# Foundation/Prep English · two-week evidence check

**Use:** formative snapshot after Days 1–10. It shows which steps need more teaching; it is **not** a standardised test, diagnosis, report-card grade or claim that the whole Foundation English achievement standard has been reached. Proposed ACARA v9 links: `AC9EFLE02`, `AC9EFLY02`, `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY13`, `AC9EFLA05`. Human educator review is pending.

## Practical administration

Collect story and group work in the Day 10 25-minute lesson. Across Days 8–10, hear each learner individually for about 3–4 minutes during normal independent-work rotations; then complete the record. The teacher reads all instructions. Show one word or letter at a time. Give a neutral direction such as “Have a go”; do not correct during a scored attempt. After recording, give feedback and another practice attempt, which is marked as **after teaching**, not independent evidence.

Offer the same response goal through speech, AAC, pointing to letter choices, movable/tactile letters or writing. Note exactly which route and prompts were used. A correct meaning choice after adult reading is comprehension evidence, not decoding evidence. If a sound task is inaccessible through hearing or speech, seek an appropriate interpretation with the learner, family and relevant specialist; do not score missing access as a learning deficit. Keep identifiable records in the school's approved system.

## Script and items

### A. Oral story meaning and interaction

Read [*The Missing Seed*](MATERIALS.md#oral-text-d--the-missing-seed-day-10-assessment) aloud **twice**, without showing the written text. Give wait time. Ask exactly:

1. “Who looked for the seed?” Expected: Leah and Arun (either name plus a clear reference to the other person is acceptable).
2. “What was the problem?” Expected: a seed rolled away / one seed was missing.
3. “Where did Arun see it, and what did Leah do next?” Expected: beside the watering can; Leah picked it up and planted it.

If needed, offer three blank event boxes or props: packet, tray, watering can. Record whether a response was open, chosen from options or prompted. Also observe whether the learner waited for a turn or used an agreed communication signal; do not require eye contact or speech volume that is inaccessible.

### B. Spoken sound awareness (no print)

Use normal Australian English pronunciation and keep the letters hidden.

1. **Rhyme:** “Which rhymes with cat: hat or sun?” Expected: **hat**.
2. **Syllables:** “How many beats in paper?” Expected: **two**. Accept two taps or two counters.
3. **Sentence words:** Say “Bo holds a map.” Ask for one counter per spoken word. Expected: **four**.
4. **Segment:** Say “sat.” Ask for its sounds in order. Expected: /s/ /æ/ /t/.
5. **Blend:** Say /m/ /æ/ /p/, with a short pause between sounds. Ask for the word. Expected: **map**.

If accent or communication route makes an item unclear, annotate and repeat with a locally clear equivalent; do not silently change the scored item.

### C. Letter–sound links (print shown)

Shuffle and show lower-case **m, a, s, t, p, i, n**, one at a time. Ask: “What is the common sound we have practised for this letter?” Expected /m/, /æ/, /s/, /t/, /p/, /ɪ/, /n/. Record each answer, including a selected sound on AAC if used. You may ask letter names as an extra observation, but keep name recall separate from sound recall. Capital **S, T, P** may be checked as an unscored extension.

### D. Independent blending (print shown)

Show these **previously unseen printed CVC words**, one at a time: **tin**, **man**, **pit**, **sap**. Every grapheme has been taught in this pack. Say: “Point to each part, say or select each sound, then put them together.” Record the word read, any guessing from a picture or teacher cue, and whether the child self-corrected. Explain the meaning of *sap* **after** the attempt if asked; word meaning is not scored in this decoding item.

For a learner still working at the two-sound stage, record a supported **am** attempt separately. Do not treat a supported two-sound blend as an independent CVC result.

### E. Encoding from speech (no printed word shown)

Dictate **mat**, **sit**, **pan**, one at a time, in this wording: “The word is *mat*. Say its sounds. Put down or write a letter for each sound. Read the word you made.” Repeat the word once on request without separating its sounds. Accept tiles, accessible typing or handwriting; the score is the sound–letter sequence, not pen control. Record each letter sequence and any prompt.

### F. Print concept (not a decoding score)

Show **Tim sat.** Ask “Point to the first word” and “Point to the mark that tells us to stop.” Expected: **Tim** and the full stop. Read the sentence aloud for the learner if needed; this item asks about print organisation, not word recognition.

## Analytic rubric

Mark each domain separately; **do not add the numbers into one score**. “Independent” means the item was answered after the standard direction and permitted access route, without a content hint. Record a prompt-assisted answer in the notes and use the lower descriptor for independent evidence.

| Domain | 0 · Not yet observed | 1 · Emerging | 2 · Developing | 3 · Secure in this small sample |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A. Story meaning | No usable response to the three questions through the available route. | Identifies a person or event after options or a content prompt. | Independently identifies a person and either the problem or solution; another element needs a prompt. | Independently identifies people, problem and the place/action of the solution in a coherent retell or equivalent selection. |
| B. Spoken sound awareness | 0–1 of five items independent. | 2 of five independent. | 3–4 of five independent. | All five independent. |
| C. Letter–sound links | 0–2 of seven sound links independent. | 3–4 of seven independent. | 5–6 of seven independent. | All seven independent on this check. |
| D. Blend unseen CVC words | 0 of four words independently blended. | 1 of four independently blended. | 2–3 of four independently blended. | All four independently blended, including a self-correction if it occurred. |
| E. Encode CVC words | 0 of three correct sequences independent. | 1 of three correct independent. | 2 of three correct independent. | All three correct independent. |
| F. Print concept | Neither item shown through the available route. | One item shown after a content prompt. | Both items shown, with a prompt for one. | First word and full stop located independently. |

## Individual record to copy locally

**Learner code:** ______  **Date:** ______  **Response route / access supports:** ____________________  
**Teacher / observer:** ______  **Source:** ACARA v9 Foundation English snapshot, 29 Sep 2026  
**Adult-read story used:** *The Missing Seed* (original)

| Item | Response exactly observed | Independent, repeated direction, or content prompt? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A1 people; A2 problem; A3 solution |  |  |
| B1 rhyme; B2 syllables; B3 words; B4 segment; B5 blend |  |  |
| C m / a / s / t / p / i / n |  |  |
| D tin / man / pit / sap |  |  |
| E mat / sit / pan |  |  |
| F first word / full stop |  |  |

**Rubric domains A–F:** ______ / ______ / ______ / ______ / ______ / ______  
**One strength shown:** ___________________________________________________  
**Next teaching move, when and with whom:** _______________________________  
**Question to review with family or specialist if access affected evidence:** _______________________________

## Act on the evidence

| Pattern in the record | Next two or three lessons |
| --- | --- |
| Story meaning is hard to show, but sound/print work is accessible | Re-read short original oral stories; model first/then/last with props and rich talk, then reduce prompts. Confirm the response route works. |
| Spoken blending or segmentation is hard | Use counters with two sounds, then three. Model, practise together, and recheck orally before adding more printed words. |
| Several letter sounds are uncertain | Re-teach only the uncertain links with clear mouth/letter models and short cumulative review. Keep reading cards within the secure set. |
| Sound links are secure but unseen words are guessed | Model left-to-right touch–say–sweep on new CVC words, then check another unseen word without a picture cue. |
| Decoding works but encoding is uncertain | Dictate a word, move one counter per phoneme, replace counters with letters, then reread the result. Compare **a/i** if that is the specific error. |
| All sampled items are secure | Extend to new regular CVC combinations and more authentic teacher-read stories. Do not assume the whole Foundation standard or a later phonics phase is complete. |

The framework source is the [ACARA v9 workbook](https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/content/dam/en/curriculum/ac-version-9/downloads/curriculum-workbook.xlsx); instructional use of a check–respond cycle is informed by [AERO Monitor progress](https://www.edresearch.edu.au/guides-resources/practice-guides/monitor-progress). Both source and assessment design remain **pending educator review** for local use.