1. Maryland Public Schools: #1 in the Nation AGAIN in 2012 Kindergarten Entry Assessment as the Fulcrum of the Birth-Grade 3 Continuum NGA – Policy Institute Arlington, VA May 9-10, 2012

2. Governor’s Office Governor’s Office of Children (GOC) Children’s Cabinet (Chair: Executive Director, GOC) (Education, Health, Juvenile Justice, Welfare, Aging, Disabilities) Maryland State Board of Education Maryland Early Childhood Advisory Council (Chair: State Superintendent of Schools) Maryland Early Childhood Advisory Council (Chair: State Superintendent of Schools)

3. Total - 371,956 ◦ Male - 192,056 (52%) ◦ Female - 179,900 (48%) POVERTY BY RACE/ETHNICITY, Children Under 5 At or above Poverty Level Below Poverty Level Below Poverty Level (%) White182,62714,8457% Black or African American88,34222,10620% Hispanic or Latino41,1667,47315% Asian18,1341,0555% Some other Race Alone15,3792,21312% Two or More Races18,1853,24815% DEMOGRAPHICS#% Total Number of Children Under Age 5371,956 White Alone199,10254% Black or African American Alone112,95330% American Indian and Alaska Native Alone1,0800% Asian Alone19,2265% Some other Race Alone17,7624% Two or More Races21,7965% SPECIAL POPULATIONSNumber% Hispanic or Latino49,69612% Infants/Toddlers13,8014% Preschool Special Education12,2033% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

4. Assessment Instructional Practice Professional Development Family Communication Coordination among EC Programs Framework and Standards (Prek and K)

5.  All kindergarten teachers complete summative first quarter assessment on all kindergarten students (electronic format)  30 WSS indicators across 7 domains  Use of MSDE assessment guidelines (Fall Entry Exemplars)  Use of portfolio assessment strategies, including work samples and observed documentation of learning

6.  Teachers use formative assessment information for monitoring progress of learning  Teachers use summative information for individualized instruction, grouping, parent- teacher conferences, completion of report card  Teachers submit only first quarter reports to MSDE  Teachers continue assessment throughout the year to meet local reporting requirements (i.e., local K report card)

7.  MSDE does the following: ◦ collects first quarter reports from all K teachers ◦ merges enrollment and demographic data with assessment information ◦ creates data flat file on all students ◦ analyzes data according to MMSR K Assessment construct ◦ verifies data and conducts reliability analyses ◦ issues annual report and disseminates to LEA’s, policymakers, and early childhood community

11.  Summary of Findings ◦ MMSR performance predicted later MSA Math performance at 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th grade (for the whole population as well as for all subgroups) ◦ MMSR performance predicted later MSA Reading performance at 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th grade ◦ Comparisons across income groups found:  Non-FARMS students who were Advanced on the MMSR later scored Advanced on both the Reading and Math MSA.  FARMS students who were Basic on the MMSR later scored Basic on both the Reading and Math MSA.

14.  Full-day kindergarten (2007)  Prekindergarten for all “economically disadvantaged four-year olds”  Licensed programs (centers and family child care, nursery schools, and Head Start)  Maryland Infants and Toddlers and Preschool Special Education  Family Support Centers (Birth to 3 years)

15.  Early Learning Framework and Program Standards ◦ Program standards and early childhood accreditation ◦ Early learning standards (Prek–8 State Curriculum and Healthy Beginnings: Birth-3) and early childhood curriculum project. (Common Core Standards in 2013)  Workforce Development ◦ Prekindergarten and NIEER Quality Standards (in regulation) ◦ Child care credentialing (career ladder, bonus, training and scholarships) ◦ Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) – Professional Development ◦ Improved Training Approval Process  Health and Child Development ◦ Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation ◦ Homevisiting (Healthy Families and Parents as Teachers)  Continuous Program Improvement ◦ Quality Rating and Improvement (Maryland EXCELS) ◦ Child Care Resource and Referral (EC Breakthrough Center) ◦ Early childhood accreditation (state and national)  Birth – 3 rd Grade Models ◦ Judy Center Partnerships

16. MMSR Kindergarten Readiness Data (All children entering Kindergarten) MSDE Licensing/ Credentialing Dataset Early Childhood Data Warehouse/MLDS Resource & Referral Data Head Start Data Subsidy Dataset (all children paid in at least one month during the 12 months preceding entry into Kindergarten) Accredited Providers Pre-K Enrollment Data CCATS

17. Data management Research Program improvement Interagency planning Policy analysis Data management Research Program improvement Interagency planning Policy analysis MMSR Kindergarten Assessment Data (2001-2011) LEA’s (Master Plan planning process) Legislature (Budget analysis) Ready at Five (Disseminate to local teachers for strategic planning, including Local Management Board) Research (Child Care Cooperative Research Agreement) Enhanced Admin Data Governor’s Management for Results (Performance analysis by Dept. of Budget and Management) MSDE (Planning process and dissemination) Longitudinal Data Study (K-12 Link) K Teachers (Classroom use and diagnostic tool) Early care and education providers (Align programs to meet readiness outcomes) Judy Centers (RBA planning process, needs assessment)

18.  Framing the issue of school readiness  Access to quality for all children (school readiness gap)  Research in early childhood assessments  Dedicated funding

19. Visit Our Web-Site at: http://www.marylandpublicschools.org Division of Early Childhood Development Rolf Grafwallner, Ph.D. Asst. State Superintendent Division of Early Childhood Development rgrafwal@msde.state.md.us