Strategy 04
Observation-based assessment from nursery upwards
How nursery and kindergarten teachers use observation, learning stories and simple criteria to assess young children formatively — without tests.
Observe and note
Young children show what they know through play, talk and action. Short, dated notes — "built a tower of 8 blocks, counted aloud to 8" — are the evidence formative assessment needs.
- Pick two or three children to focus on each day.
- Note what the child did, not your interpretation.
- Link each note to a development goal.
Learning stories
A learning story combines a photo or quote, what it shows about the child's learning, and a possible next step. For example: “Mia sorted the buttons by colour and explained her groups. Next, offer mixed shapes and ask whether she can sort them in a different way.” Mia is fictional; the example illustrates an observation-to-next-step record.
Sharing with parents
Parents value concrete progress: what their child can now do and how they can support it at home. Descriptive reports are far more useful to them than scores.
Into primary and secondary
The same cycle — observe, record, give feedback, plan — scales up. Older learners add self-assessment and rubrics, but the teacher's ongoing record of evidence remains the backbone.
Keep play-based evidence together in Amosia GRID
Use developmental goals as columns in your classroom grid. Add short notes about what a child did or said during play, and record their progress. Those observations support your next activity and a draft of descriptive feedback for parents — without reconstructing the term from memory.
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Key research
- Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (1998). Assessment and Classroom Learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice.
- Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability.
- OECD (2005). Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms. OECD Publishing.