Iowa Early Learning Standards

The Iowa Early Learning Standards (ELS) identify the knowledge, skills, motivation, and attitudes that lead to school readiness (2006, Iowa ESL).  The Iowa Early Learning Standards address six developmental areas:  physical well-being and motor development, approaches to learning, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematics and science, and creative arts.  Within each developmental area are accompanying benchmarks.  These benchmarks are specific descriptions of a child?s knowledge or a skill that is observable and can be documented as such.