The German institutions of elementary education, such as the kindergarten, are to perform developmental assessments for pre-school children in order to address specific need for interventions. Currently available assessment tools for the use by kindergarten staff were collected and compared according to scientific, economic and practical usability criteria based upon research and users expectations. 20 assessment tools were found in the German psychology database PSYNDEX, in publications, Internet, and in 45 interviews with experts from the largest supplier organizations of kindergartens. In addition to interviews and publications, criteria for the exclusion and the comparison of instruments were derived from basic methodological texts on test quality and from 10 interviews of kindergarten headmasters in Hamburg. Among the 48 descriptive characteristics of the screening instruments, 24 well-definable criteria were used for a comparison. The instruments varied widely in scope (developmental dimensions covered), efficiency (number of tasks and application time required), and practical usability. For most tools, including the most popular ones, psychometric quality is weak, not documented or dubious, and many tools neglect requirements of practical usability. Conclusions concerning the improved construction of instruments and the support of their implementation and practical relevance are proposed.
