texas kindergarten entry assessment welcome! this webinar will begin at 2:00 pm cst while you are...
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Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment
Welcome!This webinar will begin at 2:00 PM CST
• While you are waiting, please locate the “chat” box on your screen. Use the chat feature to post questions.
• Your questions will be answered via a Q&A that will be posted on the Texas KEA website: http://www.texaskea.org/
Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA)
Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth
May 4, 2015
Overview
• Welcome• What is TX-KEA?• Explore TX-KEA– TX-KEA Item Review
• TX-KEA Timeline • Stakeholder Input
Welcome
The Texas Kindergarten Assessment System (TX-KEA) is a collaborative effort between the US Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency, and the Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth.
Our Development Team
Children’s Learning Institute (CLI)
Principal InvestigatorsSusan Landry Jason Anthony
Co-InvestigatorsMichael Assel Ursula Johnson Janelle Montroy Heather TaylorJeff WilliamsTricia Zucker
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Statewide Coordinator, ECEHoward Morrison
Technology DepartmentUTHEALTH and TEA
What is a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, or “KEA”?
– KEAs are administered during the first few months of kindergarten
– KEAs covers all essential domains of school readiness – KEAs closely align with Early Learning and
Development Standards– KEAs conform with recommendations of the National
Research Council reports on early childhood– KEAs must be valid and reliable for their intended
purposes and target populations
Intended Populations &Purposes of TX-KEA
• Target Population of TX-KEA– Kindergarteners’ across Texas– Dominant language is either English or Spanish
• Purposes of TX-KEA– Screen what children know and can do– Help identify children in need of further
assessment– Help inform instruction
Political Context for KEA in TX
• Currently, schools districts are required to test literacy in kindergarten – 2nd grade
• SB 172 requires using a multidimensional test that tests literacy, as well as at least two other developmental skills (e.g., mathematics, language, social and emotional development).
TX-KEA Implementation
• TX-KEA will not be mandatory in Texas public schools
• TX-KEA will be listed on the Commissioner’s List, with at least one other multidimensional assessment
• School districts can choose to use TX-KEA (full assessment or specific subtests) or another approved assessment
• TX-KEA will provide coverage of legislatively-mandated school readiness domains
About TX-KEA• TX-KEA will:
– Be available in English and Spanish– Provide reports to parents, teachers, and school district personnel– Will be linked with TEA’s state-wide longitudinal data & tracking
system (LDTS)– Provide on-line training in administration procedures– Provide on-line instructions for loading data into LDTS– Provide on-line training in reporting functionality– Be available on a variety of platforms and devices– Be freely available to all entities who will use it for its intended
purpose, including technology platform providers and public schools, charter schools, private schools in Texas and all other states
TX-KEA
• TX-KEA will be “comprehensive” in that it will evaluate many learning domains critical for academic success.
• Two methods of assessment:– Direct assessment
• Student selects response(s) or• Student states a response that is scored by examiner
– Teacher-reported behavior checklists• TX-KEA administered in approx. 45 min.– Not necessarily all at one time
Children with Special Needs
• Research study includes a sub-sample of children with a diagnosis
• List of accommodations and adaptations will be provided to teachers
• TX-KEA will not be validated for children with severe special needs
TX-KEA Domains
• Domains: – Oral Language– Literacy– Cognition– Physical Well-being– Social and Emotional
• Each domain has a contributing nationally recognized expert as a consultant outside of UTHealth
Oral Language
• Base measure for TX-KEA• Children who score low on
Oral Language will receive an alternate form– Vocabulary– Math
Oral Language Subtests
• Oral Language Subtests:– Vocabulary– Listening Comprehension
“What is this?”
Oral Language DomainExpressive Vocabulary
Oral Language DomainListening Comprehension
(Two-Step Directionwith Possessive Suffix)
“Point to the girl’s cat and then to the boy’s dog.”
Oral Language DomainListening Comprehension
(Past Tense)
“The snowman melted in the sun.”
Literacy Domain
• Literacy Subtests:– Letter Knowledge– Phonological Awareness– Early Writing
“Point to the letter ef.”
(uppercase letter names)
Literacy Domain Letter Names
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
“Forks.”
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
“locks.”
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
“fox.”
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
“socks.”
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
“Pont to… f…ox.”
Literacy DomainPhonological Awareness
Literacy DomainWriting
Cognition Domain
• Cognition Subtests:– Mathematics– Science &Engineering
“Look at this pattern… What should come
next?”
Cognition DomainMathematics
“The elephants are walking across the savanna. Touch the first elephant in line. Touch the third elephant in line. Touch the second elephant in line. Touch the last elephant in line.”
Cognition DomainMathematics
“Which of these is a planet?”
Cognition DomainScience
“When you knock the red ball into the
others... which picture shows how the balls
will look?”
Cognition DomainScience
Physical Well-being Domain
• Physical Well-being Subtests (checklists): – Gross and Fine Motor – Physical Health Status
Social and Emotional Domain
• Social and Emotional Subtests:– Social Competence (checklist)– Self-Regulation– Approaches to Learning (checklist)
TX-KEA Items – Self-RegulationIn this item, the child will see the vehicles appear at the top, and then move
into position below. Then, the vehicles will disappear and the child will select the order that vehicles appeared in the correct position.
Project Timeline
• Spring 2014– Pilot Test
• Fall 2014 – Spring 2016– Scaling Study with over 2,000 children across TX
• Fall 2016 – Spring 2017– Validity Study with 200 kindergarten students– Development of training materials
2014-2015 Scaling Study
Houston Area• Houston ISD• Aldine ISD• KIPP Charter School
San Antonio Area• San Antonio ISD• South San Antonio ISD
Rio Grande Valley• Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD• La Joya ISD
Dallas/Ft. Worth Area• Ft. Worth ISD
Austin Area• Kids R Kids Child Care Centers
2015-2016 Scaling Study
• Continue to work with school districts, charter schools, and child care centers we collaborated with in 2014-2015
• Request collaboration with more schools districts in Austin, TX, West Texas, and rural areas.
Stakeholder Input
• Pilot Study, Scaling Study, and Validity Study– Currently recruiting participants for year 2 of the
scaling study• Focus Groups– Social/emotional focus groups with teachers from
the 2014-2015 scaling study– Special needs focus groups with specialists and
teachers from the 2014-2015 scaling study– Item review focus groups in Houston at the TSR
Early Childhood Summer Institute in July 2015
TX-KEA Contact at CLI
Ursula Y. Johnson, PhDAssistant ProfessorChildren’s Learning InstituteUniversity of Texas – Health Science Center at Houston