Readiness Matters: 2023-2024 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report
Saved in:
| Title: | Readiness Matters: 2023-2024 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Robin L. Hopkins, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Early Childhood, Ready at Five |
| Source: | Maryland State Department of Education. 2024. |
| Availability: | Maryland State Department of Education. 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Tel: 410-767-0600; Web site: http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/Pages/default.aspx |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 38 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Numerical/Quantitative Data Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Kindergarten Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | School Readiness, Kindergarten, Young Children, Literacy, Language Skills, Mathematics Skills, Well Being, Motor Development, Physical Development, Social Development, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Students with Disabilities, English Learners, Low Income Students, Early Childhood Education, Educational Assessment |
| Geographic Terms: | Maryland |
| Abstract: | In Maryland, one way children's well-being is measured is by looking at the data from the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). While the data can illustrate how children perform on various indicators across language and literacy, mathematics, social foundations, and physical well-being and motor development, it is really a reflection of the "readiness" of Maryland communities, families, schools, and early childhood programs to prepare children for the future. Every year, all local education agencies in Maryland administer the KRA to every kindergartener upon entering school, and the statewide and jurisdictional results for overall kindergarten readiness are compiled by performance levels as well as for student populations by gender, race/ethnicity, and prior care setting, and for students receiving special services, including children with disabilities, English learners, and students living in low-income households. KRA data offers valuable insights into trends and patterns and more detailed information about specific student populations, and school systems can use this data to help direct efforts where they are needed the most. In the 2023-2024 school year, teachers assessed nearly 59,000 kindergarten children who entered public schools. Key findings include: (1) 44% of Maryland's kindergartners demonstrate readiness, entering kindergarten classrooms fully prepared to participate in the kindergarten curriculum. This continues a modest but steady increase from 2022-2023 (42%); (2) 32% of children are approaching readiness and will benefit from personalized instruction based on their individual strengths and needs; and (3) 24% of kindergartners, over 14,000 children, demonstrate emerging readiness and will require targeted support or interventions to be successful in kindergarten. The KRA data indicate that students across the state continued to receive the highest average scores in physical well-being and motor development and social foundations, and the lowest average scores in language and literacy and mathematics. This assessment can provide an opportunity for the education community to reflect on how Maryland's early learning systems can support young children and their families before they enter school. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED672612 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In Maryland, one way children's well-being is measured is by looking at the data from the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). While the data can illustrate how children perform on various indicators across language and literacy, mathematics, social foundations, and physical well-being and motor development, it is really a reflection of the "readiness" of Maryland communities, families, schools, and early childhood programs to prepare children for the future. Every year, all local education agencies in Maryland administer the KRA to every kindergartener upon entering school, and the statewide and jurisdictional results for overall kindergarten readiness are compiled by performance levels as well as for student populations by gender, race/ethnicity, and prior care setting, and for students receiving special services, including children with disabilities, English learners, and students living in low-income households. KRA data offers valuable insights into trends and patterns and more detailed information about specific student populations, and school systems can use this data to help direct efforts where they are needed the most. In the 2023-2024 school year, teachers assessed nearly 59,000 kindergarten children who entered public schools. Key findings include: (1) 44% of Maryland's kindergartners demonstrate readiness, entering kindergarten classrooms fully prepared to participate in the kindergarten curriculum. This continues a modest but steady increase from 2022-2023 (42%); (2) 32% of children are approaching readiness and will benefit from personalized instruction based on their individual strengths and needs; and (3) 24% of kindergartners, over 14,000 children, demonstrate emerging readiness and will require targeted support or interventions to be successful in kindergarten. The KRA data indicate that students across the state continued to receive the highest average scores in physical well-being and motor development and social foundations, and the lowest average scores in language and literacy and mathematics. This assessment can provide an opportunity for the education community to reflect on how Maryland's early learning systems can support young children and their families before they enter school. |
|---|
