How can child assessment data support the transition from Head Start to kindergarten?
Child assessment data can be exported into a kindergarten readiness assessment report.
Southwest Georgia Community Action Council (SWGACAC) typically shares student portfolios from their Head Start program with the school district and with students’ new K teachers, but they were worried that the school district was not using the information because there was too much of it and because it was not aligned to tools that the Kindergarten teachers are familiar with.
The SWGACAC Education Managers brainstormed ways to make the Head Start data more relevant and actionable for K teachers. They decided that the best way forward would be to export the data into the GKIDS Readiness Check (GKIDS) format (see above). GKIDS is a state-mandated student assessment that Kindergarten teachers administer during the first six weeks of the kindergarten year to help teachers to guide instruction.
Results
By contextualizing the Head Start data into a format that Kindergarten teachers are familiar with, it makes it more actionable for the kindergarten teachers in completing the GKIDs Readiness assessments and in planning for instruction for their incoming class.
Additional Details
Audience: Administrators, instructional coaches
Level of Analysis: Child
Difficulty: Basic
Content Area: School readiness
Data Sources: Cognitive ToyBox
Considerations and Caveats
The Head Start ELOF does not have complete alignment to the GKIDS Readiness Check. However, both the ELOF and GKIDS Readiness Check are derived from the same body of research on school readiness, and there is a high level of overlap in assessment content. Programs interested in replicating this should be cognizant of the extent to which their own states’ school readiness assessment does or does not align with the ELOF.
Additionally, programs should consider the possibility of sharing this information having both positive and negative impact on children. The Pygmalion Effect (see Wikipedia or other sources) is about self-fulfilling prophecies. A child’s school readiness scores have the impact to influence a teacher’s opinion of that child, which can influence his or her future success, both positively and negatively.
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