Core Knowledge Pre-School Assessment Tool

The Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia. One of their resources, The Core Knowledge Preschool Assessment Tool (CKPAT), is a set of model guidelines describing fundamental competencies for children from three to five years of age.

The CKPAT includes over 400 assessments and is utilized by Head Start and Preschool programs nationwide. Core Knowledge chose Media Orange to develop an electronic tracking tool for the CKPAT. This database tracks student assessments throughout the year and provides reports and summaries that help teachers plan future instruction. The database also allows preschool programs to quickly provide detailed reports to their parent or funding agencies.

The original version of the CKPAT was delivered as a stand alone CD-ROM application designed for individual teachers. In September of 2005, Media Orange completed an online version of the CKPAT which can be utilized district-wide. It includes school and district level reports.