in 2026–27. Delivered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of Australian, state and territory governments, the pilot is testing how the Preschool Outcomes Measure national tool can support teachers and educators to understand and support children's learning and development. Check with your local education department to get involved.

What is the Preschool Outcomes Measure?

The Preschool Outcomes Measure maximises the benefits of the preschool year by supporting everyday teacher and educator practice.

It supports high-quality practice by providing teachers and educators with an evidence-based, validated formative assessment tool to measure children’s progress against national learning progressions.

The Preschool Outcomes Measure helps teachers and educators:

  • measure a child’s learning and development in the year before full-time school
  • make evidence-based decisions about a child’s learning pathway.

The Preschool Outcomes Measure:

  • is not a test
  • is voluntary
  • supports teachers’ and educators’ everyday practice.

As part of this reform, the Australian Government has funded and facilitated the development of:

National learning progressions

New national learning progressions have been developed in 2 age-appropriate domains:

  • executive function
  • oral language and literacy.

These are foundational skills that support children to thrive. Supporting children to build these skills is critical to their development.

These skills were selected because they have a strong evidence base. They also align with existing benchmarks of quality preschool, including:

National formative assessment tool

A new national formative assessment tool (the POM national tool) will support teachers and educators. It will help them understand a child’s learning and development against the new national learning progressions.

Professional learning materials

Professional learning materials will support teachers and educators to apply the POM national tool effectively. Some elements may be adapted as a more general resource to help teachers and educators support children’s learning and development.

Alignment criteria and process guide

An alignment criteria and process guide was developed to:

  • align existing tools against the national learning progressions
  • ensure national consistency.

These helped align the Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool, being used in Victoria and South Australian, and Queensland’s Kindergarten Learning Progression Toolkit.

2026–27 pilot

In December 2025, the Australian Government announced $16.3 million to deliver a 2-year pilot of the Preschool Outcomes Measure.

ACER are delivering the pilot on behalf of the Australian and state and territory governments.

The pilot builds on the 2025 National Applied Trial, with refinements made to the:  

  • Preschool Outcomes Measure national tool
  • national learning progressions
  • professional learning resources and  
  • implementation supports

The pilot will:

  • allow teachers and educators to further test usability of the national tool
  • support teachers and educators to use the national tool and learning progressions effectively
  • test how the national tool can be used to understand learning and development at a point in time and over time
  • gather feedback to further improve the tool, professional learning materials and implementation approaches
  • explore how outcomes measurement can be effectively integrated into existing ECEC practice. 

Participation in the pilot is voluntary. Participating states and territories are leading recruitment and expression of interest processes.

The Preschool Outcomes Measure is not a test and will not be used to rank or compare children, teachers and educators, services or jurisdictions. It is designed to support children's learning and development by enhancing everyday teacher and educator practice.

You can find more details, including opportunities to get involved and the use of aligned tools, on your local education department website.

Consultation

Governments will continue to consult with the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector to ensure outcomes measurement can be as effective and reliable as possible, through the application of formative assessment tools.

Key stakeholders include:

  • teachers and educators
  • ECEC providers and preschool services, including services in school settings
  • ECEC representative bodies
  • educational leaders
  • unions
  • First Nations communities
  • culturally and linguistically diverse communities
  • regional and remote communities
  • representatives of children with disabilities, developmental delay or additional needs and their families.

Pilot evaluation

An independent evaluation of the 2026–27 pilot will be undertaken.

States and territories using alternative aligned tools may contribute to the evaluation by sharing what they have learned about outcomes measurement.

Results from the evaluation will inform a future decision by Education Ministers on outcomes measurement.

How was the Preschool Outcomes Measure developed?

Development

ACER, in partnership with Goodstart Early Learning and Ninti One, led the development of the POM national tool. This collaborative approach ensured Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander perspectives as well as teacher and educator views were included throughout the development and validation process.

2025 National Applied Trial

A national trial of the Preschool Outcomes Measure took place from July to September 2025.

Teachers and educators trialled a prototype version of the POM national tool for the first time. States and territories with an existing formative assessment tool were able to participate by aligning their tool to the national learning progressions.

Participation in the trial was voluntary. It was coordinated through an expression of interest process managed by states and territories.

Through the trial:

  • 381 ECEC services took part using the POM national tool
  • 726 teachers and educators engaged with the POM national tool
  • 4,370 children were assessed using the POM national tool.

Trial evaluation

Nous Group undertook an external, independent evaluation of the development and trial of the Preschool Outcomes Measure.

Expert Advisory Group

The Preschool Outcomes Measure Expert Advisory Group was established in 2021 and concluded its work in June 2026.

The group provided expert advice to the Australian Government on the development, trial and potential future directions for the Preschool Outcomes Measure.

The group was made up of members with local and international experience in early childhood development and education.

Questions and answers

A prototype version of the POM national tool was trialled in 2025 and has been refined for use in the 2026 and 2027 pilots.

 

The POM national tool has been designed to support everyday teacher and educator practice, including play-based learning. It is designed to give insights into children’s learning and capability in:

  • executive function
  • oral language and literacy.

Teachers and educators will continue to support children’s learning by:

  • drawing on their own pedagogical practices to promote children’s learning
  • incorporating evidence and resources from the POM national tool with other observations.

The Preschool Outcomes Measure is not a test. It will not be used to compare or rank the performance of children, teachers and educators, services or jurisdictions.

The POM national tool has been designed so that it can be used at times that suit teachers and educators, and children.

Teachers and educators draw on a rich repertoire of pedagogical practices for children's early learning. This includes assessing and monitoring children's learning.

The POM national tool has been designed to support this work. It provides a nationally consistent methodology for teachers and educators to:

  • understand a child’s strengths and capabilities
  • plan the next steps in a child’s learning and development
  • meet National Law requirements for assessing and documenting children’s learning
  • minimise workload through streamlined processes.

The POM national tool is free, evidence based, and available nationally.

We know that children who engage in quality preschool are better prepared for school and enjoy better educational outcomes.

Supporting teachers and educators to understand a child’s progress means they can:

  • understand a child’s strengths and capabilities
  • tailor their programs for a child’s unique needs and ongoing development.

Consultation activities were undertaken during the development and trial period to ensure that the POM national tool is appropriate for all children, including:

  • First Nations children
  • children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • children of varying abilities.

The Preschool Outcomes Measure has been designed to support a nationally consistent measure around children’s learning and development. This will also make it easier for teachers and educators to support children who move between services or across jurisdictions.

All data gathered through the pilot will be handled in accordance with national data protocols. The data will only be used to improve the Preschool Outcomes Measure. Data collected during the pilot will not be used to rank children, teachers and educators, services or jurisdictions.

Each state and territory piloting the POM national tool in 2026 and 2027 will open an expression of interest process. To find out more, including use of aligned tools, visit your local education department website.

Find out more

Learn more about the Preschool Outcomes Measure on the ACER website.

If you would like to find out more about the Preschool Outcomes Measure, you can email preschooloutcomesmeasure@acer.org.

To find out more about how the Preschool Outcomes Measure is being applied in your region, contact your local education department: