Richard Woods, Georgia’s School Superintendent
“Educating Georgia’s Future”
January 27, 2015
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Georgia Kindergarten Teachers
FROM:
Melissa Fincher, Ph.D.
Deputy Superintendent, Assessment and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Essential Skills and Concepts for Kindergarten Entry Profile Survey
In collaboration with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, the Georgia Department of Education is developing a
Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP) as a component of the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS).
Your input is requested through the completion of the survey provided in the link below. This survey lists the concepts and skills
thought to be essential for students to possess upon entry to Kindergarten. These concepts and skills were recommended by a
committee of your colleagues (Georgia Kindergarten teachers). Please indicate your agreement or disagreement with the concepts and
skills listed. Should you disagree with a concept or skill, please provide an explanation. These results will be analyzed and used to
inform the next steps in the development process. Your knowledge of young learners coupled with your experience in a Georgia
Kindergarten classroom serves an important and valuable role in our work.
This survey is administered by the Georgia Center for Assessment at The University of Georgia, on behalf of the GaDOE. No
personally identifiable information will be collected; all responses are anonymous.
Please click the following link to begin the survey: Georgia KEP Survey
We anticipate that it will take no more than 15 - 20 minutes to complete the survey. We ask that the survey be completed prior to
February 13, 2015.
If you have any questions about the GKIDS KEP or the survey itself, please contact Dr. Jan Reyes at jreyes@doe.k12.ga.us or (404)
463-6665.
Thank you for your help with this important step in the development of the GKIDS KEP and for all you do for Georgia students.
2066 Twin Towers East • 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive • Atlanta, Georgia 30334 • www.gadoe.org
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Richard Woods, Georgia’s School Superintendent
“Educating Georgia’s Future”
More About the KEP
The KEP will augment the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) and be administered during the first six
weeks of Kindergarten. The purpose of the KEP will be to highlight knowledge and skills critical for student success in Kindergarten
and future learning with the intent to guide instruction.
The Georgia KEP will be built to be developmentally appropriate, reflecting research-based best practices for young learners. It will
provide information to allow Kindergarten teachers to individualize instruction, inform our understanding of the skills of children
entering Kindergarten, and provide the early childhood system (i.e., pre-K) with information about the supports and resources needed
to ensure that every Kindergarten student starts school with the skills needed to be successful – in Kindergarten and beyond.
The KEP will consist of both direct (e.g., structured performance tasks) and indirect (e.g., observational) tools. These tasks and
protocols will reflect prioritized knowledge, concepts, and skills deemed necessary to position students for success in future learning.
Administration of the KEP must be unobtrusive and naturalistic within the Kindergarten setting.
Earlier this month, Kindergarten teachers representing a number of districts met to contemplate the concepts and skills to be measured
by the KEP. The committee was asked to consider a broad array of the early learning and development standards used in Georgia’s
pre-K programs and to identify those that would best position an entering Kindergarten student for success in future learning (in
Kindergarten, as well as grades one and two). Given the purpose of the GKIDS KEP is formative (to inform instruction), the
committee was asked to identify the most essential concepts and skills a young student should possess to be best prepared to embark
upon their educational journey.
2066 Twin Towers East • 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive • Atlanta, Georgia 30334 • www.gadoe.org
An Equal Opportunity Employer