DCPS selected as state pilot district for kindergarten screener | Schools

The Daviess County Public Schools district has been selected as a pilot district for Kentucky’s new kindergarten entry screener. The Brigance Kindergarten Screen is designed to provide a consistent tool for measuring a child’s skills in order to identify children who need additional support to help them succeed.

Pilot districts will help establish baseline data, with full implementation scheduled across the state in the summer before the 2013-14 school year.

The screener measures children’s strengths in a variety of areas. The basic assessment measures a child’s ability to provide personal data such as his first and last name, age and birth date; recognize uppercase and lowercase letters; identify body parts; identify colors; demonstrate gross motor skills such as standing on one foot or walking backward; count; and demonstrate understanding of concepts such as full/empty, thick/thin and most/least.

Parents are asked to provide information assessing how the child interacts with others and whether the child can perform tasks such as feeding himself, dressing and undressing.

Results are expected to be available in late August, and will provide guidance to help teachers best respond to areas in which children need additional assistance with reference to the Kentucky System of Intervention (KSI), a framework for providing comprehensive services to address academic and behavioral needs for students in grades preschool through 12.

In addition to helping teachers plan individual instruction, screener results also provide an opportunity for sharing information and initiating conversations with parents to encourage family support, so schools and homes can work together on behalf of the child.

“It is important to remember that this screener is not a ‘pass/fail’ assessment,” said Jana Beth Francis, DCPS director of assessment, research and curriculum development. “It is designed to provide valuable information that allows a teacher to meet a child’s needs and provide appropriate assistance from the very beginning.”

Dr. Vicki Riley, DCPS director of elementary education, agreed that the screener is a valuable resource. “We are very excited about participating as a pilot district with the Brigance Kindergarten Screen,” she said. “It is so important to give our youngest students every opportunity to succeed, so that success can continue throughout his education experience – and beyond.”