A National Scan of Statewide Kindergarten Entry Assessments and Data Reports

Studies show that young children’s readiness at kindergarten entry is significantly associated with their academic achievement and lifelong well-being. Kindergarten entry assessments (KEA) and the presentation of their data are important to understanding and supporting children’s educational journeys. However, there has been limited exploration of states’ implementation of KEAs and data reports. The current study conducted a national scan of KEA implementation, KEA training for teachers, and data presentation. In 2023–2024, we collected data from state home pages in 50 United States and Washington, D.C. Data included KEA administration (e.g. assessment type and timeline), KEA training (e.g. training required to ensure reliability), and KEA data reports (e.g. data analyzed by child demographics). Research Findings: There were 35 active KEAs (68.6%). While most states relied on teachers’ informal assessment (80.0%), only about 30.0% of the states required teacher training. Although many states reported the overall KEA scores, fewer states reported non-academic KEA domains and the KEA data by districts/schools or by child demographics. Practice or Policy: We discuss implications and offer suggestions for states to provide more training and support for kindergarten teachers, the need for more focus on non-academic KEA domains and contextualized reporting of KEA data.