What are some important things to know about the Illinois Early Learning Standards and Benchmarks?
The Illinois Early Learning Standards and Benchmarks were developed by a group of people with many years of experience in teaching young children. The Standards are meant to recognize the needs of “the whole child.” That means they are built upon the idea that knowledge and skills in one learning area affect knowledge and skills in other areas. The Standards allow for a balance of child-initiated and teacher-initiated learning experiences. They also take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. The Illinois Early Learning Standards and Benchmarks were tested in classrooms throughout Illinois before the Illinois State Board of Education adopted them. Many preschool activities address more than one Benchmark at a time. Teachers do not need to come up with a separate activity for each Benchmark. For example, when Tamika’s class studied turtles, Tamika met some Science Benchmarks by observing a box turtle and making sketches of it. When she reported to her classmates
