Development of a Comprehensive Community Assessment of School Readiness

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a multipart assessment of kindergarten for the State of Vermont. The approach described reflects emerging consensus around the appropriate domains of development to include in child assessments, as well as the need to assess schools’ for young children and their families. The approach differs from some states’ approaches, however, in its emphasis on data for purposes of community-level accountability rather than to support individualized instruction. Data on children’s developing competencies early in the kindergarten year (in five domains) were reported by teachers across the state (N = 181), on approximately half of the state’s kindergartners (N = 2,992). Data on the readiness of schools were reported by principals (N = 197). Schools’ readiness was conceptualized as including the areas of smooth transitions to school, instruction and staff development, partnership with community, and resources. Results confirmed the viability of a brief teacher-reported assessment of children and an assessment of ready school practices. Further tasks related to promoting local use of the assessment data, and implications for policy, are identified.