Early Learning Inventory: ELI

Overview:

The Early Learning Inventory (ELI) is administered to kindergarten students during the first 60 days of school.  Teachers must be prepared to begin the ELI assessment on day-1. The State Board of Education strongly encourages the continued use of the NC Early Learning Inventory as an ongoing formative assessment beyond the initial 60-day data reporting period.  However, continuing ELI throughout the year is optional. Should the district decide to continue, please follow the implementation guidelines as reporting is required.  Halifax County Schools' District ELI Lead is Ms. Brittney Ruffin, Kindergarten Teacher at Hollister Elementary Leadership Academy. She supports the district's implementation of ELI and collaborates with the DPI: Office of Early Learning regional consultant.

Background Knowledge:

The Early Learning Inventory (ELI): A Focus on Personalized Instruction in Kindergarten

The North Carolina Early Learning Inventory (NC ELI) is the kindergarten entry assessment. NC ELI is an observation-based formative assessment that includes a set of developmental progressions across the 5 domains of learning and development (language and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge, approaches toward learning, physical well-being and motor development, and social and emotional development).

Purpose: Teachers document students’ learning and development with evidence within an online portfolio to substantiate a child’s skill attainment along with the developmental progressions and utilize this information to personalize instruction for students.

Process:

1. Teachers observe, collect documentation 
2. Make preliminary ratings to guide personalized instruction throughout the first 60 school days for all 14 NC ELI developmental progressions.
3. The NC Early Learning Inventory includes 14 developmental progressions: 3 Cognitive/Math; 2 Language (Receptive & Expressive) & 2 Literacy (phonological awareness); 5 Social-Emotional; 1 Approaches to Learning; 1 Physical. A subset of 7 (3 cognitive/math, 2 language & 2 literacy)
4. NC ELI developmental progressions address the requirement for a screening of early language, literacy and math skills during the first 30 school days.
5. These preliminary ratings are to be built upon with additional observation, documentation, and personalized instruction for the remainder of the first 60 school days.
6. On or near, but not beyond the 60th school day, teachers finalize their ratings to generate data for reporting purposes.
7. School or district administrators may choose to select among the optional developmental progressions or content areas to observe, collect documentation, make ratings, and provide personalized instruction. 

Note: This Frequently Asked Questions link is intended to be a “living document.” It will be periodically updated with more current information, additions, and clarifications as the Read to Achieve implementation process moves forward. 

Early Literacy Inventory FAQ Quick Links:

1. General Information
2. ELI Training
3. Transition Reports
4. The First 30 Days
5. Preliminary Levels
6. Collecting Documentation
7. 60-Day Checkpoint
8. Exceptional Children
9. English Language Learners
10. Accessing the NC Early Learning Inventory
11. Reports
12. Teacher and Student Data Integration
13. Additional Resources

Note: 2022-2023 Changes to the NC ELI