Kentucky’s newest crop of kindergarteners is right around the corner from screening that looks at how “ready” they are to begin their K-12 journey and whether students need more support. 

The “readiness” assessment reflects less on a student and more on the support systems available for that child from birth to age 5, said Dr. Jaesook Gilbert, a professor of early childhood education at Northern Kentucky University. 

“School readiness really depends on all other entities, which is the adults that touch the child’s life,” she said. 

How is readiness measured? 

Kentucky began measuring readiness in 2013, using a common kindergarten entry screener called the BRIGANCE Early Childhood Screen III. 

The window for testing opens 15 days before the instructional year and closes 30 days after the year begins. 

The brief 10- to 15-minute screener assesses children in three main areas: academic and cognitive development, language development and physical development.

Parents or caregivers then also complete an assessment of their child’s social and emotional skills and “self-help,” or the ability to do things like put on their own clothes. 

Results primarily aim to inform parents and educators whether any further testing or support is needed to bring kindergarteners up to speed as they begin their formal public education. 

Using the BRIGANCE method, kindergarteners are screened into three buckets: “ready,” “ready with enrichments,” which exceeds baseline readiness, or “ready with interventions,” which often leads to additional testing and support. 

How are the results used? 

Screener results are aggregated at the state level and reported back to parents of kindergarteners, though different schools and districts distribute the information with varying timelines and methods.

It’s standard for a “ready with interventions” score to prompt a one-on-one conversation with a kindergartener’s family, according to Dr. Jenny Watson, vice president of early learning and family power at EducateNKY, a nonprofit focused on improving the region’s education landscape. 

Interventions can include additional diagnostic testing and decisions about whether to bring in support like special education services. Gilbert also noted that despite the importance of BRIGANCE screening, the assessment only captures a moment in time. 

“It’s just that 15-minute snapshot. So, you know, you got to take it with a grain of salt,” she said. 

In Kentucky, the decision about whether a kindergarten-aged child stays in kindergarten for the entire day — or goes to preschool for certain subjects like math — lies with the principal.

But Watson said those conversations are a team effort with families. 

“The goal is always to get the parents on your side,” Watson said.

A statewide lens  

On average, less than half of Kentucky’s kindergarteners are ready for school each year, according to data collected since 2013.

The percentage of students screened as ready or beyond ready for kindergarten has bounced between roughly 44% and 51% since the start of the 2013 school year, according to information from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood. 

Screener scores are even lower in the six river cities, where EducateNKY recently expanded its Read Ready Network, an initiative that approaches kindergarten preparedness as a holistic issue. 

Available resources through Read Ready include reading and learning materials, partnerships with healthcare providers and information on childcare and preschool. The campaign is also painted in murals decorating the river cities.

Screener data is a key metric for EducateNKY and other state and regional education stakeholders looking to measure and improve readiness.

“I’m not going to stop in this effort till 100% of our kids are ready for kindergarten,” Watson said.

She highlighted that readiness starts at birth.

“Because 80% of a child’s structure of their brain forms before they’re 3, the later we wait, the harder it is to close those gaps,” Watson said.

But beyond families and the growing pool of resources to support them, Watson also highlighted the ability of Kentucky’s schools to bring students up to speed once they arrive. 

“Once the child is in school the full day, there’s a lot more opportunities for them to catch up than you would think,” she said.