Recording an observation on a student

What makes a good observation?

Before opening the observation form, remember what an observation is: a factual record of what a child said or did. The best observations:

• Describe the specific behaviour (not "was creative" but "mixed red and yellow paint independently and said 'look, it's orange!'")
• Are brief, one to three sentences is enough
• Are written in plain English, not professional jargon
• Are timestamped (School Vault records the date automatically)

Creating an observation

1. Go to the student's profile.
2. Click the Observations tab, then Add observation.
3. In the Observation Text field, write your factual description of what you observed. Keep it specific and descriptive.
4. Set the Observation Date, this defaults to today but can be backdated by up to 7 days.
5. Upload a photo (optional but strongly recommended). The photo makes the observation come alive in the portfolio PDF. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG. Maximum size: 5 MB.
6. In the Link to Curriculum Indicators section, search for and select the relevant indicator(s). You can link to multiple indicators from any area of the curriculum.
7. Select the Context where the observation took place (e.g. Outdoor Play, Art Table, Snack Time, Circle Time). This field is optional but useful for spotting patterns.
8. Click Save observation. The observation is added to the Observations list immediately.

Linking to multiple curriculum indicators

A single observation often provides evidence for more than one curriculum indicator. For example, a child who counts objects in a basket while playing is showing:

• Mathematics, Number, Counting with one-to-one correspondence
• Physical Development, Fine Motor, picking up and manipulating small objects
• Communication and Language, talking about what they are doing

Link the observation to all relevant indicators. Each linked indicator shows the observation as evidence in the assessment view.

Editing and deleting observations

• To edit: go to the Observations tab on the student's profile, find the observation, and click the edit icon. You can change the text, photo, date, and curriculum links.
• To delete: click the delete icon on the observation card. Deletions are logged in the audit trail (article 8.2). You will be asked to confirm before the observation is removed.

Observations and the Learning Journal

All saved observations appear in the student's Observations tab in chronological order. Parents with portal access can see observations in real time through their parent portal. Observations are also included in the downloadable observation summary PDF (article 2.10).

Common mistakes

• Writing interpretations rather than descriptions, "was very happy" is not an observation. "Laughed and clapped when the tower fell over, then rebuilt it immediately" is.
• Forgetting to link curriculum indicators, an observation with no curriculum link is a personal note, not an assessment record.
• Uploading very large photo files, files over 5 MB are rejected. Compress photos before uploading, or use the School Vault mobile interface which auto-compresses images.
• Backdating observations to fill gaps, observations should reflect when something was genuinely observed. Inaccurate dates undermine the credibility of the portfolio.