Kg. Entry Assessments: A Fulcrum for B-3 rd Learning

1. Kg. Entry Assessments: A Fulcrum for B-3rd Learning Tom Schultz Council of Chief State School Officers NGA Building a B-3rd Grade State Policy Agenda May 10, 2012

2. Acknowledgments These slides are adapted from presentations by Catherine Scott-Little, Peter Mangione, Jacqueline Jones and Linda Smith at a BUILD/CCSSO KEA meeting convened Feb. 8-9, 2012 in San Antonio, TX

3. Road Map • Overview of State KEA initiatives • KEAs as the “fulcrum” between 0-5 and Kg.-Grade 3 assessments • Key issues for state leaders

4. State KEA Efforts - 2010 • 25 states with Kindergarten assessment • Purposes of the assessments • 18 states—plan instruction • 12 states—inform policy/track status of children • 4 states—feedback to parents • Areas of children’s development assessed • 11 comprehensive assessments: 5 or more domains • 9 reading only • 2 reading & mathematics

5. KEAs in 33 Early Learning Challenge Proposals • Start development: 18 states plus DC • Continue development: 3 states • Scale-up to all children: 2 states plus PR • Revise/build on current KEA: 9 states

6. KEAs in ELC Proposals • Most states would develop own instrument • Purposes/uses reflected ELC requirements • Improve instruction in K-3 • Identify gaps/improvements in early childhood system/services • Include data in K-12 longitudinal data systems

7. KEAs in 9 ELC-Funded States • 4 statewide implementation already • 2 refine current KEA system (CA and MN) • 2 develop new KEA tool/system (MD and OH) • 3 partial implementation • 2 refine/revise current KEA and move to state-wide implementation (DL and NC) • 1 scale up current KEA system (WA) • 2 plan/develop KEA (MA and RI)

8. Trends and Innovations • Movement toward combining observational & direct/performance assessments -DE, MD/OH • Multiple assessments/common metric – MA • Developing assessments to track children’s progress over time (NC: K-2; MD/OH: Kg.) • Certification process for teachers - MD & OH

9. KEAs: Fulcrum of B-8 Assessment Systems • View KEAs as 1 element in a comprehensive B-8 system of assessments, data and data use • Highlight how KEAs add value to B-8

10. Birth – 8Comprehensive Assessment System • Screening Measures • Ongoing Formative Assessments • Measures of Environmental Quality • Measures of the Quality of Adult-Child Interactions • Data on Families/Family Engagement/Communities

11. How KEAs Add Value to B-8 Assessment Systems • KEA data is unique: • Data on all children • Data on multiple domains • Data from a common/consistent instrument • Timing of KEAs is strategic: • Baseline on what children know & are able to do at the beginning of K-12.

12. KEAs as the Fulcrum between 0-5 and Kg.-Grade 3 Kg. Entry Knowledge & Skills

13. Key Issues for State Leaders • Alignment of KEAs with early learning and development standards and with Common Core and other Kindergarten standards • Supports for implementation • Good attention to professional development on administering the KEA • Limited attention to use of KEA for instruction • Limited attention to maintaining assessment quality • Attention to children with high needs • Often addressed in selection of instrument • Less attention in professional development on how to administer and use assessment results • Less attention to disaggregating data

14. Key Issues for State Leaders • Few plans for monitoring, quality control or system evaluation • How KEAs will work in concert with new K-3 formative assessments in literacy & math. • Use of the data • Lot of attention linking to the data system • Less attention to what will do with the data • Limited attention to safeguards to prevent misuse • Missed opportunityon family engagement in assessments and use of results

15. ..AND 1 More Thing... • We can’t afford to waste resources of collecting assessment data that won’t be used. • So support ways to share data with multiple audiences and help them understand & use the information. • BUT - keep in mind that KEAs are only 1 piece of the picture on how young children are doing.