READINESS MATTERS

2018 Illinois Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) Report

2018 ILLINOIS KIDS REPORT- 2 -

Kindergarten is the first critical mile-stone in a child’s long-term educational trajectory. Children with higher levels of school readiness at age five are gen-erally more successful in grade school, are less likely to drop out of high school, and even earn more as adults.1 Under-standing student development helps teachers and schools improve practice and instructional design. Entire commu-nities thrive when educators and policy makers are able to make data-driven decisions to strengthen early childhood programs and allocate resources.

Illinois has high expectations for learn-ing. However, opportunity gaps emerge well before third grade, and even before kindergarten. To address those gaps, 8,300 kindergarten teachers across Illi-nois began collecting consistent data in the 2017-18 school year, after five years of piloting in select districts, through the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS).

Data collected from KIDS will allow poli-cymakers, communities, district leaders, educators, early childhood providers and families to identify support and enrichment when needed earlier in children’s developmental years.

WHO BENEFITS FROM KIDS?We all do. Over time, KIDS data will surface learning trends to help state, district, community and school leaders adjust policies, curriculum, instructional practices and resources to better fulfill each student’s early potential. KIDS data also may identify areas where teachers need stronger professional development.

• Public policy makers and advocates use aggregate information to inform policy and allocate resources.

• Principals and administrators adapt and alter curriculum and professional learning for educators to support the developmental needs of entering kindergarten students.

• Teachers gain a more nuanced understanding of children’s strengths and needs and generate reports to support curriculum planning, inform instructional practice, and engage families.

• Early childhood providers use KIDS to align curriculum and professional development around clear expectations for kindergarten readiness.

• Families equipped with information about whether their child is on track can promote learning at home and work with educators to obtain additional needed supports.

OVERVIEW

KIDS provides Illinois with the first statewide snapshot of children’s developmental skills

and competencies as they enter kindergarten.

1 – Duncan, G.J., Dowsett, C.J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A.C., Klebanov, P., Pagani, L.S., Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., & Duckworth, K. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Develop-mental Psychology, 43(6), 1428-1446.

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Illinois developed KIDS through re-search and validated the tool through testing. Hundreds of stakeholders provided input into the design of KIDS – including classroom teachers, research-ers, early childhood advocates, policy experts, philanthropic organizations, and families. All worked in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education and WestEd, the nonprofit research or-ganization that created the instrument.

KIDS provides a reflection of each child’s learning and development at kindergarten entry. It is neither an indi-cation of school quality nor of teacher performance. It is not a placement test for children.

KIDS aligns with the Illinois Early Learn-ing and Development Standards, which establish expectations for children’s development at kindergarten entry. The KIDS survey also incorporates the state’s Social and Emotional Learning Standards and Illinois Learning Stan-dards in math and English language arts.

More than 40 states use or are in the process of developing kindergarten readiness assessments (KRAs).2 While the skills measured and methodologies vary across the nation, states and com-munities have found great value in the data helping address specific develop-ment needs, advance policies, inform instruction and allocate resources.

HOW KIDS WORKSTeachers collect KIDS data during normal classroom routines, lessons and play through simple observation – without disruptions to student learn-ing and without individual pull-outs. Kindergarten teachers across the state attended trainings on how to collect KIDS observations consistently and reliably across districts.

Within the first 40 days of kindergarten, teachers collect observations on 14 measures that span three developmental areas—Language and Literacy, Math, and Social and Emotional Development. Together, these developmental areas serve as a proxy for school readiness.3 Researchers and early childhood experts carefully selected each of the 14 measures to reflect the most import-ant learning domains for kindergar-ten-aged children. The state requires data collection on the 14 State Readi-ness Measures. Additional measures exist within each learning domain and are optional to districts.

ABOUT KIDS

2 – https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/dont-use-kindergarten-readiness-assessments-accountability/3 – In addition to the minimum 14 measures, districts have the option of collecting up to 41 additional measures across a total of 11 separate learning domains to provide an enhanced portrait of each child’s readiness.

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The KIDS tool builds on established standards and other research-based criteria for each individual skill, behavior and competency expect-ed of kindergarten-aged children. Research indicates that having these specific skills, behaviors and competencies at the start of kin-dergarten compounds educational progress in later years.

Child development at this age happens at different rates. Howev-er, if children are developmentally behind, it is far easier for them to catch up at earlier ages than in later years. The likelihood of the strongest possible start to school soars with access to high quality early childhood experiences and the right supports tailored to each child’s specific needs.

Developmental Areas: Social & Emotional

Development

Language & Literacy

Math

Children who display readiness in

all 3 developmental

areas

Children who display readiness in

2, 1 or 0 developmental

areas

Demonstrating readiness

Need additional support 4

4 – Feedback from a broad group of stakeholders, including advocates, administrators, teachers and researchers, deter-mined the nomenclature for demonstrating readiness and needing additional support.

HOW ILLINOIS DEFINES KINDERGARTEN READINESS

DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

LEARNING DOMAINS

14 STATE READINESS MEASURES

Social & Emotional DevelopmentCuriosity to learn about people and

things; develop strategies for regulating feelings and behavior; persistence in

mastering difficult activities; developing increasingly cooperative relationships

with familiar adults and peers.

Approaches to Learning &

Self-Regulation

Curiosity and Initiative in Learning

Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior

Engagement and Persistence

Social & Emotional

Development

Relationships and Social Interactions with Familiar Adults

Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers

Language & LiteracyThe ability to interact with others

using language; comprehend stories in books; recognize sounds and apply them in language; and identify letters

and understand that they make words.

Language & Literacy

Communication and Use of Language (Expressive)Reciprocal Communication and Conversation

Comprehension of Age-Appropriate Text

Phonological Awareness

Letter and Word Knowledge

MathThe ability to compare, match and sort objects, count small numbers, add and

subtract small quantities, and understand shapes and their characteristics.

Cognition: Math

Classification

Number Sense of Quantity

Number Sense of Math Operations

Shapes

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STATE OF KINDERGARTEN READINESS IN ILLINOIS

Teachers observed 106,670 (81%) of the 132,378 children

enrolled in kindergarten in 2017 on the 14 State

Readiness Measures.

Of the students rated on the 14 State

Readiness Measures, 24% demonstrated

kindergarten readiness

in all three developmental

areas.

Percentage of Students who Demonstrated Kindergarten Readiness

24% DEMONSTRATEDKINDERGARTEN

READINESS IN ALL 3

DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

18%DEMONSTRATED READINESS IN 2 DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

17%

DEM

ONST

RATE

D READINESS

IN 1 D

EVEL

OPMEN

TAL A

REA

IN 0 DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

DEMONSTRATED READINESS

42%

Students who demonstrated

readiness showed the skills, knowledge and

behaviors in three developmental areas:

MathLanguage & LiteracySocial & Emotional

Development

2018 ILLINOIS KIDS REPORT- 6 -

49% Demonstrated Readiness in

Social & Emotional Development KIDS measures in Social and Emotional Development assess children’s curios-ity, ability to self-regulate feelings and behavior, persistence and relationships with nurturing adults and peers. Re-search indicates that developing strong social and emotional skills, especially in the early years, is essential to overall learning and academic achievement. Emerging evidence suggests that fo-cusing on social and emotional devel-opment may actually further improve reading, writing and math performance5.

44% Demonstrated Readiness in

Language & LiteracyKIDS measures that fall within Lan-guage and Literacy assess the prog-ress of development of foundational language and literacy skills. These skills can be demonstrated in any language and through multiple modes of communication, including verbal and non-verbal. Dual language learners may demonstrate knowledge and skills in their home language, in English, or in both. An alternate set of KIDS measures is available for teachers of English Learners, who are required to be provided with literacy instruction in their native language.

30% Demonstrated Readiness in

MathKIDS measures that fall within the math developmental area assess children’s observation skills, exploration of people and objects, investigation of objects and concepts. Early math skills developed in the years before and during kinder-garten are one of the best predictors of later success in both math and literacy by third grade6. Those findings from a seminal 2007 study has fueled a growing movement among early childhood educators to boost early math instruction and skill-building in the earliest years through third grade. Early math proficiency also has been found to affect a child’s interest and confidence in the subject during elementary and middle school, and strongly predicts later success in math7. Demonstrating readiness in math is linked to students’ increased likelihood of attending and completing college8.

KINDERGARTEN READINESS BY DEVELOPMENTAL AREA

Illinois requires teachers to observe kindergarten students on the 14 State Readiness Measures. Readiness data in this report only reflects students rated on the required measures within the first 40 days of school.

SOCIAL & EMOTIONALDEVELOPMENT

LANGUAGE& LITERACY

MATH

49%

44%

30%

Percentage of Students who Demonstrated Kindergarten Readiness by

Developmental Area

*KIDS allows children to demonstrate mastery through a variety of communication modes, languages and behaviors. KIDS can still be used effectively with students who speak languages other than English and/or who do not use oral lan-guage to communicate. Two alternate measures are available to measure language development for English Learners.

Students fully prepared to enter kindergarten are ready in 3 Developmental Areas: Math; Language & Literacy*; Social & Emotional Development

5 – Emma García, “The Need to Address Noncognitive Skills in the Education Policy Agenda” (The Economic Policy Institute, December 2, 2014). 6 – Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., . . . Japel, C. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1428-1446. 7 – G.M. Mulligan, J.C. McCarroll, K.D. Flanagan, and D. Potter, Finding from the Third-Grade Round of Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 2016). 8 –“Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children” (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2017).

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KINDERGARTEN READINESS AMONG SUBGROUPS

Breakdown of race for the

106,670 Illinois kindergarteners

rated on the 14 State Readiness Measures in 2017

White

Hispanic/ Latino

Black

Asian

2+ Races American Indian/Alaska Native Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

50%

24%

15%

5% 4% <1%

DEMO

GRAPHIC

S

Black and Hispanic or Latino students in Illinois entered kindergarten with lower rates of readiness than their Asian and White peers. (See “Rates of Readiness Among Subgroups” on right.)

The reasons why students of color enter kindergarten be-hind their White peers are complex. Students of color are more likely to live in households experiencing food inse-curity9, higher rates of unemployment10, housing instability and poor health,11 all of which could be barriers to a child’s development. Additionally, many students of color still are not able to access quality early education experiences.12 These disparities tend to be most prevalent among house-holds with children under the age of five, which are the most critical years for human brain development.13

Students who receive additional support through other state and district programs, including Individual Education Plans (IEPs), Free and Reduced -price Lunch (FRL), and identification as an English Learner (EL), are entering kindergarten behind the state average. Of the students rated on the 14 State Readiness Measures:

9 – Hunger in America. (2014) http://www.feedingamerica.org/research/hunger-in-ameri-ca/key-findings.html 10 – Bureau of Labor and Statistics. https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000006 11 – National Institute of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1484604/ 12 – The Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-op-portunity-race-and-education/ 13 – The Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/early-childhood-development-the-promise-the-problem-and-the-path-forward/

White

Hispanic/Latino

Black

Asian

2+ Races

29%

13%

19%

32%

25%

Percentage of kindergarteners who demonstrated readiness in all 3 developmental areas, broken down by race.

Readiness information for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native are not reported due to limited sample size.

RATES OF READINESS AMONG SUBGROUPS

11% of kindergarteners

with an IEP demonstrated

readiness

15%of kindergarteners

identified as an English Learner

(EL) demonstrated readiness

16%of kindergarteners

enrolled in Free & Reduced-

price Lunch, which requires

low-income eligibility,

demonstrated readiness

IEPs EL FRL

2018 ILLINOIS KIDS REPORT- 8 -

Learn more at isbe.net/KIDS

PUBLISHED AUGUST, 2018, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

KIDS RESOURCES AVAILABLEISBE has committed five years of funding to support KIDS Coaches across the state of Illinois. KIDS Coaches are available to all districts to support professional development and training for teachers at the classroom, school, district or regional level. KIDS Coaches provide a range of services including, but not limited to, one-on-one technical assistance calls and visits, group coaching sessions, classroom walkthroughs, overview meetings and support in interpreting and using data to improve classroom instruction.

To find a coach for your region, visit isbe.net/KIDS, click on “Find Your KIDS Coach”

ISBE will partner with the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Midwest in the 2018-2019 academic year to offer workshops on how to translate KIDS data into developmentally-appropriate practice.

Administrators, teachers and families can access KIDS tools and resources, including activities that families can engage in with their children at home, at isbe.net/kids.

KIDS DATA CAN ACCELERATE ACTIONThis first release of statewide KIDS data represents an important step toward understanding in a uniform, comprehensive way where Illinois’ children are at the start of formal schooling. As a state, we have previously known little to nothing about our youngest learners before third grade. Yet, equity and opportunity gaps emerge well before third grade, and even years before kindergarten. In a bold effort to gather data to help policymakers, advocates, schools, and communities address equity gaps, 8,300 kindergarten teachers across Illinois began implementing the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). The first year of statewide implementation in the 2017-18 school year follows five years of piloting in select districts.

KIDS data provide a more nuanced picture of a child’s strengths and needs–critical information necessary to drive improvement of services before and after a child enters kindergarten.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES MATTERChildren enter kindergarten with a wide range of prior child care and education experiences, including in-home care, center-based care, Early Intervention, informal child care, Home Visiting, Head Start and school-based Pre-K. Decades of evidence documents the important role that quality early childhood programs play in children’s lifelong academic success. University of Chicago Nobel Laureate James Heckman’s analysis of the Perry Preschool program found a 7 to 10 percent per year return on investment based on increased school and career achievement, as well as reduced costs in remedial education, health and criminal justice system expenditures. More recent research by Heckman shows that quality early-childhood programs from birth to five years old can provide as much as a 13 percent return on investment through better education, economic, health, and social outcomes.14

14 – Heckman, James. Heckman Equation. https://heckmanequation.org