Kindergarten Readiness Assessment FAQs - For Administrators
Components of the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised and Other Assessment Requirements
Administering the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
Getting Started as a Data Manager
Data and Reporting
Training as a Data Manager
Support
Components of the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised
What are the areas being assessed?
This Welcome to Kindergarten video introduces Ohio's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. The assessment covers four areas: language and literacy, mathematics, physical well-being and motor development, and social foundations which includes social and emotional development and approaches toward learning.
Back to Top
How are students assessed?
This Welcome to Kindergarten video introduces Ohio's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Students are assessed the following ways:
-
Observation - Teachers will use a rubric with three description levels for the skill(s) being measured.
-
Selected response questions – Teachers have a scripted prompt that could include a story or pictures and a question with answer choices.
-
Performance tasks- These require an action or verbal response from the child in response to a scripted prompt, such as producing a rhyming word.
Back to Top
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised and Other Assessment Requirements
Do children who were retained in kindergarten need to be assessed?
No. Only children entering kindergarten for the first time are required to be assessed?
Back to Top
How does the new assessment relate to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?
The Language and Literacy portion of the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised can be used to meet the Kindergarten diagnostic requirement for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
Back to Top
Does the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised replace the kindergarten screening requirement?
No. The assessment does not meet the screening requirement stated in law.
Districts are still required to screen students for hearing, vision, speech and communications, and health or medical problems and for any developmental disorders in addition to completing the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised.
Back to Top
Administering the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
How do I explain the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised to families?
There are a number of resources for talking with families about the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment that could be used at family visits, orientations, parent-teacher conferences, or sent home.
Here are a few resources specifically created to welcome families to kindergarten:
Back to Top
Can we use a staggered start date model to administer the assessment?
As long as districts meet the minimum instructional time requirement for the academic year (for all-day Kindergarten, 910 hours, or 455 hours for half-day), they may begin to give the new assessment during the staggered start time. However, districts should not expect teachers to complete the entire assessment for any one student during the staggered start window. The assessment should be completed in small increments of time over several weeks.
Back to Top
Who can administer the assessment?
Educators administer the assessment but must (1) be employed by the student’s school or district, (2) hold a valid Ohio Department of Education-issued permit, license or certificate, and (3) have successfully completed the required Kindergarten Readiness Assessment training. The department strongly recommends that each student’s primary classroom teacher or another teacher who has regular contact with the student(s) (e.g., an intervention specialist or reading specialist) administer the assessment.
Back to Top
How can others provide support to teachers with assessment administration?
All test administrators must be employees of the school district, hold an Ohio Department of Education-issued license, certificate or permit, AND successfully complete the teacher training.
Literacy specialists, intervention specialists, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) teachers and other related services personnel who regularly work with a specific child, would be appropriate test administrators for some or all assessment items.
- Example 1: A literacy specialist, who regularly works with Kindergarten students in the classroom and successfully completed the teacher training, could administer the direct assessment language and literacy domain items to all kindergarten students in that building. The teacher of record would need to print the necessary score recording forms for the literacy specialist and input the student scores into the online system.
- Example 2: A literacy specialist may assist with scoring observational language and literacy domain items by either leading the class in interactive literacy activities while the regular classroom teacher rates the students on the observational rubrics or vice versa.
Individuals who do not work regularly with Kindergarten students, such as retired teachers employed by districts as contractors or substitutes may administer the assessment if they meet the requirements above, but it is not recommended. The most appropriate use of these individuals as test administrators would be to have them administer only direct assessment items to students who have not been identified as students with disabilities or English learners.
District employees who hold an Ohio Department of Education-issued license, permit or certificate who have not completed the teacher training can support teachers with completing the assessments in several other ways:
- Preparing manipulatives;
- Teaching the class while the primary classroom teacher administers direct assessment items; and
- Monitoring children completing technology-administered assessment items.
Back to Top
Is there a specific sequence for assessing students?
There will be a recommended sequence to follow, but teachers will be able to administer the items in any order.
Back to Top
What technological components are required?
There are three technology components: two for teachers and one for students. Only the technology components for teachers are required. The technology component for students is optional. Detailed technology guidelines are posted on the Ohio Department of Education’s website for teachers, for administrators, on KReady, and on Ohio K12 Help.
Back to Top
Does the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised requirement apply to all types of schools or only public
Only public districts and community schools are required to administer the assessment.
Any chartered nonpublic school may elect to administer the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) to all kindergarten students enrolled in the school. The materials, training and supports are available at no cost to the school who signs an agreement with the Ohio Department of Education. The law does require notifying the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the school’s intent to administer the KRA-R no later than March 31 prior to any school year in which the school will administer the assessment.
Back to Top
Does the assessment have to be administered face-to-face at e-schools?
Yes. Computer-based schools must provide a physical location for statewide tests. Each internet- or computer-based community school shall provide its students a location within a 50-mile radius of the student's residence at which to complete the statewide achievement and diagnostic assessments.
Back to Top
Getting Started as a Data Manager
Data and Reporting
Training as a Data Manager
How do I get training?
Data manager resources- The Ready for Kindergarten (KReady) Online Data Manager User Manual is a document designed to support the needs of Ohio Data Managers.
The Ohio K12 Help desk provides support for statewide K12 education programs including the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Go to www.ohio-k12.help or call 844-K12-OHIO (844-512-6446) to submit a ticket for technical assistance.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Education Center for Technology in Education hosts an electronic learning community for data managers. Go here for how-to presentations, guidelines and templates, webinars, common validation errors, and support information. You can also view
archived data manager Webinars online here.
Back to Top
Support
What if I need more help?
The Ohio KReady site is available for help. Access webinars, news, updates and other resources. You can also submit a help desk ticket via email or phone. Email is recommended to best document the details of your questions for the Help Desk. The Help Desk will respond to your question via email.
Back to Top
Last Modified: 9/13/2023 6:29:03 AM