Anecdotal Notes

Anecdotal notes are a vital part of data-driven classrooms. They give teachers data points, student strengths, and areas of growth that can all be turned into new teaching points. Recording observations on an anecdotal record form can help students make significant progress if teachers take the time to analyze those observations and make informed instructional decisions.

If you are ready to begin teaching and assessing through a standards-based approach where data drives instruction, download First Steps towards Data Driven Instruction: Ideas for Formative Assessment Organization. This will get you started on the right track by helping you organize your instruction and assessment processes!

When I quickly learned how to use an anecdotal notes template…

It was November during my first year of teaching. A schedule was emailed with the subject line “Quarter 1 Progress Meeting.” The time 10:30 was listed by my name. I assumed this was just a check-in to see how things were going as the school year got underway. 

I arrived with a blank notepad and a pen, sitting in front of 3 administrators and a reading coach. After some small talk , they asked me about my students’ progress in the classroom. I was a Kindergarten teacher, so we had only done one big assessment. I quickly racked my brain, trying to think about how everyone did, but I couldn’t give any specifics . They continued to prompt me with questions about my observations and academic concerns I had. 

I was drawing blanks. I knew how my students were doing, but I was unable to articulate it at the time. After leaving that meeting, I felt overwhelmed and frustrated at myself for being so unprepared. I realized how uncomfortable I was talking about student progress. I went back to my classroom in tears. Looking back, I’m sure this was partly first-year teacher overwhelm. There was still a lingering, terrible feeling though. A few days later, the same reading coach came to my room and asked how she could help. I expressed my desire to get better at recording and being able to talk about specific student needs. She gave me an anecdotal notes template and suggested that we observe students and take notes together.

This was the start of my journey in learning how to take good anecdotal notes, where I learned the importance of anecdotal records in early childhood education. And I’m still working to perfect the art of analyzing notes to make stronger instructional decisions for students.

This is for you if want to get better with anecdotal records

Collecting data is a process with many different avenues. Whether you’ve never written down an observation or are a seasoned teacher who’s taken notes with anecdotal forms for years, there’s room to grow on this journey of data collection. That is simply because the observations of a teacher are valuable pieces of information. You know your students best, so continue to learn how to take better notes and talk about student progress. 

What is anecdotal record keeping used for?

It’s impossible to count the amount of times that I have gone back to my anecdotal forms and data binder over the years. Parent conferences, school data meetings, MTSS or RTI purposes, interventions, or enrichment data or for my own instructional purposes… The list goes on and on. I go back to my binder constantly in the classroom.

Any time a teacher needs to express a concern about a student, it’s important to have evidence. Anecdotal notes records are a key piece of that evidence. Behavior-related observations are extremely helpful when talking with a parent about a concern you have. Specific examples show trends and give you a leg to stand on when trying to make your point. Again, be sure to only write down what you observe, rather than your assumptions. Keeping these notes organized makes attending meetings much easier, allowing you to speak with confidence as you provide examples from observations.

Anecdotal notes are used for instructional purposes as well. It would be impossible to remember every single noteworthy interaction that you had with a student without writing it down. When anecdotal forms are used and notes are taken, a teaching point usually comes through. This allows you, the teacher, to guide instruction that will help students move through the learning process.

Types of Anecdotal Records

These are the 5 that I use on a regular basis. See examples of anecdotal notes below each form.

1. Checklist

These are helpful for keeping track of specific skills of your class to create instant groups afterwards. Coding systems are important. I often code a checklist with a B (below), P (progressing), or M (mastered). This helps me know which students need intervention/reteaching, more practice, or enrichment. Different color highlighters can be helpful after coding to see where each group divides. I also leave room to update this coding as students are making progress or mastering a skill. An x or checkmark can work well as a coding system, too! Checklists are a form of formative assessment that allow teachers to adjust instruction prior to a summative assessment.

2. Individual

Individual notes are great for student folders or a data binder. Each time you conference with a student or assess a skill, you can turn to that student to create and write notes with all of that student’s history right there. It’s a great way to get a snapshot of a student. This information is helpful when speaking to parents, other teachers, or administrators, as you’re armed with direct observations, teaching points, and a list of techniques that you’ve tried. You can also try out student portfolios to keep track of this information!

3. Whole Group

These notes are helpful when observing the same skill for the whole class. I love to use these on the first day teaching a new skill to can get an idea of every student’s understanding.

I analyze these notes by getting out my highlighters and highlighting students of similar need. These are turned into small groups for day 2 of instruction on that skill. I think about the specific breakdown of what students are missing or which students need reteaching, more practice, and enrichment as I am making groups.

4. Small Group

These forms record student observations of a group on one page. These groups typically come from the data that I take using a checklist or whole group note form the day before. Objectives are specific and targeted so that I can make the most out of my time with students.

Read more about grouping students here.

5. Partnership

When students are working with partners, document collaboration, communication, or progress on a project with these forms. I use them across the curriculum, as I find them helpful in many different settings depending on my focus. It can be really interesting to just focus on collaboration when observing students! I’ve learned a lot about students over the years that I may have otherwise missed without these forms.

Keep Learning

Whether you try out new anecdotal forms or work on perfecting how you record student strengths, start today! Continue to improve your practice by identifying objectives, finding student strengths/needs, and turning them into new teaching points. Help students continue to grow and progress in their learning journey as you continue to grow in yours. 

Don’t forget to download these organization ideas to start the first steps of a data-driven classroom. Taking and keeping anecdotal forms can become a helpful part of your teaching practice!