defining the school readiness challenge in virginia presentation .pdf · defining the school...

Amanda Williford & Daphna Bassok

October 22, 2019

Early Childhood Education Policy Summit

Defining the School Readiness

Challenge in Virginia

Overview

▪ Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program

(VKRP)

▪ History, Background, Preliminary data

▪ Lessons from the 2019 Virginia Early

Childhood Workforce Survey

Amanda Williford

Most States Have Adopted a

Statewide Multidimensional

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment

Note:

* = State-mandated and multidimensional KRA/KEA,

however kindergartens have a choice of assessments.

How Statewide Readiness Data

Can be Used in Virginia

Readiness is defined as having foundational skills in all areas

How VKRP Measures Kindergarten Readiness

• Literacy- PALS

• Math- Teacher

standardized

administration

• Self-regulation-

Teacher report via

rating scale

• Social-skills-Teacher

report via rating

scale

Tool selection

And estimated

statewide

representative

sample of

readiness

Piloted

measures

With expansion

of time points

in 2018-19

Voluntary

roll out

Statewide

participation

2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2018 2019 and on

History of VKRP

What is VKRP

VKRP is a set of coordinated assessments

Literacy (PALS), math, self-regulation, and social skills combined to

provide teachers with a more comprehensive picture of students’ skills

at the beginning of kindergarten

VKRP is a reporting system

Provides detailed and integrated information about students’ skills at

the student (for teachers and families), classroom, school, division,

and state levels

VKRP is a set of instructional resources

Supports teachers to understand students’ skill levels and to use

instructional practices to support their learning and growth

VKRP Assessments – Literacy

The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening is used to

assess students’ early literacy skills.

The Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS)/The Party

Assesses skills in the areas of Numeracy, Computation, Patterning,

Geometry and Spatial Sense.

Teachers administer the assessment to students individually using

a flip book and manipulatives.

Teachers enter children's responses into an online application,

recording student responses as they administer the assessment.

VKRP Assessments – Mathematics

Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS)

Short rating scale completed by the teacher that measures students’

approaches to learning, self-regulation, and social-emotional

development.

Teachers rate their students’ classroom-based behavior based upon

their observations of their students in the school setting and input

responses in an online interface.

VKRP Assessments –

Self-Regulation and Social Skills

Reports: Classroom Overview

✓ Easy to interpret

✓ Interactive

✓ Printable

✓ Exportable

✓ Linked to instructional resources

Reports: Student Overview

Reports: Family Report

Teacher Resources – Skill Example

Sample activity to support the skill

Family Resources

2018 Participating Divisions in Orange

N = 89

2018 VKRP Participation

What We’ve Learned

When only using literacy (PALS)

16%

Using VKRP—literacy, math, self-regulation and social skills

42%

For students who are economically disadvantaged

48%

In terms of child skills, Virginia was too narrowly representing readiness

Estimates of children entering kindergarten who are not ready to be successful:

2017 Fall PALS and VKRP Data

Readiness Results for 2017-18

83% 82% 82% 80%

17% 18% 18% 20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Literacy(n=19754*)

Math(n=16580*)

Self-Regulation(n=16653*)

Social Skills(n=16653*)

Pe

rce

nt

of

Stu

de

nts

Fall 2017

Meeting Benchmark Below Benchmark

Note.* = All students who had data on each measure were included to obtain these estimates.

There is Variability across Divisions

High LiteracyDiscrepant Self-Regulation &

Social Skills

High Math High Social Skills

98%78% 78% 83%

2%22% 22% 17%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Literacy Math Self-Regulation Social Skills

Division A39% Not Ready


82%96%

85% 81%

18%4%

15% 19%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Division C34% Not Ready


85% 85% 93%75%

15% 15% 7%25%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Division B35% Not Ready


83% 82% 88% 92%

17% 18% 12% 8%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Division D33% Not Ready


Ready

or

Not Ready

Literacy MathSelf-

RegulationSocial Skills %

Not Ready

2.9

✓ 1.9

✓ 2.7

✓ ✓ 0.7

✓ 0.9

✓ ✓ 1.5

✓ ✓ 0.8

✓ ✓ ✓ 4.6

✓ 0.8

✓ ✓ 0.6

✓ ✓ 4.8

✓ ✓ ✓ 4.5

✓ ✓ 7.8

✓ ✓ ✓ 2.8

✓ ✓ ✓ 4.3

Ready ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 58.4

Total Sample 100.0

There is Variability across Students

16%

11%

15%

Academic Only (Literacy or Math) = 9.8%

That is 23% of students who are identified as not ready

Self-Regulation and/or Social Skills = 77% of students identified as not ready

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

2018 Data — Overall Readiness

Variability Across DivisionsD

ivis

ion a

vera

ge %

of

students

ready a

cro

ss a

ll d

om

ain

s

Comparison of Fall 2018 Readiness Data

for Students Who Are and Are Not from

Low Income Backgrounds

65.350.5

34.749.5

0102030405060708090

100

Not Disadvantagedn=13,275

Disadvantagedn=11,392

Perc

ent

of

Stu

dents

Not Ready

Ready

25

Comparison of Fall 2018 VKRP Readiness Scores

Between Children from Low Income

Backgrounds who Attend VPI and Those With

No Preschool Experience

26

58.1

37.9

41.9

62.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

VPIn=4,694

No Preschooln=2,578

Perc

ent

of

Stu

dents

Not Ready

Ready

Preliminary findings from the

2019 Virginia Early Childhood

Workforce Survey

Daphna Bassok

Associate Professor of Education & Public Policy

Linking kindergarten readiness to

early elementary success…

Bassok, Herring, McGinty, Miller, & Wyckoff, 2019

45

63

71

82

92

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5

Perc

ent

Pro

ficie

nt

Quintiles of PALS Scores

Proficiency on Third Grade Reading SOLby performance on the PALS at Kindergarten Entry

Linking kindergarten readiness to

early learning experiences…

High quality early learning opportunities set the stage for school success and can narrow achievement gaps

The adults who care for, interact with, and teach young children are the key drivers of “high quality” early learning opportunities

Children learn through consistent and engaging interactions with adults.

The early childhood workforce as critical

partners for school readiness and beyond

The 2019 Virginia Early

Childhood Workforce Survey

As part of Virginia’s Preschool Development Grant, we invited all teachers and assistant teachers working full-time in child care centers, Head Start programs, and pre-kindergarten programs in 27 Virginia communities to take a survey.

About 2,500 teachers invited

Unprecedented response rates: 75 percent replied (!)

Broad coverage:

➢ Curricula

➢ Professional development

➢ Leadership

➢ Compensation

➢ Well-being (job satisfaction, stress, financial/food insecurity)

Who are Virginia’s early

childhood lead teachers…

Most work with four-year-olds…

12%

19%

13%

56%

Infants

Toddlers (ages 1 & 2)

3 year olds

4 year olds

Over a third have a high school

degree or less

35.3

11.9

30.8

22High School or Less

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree or Higher

Many would like additional

professional development…

48

43

34

33

33

30

29

26

26

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Supporting children with disabilities/special needs

Supporting development of English Language Learniners

Strategies for addressing trauma

Strategies for managing behavior

Tools for assessing children

Creating culturally responsive learning environment

Providing high quality teacher-child interactions

Support using a specific curriculum

Strategies for engaging families

Percentage of lead teachers who indicate “not enough” professional development on each topic

Only about a third of lead

teachers work in schools

Centers68%

Schools32%

Comparing early educators in

schools and child care centers…

The racial composition of the

child care workforce mirrors Virginia’s

children

10

56

24

5 53

86

8

1 2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Hispanic, any race White, non-Hispanic

Black, non-Hispanic

Asian, non-Hispanic

Other, multi-racial

Racial Composition of Early Educators

Centers Schools

Educational attainment is much

higher in schools

52

17

25

6

1 1

44

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

High School or Less Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree or Higher

Differences in Education Level across Program Types

Centers Schools

Forty percent of child care lead teachers have

a household income below $25,000…

11

29

19

11

86 6 6

32

0 02

8

1311 12

24

20

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Household Income of Lead Teachers in Early Childhood Programs

Centers Schools

Many are facing food

insecurity and financial stress.

10

6

35

24

1 1

912

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

I receive SNAP benefits I receive WIC benefits The food we had didn't last and we didn’t have

money to get more

I am worried I will run out of money before I

am paid again

Financial Insecurity across Program Types

Centers Schools

Not surprisingly, child care teachers

turn over at much higher rates.

74

58 56

73

86

74

33

93

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

I view early childhood as my long-

term career

There are enough teachers working at

this site

Teacher turnover is a problem at my site

I'm likely to still be at my site in a year

PERCEN

TAG

E O

F T

EACH

ERS W

HO

"AG

REEE"

OR "

STRO

NG

LY A

GREE"

Centers Schools

Key take-aways… Through VKRP we now have a better understanding of young children’s

readiness for schools, and a set of tools to support learning in the early

grades.

These data tell us that many of Virginia’s youngest learners, especially

the low-income ones, enter kindergarten lacking skills in literacy,

math, self-regulation and social skills that we know are linked to

future academic success.

Often-times those children who start behind remain behind.

Access to high quality early learning opportunities is a critical need.

Too many young children in Virginia lack access to early learning

opportunities.

Most of Virginia’s youngest children who are accessing early learning

through child care settings, where they are cared for and taught by

women facing intense challenges, oftentimes including poverty, stress,

and depression.

Greater cohesion and alignment between K-12 and systems serving

children 0-5 is needed.

defining the school readiness challenge in virginia presentation .pdf · defining the school...

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