Assessment & Observation

Learn how to use observation, assessment tools, portfolios, and progress monitoring to understand child development and guide meaningful instruction in early childhood settings.

An older woman uses observation techniques as she watches a young boy in a blue shirt play with colorful foam shapes on a table in a classroom setting. Another child's arm is partially visible beside them.

Preschool Observation Techniques: Seeing Beyond Behavior

Observation Techniques: Seeing Beyond Behavior to Understand Development A four-year-old repeatedly dumps out bins of materials during center time. A toddler bursts into tears when another child approaches. A kindergartner refuses to participate in group activities, preferring to observe from…

Two adults sit across from a student in a colorful classroom, engaged in conversation. Charts and progress reports decorate the background, suggesting a parent-teacher meeting or academic discussion.

Preschool Progress Reports: Communicate the Whole Story

Communicating Progress: Reports That Tell the Whole Story “Meets expectations.” “Developing appropriately.” “Needs improvement.” Traditional progress reports often reduce the rich, complex journey of a child’s development to a series of checkmarks, generic phrases, and standardized assessments. While these reports…

A smiling woman holds a clipboard in a classroom setting, with children blurred in the background. A graphic of a checklist, magnifying glass, and digital assessment tools is overlaid on the left side of the image.

Preschool Digital Assessment Tools: Best Apps & Platforms

Digital Assessment Tools: Apps and Platforms for Early Childhood In today’s early childhood classrooms, educators are increasingly turning to digital tools to streamline assessment, enhance documentation, and strengthen communication with families. These technological solutions offer powerful ways to capture children’s…

Four young children sit at a table painting with colorful paints and brushes, while a smiling adult woman watches and assists them in a bright, cheerful classroom that encourages authentic assessment.

Authentic Assessment: Real Classroom Examples That Inspire

Authentic Assessment in Action: Examples from Real Classrooms In a kindergarten classroom in Portland, children work in small groups to design and build bird feeders. As they collaborate, their teacher moves among them, iPad in hand, capturing photos and jotting…

A young boy sits at a table with a woman, looking at colorful alphabet cards. The woman holds up a card with the letter A. Drawings and developmental checklists with a pencil are visible in the background.

Developmental Checklists: Helpful Tools Without the Labels

Developmental Checklists: Using Them Without Reducing Children to Numbers In the quest to understand and support children’s development, checklists have become ubiquitous tools in early childhood settings. These structured inventories of skills and milestones offer a systematic way to track…

A smiling woman sits at a desk holding a green notebook—possibly for anecdotal records—in a colorful classroom with world maps and educational posters on the wall behind her.

Anecdotal Records for Busy Teachers (Efficient Systems)

Anecdotal Records: Efficient Systems for Busy Teachers “I know I should be taking more notes about what I see in the classroom, but when am I supposed to find the time?” If this thought has crossed your mind, you’re not…

A young girl with braided hair sits at a desk, holding a pencil to her chin and looking up thoughtfully. The desk is covered with colorful school supplies, notebooks, and a small globe—perfect for creating child portfolios.

Child Portfolios: What to Include & How to Organize Them

Child Portfolios: What to Include and How to Organize In early childhood education, meaningful assessment requires more than checklists and standardized tests. Child portfolios—thoughtfully curated collections of work samples, observations, and documentation—provide a rich, authentic picture of each child’s unique…

A wall covered with colorful children's drawings, featuring rainbows, suns, clouds, stars, and hearts—displayed as vibrant documentation panels crafted with crayons and watercolors on white paper.

Documentation Panels: Great Ways to Communicate Learning

Documentation Panels That Communicate Learning to Families In the bustling moments of drop-off and pick-up, parents typically spend an average of just 90 seconds in early childhood settings. In this fleeting window, how can educators effectively communicate the rich, complex…

A young woman sits on a chair reading learning stories from a colorful book to four children seated on a vibrant tiled floor in a classroom, with a blackboard and large window in the background.

Learning Stories: Capturing Development Through Assessment

Learning Stories: Capturing Development Through Narrative Assessment In a world increasingly focused on standardized assessments and quantifiable outcomes, learning stories offer a refreshingly human approach to documenting children’s growth and development. These narrative assessments capture the rich, complex nature of…

Two photos of diverse, smiling children outdoors offer vibrant photo documentation—on the left, kids form a playful human pyramid on grass, while on the right, a group stands closely together facing the camera and smiling.

Photo Documentation: Using Images to Track Real Learning

Photo Documentation: Using Images to Track Progress A child carefully balances blocks, her face a portrait of concentration. A group of preschoolers examines a collection of autumn leaves, pointing and discussing their discoveries. A toddler beams with pride after successfully…

Trending now

A brightly lit preschool environment with green walls, colorful children's chairs and tables, shelves with toys and books, and a wooden floor. Large windows let in natural light. The room looks tidy and inviting for kids.
Creating the Ultimate Preschool Environment at Home & School
Two images side by side: on the left, young children paint and do crafts; on the right, a girl concentrates on a wooden Montessori activity. Explore the differences between Reggio Emilia vs Montessori at the bottom of the image.
Reggio Emilia vs Montessori: Best Approach for Your Child
A woman in a striped shirt smiles and gestures toward a Waldorf classroom, where several children play with toys and blocks amid bright, cheerful decorations designed for young kids.
Inside a Waldorf Classroom: What Makes It Truly Special
A teacher sits at a table with a group of young children, all raising their hands and smiling as they engage in a HighScope-inspired interactive classroom activity. The room is bright and cheerful.
HighScope Preschool in Action: A Day of Purposeful Learning