Presented by Avery’s Kindergarten Teachers GKIDS Assessment Presented by Avery’s Kindergarten Teachers

Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills

Why Are Kindergarteners Assessed? Georgia Law 20-2-151 and 20-2-281 Requires an instrument, procedures, and policies necessary to assess the first grade readiness of children enrolled in Georgia public school kindergarten programs. Requires development of guidelines for the utilization of the instrument in grade placement decisions. Requires an annual summary report.

Purpose of GKIDS Provides teachers with ongoing diagnostic information about kindergarten students’ developing skills in language arts, math, science, social studies, personal/social development, & approaches to learning. (Formative assessment) Provides a summary of individual student performance at the end of the kindergarten school year as an indicator of first grade readiness. (Summative assessment)

Range of Performance vs. True Performance A child’s performance on any one assessment should be seen as an indicator of that child’s range of functioning rather than as an indicator of true performance. In fact, it is not necessary –and usually is not possible-to identify a child’s level of functioning precisely. Thinking in terms of range makes sense in view of the difficulty in assessing young children and the variable nature of their development and learning. Because children develop and learn so fast, tests given at one point in time may not give a complete picture of learning. Children vary tremendously in their responses from one day to the next or in different contexts. Young children’s capabilities cannot be discerned through a single test. Securing valid and reliable information about young children’s development and learning requires multiple measures applied at multiple points over time.

Why assess Approaches to Learning? Teachers need to be aware that children differ in how they approach new and novel tasks, difficult problems or challenges, and teacher directed tasks. Students who do not value reading are not going to read outside of school even if they have reading skills. Students with positive dispositions toward reading will choose to read often. -Early Childhood Research and Practices An individual child’s approach to learning may have little association with his or her level of knowledge or skill. An individual child may have considerable knowledge and skills, however, his inclination to use his skills may be influenced by temperament, the way he was raised, or cultural values. All children need to acquire positive approaches to learning, including children with significant disabilities or from diverse cultural backgrounds. -Indiana University Early Childhood Center

Final Thoughts Even the most carefully designed assessment instrument cannot, by itself, capture the complexity of a child’s understanding. -Edward Chittenden