1. Kindergarten Readiness Update
Curriculum Leaders
April 2017
Tammy Mitchell

4. ALL Kansas Children Ready for Kindergarten
Each student enters kindergarten at age 5 socially, emotionally, and academically prepared for success.
This is an aspirational goal that will take years to achieve.
How will districts move the needle on Kindergarten Readiness to achieve this aspirational goal?

5. The work to move forward on Kindergarten Readiness draws from evidence-based practices. Early childhood is where most districts think they need to start, but is that really the where the foundational work needs to take place? It might be that your district needs to have leadership engaged or in place for early learning. Maybe relationships need to be built with community service providers (child care, private preschools, Head Start, etc.) and families. Maybe your district already has a pretty robust early childhood program, but are there needs for social/emotional learning? Maybe you didn’t know there are programs for funding snacks and meals for children birth to school age outside of the School Lunch Program.
Data and having early learning be part of a district needs assessment is important so that districts can leverage strengths and look for opportunities.

6. How Are We Going to Get There?
Consistent state-wide data for decision making
From a state agency perspective, our work starts here.
KSDE needs consistent data that shows how many children arrive at kindergarten “ready” and how many do not. This data will be used for making policy and resource decisions.

7. Kindergarten Readiness Workgroup
Amy Blosser, Early Childhood Director, Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund
Jodi Case, USD 448 Inman
Barbara Dayal, Preschool and Special Education, KSDE
Julie Ewing, English Learners & Title III, KSDE
Beth Fultz, Career Standards and Assessments, KSDE
Shawna Jones, USD 419 Canton-Galva
Tracie Kalic, Migrant Education GOSOSY Director
Kim Kennedy, Head Start Collaboration Office, DCF
Suzie Legg, USD 500 Kansas City
Richard Matteson, Requirements Analyst, KSDE
Tammy Mitchell, Kindergarten Readiness & School Improvement, KSDE, Chair
Tony Moss, Research and Evaluation, KSDE
Monica Murnan, Director of Student Support Services, Greenbush
Chelie Nelson, Kansas MTSS
Dana Pfanenstiel, ECSE Teacher, High Plains Education Cooperative
Tom Sower, USD 500 Kansas City
Lisa Stoss, USD 448 Inman
Vera Stroup-Rentier, ECSETS Team, KSDE
Tami Zillig, Baker University
Well over a year ago, this group began meeting at least monthly. The charge was to come up with a way to collect kindergarten readiness data.

8. Questions Considered What are districts currently using?
What are other states using?
Do we want to build our own?
What information do we want to collect?
The group explored and vetted many possible instruments and seriously explored these questions.
A probe of about 15 districts of various sizes showed that there wasn’t a tool that was being used consistently. In fact, many districts didn’t have anything at all. None were taking social-emotional readiness into consideration.

9. Key Ideas Kindergarten Readiness
Measuring kindergarten readiness provides a snapshot of where children are upon entry to kindergarten.
Kindergarten readiness screening will include communication (language & literacy), problem solving, motor, and social emotional areas of development.
Families and caregivers will be engaged in gathering information about their child’s development and early childhood experiences prior to kindergarten.
The workgroup arrived at these key ideas.

10. A Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot
A Hinge – Not a Gate
Swings back to inform regarding prior experiences
Swings forward to inform effective classroom practices
Informs Communities regarding early childhood opportunities
Not a gate keeper to “screen” five
year olds out of Kindergarten

11. A Snapshot … Not a Test Snapshot Assessment/Test
Looks at developmental milestones
Looks at skills acquired
Provides a snapshot
Is more comprehensive
Brief to administer
Administration can be lengthy
Largely observational in nature
Requires individual testing
Amy Blosser

12. Pilot of Ages and Stages Questionnaires
ASQ:3
Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, Personal-Social
ASQ:SE-2
Social-emotional; regulate emotions, interact positively with others
More information about Ages and Stages Questionnaires can be found at
ASQ:3 Pilot for University of Oregon with a form that goes through 72 months (6 years).

13. Participating Districts: 37 Total
D0113, Prairie Hills
D0247, Cherokee
D0252, Southern Lyon County
D0253, Emporia
D0258, Humboldt
D0260, Derby
D0266, Maize
D0270, Plainville
D0283, Elk Valley
D0298, Lincoln
D0309, Nickerson
D0313, Buhler
D0342, McLouth
D0345, Seaman
D0352, Goodland
D0361, Chaparral Schools
D0362, Prairie View
D0363, Holcomb
D0377, Atchison Co. Comm Sch
D0380, Vermillion
D0388, Ellis
D0389, Eureka
D0398, Peabody-Burns
D0409, Atchison Public Schools
D0416, Louisburg
D0418, McPherson
D0419, Canton-Galva
D0431, Hoisington
D0443, Dodge City
D0465, Winfield
D0475, Geary County Schools
D0498, Valley Heights
D0500, Kansas City
D0501, Topeka Public Schools
D0505, Chetopa/St. Paul
D0507, Satanta
D0509, South Haven

14. Snapshot Implementation Timeline
*Spring 2017
Present recommendation to the Kansas State Board of Education
KSDE engages in a Request for Proposal Process
A vendor is selected
Contract negotiations
*Summer 2017
Materials ordered and shipped to every elementary school in Kansas
Training of trainers begins
*Fall 2017
Phase 1 Training for kindergarten teachers
*Spring 2018
Phase 2 Training for kindergarten teachers
*Fall 2018
Data collection for approximately 37,000 children upon kindergarten entry
Talk a bit about the board presentation.
Describe the RFP process.
Written and ready to post
Publically posted for a minimum of 30 days
Reviewed for technical accuracy and cost efficiency
Select a vendor
It helps to ensure that we select an appropriate vendor.
Make sure there is no conflict of interest
Negotiating power to ensure the best possible price
complete service package (materials, training, online data system, ongoing support)
We are working very hard to get it funded at little to no cost to districts. We’ll see….
* To Be Determined

15. Kindergarten Readiness Fact Sheet
Hand out copies of the Kindergarten Readiness Fact Sheet.
The Kindergarten Readiness Fact Sheet is newly updated. Here is a copy for you. If you would like more to take with you, we can make sure you receive additional copies.

16. Available in June!

17. Proposed English Language Arts Standards
New Features:
Clear grade-level progressions for each standard
Inclusion of Early Learning Standards in progressions document
Added clarity regarding what each standard could look like at each grade level
Language standards included in progression format to help with integration
User-friendly format
Interactive links to aid usage

18. Aligning KSDE early learning programs
For too long we have had s

19. Early Learning Fact Sheet

21. We Need Your Help
If you have questions, ask us. If you hear of others who are misinformed, have them contact us. Stay plugged in through DLS Hot Topics, Director’s calls.

22. Tammy Mitchell, Assistant Director
Questions?
Thank you!
Tammy Mitchell, Assistant Director
Do we want to add Dean and Ryan to this slide too?