Observational Assessment | The Importance of Educational Assessment in Early Childhood

Summary

The video presents observational assessment as a central part of teaching young children, especially in preschool and kindergarten. Rather than relying mainly on formal, sit-down tests, educators observe children during everyday activities to understand what they can do independently, what they know, and where they may need support.

How Educators Observe and Record Learning

• Use curriculum-aligned checklists, including those connected to Teaching Strategies GOLD.
• Observe children throughout the day—in play, learning centers, structured activities, and interactions with peers.
• Record specific language, answers to questions, behaviors, and emerging skills.
• Assess both academic and developmental abilities, such as recognizing colors, making patterns, using pencils or scissors, listening to stories, and responding to questions.
• Pay particular attention to social-emotional development, including communicating, sharing, and navigating relationships with other children.

Why Observation Is Especially Important in Early Childhood

• Much of the preschool day is play-based, giving teachers opportunities to see children’s skills in natural situations.
• Children may demonstrate what they know more clearly through play and conversation than in a formal assessment.
• Observations help teachers understand each child’s development across social-emotional, language, and cognitive areas.

How Observations Guide Teaching

Teachers use what they notice to adjust instruction from day to day. For example, while children practiced patterns in learning centers, a teacher observed who could work independently and who struggled. That information helped the teacher decide whether a child might benefit from additional support in a small group.

Observation allows educators to respond to children’s current needs and plan next steps based on evidence of their learning.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Unnamed early-childhood educators, including a preschool teacher who discusses using checklists and observations throughout the day.
• A kindergarten educator’s perspective, focusing on children’s independent skills and responses. The subtitles do not identify the speakers by name or make clear whether these perspectives come from separate people.