The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the most widely used tool by teachers and caregivers to monitor young children’s educational and social progress (between zero and five years of age). The ultimate goal is to identify any problems that may be present while simultaneously highlighting specific strengths, talents and beneficial traits.
Of course, there are numerous ways to track a child, and it can be a bit confusing to appreciate the “big picture”. One of the most important elements is known as the Good Level of Development standard. Let’s take a look at this system in greater detail to understand why it is so important.
The GLD Defined
Professionals define the Good Level of Development as a measure that gauges how a child progresses within several fields. Here are the factors which are normally measured:
- Basic literacy and mathematics.
- Communication and language.
- Physical development.
- Personal, social and emotional development.
We can see that all of these areas cover the fundamental principles intended to determine whether a child meets, exceeds or fall below general expectations. Still, the areas mentioned above are somewhat broad in scope. How are children scored, what do these scores signify and are there any modern tracking solutions that can help?
A Look at GLD Scores
The scoring system is extremely basic in terms of the GLD framework. Here is a breakdown:
- 1: Emerging
- 2- Expected
- 3: Exceeding
There are 17 different learning goals within each of the categories mentioned in the last section). Children will receive a score of between one and three in reference to each factor. So, we can see that overall GLD scores can vary. There are also times when a child may perform particularly well within a certain area (such as communication and language) while requiring assistance with another (such as maths or literacy). This is why appreciating discrete scores are very important. How is technology now coming to the assistance of parents and teachers?
Modern EYFS Tracking Solutions
Tiny Tracker EYFS tracking is revolutionising how we monitor the progress of our children within real-time settings. Logging data is straightforward, and thanks to the user-friendly design of this software, more hands-on time can be spent with the child in question. This enables us to understand better when a bit of extra help may be required. It is also an excellent way to identify specific problems early, enabling us to develop a more proactive approach.
The Good Level of Development system is exceedingly critical in determining how a young child is progressing. When used within the existing EYFS framework, our little ones will be provided with the right help at the right times. Thanks to the presence of cutting-edge and personalised software solutions, making certain that a child is receiving the assistance that he or she needs has never been easier.
