Assessment and report card time is one of the most stressful times of the year for a kindergarten teacher. A lot of the assessments need to be given one-on-one, and we are often left with the question: What do all of the other kids do while I am testing one student?! I have found that I have the most success when I place the other students at centers around the room while I am calling students back to test them. I’ve come up with 5 different stations that I can easily rotate my students through with 5 students at each center. I keep them at each center for around 15 minutes, and then rotate them to the next station. This short time keeps them engaged and occupied while I can spend time with students one-on-one.
Counting Center: Having a counting center is always a smartt independent center option. These Peg Number Boards are great because the correct number of holes are actually on the board, so the students are guaranteed success. The best part is, the students can practice fine motor skills by putting the pegs in the holes while practicing counting! 
Letter & Word Center: Tracing letters is a simple way to reinforce letter names and sounds. What I love about this stencil set is they contain different fonts. I try to expose my students to different texts and fonts becuase that is what they will see in the real world. The students can trace letters, try and spell their name, or make words! 
Addition Center: I always have a magnetic station during center time. Students enjoy manipulating different farm animals to create an addition sentence on this Addition Magnetic Activity Set. The kids picked a card, then places that same number of animals down to match the sentence. For students that aren't ready to add, they could place the magnetic animals down and count them. You could also give the students dry erase boards and ask them to write down the addition sentences. 
Letter Printing Center: Center time is a great opportunity for the students to practice their printing skills with Busy Bee Dry Erase Alphabet Cards. The students can see the example of the correct letter formation and then trace it on their own. Sometimes I assign the students certain letters that I want them to practice, other times I let them practice whichever they want! 
Building Words Center: Most of my students can write CVC words, but some of them still struggle with writing words completely independently. I found this Short Vowel Word Card Set that scaffolds word wrirting so the students can build words all by themselves! My students would first build a word, and then write it on a whiteboard. Some of my students even wrote sentences usiing the words they created. I have each station set up at a different table, then I rotate the kids around the room! Having independent centers make a night and day difference. Good luck during your kindergarten assessments this year!
