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## KEA Case Studies 

# Kindergarten Teacher Interview Protocol **Introduction and Purpose of Interview** Thank you for your willingness to participate in this interview. We are talking with you and other administrators and teachers in your state and district about the Kindergarten Entry Assessment (or KEA), how it is implemented, and how you are using the res ults. We’d like to learn about what is working well in addition to the challenges and how you’re working to overcome them. We believe information about your experiences will be valuable for the many other states and districts interested in implementing KEAs. It also has the potential to inform federal policy and to help the U.S. Department of Education develop technical assistance that is useful for all states tackling this important effort. This interview will take approximately 45 minutes. After interview ing people who have been involved in decisionmaking and administration of the KEA at the state level, we now want to learn more from you about on

-the

-ground implementation and use of data. **Consent Process** Have each respondent read and sign the consent form. Ask permission to audio

-record the conversation.

______________________________________________________________________________ **We understand that your state has [ selected or modified XX measure or developed its own measure**  **XX ] as your KEA. First, we wa**  **nt to learn a few details about the [ measure** **] itself and the nuts and bolts of administering it.**  1. How many students do you have? Did all your students participate in the KEA? If not, why did some students not participate? **(Q6)** 2. Please describe the process for administering the KEA in your classroom. **(Q6)** 3. When is the [ measure ] administered (i.e., during what time frame of the school year)? How frequently is it administered? **(Q6a)**
a. Is the measure used only to assess status at kindergarten entry or is it admi nistered repeatedly throughout the school year to assess change? 4. What types of evidence are collected as part of the assessment? For example, are knowledge, skills, and abilities assessed through observation, direct assessments, and/or parent reports? **(Q 2b)** 
a. Who administers or provides information about the student for the [measure ]? **(Q6b)** b. How, if at all, are families involved in providing information? **(Q6d)** c. To what degree is technology used to support the administration or scoring of the [ measure ]? **(Q6e)** d. How much time does the KEA require of you? How do you find the time to administer it? **(Q6c)**09000064816fc32b 2

5. What general information is provided to parents and teachers about the [ KEA ] administration? **(Q5)** 

### ✪ Could you provide me with a sample? 6. Please describe the training or support you received on the administration of the KEA. **(Q5, 6b)**
a. Do individuals need to be certified before administering the assessment? **(Q5b)** b. How well prepared did you feel to administer the KEA? **(Q5b)** c. What other supports would have been helpful? **(Q5b)** 7. How, if at all, does your principal, the district, or others monitor and evaluate the implementation of KEAs? **(Q8)** 8. Can you describe how you enter or share the KEA data you collect, if applicable, with your school administra tion, district, or state? **(Q7)** a. In what form are data submitted? b. Where are the data entered (e.g., statewide longitudinal data system or student permanent record)? c. When? **Finding one assessment that can accurately identify young children’s development status across multiple learning domains is challenging. Ensuring that the measure is also linguistically appropriate**  **for children whose primary language is not English adds an other layer of complication, as does the**  **need to accurately assess the strengths and needs of young children with developmental delays or disabilities.**  **Within this context, we’d like to ask about your thoughts concerning the use of the KEA with these par** **ticular populations.** 9. To what degree do you believe the [ KEA measure] accurately assesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities of English learners? **(Q6f)**
a. In what ways were you prepared/trained to use the [measure ] with English learners? b. To what degree do you believe the [ KEA measure] distinguishes between language differences and language delays ? c. What, if any, language support is there to conduct the assessment (e.g., translation, nonverbal stimuli, observations done by bilingual staff or adults)? d. In what ways are expectations or interpretations of the findings adapted for English learners (who are learning their home language while also acquiring a second language)? e. What additional supports would have been helpful in using the KEA with English learners? 10. To what degree do you believe the [ KEA measure] accurately assesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities of children with developmental delays or disabilities? **(Q6f)**09000064816fc32b 3 a. In what ways were you prepared/trained to use the [ KEA measure ] with children with developmental delays or disabilities? b. What accommodations are made and for whom? (For example, children may be given additional time to perform skills, or children with physical limitations might be able to demonstrate a skill verbally.) c. Are there particu lar disability categories for which the [ KEA measure ] is not appropriate? i. Are alternate assessments used with these children? d. In what ways are the results used for screening and referral or IEP purposes? e. What additional supports would have been helpful in using the KEA with children with developmental delays or other disabilities? 11. What have been the most important factors in supporting the implementation of the KEA? 12. What have been the biggest challenges ? a. What solutions have you identified for addressing those challenges? **Now let’s move to how KEA results are used to inform policy and practice.** 13. As a teacher, what information do you receive about students’ KEA results? **(Q9,9a)** a. How useful and reliable do you find the data? Why? 14. What training or support do kindergarten teachers receive to help them use KEA results to inform teaching and learning? **(Q10)** a. Which information or supports were most useful? b. What other information or supports would have been useful? 15. How do you as a kindergarten teacher use KEA results? **(Q11b)** After getting a description, probe: Do you use results to:  Identify children who may need additional supports or further assessment  Identify specific skills to teach to individual student or g roups of students  Incorporate a new instructional strategy to support a commonly needed skill (e.g., something to support motor or social emotional development)  Engage families in knowing children’s strengths and needs and ways to support learning at home  Benchmark learning in order to track progress throughout the year  Other (specify): ____________________________________________ 16. What information is provided to the parents? **(Q9,9a)** a. How is information shared? Do you use the KEA results in parent

-teacher conferences? 

### ✪ Could you provide me with a sample report? 17. Describe any policies regarding how KEA results are not to be used, if there are any (e.g., determine promotion or prevent kindergarten entry in any way). **(Q12)**
a. How were these policies communicated to you?09000064816fc32b 4

18. What have been the most important factors in supporting the use of KEA results to improve students’ educational experience? **(Q15)** 19. What have been the biggest challenges ? **(Q15)** b. What solutions have you identifie d for addressing those challenges? **This is our final question! In closing we’d like you to reflect on how your district and school administered and used KEA data and try to offer learned. (Q13, 14, 15)**  20. Are there lessons learned or recommendations you can share with other districts and schools about KEA selection, implementation, and use of KEA results to inform policy and practice? **Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses.**