VELS Level 1 and 2 – Concepts About Print

The observation tasks in this survey are designed to allow children to work with the complexities of written language. They illustrate how the student searches for information in printed texts and how they work with that information.

The Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement includes six assessment tasks:

• running records
• concepts about print
• letter identification
• word reading
• writing vocabulary
• hearing and recording sounds in words.

It is recommended that teachers obtain a profile of a student across all tasks. No single task provides a satisfactory assessment of progress in early literacy. (Marie Clay 2002)

Concepts about print

This task focuses on written language and the information and observations students have absorbed in various environments. (Marie Clay 2002, p. 37).

These tasks are excellent indicators of behaviours which support reading and writing acquisition. Nevertheless, a test score alone is not indicative of readiness (Marie Clay 2002, p. 41)

Concepts about print score sheet  - This form is to be used to record a student’s responses to the items in the concepts about print task.