Observation-Based Assessment in Preschool: What Should Teachers Actually Look For?
Three children are at the sand tray. One fills a cup and counts each scoop aloud. One pours the same cup back and forth. The third lines up shells from smallest to largest and tells no one. The teacher has a clipboard, twenty minutes and a plan to “do observations.”
What should she write down?
Watching children is the easy part of the job. Deciding what counts as evidence is harder, and it is where many observation-based assessment systems quietly stall.
What observation-based assessment in preschool actually means
Observation-based assessment in preschool means teachers gather and record evidence of learning while children take part in ordinary activities such as play, group time and learning centres. Teachers note what children do, say and make. They then link those notes to a learning objective instead of pulling children aside for a test.
The Learning Policy Institute’s 2021 research brief draws the same line. Direct assessment responds to an adult’s prompt, while observation-based assessment collects information during everyday activities. Michigan’s Department of Education calls ongoing, observation-based assessment ideal practice for young children. It also warns that pull-aside testing can raise stress and remove a trusted adult from the group.
Assessment is broader than testing. A test asks, “Can you do this now, for me?” Observation asks,
“What does this child do when the task is theirs?”
Start with the evidence, not the clipboard
Source: OECD, Starting Strong IV.
The pattern suggests why observation remains so important in early-years assessment. Across the participating countries, observation and narrative approaches were used across a wider range of developmental areas than direct assessment, including motor development, socio-emotional skills, autonomy, creativity and well-being. These are aspects of learning that often become visible through children’s actions, interactions and choices during everyday activity. The implication is not that direct assessment has no place, but that a fuller picture of development may require teachers to notice learning as it naturally happens across different contexts.
Without a lens, notes fill up with “played nicely” and “enjoyed sand.” True, pleasant and almost useless for planning. A better lens starts with the learning objective and asks which behaviour would show it.
At the sand tray, counting aloud may show one-to-one counting. Repeated pouring may be a child testing how quantity behaves. Ordering shells is a comparison nobody asked for. None of it proves mastery. Each is one piece of evidence, and a teacher who knows the objective can tell which piece matters.
The table below is an illustrative model (editorial, not an official scale). It echoes Brightwheel’s focus on strengths, learning approach and interests. It also follows Te Whāriki’s rhythm of noticing, recognising, responding, recording and revisiting.
| What to look for | What it might look like (ages 3–6) | What it may tell you |
| Strategy | A tower keeps falling; the child widens the base without being told | Problem-solving is developing. The change matters more than the tower |
| Language | “This one is bigger because it’s heavier” while sorting | Vocabulary and reasoning are connecting |
| Persistence | Returns to a puzzle after a break and tries a different piece | Approach to difficulty |
| Interaction | Takes turns with the funnel and asks a friend to hold the cup | Social skills in use, not only known |
| Independence | Starts without a prompt and asks for help at one step only | How much support is still needed |
| Transfer | Counts snack plates the way they counted scoops | Learning is moving beyond one setting |
Notice what most rows share: they describe a process. The finished tower matters less than the change in strategy.
Keep the method light enough to survive a Tuesday
Observation usually fails because it is too heavy. Among common preschool observation methods, Brightwheel puts jottings at one to two minutes, photos and work samples at near-instant, anecdotal records at five to ten, and running records at ten to fifteen or more. Brightwheel sells childcare software, so treat the timings as a guide. In a class of twenty, the quick methods carry most of the load. A jotted quote and a captioned photo beat a page of narrative written three days late.
Record what the child did or said, not what you concluded. “Stood at the edge of the group for ten minutes” is evidence. “Shy” is a conclusion. A 2012 University of Northern Iowa paper warns that teachers who are not prepared to observe objectively may record misinformation as fact. Te Whāriki adds that assessment is more likely to be valid when it is made by someone who knows the child well.
For more on gathering evidence during play, see. For organising what you collect, see checklists and rubrics.
What the research says, and where it gets uncomfortable
- Belief is high, practice is uneven. A 2026 survey of head teachers and pre-primary teachers in Nandi County, Kenya found that 88.4% agreed observation-based assessment helps children understand environmental activities. Only 54.8% agreed that teachers regularly observe children for assessment, and 44.1% disagreed. Time, training and class size were the barriers. It is a perception survey in one county, so it shows a gap, not a proven effect.
- Design decides whether ratings can be trusted. The LPI brief notes that Teaching Strategies GOLD has 73 items across nine domains. It says teachers may struggle to separate skills reliably within one child, especially dual language learners. Studies of the DRDP suggest scores are consistent between teachers.
- Frequency changes the feel. Elgin U-46 in Illinois uses the KIDS tool three times a year, though the state requires it once. This helps teachers see it as part of teaching, not busywork.
Wider commentary points the same way. GESS (2025) describes educators learning to observe play, extend it and plan around it. NCEE’s 2025 global brief lists continuous improvement among current system priorities. HighScope, which publishes its own observation-based tools, argues that authentic observation gives the most accurate picture of development. That is a position to weigh, not proof.
What this changes for curriculum leaders
The test is easy to state and hard to meet: would two teachers watching the same child record something similar? That needs shared descriptors, a short list of things to look for and training that includes practice. A clear early years assessment framework shows what is observed, by whom and why.
It also needs patience with evidence.
How much evidence does a teacher really need before a pattern becomes meaningful?
There is no neat number.
Seeing a behaviour in more than one setting and on more than one day is a sensible start. And if observation changes the way children play, are we still seeing authentic learning?
Good assessment should help us see learning, not interrupt it. The teacher at the sand tray does not need a longer clipboard. She needs a sharper question: what would I count as evidence, and what will I do with it on Thursday? The second half of that question is where plan the next learning steps begins. early years assessment cycle shows how the whole loop fits together.
Where KODEIT Pre-K fits
- Do teachers get a lens for observing? Teacher Books pair measurable learning objectives with an Assessment & Observation section of rubrics, checklists and reflection tools.
- Does assessment stay inside play? Lessons follow the PLAY framework. Its final stage uses light checks such as thumbs up or down, drawing responses and exit-ticket questions.
- Can progress be seen over time? The programme lists 270+ formative and summative evaluations, including observations, portfolio tasks and milestone tracking, plus 90+ structured rubrics for developmental progress.
FAQs
How often should preschool teachers observe children?
There is no fixed rule. Brightwheel says many educators observe informally every day and schedule more structured observations weekly or monthly. Some systems document formally a few times a year, as Elgin U-46 does with KIDS. Choose a rhythm the team can actually keep.
Can different teachers record the same thing reliably?
It is possible, but not automatic. Clear descriptors, a limited number of items and practice with real evidence all help. The LPI brief describes an Illinois workshop where teachers review child evidence together and rate example items.
Can observation replace testing in the early years?
For most learning at ages 3 to 6, observation is the more suitable main source of evidence. Michigan’s guidance calls domain-specific standardised testing largely inappropriate for young children. Screening tools still help flag children who may need more support. Neither replaces a proper diagnostic assessment.
Should families see the observations?
Where possible, yes. Te Whāriki describes portfolios as a way for families to follow progress and add their own observations. Brightwheel notes that sharing observations strengthens the teacher-family partnership. TSH Anywhere’s 2026 trends article also encourages parents to ask how programmes share learning goals.