Preschool assessment — observing, not testing

Every recognised system on this page agrees on one thing, whatever else it disputes: in the early years you assess a child by observing them at their ordinary work, over time — never by sitting them down for a test.

The running record

Watch one child for five to ten minutes and write down exactly what they do and say, as it happens, with no interpretation. 'Aarav carried three blocks to the mat, put the largest at the bottom' — not 'Aarav enjoyed building.' Interpretation comes later, and separately.

The anecdotal record

A short, dated note about one significant moment, written soon after it happened. Three or four a week per child builds a real picture over a term. Keep the child's actual words.

The learning story

From New Zealand's Te Whāriki: a narrative written to the child about something they did, with a photograph, naming the disposition it showed — persistence, curiosity, taking responsibility. Parents read it, and so does the child.

The checklist

Useful for tracking specific skills across a group, and dangerous if it becomes the whole picture. A checklist tells you whether something has been seen; it never tells you how or why.

Time and event sampling

Note what a child is doing every five minutes for an hour, or record every time a particular behaviour occurs. This is how you find out whether a child really 'never joins in', or does so for eleven minutes every morning.

The portfolio

A dated collection of the child's own work — drawings, attempts at writing, photographs of constructions — showing change over a year. The most convincing evidence there is, and the easiest for a parent to understand.

Documentation panels

The Reggio practice of displaying photographs, transcribed conversation and work on a wall, so that a project's thinking is visible to children, parents and teachers at once.

What never belongs here

Formal tests, timed tasks, worksheets marked right or wrong, ranking children against each other, or any assessment a three-year-old can fail. Every system on this page rejects these, and so does India's own national framework.

⚖️ Please read this part

The ages given are typical ranges, not deadlines. Children vary enormously, and most children who are 'late' for something are simply children.
This page cannot diagnose anything. If something concerns you, take it to a paediatrician — early support is effective, and waiting to see is usually the more expensive choice.
Any loss of skills a child already had — words, walking, social interest — should be discussed with a doctor promptly, at any age.
Have hearing and vision checked before school begins. A great many 'learning problems' in the early years turn out to be hearing or sight.
A preschool that tests, ranks or gives homework to four-year-olds is not following any recognised system on this page, including India's own national framework.

How to assess a child who cannot be tested