She then copies their actions to make the back. Work continues until the aeroplane is ready. Role play begins, with children taking on roles of passengers, air hostesses and pilot. Observation of such activities, as part of wider assessment, is embedded in good early years practice and is an integral part of any teacher's role. Baseline assessment will help to formalise this process when it becomes a statutory requirement from September 1998.
Baseline assessment has two main purposes.
The first is to provide information to help teachers plan effectively to meet children's individual learning needs. The second is to measure children's attainment, using one or more numerical outcomes which can be used in later value-added analysis of children's progress. We have already carried out extensive work in preparation for September 1998. The following paragraphs outline some of the developments that have taken place within the LEA and explain our plans for the future. Our main aim was to research existing baseline assessment schemes and materials, pilot two of these in LBBD schools and evaluate their effectiveness.