The Oregon State Board of Education established the state rule for the original Kindergarten Assessment in 2013. The state received feedback from families and educators that the Oregon Kindergarten Assessment (OKA) was not a culturally responsive tool and was particularly harmful and problematic for children and families in communities marginalized by Oregon’s education system. 

In addition, staff administering the OKA did not receive implicit and explicit bias training. Educators and school administrators also expressed concerns about its purpose and whether it duplicated existing screening and monitoring systems. The redesigned tool will center family voices, support anti-racist practices and a whole-child approach, and foster a safe and supportive environment for Oregon’s young children and families.

• Confusion about the purpose of the Kindergarten Assessment 
• Concerns about the timing of the assessment and children’s first experiences with school
• Concerns about the interpretation and reporting of results 
• Concerns about the cultural responsiveness of the assessment, including, but not limited to, assessing students who speak a language other than English and the risk of implicit bias
• Concerns about how schools engage students and their families regarding the assessment purpose, interpret individual student results, and how the results are used
• Concerns about the assessment not considering the whole child*.

*The whole-child approach fosters all areas of children’s development and learning—from social–emotional and cognitive skills to literacy, math, and science understanding—and offers a powerful, supportive approach as preschool children transition to kindergarten.

The process of redesigning the Oregon Kindergarten Assessment will be referred to as the “Early Learning Transition Check-In: A Collaborative Engagement with Community.” The redesign is being informed by feedback from and collaboration with Oregon’s communities. An example of this community-informed process is our family listening sessions in spring 2022. 

The first tool created for the redesign is a family conversation where kindergarten teachers will sit with families and ask them important questions about their child’s experiences and the conditions that create the best learning environments for them. Nine schools participated in a pilot of the family conversation in fall 2022. Another pilot will take place in fall 2023.  

The goals of the family conversation are: 

• Connect educators and families
• Help educators get to know each child and learn about their experiences before kindergarten 
• Create a space for families to ask any questions

The Early Learning Transition Check-In will center family and community voices and will  implement anti-racist assessment practices.

ODE and ELD are intentionally connecting with families and students who have been historically marginalized by our education systems to ensure that the approach we are taking is respectful, accessible, and provides meaningful information for both families and educators, regardless of the child’s background.

ODE and ELD are also collaborating with an advisory panel to redesign the assessment tool. The advisory panel consists of early educators, kindergarten educators, early learning system partners, and researchers. The selection process ensured that panel members have:

• A strong equity lens
• Represent Oregon’s diverse communities, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x and other people of color
• Represent different regions around the state
• Have experience delivering the Kindergarten Assessment and/or have used the Kindergarten Assessment data to inform classroom practices and educational systems

The primary purpose of the Early Learning Transition Check-In is to collect information that can be used to inform Oregon’s early learning and care sector at the local, regional, and state levels. See below image that describes the purpose of this redesign. The redesign will also support families in building relationships with their kindergarten educators.

Educators can use the information to get to know each student and your family better. Educators may also use the information families provide to make adjustments in their classroom management style, curriculum, or instructional approach to support the individual strengths and needs of each student. Educators will also be able to use the information to connect families with resources.

ODE and ELD will use the information to better understand families’ experiences and inform the state’s education programs, policies, and funding. The information may also be used to:

• Increase understanding of experiences for all Oregon’s young children and families. Currently, the Early Learning Division only has data on children from birth to 5 who receive publicly-funded programs or services.
• Inform regional efforts with data on types of care children receive before Kindergarten.
• Ensure consistent and purposeful data collection for ALL children entering kindergarten. 
• Identify gaps and coordinate cross-sector efforts to support families. 

Connect with goals outlined in Raise Up Oregon: A Statewide Early Learning System Plan.

Yes, OAR 581-022-2130 requires the administration of a community-informed information gathering tool at the beginning of kindergarten. During the piloting phase, only volunteer schools will participate. Districts will not be required to report on this rule until the pilot has concluded and the new Community Informed Information Gathering Process is fully implemented statewide. Schools who are not involved in the pilot should not administer any parts of the previous Kindergarten Assessment.

All schools are invited to participate in the pilot process. 

ODE and ELD began recruitment in spring 2022 for a district pilot to test out the newly designed tool with educators and families. ODE and ELD focused on recruiting schools who serve communities and children at the margins of the education system and who were least well served by the previous Oregon Kindergarten Assessment. Participation in the district pilot was voluntary.For more information on participating in future pilots, school districts may contact ODE at Prekcheckin@ode.oregon.gov.

The call for participation in the fall 2023 pilot is closed. Collaboration with schools has already begun. Aligning school calendars, timely training of school staff, and communication to parents/caregivers requires months of planning and coordination. . If you are interested in participating in the fall 2024 pilot, please contact PreKCheckin@ode.oregon.gov.

At this time, the redesign is still being tested. Oregon will continue to pilot the Family Conversation until there is legislative support. This provides time to improve and develop other components.

ODE will provide participating schools sample invitations and letters to send to families. Schools may also customize these templates for their community. ODE and ELD are also working with early learning and care partners to promote and increase awareness of the Early Learning Transition Check-In to Oregon’s families and communities.

ODE and ELD will provide the Family Conversation questions and Fall 2023 Pilot: Family conversation One Pager in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Chuukese, English, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Sample invitations and letters for families will not be translated. School districts are encouraged to use parent teacher conference protocol with materials inviting parents to the family conversation. Consistent and varied communication methods, and shared by multiple staff members is highly recommended.