Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
156.070,
156.160
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
156.070 gives the Kentucky Board of Education
the management and control over all programs operated in the public schools.
KRS
156.160 gives the Kentucky Board of Education
specific authority to promulgate administrative regulations establishing
standards which school districts shall meet in student, operational, and
program service to students. This administrative regulation establishes minimum
requirements for administration of a common kindergarten entry screener in
school districts, to determine a student's readiness for school in the five (5)
domains of school readiness established in this administrative
regulation.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "Prior early learning settings" means the
following five (5) categories of early learning settings in which each student
participated prior to attending kindergarten:
(a) Child care center;
(b) Head Start program
(c) State funded preschool;
(d) Home; or
(e) Other.
(2) "School readiness" means a student
entering school is ready to engage in and benefit from early learning
experiences that best promote the student's success.
(3) "Screener" means an instrument designed
to identify students who need further diagnostic assessment for
evaluation.
(4) "System of
measurement" means the use of multiple assessments for multiple purposes across
the learning continuum for data to be tracked and used to guide continuous
improvement for students.
Section
2. Required Common Kindergarten Entry Screener. In accordance with
KRS Chapter 45A, the Department shall adopt a statewide common kindergarten
entry screener that:
(1) Aligns with the
definition of school readiness and the standards established in Building a
Strong Foundation for School Success: Kentucky's Early Childhood
Standards;
(2) Assesses the domains
of adaptive, cognitive, communication, motor, and social emotional as
established in Building a Strong Foundation for School Success: Kentucky's
Early Childhood Standards;
(3) Is a
reliable and valid screener for its intended purposes for the target
populations, including English learners and students with disabilities;
and
(4) Produces point-in-time
student level results that indicate level of school readiness in the five (5)
domains listed in subsection (2) of this section.
Section 3. Administration of the Common
Kindergarten Entry Screener.
(1) Beginning in
the 2013-2014 academic year, each Kentucky public school district shall
administer the common kindergarten entry screener adopted by the Department in
accordance with Section 2 of this administrative regulation.
(2) Each school district shall administer the
common kindergarten entry screener to each student entering kindergarten in the
school district no earlier than fifteen (15) days prior to the start of the
current academic year and no later than the thirtieth (30th) instructional day
of the academic year.
Section
4. Data Collection and Reporting.
(1) Each school containing kindergarten
students shall enter the data from the common kindergarten entry screener in
the student information system within fifteen (15) instructional days of the
district's administration of the common kindergarten entry screener but no
later than October 15 of each academic year.
(2) Data shall be reported by the Department
at an aggregate level by:
(a) School
district;
(b) School readiness
domain;
(c) Student demographics;
and
(d) Prior early learning
settings.
Section
5. District use of the common kindergarten entry screener.
(1) A district shall provide individual
student results of the screener to parents or guardians of individual
students.
(2) A district shall not
use the common kindergarten entry screener results to determine eligibility for
enrollment. All students who meet the enrollment requirements of
KRS
159.010 shall be entitled to enter
kindergarten without regard to the results of the common kindergarten entry
screener.
(3) Districts may use the
common kindergarten entry screener data as a system of measurement in the
following ways:
(a) To inform districts,
parents, and communities about early learning in order to close the school
readiness gap;
(b) To make informed
policy decisions at the local level to support early learning experiences prior
to school entry;
(c) To establish
local goals for program improvement in order to achieve early learning
outcomes; and
(d) To include data
as evidences in the kindergarten through 3rd grade Program Evaluation under
703 KAR
5:230.
(4) The results of the screener shall not be
utilized as part of the school's or districts' overall score to determine
recognition or support contained in any administrative regulation promulgated
by the Board pursuant to
KRS
158.6455.
Section 6. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) "Building a Strong Foundation for School
Success: Kentucky's Early Childhood Standards", 2013, is incorporated by
reference.
(2) This material may be
inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the
Department of Education, Office of Next Generation Learners, 18th Floor,
Capitol Plaza Tower, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky, Monday through
Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
156.070,
156.160
