I am learning how to assess my kindergarten students on a daily basis so that when report card time rolls around, my English counterpart and I will have a bank of comments and observations on each student that we made in real time all through the term.
With 27 students in one class, and 25 in another, we would never be able to remember how each child was learning at different times of the year without the aid of on-going anecdotal assessments. So in order to help us remember, every day, we write observations on white address labels (4×2 inch) which we then put in binders. We have a boy binder and a girl binder, just to make it easier to flip through and find a child’s name. Each binder has dividers with a child’s name and about 5 pieces of paper for each child onto which we stick the labels. While the children are learning, we may sit down with a group and jot down what is going on with a few students. We make sure to include the date, the name of the child, the domain of learning (social, numeracy, literacy, etc), and what specifically occurred. Sometimes the note is rich in detail, other times, we get as far as a child’s name… I have noticed that this is especially true when the class is buzzing with an inquiry or a project. At those times, I feel I get caught up in the excitement and the business of fielding questions and filling requests for materials that I find it nearly impossible to stop and write something down!
To help with our memories, we use a school iPad to record what the students are engaged in, and include a general observation to describe what is going on at the moment of the photo. In these cases, computer technology can be a great help, or it can be a source of great frustration when it decides not to work. Most days, however, the iPad allows us to have a wonderful collection of action photos which we share with parents through the App “Remind”, highlighting some amazing learning moments in our SK class each day.
On their own, the binder or the iPad would not be sufficient as recording tools. Used together, however, I am finding the daily collection of information to offer more detailed snapshots of student learning in a way that is easy to maintain and easy to use for future reference.
