Introduction

This article provides information about the following topics:

• About the Preschool Support Centre
• About the Preschool Outcomes Measure
• About the Preschool Outcomes Measure National Tool
• Assessment modes
• Protecting data and privacy
• Assessment experiences in the POM National Tool

About the Preschool Support Centre

Welcome to the Preschool Outcomes Measure (POM) National Tool. This Preschool Support Centre will help you to understand the purpose and processes of the pilot and provide essential information about setting up your accounts, accessing the POM National Tool to participate in the pilot and ensuring data privacy.

The information in this user guide refers specifically to services piloting the POM National Tool in 2026 and 2027. Some states and territories are using different formative assessment tools aligned to the national learning progressions.

In the context of this document, preschool refers to the educational program provided in the year before full-time school (YBFS) by a qualified early childhood teacher in accordance with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) or state-approved equivalents and the National Quality Framework (NQF).

We use the inclusive reference to teachers and educators to acknowledge the diversity of roles and qualifications of potential users of the POM National Tool during the pilot, while acknowledging that in some states and territories, the preschool program is predominantly delivered by a qualified teacher in a school.

We use services as an umbrella term to refer to the diversity of settings in which the preschool program is offered across the country, including standalone early childhood education and care services, community preschools and schools.

About the Preschool Outcomes Measure National Tool

The Preschool Outcomes Measure (POM) National Tool is a formative assessment designed to help teachers and educators understand children’s learning progress in oral language and literacy and executive function in the year before full-time school. The formative assessment is aligned with national learning progressions, and the POM National Tool includes professional learning and support resources for teachers and educators.

The formative assessment is designed to integrate into play-based learning environments and aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and state-approved equivalents. It supports teachers and educators to make informed planning and teaching decisions and tailor learning experiences to each child’s current capabilities. The POM National Tool can be used with children of all cultural backgrounds and abilities, including children with disability or developmental concerns, children who speak a home language other than English, and children who speak Aboriginal English. 

The Preschool Outcomes Measure is an initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is leading the pilot of the Preschool Outcomes Measure National Tool in partnership with Goodstart Early Learning and Ninti One. 

Assessment modes

The Preschool Outcomes Measure (POM) National Tool includes features and functionality designed for digital online use on a tablet device managed by the teacher or educator. However, the POM National Tool is available in three modes to accommodate services with intermittent or no internet access. The three modes are:

1. Digital online version with all features and functionality (for tablet use)
2. Digital offline app (for tablet use)
3. Paper-based form.

Protecting data and privacy

The privacy and security of all data collected during the trial is a priority. ACER will only collect and use children’s data to refine and improve the final version of the Preschool Outcomes Measure National Tool. The data will not be used to compare or rank service providers, teachers and educators or children. All information gathered during the pilot will remain confidential and will only be used for research and development purposes to ensure the tool is effective and supports early learning outcomes.

If you need to withdraw a child or children at any stage during the trial, you will need to notify the Preschool support team so that we can remove any data relating to the child or children before it is processed.

Related article: Removing participating children

Assessment experiences in the POM National Tool

Formative assessments are available in oral language and literacy and executive function. The Preschool Outcomes Measure (POM) National Tool includes a diverse set of assessment experiences in the two categories of teacher recall and live observation. 

Table 1 describes four types of assessment experiences (‘tasks’) included in the POM National Tool, within the broad categories of teacher recall and live observation. These varied assessment types support flexibility for teachers and educators and recognise the diverse ways that children demonstrate their strengths. 

All instructions and scoring information are included within the digital platform. The POM National Tool includes a large pool of formative assessment experiences from which the ‘tiles’ (sets of related assessment tasks or experiences) that make up each child’s formative assessment are drawn. Since the formative assessment will be used in diverse settings and with diverse children, these have been designed with flexibility in mind; many of the tasks include options for adapting the experience to suit the setting and the child, including to make the experience more culturally relevant, to incorporate appropriate adjustments based on a child’s specific learning needs, and/or to support children who speak a home language other than English.

Table 1. Types of formative assessment tasks within the POM National Tool