What is the primary focus of informal orthographic awareness assessments?

Informal orthographic awareness assessments primarily focus on a child's understanding of the visual aspects of written language, including letter recognition, formation, and the ability to distinguish between different letter cases (like uppercase and lowercase). In this context, writing their name serves as a foundational skill that not only reflects the child's ability to form letters correctly but also demonstrates their awareness of the characteristics that differentiate letters and the conventions of writing.

By assessing skills such as writing names and identifying letter cases, educators can gauge a child's familiarity with the written form of language, which is crucial for developing further literacy skills. This type of assessment is not concerned with grammar, sentence structure, or reading comprehension, which are components of more advanced language skills. Instead, it specifically targets the initial stages of literacy where recognizing and properly using letters is essential.