9486 in the collection  

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment

Ohanian Comment: Note that in this legislative concern that children enter kindergarten with certain literacy, numeracy, and social skills, there is no mention of children entering kindergarten from families earning a living wage.

And consider what constitutes kindergarten "skills" these days. In some districts kindergartners study 9 literary genres: fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, fantasy, biography, autobiography, science.



_____________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2597
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 60th Legislature 2008 Regular Session
By House Early Learning & Children's Services (originally sponsored
by Representatives Sullivan, Pedersen, Hasegawa, Ormsby, Haigh,
Chase, Green, and Simpson)

READ FIRST TIME 01/30/08.
1 AN ACT Relating to creating a kindergarten readiness assessment;
2 adding a new section to chapter 43.215 RCW; adding a new section to
3 chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating new sections.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds compelling evidence
6 from research and from the efforts of innovative school districts in
7 Washington that when students enter the K-12 public schools ready to
8 learn, their progress and achievement is greatly enhanced. The
9 legislature further finds that the foundational skills for kindergarten
10 success can be assessed using a variety of assessment tools. Many
11 school districts are using a kindergarten entry assessment and are
12 working closely with early learning providers and parents in their
13 communities. However, because there is no common kindergarten entry
14 assessment, there is no statewide baseline for students' readiness to
15 learn. Such a baseline is critical for developing new early
16 interventions with struggling students and for measuring the impact of
17 such initiatives as full-day kindergarten. A common kindergarten entry
18 assessment could also serve as an accountability and quality measure
19 for early learning programs.
p. 1 SHB 2597
1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.215 RCW
2 to read as follows:
3 (1) The department and the office of the superintendent of public
4 instruction, jointly and in collaboration with thrive by five
5 Washington, shall study and make recommendations to the governor and
6 the legislature regarding implementation of a statewide kindergarten
7 entry assessment. The study and development of recommendations shall
8 include consultation with the following:
9 (a) The Washington early learning advisory council;
10 (b) The Washington association for the education of young children;
11 (c) The foundation for early learning;
12 (d) Washington Indian tribes including, but not limited to, the
13 confederated tribes of the Yakama nation and the Colville confederated
14 tribes;
15 (e) Early childhood educators;
16 (f) Kindergarten teachers; and
17 (g) Specialists in early childhood assessments.
18 (2) In conducting the study and developing the recommendations, the
19 department shall examine:
20 (a) Research on the critical knowledge and skills, including social
21 skills, for successful entry and progress in kindergarten; and
22 (b) Examples of assessments used by schools and early learning
23 providers in Washington state and in other states;
24 (3) The study and recommendations shall:
25 (a) Identify a preferred kindergarten entry assessment that
26 addresses the following knowledge and skills, at a minimum:
27 (i) Letter and sound recognition;
28 (ii) Numbers and number concepts; and
29 (iii) Social skills for the school environment;
30 (b) Specify a plan for use of the assessment in a pilot phase and
31 a voluntary use phase, and a time certain when school districts must
32 offer the assessment;
33 (c) Describe a recommended methodology for conducting the
34 assessments, including a plan for training or professional development
35 of individuals who will administer the assessment to ensure reliable
36 and comparable results;
37 (d) Describe a process for reporting results of the assessment to
SHB 2597 p. 2
1 parents, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, and
2 the department of early learning in a common format; and
3 (e) Propose a plan for communicating with early learning providers
4 and parents about the knowledge and skills covered by the assessment.
5 (4) In collaboration with thrive by five Washington and in
6 consultation with others, the department and the office of the
7 superintendent of public instruction shall: Analyze how the assessment
8 can be used to improve instruction to be responsive to the needs and
9 strengths of individual students entering kindergarten; whether and how
10 the assessment results can be used to improve the early learning and
11 K-12 systems, as well as the transition between systems; and the costs
12 of the assessment, including the time required to administer the
13 assessment.
14 (5) The kindergarten entry assessment selected must be sensitive to
15 cultural and socioeconomic differences influencing the development of
16 young children. The assessment shall not be used to screen or
17 otherwise preclude children from entering kindergarten if they are
18 otherwise eligible.
19 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The department of early learning and the
20 office of the superintendent of public instruction jointly shall submit
21 a report with recommendations for implementing the kindergarten entry
22 assessment to the governor and the appropriate committees of the
23 legislature by October 15, 2009.
24 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300
25 RCW to read as follows:
26 The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the
27 department of early learning, jointly and in collaboration with thrive
28 by five Washington, shall study and make recommendations to the
29 governor and the legislature regarding implementation of a statewide
30 kindergarten entry assessment, in accordance with section 2 of this
31 act.

— Washington State House of Representative
Bill
2008-01-29


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