Frontloading before an assessment: Maximising the Pre-Assessment Strategy

Why frontloading matters

Frontloading is the deliberate process of activating students’ prior knowledge before a pre-assessment. Rather than sending students in “cold,” it provides opportunities for them to connect new learning to what they already know - improving engagement, reducing anxiety, and giving teachers richer insight into true understanding.

When teachers front-load effectively, assessment becomes a tool for learning, not just of learning.

What frontloading looks like in practice

Frontloading happens in the tuning-in phase before a pre-assessment. It may include:

Question prompts to uncover what students already know or think
Opportunities to share ideas through think, pair, share or turn and talk
Presenting key vocabulary or symbols used in the upcoming assessment
Short reflection questions to build curiosity and readiness

The goal is to awaken background knowledge so new information can “stick.”

Strategies that work

Strategy	Description	Example
Vocabulary frontloading	Preview key assessment terms or question language.	The teacher presents words chosen from the sample assessment questions.
Think, pair, share	Students think individually, share with a partner, then discuss as a class.	“What do you already know about fractions?”
Tuning-in tasks	Quick warm-ups that connect prior knowledge to new content.	Students may be given an opportunity to write or draw their prior learning. “Draw everything you know about angles.”
Emotion check-In	Recognise student emotions before assessment.	“How confident do you feel about this topic today?” (emoji or thumbs up/down check-in)

Why it works - the science behind it

Frontloading activates the brain’s schema, creating a framework for new learning.

When paired with emotional intelligence, it:

Reduces stress (cortisol) and boosts motivation (dopamine)
Improves memory retention and understanding
Encourages metacognition, helping students self-reflect on what they know and need to learn
Builds confidence, leading to more accurate assessment data

Frontloading isn’t “teaching to the test” — it’s preparing the brain for learning.

The role of emotional intelligence

Effective frontloading is also about how we engage students:

Use tone, language, and non-verbal cues to create psychological safety
Encourage dialogue that values every student’s contribution
Foster curiosity and a sense of ownership
Model self-reflection and a growth mindset

“When emotions are engaged, learning sticks.” — THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect (2023)

Building a culture of frontloading

Plan intentionally – embed tuning-in moments before each assessment
Model metacognition – ask students to predict, reflect, and explain
Collaborate with colleagues – share successful frontloading techniques in team meetings
Use data wisely – combine anecdotal evidence from frontloading with formal assessment data to guide next steps
Celebrate growth – highlight how student understanding has evolved from pre- to post-assessment

Frontloading before an assessment is both a cognitive and emotional preparation strategy.

It builds connection, confidence, and curiosity, ensuring students’ performance reflects what they truly know, not how anxious or unprepared they feel.

Frontloading transforms assessment into an empowering learning experience.

We recommend frontloading before all pre-assessments (strand, topic, or flexi). It is not required if it is a post-assessment, as this occurs after teaching has occurred.

We value front-loading at the mid- and Post-Assessment for our benchmarking assessments.

General All Assessments (AC/VC)
NSW Common Grade Assessments

Due to the interval between these assessments, an opportunity for retrieval practice prior to administering can help ensure more accurate data collection to track student growth. This must be an agreed-upon School Norm of Practice.

Preparing for front-loading before a pre-assessment

Load the assessment through Manage Class Assessments.

Select the drop-down arrow next to a student’s name to see the assessment ranges/stages available.

Australian/Victorian Curriculum

NSW Syllabus

Hover down to the range/stage and across to the option to Sample Questions.
Scroll through the questions and select the appropriate vocabulary for your class and context.
Edit the range for any students who require an adjusted assessment range.
Frontloading is delivered as a whole-class experience, so the most appropriate range for your class’s ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) should be selected.
All students are part of the whole-class universal front-loading, but Learning Adjusted students can be catered to at the teacher’s discretion, if required.

References

Alber, R. (2014). 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students. Edutopia.
Cleaver, S. (2017). The Case for Frontloading: Why Kids Should Talk About Texts Before They Read Them. We Are Teachers.
Emadesti, T. (2021). Improving Students’ Vocabulary Mastery Through Context Clues. JURNAL PAJAR.
Emotions and Learning. THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect (2023).