Assessment and Evaluation
Kindergarten
Early Development Instrument
The first five years of children's lives are very important in preparing them for future success in school and life. Ensuring that children get the best start in life is one of the key reasons Manitoba uses the Early Development Instrument (EDI).
The EDI is a questionnaire that was developed by researchers at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University. It identifies Kindergarten children's strengths and needs, so that informed decisions can be made to support early child development and school readiness.
The questionnaire is completed by Kindergarten teachers in the second half of the school year. It measures "school readiness" in five domains of early child development, including:
- physical health and well-being
- social competence
- emotional maturity
- language and cognitive development
- communication skills and general knowledge
The EDI also measures how a community of Kindergarten children is doing compared to children in other communities or provinces.
Resources
- An Overview of the Early Development Instrument in Manitoba (
1.9 MB) - EDI Implementation Resources for Manitoba
- The EDI: Population-based Measure for Communities ( 1.5 MB)
- Getting Ready for School: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children Learn ( 1.7 MB)
- EDI and The Early Years (video)
- EDI Newsletters
Manitoba's Presentations at the Pan-Canadian EDI Conference (November 2009)
- EDI in Manitoba: Promoting Best Outcomes for Manitoba's Children Through Evidence-Based Decision-Making ( 1.4 MB)
- Data Linkage in Manitoba ( 3.4 MB)
- EDI in Manitoba: Knowledge Exchange ( 4.39 MB)
- What Does the Early Development Instrument Tell Us About Academic Achievement and Socio-emotional Development in Grade 3? ( 732 KB)
- The Impact of Inequalities Among Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Children on Their Readiness for School ( 1.03 MB)
Provincial Reporting
Every three years, in early spring, Manitoba students in Kindergarten undergo a classroom-based provincial assessment that measures "school readiness" in five domains of early child development. The EDI questionnaire, guide, teachers' manual, and teacher training presentation are provided by the Offord Centre for Child Studies and used by teachers when reporting achievement results for this assessment.
