What's This Episode About?

Tired of spending hours staring at blank pages while writing summative assessments? In this episode you’ll discover how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can speed up and simplify your assessment writing process without compromising the personal touch that makes your documentation meaningful. I’m breaking down exactly how to use AI as your assessment writing assistant, making this often-dreaded task smoother and more efficient.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a complete step-by-step process for using AI to organise your observations, draft framework-aligned summaries, and create personalised assessments that sound warm and authentic rather than robotic or generic.

Whether you're new to AI or feeling hesitant about how technology fits into our relationship-focused work, I'll demonstrate how AI can handle the mechanics of writing and structure whilst you focus on what truly matters - your professional insights and knowledge of each child.

The Quick Takeaway - Essential Learning

Why summative assessments matter in early childhood education - understand how these reports differ from primary school assessments and support holistic development documentation aligned with Early Years Learning Framework principles

How AI tools can support without replacing your expertise - learn to use ChatGPT and similar tools as collaborative assistants for wording, organisation, and structure whilst maintaining your professional voice and child knowledge

Complete step-by-step assessment writing process - discover the five-stage method from setting learning goals and organising observations to drafting, personalising, and polishing your final assessments

Effective prompting techniques for personalised results - master specific prompt templates and fill-in-the-blank formats that generate meaningful, child-specific responses rather than generic outputs

Strategies for maintaining authentic, warm language - explore how to ensure your assessments reflect each child's personality and your educator voice, avoiding robotic or impersonal tone

Framework alignment and family communication - learn how to connect observations to learning outcomes and translate professional language into parent-friendly summaries

AI Prompts You Can Try from This Episode:

Prompt 1: Organising Your Observation Notes

Organise these notes [copy and paste your observation notes here] into themes of [choose 2-3 developmental areas - e.g., social play, problem-solving, language development, fine motor skills, emotional regulation].

Use this when: You have lots of scattered observation notes and need to group them by developmental areas before writing your assessment

Why it works: Provides clear organisation by developmental domains, saving you time on manual sorting and creating a logical structure for your summative assessment

Prompt 2: Highlighting Each Child's Unique Strengths

Describe how [child's name] shows interest in [their specific interests - e.g., dinosaurs, building blocks, painting] and how this interest supports their learning and development, especially in areas like [specific developmental area - e.g., literacy, numeracy, social skills].

Use this when: You want to highlight individual children's interests and connect them to their learning progress

Why it works: Personalises the assessment by focusing on what makes each child unique whilst linking their interests to developmental outcomes

Prompt 3: Creating Framework-Connected Assessments

Create a draft summary of [child's name]'s [developmental area - e.g., social development, communication skills, physical development] using these notes [insert your observation notes]. Make it align with [your framework - e.g., Early Years Learning Framework, Te Whāriki, Victorian Early Years Learning Framework] outcomes and sound warm and family-friendly.

Use this when: You need to turn your observation notes into professional assessments that meet framework requirements

Why it works: Combines multiple requirements - professional standards, warm family-friendly tone, and framework alignment - in one comprehensive prompt that saves you time and stress