October 2016 Making Connections How kindergarten entry assessments are used in public schools and how they correlate with spring assessments Katherine A. Shields Kyle DeMeo Cook Sara Greller Education Development Center, Inc. In collaboration with the Early Childhood Education Research Alliance U.S. Department of Education At Education Development Center, Inc. U.S. Department of Education John B. King, Jr., Secretary Institute of Education Sciences Ruth Neild, Deputy Director for Policy and Research Delegated Duties of the Director National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance Joy Lesnick, Acting Commissioner Amy Johnson, Action Editor Elizabeth Eisner, Project Officer REL 2017–182 The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) conducts unbiased large-scale evaluations of education programs and practices supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and the widespread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation throughout the United States. October 2016 This report was prepared for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0009 by Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands administered by Education Development Center, Inc. The content of the publication does not neces­ sarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This REL report is in the public domain. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, it should be cited as: Shields, K. A., Cook, K. D., & Greller, S. (2016). How kindergarten entry assessments are used in public schools and how they correlate with spring assessments (REL 2017–182). Wash­ ington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laborato­ ry Northeast & Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs. This report is available on the Regional Educational Laboratory website at http://ies.ed.gov/ ncee/edlabs. Summary As a growing number of states require kindergarten entry assessments (Stedron & Berger, 2010), more state and district administrators are becoming interested in how their peers use these assessments around the country (Center on Enhancing Early Learning Out­ comes, 2014; Early Childhood Education Research Alliance, 2012). Given this interest, state administrators participating in Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands Early Childhood Education Research Alliance generated the idea for this study as a source of information as they implemented plans for statewide assessments. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kin­ dergarten Class of 2010–11 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011a), this study examined how many public schools used kindergarten entry assessments and for what pur­ poses, what types of public schools used kindergarten entry assessments, and whether the use of kindergarten entry assessments was correlated with student early learning assess­ ment scores in reading and math in spring of the kindergarten year. Findings from the study include: • Overall, 73 percent of public schools offering kindergarten classes reported using kindergarten entry assessments. • The most common purpose of kindergarten entry assessments was individualiz­ ing instruction, reported by 93 percent of public schools using them. Sixty-five percent of schools using kindergarten entry assessments reported that they used the assessments to identify students needing additional testing for learning prob­ lems. Schools also reported using the assessments for one or more purposes related to enrollment: to determine class placement (41 percent of schools using kinder­ garten entry assessments), to advise parents about delayed entry (24 percent), and to determine eligibility for students whose age fell below the cutoff (16 percent). • Most public schools using kindergarten entry assessments did so for multiple pur­ poses (80 percent). Fifty percent of schools using the asessments reported both instructional- and enrollment-related purposes; 60 percent used the assessments for both instructional purposes and screening to identify additional testing needs. • Schools’ reported use of kindergarten entry assessments did not have a statistically significant relationship with students’ early learning in reading or math in spring of the kindergarten year when the analysis controlled for student and school characteristics. This study provides states and schools with information about the use of kindergarten entry assessments nationwide and offers contextual information to state-level administra­ tors as they select, develop, and implement these assessments. As an exploratory analy­ sis, this study describes how schools say they use kindergarten entry assessments, without drawing conclusions about the effects of their use. Future research could examine the rela­ tionships between the nature and quality of the implementation of these assessments and student outcomes. i Contents Summary i Why this study? 1 What the study examined 2 What the study found 4 Seventy-three percent of public schools reported using kindergarten entry assessments 4 The use of kindergarten entry assessments was not correlated with school characteristics 4 Individualizing instruction was the most commonly reported purpose among public schools that used kindergarten entry assessments (93 percent), and 80 percent used the assessments for multiple purposes 4 None of the reported purposes of kindergarten entry assessments was correlated with student early learning assessment scores in reading or math in spring of the kindergarten year 5 Implications of the study findings 7 Individualizing instruction remains the most frequently cited purpose of kindergarten entry assessments 7 Schools may need guidance on appropriate uses of kindergarten entry assessments that do not result in denying entry to eligible children 8 Schools may need guidance on selecting and using appropriate instruments for different purposes as part of the kindergarten entry assessment process 8 Future research could examine variation in the fidelity and quality of kindergarten entry assessment implementation 9 Further information about the presence or absence of a comprehensive assessment system in each state would provide important context for results 9 Limitations of the study 10 Appendix A. Literature review A-1 Appendix B. Analytic measures B-1 Appendix C. Analytic sample C-1 Appendix D. Analytic methods D-1 Appendix E. Detailed regression results E-1 References Ref-1 Boxes 1 What are kindergarten entry assessments? 1 2 Data and methods 3 ii Figures 1 Individualizing instruction was the most commonly reported purpose among public schools that used kindergarten entry assessments, 2010/11 6 2 Most public schools that used kindergarten entry assessments did so for multiple purposes, 2010/11 6 Tables 1 Characteristics of public schools that did and did not administer kindergarten entry assessments, 2010/11 5 2 Relationships between school purposes of kindergarten entry assessments and student spring early learning assessment scores, 2010/11 7 B1 Measures used in the study B-2 C1 Sample exclusions, kindergarten class of 2010–11 C-1 C2 Student sample: Descriptive statistics, 2010/11 C-3 E1 Fixed effect coefficients for regression of spring early reading assessment score on use of kindergarten entry assessments for any purpose (model A), 2010/11 E-1 E2 Fixed effect coefficients for regression of spring early reading assessment score on use of kindergarten entry assessments for six purposes (model B), 2010/11 E-2 E3 Fixed effect coefficients for regression of spring early math assessment score on use of kindergarten entry assessments for any purpose (model C), 2010/11 E-4 E4 Fixed effect coefficients for regression of spring early math assessment score on use of kindergarten entry assessments for six purposes (model D), 2010/11 E-5 E5 Effect sizes for regression analyses of spring early learning assessment scores on use of kindergarten entry assessments, 2010/11 E-6 E6 Percentage of variance explained by regression analyses of spring early learning assessment scores on use of kindergarten entry assessments, 2010/11 E-7 iii Why this study? Child development research on the importance of early experiences for later life outcomes has underscored the need for effective early childhood education (Heckman, 2008; Rouse, Brooks-Gunn, & McLanahan, 2005). With the aim of providing high-quality education, many kindergarten programs use assessments at the time of entry to understand what stu­ dents know and can do. When such assessments are well-planned, appropriately designed, and implemented with fidelity, they can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better student outcomes (Snow & Van Hemel, 2008). As the number of states that require districts to administer kindergarten entry assessments grows (Stedron & Berger, 2010), state and district administrators are interested in how their peers around the country use these assessments (Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes, 2014; Early Childhood Education Research Alliance, 2012). With the aim of providing high- Twenty-one states required some form of kindergarten entry assessment in 2010 (the year quality education,