Baseline assessment mode is a time-saving, stress-free alternative to traditional tests. It identifies each child’s learning gaps and ensures that their Doodle work programme is at just the right level for them. When a child first starts using Doodle, our clever algorithm, Proxima™, will ask them a series of questions to determine their current level and confidence. This helps Doodle to create them a unique work programme tailored to their strengths and weaknesses. Baseline assessments are broken up into short sets of exercises. These can be completed in school or at home, so learners can answer them in relaxed conditions in their own time.

We recommend using baseline assessments once a year for children in Reception and Year 1, and at the start of each term for pupils in Years 2 to 6. Additionally, If you think the programme is not at the right level for a student (they are finding it too easy or too difficult), you can reassess the account by using baseline assessment (this was previously known as reassessment).

The number of questions a child is asked in baseline assessment mode will depend on their age and the programme they’re using:

In DoodleMaths:

In DoodleEnglish and DoodleSpell:

If you see a red exclamation mark next to a student's name it indicates that Doodle is recommending that you start a new baseline assessment for this student.

Next you need to ask your pupils to log in to Doodle. They will see a purple baseline icon in their Learning Zone. When this icon is selected, children will be asked for their date of birth and confidence rating. We recommend that an adult inputs these details.

It’s important that the confidence slider is set as accurately as possible so the assessment will begin at roughly the right level for a child. If it isn’t set correctly, they may initially be asked questions which are too challenging for them, which could shake their confidence.

We recommend using the following as a guide:

Set it right next to Difficult if they’re working below their year group and set it right next to Easy if they're working above their year group. Set it in the middle if they are working at average in their year group.

The length of the assessment will vary depending on a child’s age and ability.

Younger children and/or those with a low confidence rating will complete a shorter assessment.

Children may be asked up to ten sets of five questions. These don’t need to be completed all at once and can be broken up over a number of days to fit with the recommended 10 minutes of Doodling a day, whether in school or at home.

After completing the first set of questions, they’ll be taken to Doodle’s hub, the Learning Zone. They can start the next set of exercises in the calibration by pressing the purple Baseline icon when they’re ready.

Encourage children to work independently through the questions and have a go at anything they’re unsure about. Helping them may cause the programme to become too challenging.

Questions are unlikely to be at the right level to begin with, so don’t worry if they’re finding them too hard or too easy. The purpose of the assessment is to find their correct level.

If a child is finding the questions too easy:

If a child is finding the questions too difficult:

Children will know when they’ve completed the assessment as the baseline icon will not appear as their next exercise in Doodle.

Please check out this page with a helpful step by step guide and support sheet for teachers to use when completing a Baseline Assessment with their class.