Assessment: Anecdotal Notes

Assessments. We do them. We all do them. Sometimes, we may feel that we do so much assessing but are we really capturing all of what our students can do? Classroom observations are another form of ongoing assessment and it can guide our teaching and help our students. 

Most teachers can "read" their students; observing when they are bored, frustrated, excited, motivated, etc. As a teacher, we pick up these cues, and can adjust the instruction accordingly. It is also beneficial to take observational notes (referred to as anecdotal notes). These notes serve to document and describe student learning relative to concept development, reading, social interaction, communication skills, etc. These notes will guide future instruction, as well as help in reporting progress or conferencing with parents or other teachers.

When using anecdotal notes, consider the following suggestions....

• Choose a time when these observations can be made most naturally, easily, and efficiently.
• Consider focusing on a few children each day and write notes on them and/or take notes during small group instruction, such as guided reading. ,
• Focus in on one category or standard and observe children in relation to that.
• Set up some systematic way to collect and organize the notes you have made on each child (e.g., individual folders or pages in a notebook can be set up for each child).
• Devise your own system, but don't let it interfere with your primary role of interacting with the children.

Consider using more anecdotal notes. They can be one of the best forms of assessments to help guide our instruction for better student learning.  

Want more information? The link below is one of many sources available on anecdotal notes that can be created by the teacher and students!.

http://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/classroom/ST0032November97.pdf