The children's alphabetic knowledge must be sound. Students need to be able to recognize all of the letters of the alphabet, and know the names and sounds of the letters, both lower case and upper case. Vowels must be named and distinguished from consonants. Phonemic awareness needs to be tested for recognition of rhyming words and non-rhyming words. Phonics, including word analysis and the ability to generate sounds using letters, must also be tested. Students should be able to identify how many syllables are in two or three syllable words.
Each child must be able to read books at the prescribed level, and easily read the months of the year and the days of the week. Reading fluency needs to be tested using materials the student is familiar with. Literary analysis is expected, recognizing the beginning, the middle and the end of a simple story. Vocabulary development is tested for the retention of newly learned words and their meanings. Word opposites should be tested, even if help with the reading is necessary.
Check that the children can form each letter of the alphabet correctly, and print their first and last name, their date of birth and their home address. Test their ability to write three- and four-letter words that were learned in class. Test students for the ability to construct simple sentences and compose and write a simple story.
Addition and subtraction can be tested either orally or on a written test. Whole number relationships are to be identifiable to the children, magnitudes smaller than and larger than are to be learned and students should be able to compare numbers up to 100. Students need to understand two and three dimensional geometric shape construction, number patterns recognition, measurement units and how to measure with a ruler. Simple number operations can be tested using diagrams, strategies and manipulatives.
Students must understand the basic meaning of science, what an experiment is and how to identify the five human senses used to determine substances. The understanding of gravity, Earth's role in space and time and the concept of the planets and stars is also tested. Students also need to understand magnification. Other science knowledge to be tested includes earth structures, organisms, water safety, properties of matter and the motion of objects. Students should also understand the concept of pull or force, living organisms, basic genetics and interdependence.