Grantee Profile: Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills

Before the start of the 2010-11 school year, kindergarten teachers and families from around the state gathered—over coffee, at home, or at school—to get to know each other and prepare for kindergarten. This meeting was part of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS)—a program to improve kindergarten readiness funded by the state of Washington and with a grant from the foundation.

The transition to kindergarten is a key moment in a young child’s life. Each year in Washington, about 80,000 children with different backgrounds and experiences enter kindergarten. Many lack the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to succeed. Kindergarten teachers can spend weeks learning the strengths and weaknesses of their students, often with little information from parents and other caregivers.

The goal of WaKIDS is to bring families, teachers, and early learning providers together to support each child’s learning. Authorized in 2009 by the state Legislature, WaKIDS was developed in collaboration with teachers and principals, early care and education providers, parents, and representatives from Washington’s tribal communities. It is based on the latest early learning research and best practices from other states.

Ensuring That Students Begin Learning on Day One
The Department of Early Learning (DEL) and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in consultation with Thrive by Five Washington, partnered to implement the voluntary WaKIDS pilot during the 2010-11 school year. Approximately 3,000 children from 120 classrooms around the state participated.

WaKIDS includes three parts:

• Family Connection: Before school starts, kindergarten teachers meet with families to talk about each student’s strengths and needs and to make sure they feel welcome at the elementary school.
• Kindergarten Inventory: In the fall, kindergarten teachers complete a more formal inventory focusing on the development of the whole child, including social and emotional, physical, cognitive, and linguistic skills.
• Early Learning Collaboration: Early learning providers and kindergarten teachers continue meeting throughout the school year to develop new ways to collaborate and share information.

The pilot tested best practices for engaging with families and children. Teachers were randomly assigned one of three different tools for implementing the kindergarten assessment. A team of researchers from the University of Washington is studying the results of the pilot and surveys from participants about their experiences.

Preliminary findings from the kindergarten inventory revealed that more than one-third of the children participating in WaKIDS entered kindergarten below their expected skill levels. The report also showed that children from low-income families scored lower than their peers in three of four sections of the inventory, indicating that the achievement gap is present in kindergarten.

The University of Washington will continue to study the results of the pilot. A final report is due to the Governor and Legislature in 2011.

Targeting Each Child’s Needs
WaKIDS is designed to help early learning providers, kindergarten teachers, and families use information to improve each child’s learning experience. Families receive feedback on their child’s progress and learn about opportunities to reinforce lessons from the classroom. In meetings with kindergarten teachers, early learning providers can discuss what skills children need to succeed in elementary school. Finally, kindergarten teachers use WaKIDS to tailor instruction to the individual needs of each child.

Already, WaKIDS is helping kindergarten teachers hit the ground running at the start of the school year.

“Each child and family had 45 minutes with their teacher in the classroom. It was wonderful. Got all the details about the child, concerns, goals, etc. and what bus they take home. They went on a tour of the school with their families and met the office staff. Our first day with all 23 students was the smoothest first day I ever had in my 35 years of teaching…”

 

—Kindergarten teacher participating in WaKIDS pilot

Building a Stronger Early Learning System
WaKIDS also builds on Washington’s investments in early learning and helps create a unified system from preschool through third grade. In recent years, state lawmakers have increased funding for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), which provides preschool to 3- and 4-year old children from low-income families. In 2010, the Legislature made a commitment to fully implement all-day kindergarten by 2018 and pledged to develop a system of voluntary preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children over the next decade.

Information from WaKIDS will allow DEL to track the success of these programs on improving kindergarten readiness. In addition, school districts will have the data they need to focus on closing the achievement gap as children advance through the early elementary grades. Finally, accurate data will allow Washington state policymakers to target future early learning investments where they are needed most.

We are optimistic that investments in high-quality early learning opportunities will ensure that more children succeed in school and life. By helping children and their families make a smooth transition to kindergarten, WaKIDS is an important step in building a strong early learning system for Washington state.