ASSESSING SOFT SKILLS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION THROUGH AGE APPROPRIATE INDICATORS AND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Assessing soft skills in primary education requires observable indicators that inform teaching without reducing children to fixed labels. This conceptual conference paper proposes a brief formative assessment procedure connecting a learning target, an accessible opportunity, a documented response, and a subsequent instructional decision. Selected scholarship on social and emotional learning and educational assessment informs the design. Communication, collaboration, self-regulation, and responsible decision-making are illustrated through indicators with suggested adaptations for earlier and later primary grades. The procedure distinguishes absence of opportunity from unsuccessful performance and records assistance separately from response quality. An illustrative classroom episode shows how evidence can guide feedback and re-observation. The proposed indicators are not standardised measures or developmental norms; their clarity, accessibility, and consistency require empirical examination. No original participant data are reported.