The Preschool Outcomes Measure is a key reform under the Preschool Reform Agreement. It's a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments. It will be trialled nationally in 2025.
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About the Preschool Outcomes Measure
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), in partnership with Goodstart Early Learning and Ninti One, has been selected to lead the development of the Preschool Outcomes Measure.
Ninti One will work alongside ACER to ensure Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander perspectives are included throughout the development and validation process. This will ensure the Preschool Outcomes Measure is inclusive and works well for all children.
Goodstart Early Learning will act as a ‘critical friend’ throughout the project. This will ensure:
- teacher and educator perspectives are incorporated
- consultation and validation processes are not burdensome for the sector.
The Preschool Outcomes Measure is not a test and will be voluntary. It will be designed to support teachers’ and educators’ everyday practice. It won’t be implemented until trial outcomes are known.
There are 4 parts to the Preschool Outcomes Measure:
National learning progressions
There will be new learning progressions developed in 2 age-appropriate domains:
- executive function
- oral language and literacy.
These domains were selected because they have a strong evidence base. They are also foundational skills that support children to thrive. Supporting children to build these skills is critical to child development.
The new learning progressions will align with existing benchmarks of quality preschool, including:
- National Quality Standard
- Early Years Learning Framework V2.0, or state-approved equivalents.
National formative assessment tool
The new national formative assessment tool will be for teachers and educators. It will be designed to help them understand a child’s learning and development against learning progressions. There will be resources developed to help educators and teachers use the tool.
Alignment criteria
Some states and territories already use a formative assessment tool. There will be criteria and processes developed to enable existing tools to align to the new learning progressions.
Professional learning
There will be resources developed to help teachers and educators use the learning progressions and formative assessment with children. These will include teaching ideas, examples of children’s learning and other resources to support planning and teaching.
Consultation
In 2024, we will consult with teachers, educators and education experts to develop the new national learning progressions, formative assessment and support resources. We’ll consult with:
- 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
- teachers and educators
- early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers and preschool services, including services in schools
- ECEC representative bodies
- educational leaders.
There is also an expert advisory group. It was established to provide advice to the Australian Government on measuring the benefits of preschool.
National trial
In 2025, a national trial of the Preschool Outcomes Measure will take place. Services will be invited to take part by their state or territory government. The way services take part in the trial will depend on the approach taken in their state or territory. Options for states and territories to participate in the trial include:
- trialling the new national assessment tool
- trialling a tool that is already in use that aligns with the new national learning progressions, or
- trialling a combination of tools.
Services are eligible if they provide a preschool program in the year before children start full time school. They can be located in:
- schools
- community preschools
- Centre Based Day Care.
Participation in the trial is voluntary. Services already using a tool that aligns with the new national learning progressions will not need to take part in the trial. The trial will not be used to compare the performance of individual children, services or jurisdictions.
Services participating in the trial may receive some funding from the Australian Government. Funding arrangements will be determined by state and territory education departments.
Later this year, ACER will visit a sample of preschools to trial an initial design of the Preschool Outcomes Measure in preparation for the national trial. The states and territories will decide on the approach for services to support ACER’s work.
Evaluation
Nous Group has been contracted to undertake an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the development and trial of the Preschool Outcomes Measure.
Questions and answers
When will the Preschool Outcomes Measure be ready?
The Preschool Outcomes Measure is currently in development. In 2024, we will consult with teachers, educators and education experts. In 2025, all education ministers agreed to trial it in a range of preschools including:
- standalone Centre Based Day Care
- in-school settings.
The trial will be independently evaluated. Outcomes from evaluation will be used to inform decisions about its potential implementation.
How will the Preschool Outcomes Measure be used?
The Preschool Outcomes Measure will be designed to support everyday teacher and educator practice. The tool can be used in play-based learning. It will be 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 knowledge
- incorporating evidence and resources from the Preschool Outcomes Measure with other observations.
The Preschool Outcomes Measure is not a test. It also cannot be used to benchmark children, teachers, educators, services or jurisdictions.
For the purposes of the trial, teachers and educators will be able to decide how the Preschool Outcomes Measure can best support children’s learning. This includes when and if to use it. The Preschool Outcomes Measure will be designed so that it can be used at times that suit teachers, educators and children.
How will the Preschool Outcomes Measure benefit teachers and educators?
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 Preschool Outcomes Measure will be designed to support this work. It will provide 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.
It will be designed to support teachers and educators to teach all children, including:
- First Nations children
- children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- children of varying abilities.
The Preschool Outcomes Measure will be free, national and evidence-based.
How will the Preschool Outcomes Measure benefit children?
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.
The 2024 consultation process will ensure the Preschool Outcomes Measure is appropriate for all children, including:
- children of varying abilities
- children with disability
- children who experience varied development trajectories or experiences.
The Preschool Outcomes Measure will be designed to support nationally consistent language around children’s learning and development. This will make it easier for children to move between services.
What happens to data collected by the Preschool Outcomes Measure?
All data gathered through the trial will be handled in accordance with national data protocols.
Factsheets
The following fact sheets provide more information:
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about the Preschool Outcomes Measure you can email PreschoolOutcomesMeasure@education.gov.au.
To find out more about how the Preschool Outcomes Measure is being used in your region, contact your local education department: