School readiness is a continuum that begins at birth. Experiences should promote social and emotional development, cognition and general knowledge, language development, and physical well-being and motor development. The individual needs and strengths of every young child will be continually assessed to facilitate frequent adjustments and supplements to instruction.

The Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) describes a framework that defines what preschool and kindergarten children should know and be able to do during their early years, and how professionals and parents ensure quality early learning opportunities. Professionals are guided by the framework when developing or selecting early childhood curricula, implementing evidence-based instruction, and promoting assessment practices which are aligned with the state's content standards, curriculum, and classroom instruction.

Early childhood professionals also share accountability for the results of providing early learning opportunities. Any assessment determining such results, are rooted in each practitioner's interaction with the young child as a learner. This relation defines an in-depth understanding for the strengths and needs of individual learners, and informs motivation for learning, instruction, and interventions.

The young child's input, reflections, and self-evaluations are essential to the process of assessment. Families, teachers, and others who interact regularly with the young child also contribute to valid assessment techniques. Families, schools, and communities are partners in preparing Maryland's young children to become life-long learners and contributing members of society.

The assessment of young children should promote learning, not simply measure it. Young children have the ability to work through activities, to solve problems, to work independently, and to reflect on their thinking. Young children are active, spontaneous, creative, curious and capable of self-direction. Therefore, instruction and assessment must capitalize on these qualities.

Assessment of young children should use a variety of methods, including performance-based assessments, systematic and ongoing observation, and a collection of young children's work over time. As mentioned before, the assessment should involve families, caregivers, teachers, and children themselves; it should occur over time in a natural setting and provide equitable opportunities to respond in a variety of modes.