Oregon kindergarten results linked to third-grade skills

The Oregon Department of Education and the Early Learning Division jointly released results Thursday from the 2017-18 kindergarten assessment. This year, for the first time, there is a cohort of students who have taken both the kindergarten assessment and the 3 rd grade assessment – providing more information for the state and local communities to use to target resources for young children.

“Although we only have one year of comparison data, there is a clear correlation between kindergarten assessment and third-grade assessment results. This confirms what we have always known: if we can support children to be ready for success when they enter kindergarten, they are more likely to be on track in 3 rd grade,” said Miriam Calderon, Oregon’s early learning system director.

The kindergarten assessment is given each fall to entering kindergartners and provides a snapshot of students’ foundational skills in three core areas of learning and development: early literacy, early math and interpersonal/self-regulation skills.

2017-18 kindergarten assessment results

· Early literacy skills remained about the same: Oregon kindergartners recognized 8.2 letter sounds, compared with 8.9 letter sounds in the 2016-17 school year; 14.4 uppercase letters, compared with 14.8 last year, and 12.1 lowercase letters, compared with 12.5 last year.

· Early math scores showed an uptick, as students correctly answered 11.2 out of 16 simple math questions, compared with 8.5 of 16 last year. However, these changes may be due to changes to this portion of the assessment last year.

· The interpersonal and self-regulation ratings were unchanged from last year.

Additional analyses will be released in the spring that provide disaggregated data by socio-demographic characteristics. In addition, ODE and ELD will conduct more detailed analysis on students’ progression from kindergarten to third grade.

“Oregon made some important investments in early learning programs in recent years, but there is more work to do to reach all our children,” said Acting Deputy Superintendent Colt Gill. “We know quality early learning sets students on the path for success from kindergarten on through to graduation.”

Oregon’s 16 regional Early Learning Hubs, which work across education, health, human services, and businesses to support families with young children, use the assessment data to prioritize investments, such as Kindergarten Readiness Partnership and Innovation Funds (KRPI).

“As a community, this information provides us the opportunity to look at where and how to invest in services and early learning programs,” said Lisa Harnisch, executive director of the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub.

Kindergarten assessment results, including district-specific data, are available here: http://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Kindergarten-Assessment.aspx . The initial analysis on the correlation between the kindergarten and third-grade assessments is available under ” 2017-18 Interpretive Guidance.”