Kindergarten Early Assessment

Why do a School Readiness Assessment?

There are many potential reasons to assess kindergarten readiness. For entering kindergartners, the KOF is designed to be a summative assessment that describes the range of child, family, and community experiences that shape children’s preparedness to transition to kindergarten; the items are leveled at desired proficiencies for children as they enter kindergarten, and not end-of-year kindergarten standards. Preschool programs can use the P-KOF as a formative assessment to understand how prepared their students are for kindergarten entry. In sum, typical purposes for doing a kindergarten readiness assessment are to:

• To gather a snapshot of children’s readiness for kindergarten.

• To understand and evaluate which local community, demographic and family factors contribute to children’s readiness, as well as the benefit of local preschools and other interventions.

• To track trends in the school readiness levels in targeted communities over time. 

• To build bridges between the ECE and K-12 community by providing a common framework and indicators for readiness.

What are the assessment tools used?

ASR’s school readiness assessment model gathers a holistic 360-degree view of entering kindergartners.  Data come from the following sources:

• Kindergarten Observation Form/Pre-Kindergarten Observation Form (KOF/P-KOF): A 19-item assessment that is completed by teachers using direct assessment and observational techniques. Three optional “formative” items assessing skills children acquire later in kindergarten can also be included if desired.

• The Parent Information Form (PIF) is a take-home survey completed by children’s parents that help us understand which family factors are related to children’s readiness.

• Secondary data are sometimes gathered from programs or preschools of interest.

What do kindergarten teachers say about the KOF?

• “I like that it focuses on the total child, not just academics.”

• “It gave me a head start in assessing students and knowing what their needs are.”

• “The Kindergarten Observation Form was very clear and user-friendly.”

• “The scoring guide really helped make sure the scoring was consistent.”

• “After a few years of doing this, I find the process quite smooth. I appreciate that this assessment is part of what I need to test my kiddos on anyway!”

How are teachers trained?

• Teachers are provided with a 60-90-minute training and a set of assessment materials.

• Trainings can be provided in person or virtually.

• At the trainings, teachers are informed about the purpose of the assessment and the KOF/P-KOF items and use the Scoring Guide and test scenarios to calibrate their understanding of key items.

How long does it take to complete?

• • Teachers spend approximately 10 minutes per student to complete each assessment. Assessments can be spread over three to four weeks to avoid disruption to the classroom routine. Release time by a substitute teacher is also often provided by districts.

  • Teachers are compensated for their time; stipends depend on the funding agency but average about $300 per teacher.

When are the assessments done?

• Kindergarten teachers conduct their assessments within three to four weeks after children enter kindergarten. Gathering data early in the year is important so the assessment is not influenced by kindergarten classroom instruction.

• Preschool assessments can take place in the fall and/or the spring. Some programs will administer the assessment at both time points to see how children progress over the course of the year.

What does it cost?

There is no fee to use the KOF or P-KOF. However, to ensure that the form is not misused (e.g., to keep children from entering kindergarten), it is not available in the public domain. ASR offers a tiered model of technical support based on partners’ capacity. For instance, fees can range from approximately $1,000 (training and licensing of the forms) to $10,000 (partner does data entry and ASR creates short reports), and up to $50,000 - $100,000 for full implementation support.

Who does not need to be tested?

Any student that enters after the 6 week mark will not have to do the KEA for data collection because the data is due for the October MOSIS Cycle.  Please remember that we are wanting to know what these students know as they enter Kindergarten.  If you wait a longer period of time after the 6 week mark, you would be measuring what they learned in Kindergarten, instead of what they knew coming in to the school year.

When do we administer the KEA?

The KEA can be administered the first 2-6 weeks of school.  Since you are doing the KOF, it is mostly observational and will not take extended amounts of time to complete. 

Do we administer the KEA to all kindergarten students (even with an IEP/504)?

All students should be administered the KOF, including students with an IEP.  If you are not able to have them complete a certain task you can mark unknown, but please use that option sparingly. 

This fall, We will be required to administer a Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) to all Kindergarten students within the first 6 weeks of school.  The instrument we will be using is the Kindergarten Observation Form (KOF).  The details below are designed to provide more information regarding the purpose, process and training.  This webinar released by DESE and KOF for administrators begins to give a brief overview.  As we learn more, we will be forwarding additional information. 

What are the areas we are required to report as measured by KOF?

• KG PHYSICAL WELL-BEING AND MOTOR - Child has age-appropriate growth, health, physical abilities, such as gross and fine motor skills.

• KG SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL - Child has age-appropriate behavioral health and learning abilities, including the abilities to interact with others and self-regulate (social), as well as perceptions of self, abilities to understand the feelings of others and express their own feelings (emotional).

• KG COGNITION AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - Child has age-appropriate thinking and problem-solving skills as well as knowledge about particular objects and the way the world works.

• KG APPROACHES TOWARD LEARNING -Child has age-appropriate use of skills and knowledge (including enthusiasm, curiosity, creativity, confidence, persistence, and initiative).

• KG LANGUAGE AND LITERACY - Child has age-appropriate literacy and communication skills such as listening, speaking, and writing (emergent literacy includes print awareness, story sense, early writing, and the connection of letters or sounds).

Why do we assess school readiness?

• To gather a snapshot of children's readiness as they enter school.

• To help inform ways to implement teachers' curriculum to meet the needs of children in each classroom.

• To keep parents engaged in a process of communication about their children's strengths and areas for growth.

• To inform the development of early childhood programs and policies.

• To build partnerships in the community between agencies that support the health and well-being of young children.

Why are we using the KOF?

• DESE only allows one of three tools to be used

• KOF is the most time efficient of the three tools while providing valuable information to support kindergarten students

• KOF is being funded by DESE (no additional cost to RSD)