A strategy that the state of MO Office of Childhood and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education uses to help assess for kindergarten readiness is implementing a reliable tool teachers can use to check in on the strengths and needs of each child. This is called the Kindergarten Entry Assessment or KEA.
DESE shared that, "Kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) is a one-time assessment designed to measure a child's skills and behaviors within the first few weeks of entering kindergarten. Using KEA data can help inform teachers and leaders of the number of children who are ready for school overall, as well as support instruction by meeting students where they are when they enter kindergarten."
The currently approved KEA's can be found HERE and are called:
- Desired Results Developmental Profile for Kindergarten or DRDP-K
- Kindergarten Observation Form or KOF
- Brigance Inventory of Early Development III Standardized
All KEA's are administered by the child's teacher and teachers can share information with the child's family. It is important for teachers and families to be in partnership to support each child's developmental needs.
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