Kindergarten Screening

All incoming kindergarten students participate in a brief screening in literacy and math. This experience helps our teachers get to know each child and supports us in creating classrooms where students can learn and grow together.

The screening is informal, developmentally appropriate, and conducted one-on-one with a staff member. It is not a test, and children are not expected to have mastered these skills before entering kindergarten. The information gathered simply helps us plan instruction and identify students who may benefit from early support as they begin the school year.

During this time, we may look at skills such as:

Writing their name
Recognizing numbers
Counting and demonstrating one-to-one correspondence
Identifying uppercase and lowercase letters
Recognizing some letter sounds
Holding a pencil or crayon
Hand dominance

These observations give us a starting point so we can meet each child where they are and ensure a successful transition into kindergarten.

Kindergarten Boost Groups: Early Support for Strong Starts

As part of our kindergarten screening process, we review early literacy and math readiness skills to identify students who may benefit from short-term, targeted support. Using screening data, we establish preliminary “boost” cut-offs that help us determine which children are currently performing well below their peers in foundational areas such as number sense, counting, letter recognition, and letter sounds. These cut-offs are flexible and may be adjusted as we continue to review student progress and gather additional information during the first weeks of school.

The purpose of this process is early identification and intervention. Research shows that providing timely, focused instruction at the start of kindergarten can significantly accelerate skill development, build confidence, and prevent small gaps from becoming larger learning challenges. Students identified for a boost cycle participate in a short-term (approximately six-week) period of targeted instruction designed to strengthen these foundational skills while they continue engaging in the full kindergarten experience.

Our goal is simple: ensure every child builds the strong academic foundation needed to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.

Ms. Alicia-Reading Specialist

Ms. Scherza Reading Specialist

Mrs. Rubolotta-Math Interventionist

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