School Readiness Assessment
and Data Entry System
and Data Entry System
School Readiness Assessment
Want to learn more about the importance of school readiness?
Read our blog on the topic>> or check out report examples>>
Interested in a school readiness profile on children in your area? Learn more>>
Data Entry System
Ready to enter your own data through our Data Entry System?
This data portal offers our partners an alternative to full-scale support, wherein they can utilize this platform for direct entry of their own data into our system, which is then retrieved and analyzed by ASR staff. Use the buttons below to either create a new account or login into your existing account.
Not sure where to start?
Contact our skilled staff>> to answer your questions and identify the best approach for your community.
Why do a School Readiness Assessment?
There are many potential reasons to assess kindergarten readiness, such as:
To gather a snapshot of children’s readiness as they enter school.
To understand and evaluate which local community, demographic and family factors contribute to children’s readiness, as well as the benefit of local preschools and other interventions.
To track trends in the school readiness levels in targeted communities over time.
To build bridges between the ECE and K-12 community by providing a common framework and indicators for readiness.
What is the Kindergarten Observation Form (KOF)?
The KOF is designed to be a summative assessment that describes the range of child, family and community experiences that shape children’s preparedness to transition to kindergarten; the items are leveled at desired proficiencies for children as they enter kindergarten, and not end-of-year kindergarten standards. Developed in 2001, the KOF sought to fill an information gap regarding the preparedness of children to smoothly transition into kindergarten, a gap that still exists in many areas. Check out our SRA fact sheet for more detailed information about the development of the KOF and the metrics it utilizes. ASR’s School Readiness Assessment Model measures the indicators that matter, which is why the KOF has demonstrated validity with other readiness measures and strongly correlates with 3rd grade test scores (for more information see our Psychometric Fact Sheet).
The Kindergarten Observation Form has been used in over 15 counties in California, as well as in Arizona, North Carolina and Illinois, and to date, over 60,000 unique child assessments have been conducted.
What are the assessment tools used? When are assessments completed?
Kindergarten Observation Form (KOF): A 20-item assessment that is completed by kindergarten teachers using direct assessment and observational techniques.
The Parent Information Form (PIF) is a take-home survey completed by children’s parents that help us understand which family factors are related to children’s readiness.
Secondary data are gathered from programs or preschools of interest.
Gathering kindergarten readiness data early in the year is important to avoid influence by time and classroom instruction. Therefore, teachers are trained in the summer / early fall, and conduct their assessments between three to four weeks following the start of kindergarten.
How are Teachers Trained on the KOF? How much time does it take to complete?
Teachers are provided with a 60 minute in-person training (webinar training's are available as needed). Training's inform teachers about the purpose of the assessment, review the KOF items, and use sample scenarios to test their knowledge of using the Scoring Guide and comprehension of key items.
Packets are provided to teachers containing pre-labeled assessment materials, and a prepaid envelope to return their completed assessments.
Teachers spend approximately 10 minutes per student to complete each assessment. Assessments can be spread over a two week period to avoid disruption to the classroom routine.
Teachers are compensated for their time (average stipend ~$200).
Release time by a substitute teacher is also often provided by districts.
How are data gathered?What kind of products are created?
The KOF and PIF are formatted in scantron forms and are typically sent back to ASR to scanning, cleaning, and analysis, however some partners use this data portal, or our excel database to input their own data. ASR then retrieves the needed data for analysis. All data go through a quality-control process before analysis begins.
Based on the needs of each partner, ASR produces a variety of data reporting products, including:
Teacher / Classroom Dashboard
School Dashboard
District Dashboard
Comprehensive Report
Executive Summary
