Policy Analysis of the
Massachusetts School
Readiness Assessment System
Ashaunta Tumblin, M.D.
Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University
Minority Health Policy Fellow
May 12, 2011
Preface
•
This analysis represents independent research
conducted in collaboration with Strategies for
Children, Inc. and the Massachusetts
Departments of Early Education and Care and
Elementary and Secondary Education.
•
It is designed to inform and complement state
efforts, but it does not represent the ongoing
work of the Commonwealth to establish the
Massachusetts kindergarten readiness
assessment system.
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Study Rationale
Study Goals
Study Methods
Study Results
• Literature Reviews
• Key Informant Interviews
• Survey and Focus Group
•
Policy Recommendations
Introduction
• School readiness refers to the readiness of the
child to succeed in school across several
developmental domains as well as the readiness
of the school, family, and community to support
learning
•
Differences in school readiness contribute to
health disparities
•
Lack of precise definitions and standardized data
collection limits our ability to address health
disparities in children
Fiscella D, Kitzman H. Disparities in academic achievement and health: the intersection of child
education and health policy. Pediatrics. 2009;123:1073-1080.
Institute of Medicine. Child and Adolescent Health and Health Care Quality: Measuring What
Matters. April 2011.
Study Rationale
•
No statewide measure of child outcomes prior
to the 3rd grade MCAS
•
Per the enabling statute of the Department of
Early Education and Care (EEC), there must be
•
A kindergarten readiness assessment system
• Measures the extent to which every preschoolaged child has a fair and full opportunity to learn
upon kindergarten entry
•
In developing the assessments, there must be
•
•
Survey of all providers in the commonwealth
Review of assessment systems in other states
Massachusetts General Law Part I Title II Chapter 15D Section 12
Study Goals
•
Develop an understanding and summary of
school readiness definitions in other states
•
Develop an understanding and summary of
state-level school readiness policy in
Massachusetts
•
Document district-level school readiness
assessment systems in Massachusetts
•
Research the potential role of the pediatric
community in supporting school readiness
Study Methods
Policy Analysis: Literature Review and
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
Other States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Results:
Literature Review of
School Readiness
Definitions in Other
States
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
School Readiness Definitions in
Other States: 2000
•
No state had a statewide definition of school
readiness
•
A child who is five years old by a certain date is
often considered ready for school
Saluja, G., Scott-Little, C., & Clifford, R. Readiness for school: A survey of state policies and
definitions. ECRP, 20:2. 2000.
Education Commission of the States. 2000.
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
School Readiness Definitions in
Other States: 2011
•
Hawaii
• Positive interaction among the child's developmental
characteristics, school practices, and family and
community support
•
Minnesota
• Skills, knowledge, behaviors, and accomplishments
that children know and can do as they enter
kindergarten in the following areas of child
development
•
•
•
•
•
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social and emotional development
approaches to learning
language and literacy development
creativity and the arts
cognition and general knowledge
physical well being and motor development.
Stedron, J. NCSL Technical Report: State Approaches to School Readiness Assessment. 2010.
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2002/bills/SB2283_sd1_.htm
http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/EarlyLearning/documents/Report/017119.pdf
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Results:
Literature Review of
School Readiness
Policy in
Massachusetts
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Proposed 2001 School Readiness
Definition in Massachusetts
Communication ability
Physical health
Social knowledge
Cognitive skills
Influences of people and
cultures
Influences of the
environment
Quality, expectations, and
capacities of early
childhood programs and
elementary schools
Family support from greater
community
Wieworka, A., Washington, V. School Readiness in Massachusetts: A Report of the Governor’s
Commission on School Readiness. 2001.
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
School Readiness Policy in
Massachusetts
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•
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1978: Public sues MA for unequal education spending
1993: Education Reform Act equalizes district spending
2001: Governor’s Commission on school readiness in MA
2004: National School Readiness Indicators Meeting
2005: Dept. of Early Education & Care (EEC) established
2007: Universal Pre-kindergarten pilot program launched
2008: Universal Pre-kindergarten program requires use
of one of four assessment tools
• 2011: Quality Rating and Improvement System launched
EEC and NYU plan assessment pilot in Springfield
http://www.minnesotaspromise.org/publications/documents/Massedreformsummary.pdf
http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1993/1993acts0071.pdf
http://www.mass.gov/Eoedu/docs/EEC/research_planning/state_planning/eec_strategic_plan.pdf
School Readiness in MA: A Report of the Governor’s Commission on School Readiness. 2001.
State Profiles: School Readiness Indicators and Lessons Learned. May 2004.
A Case Study of the MA Dept. of Early Education and Care. April 2008.
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
N = 25
District Focus Group
Results:
Key Informant Interviews
of Other State Leaders,
Massachusetts Leaders,
and Pediatricians
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
Definitions of School Readiness
District Focus Group
•
Specific skill sets, developmental capacities, or
state-determined indicators
•
Schools are ready for all children, independent
of an individual child’s readiness for school
• School readiness begins prenatally, if not
preconception
•
The term “school readiness” is misleading
because it prompts a yes/no answer to the
continuum of child development
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Purposes of School Readiness
Assessment
• Identify children at risk for learning disabilities
or developmental delay
•
Align early childhood programming with
kindergarten expectations
•
Guide individualized curriculum development
and instruction
• Inform state and district policy and practices
• Follow progress reducing the achievement gap
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
The Ideal School Readiness
Assessment Tool
• Low-cost, quick, and easy to administer
• Align with early learning and common core
standards
• Assess multiple domains with ongoing
observation
•
Return results on a continuous scale with a
wide range
• Available in different languages
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Challenges of Statewide School
Readiness Assessment
• Overcoming fears of misuse of data
• Including community-based programs
• Training, time, and budgetary requirements
• Selecting the appropriate tool
• Returning data to providers in timely fashion
• Effective use of the data to improve outcomes
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
Results:
Survey and Focus
Group of District
Leaders in
Massachusetts
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
District Definitions of School
Readiness: Survey Results
Does your district have a definition of
school readiness?
Survey Responses
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
Yes
No
I don't know
0
•
10
20
30
40
Response Percent
50
60
70
District definitions of school readiness
•
•
•
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A particular level of child development
Achievement of a specific skill set
Reaching district-defined age for kindergarten
Ready families, schools, and communities
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
District Purposes of Assessment:
Survey Results
•
3 out of 4 respondents report from a district that
uses a school readiness assessment or screen
What is your district's stated purpose for using this
kindergarten readiness tool?
Identify children with developmental
delays and/or learning disabilities
Survey Responses
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
Assess levels of children's development
Facilitate discussions between parents
and teachers
Tailor curriculum and instruction to the
individual child
0
20
40
60
80
Response Percent
100
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
District Purposes of Assessment:
Focus Group Findings
•
Target placement and allocation of resources
•
•
•
Some fear premature decision-making
Others review placement ≥ 6 times per year
Collect data from preschools and parents
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
District View of Assessment Tools:
Survey & Focus Group Findings
Question
97%
96%
1st
88%
82%
74%
81%
2nd
61%
78%
73%
3rd
Importance of measured domains
Social
Literacy
Emotion
Math
Statewide tool should measure
Social
Literacy
Emotion
Math
Motor
Domains assessed by current tools
Motor
Literacy
Math
Key Informant Interviews of School Readiness Leaders
and Literature Reviews
Other
States
District Survey
Massachusetts
• State
• District
• Community
Pediatricians
District Focus Group
District Leaders on Statewide
Assessment Challenges
•
Survey Results (Top 4 of 11 responses)
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•
•
•
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Time required to conduct the assessment
Uniform administration for consistency
Training in interpretation of results
Timely access to results for educators
Focus Group Findings
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Different kindergarten entry dates across districts
Educate parents that assessment will not be
used to exclude children from kindergarten
Policy
Recommendations
Policy Recommendations
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Federal government
• Annually publish data on all 50 states’ readiness
definitions and assessment practices
• Provide incentives & supports for assessment &
information technology in ELCF, ESEA, & ACA
• Provide Medicaid reimbursement for screens at 9-,
18-, and 24- months of age as well as the 4-yearold school readiness well child check
Massachusetts legislature and governor
• Invest state funding in early education and care
• Specify and phase-in a statewide date to assess
kindergarten entry age
• Ensure state-funded health care reimbursements
for assessments and screens
ELCF = Early Learning Challenge Fund
ESEA = Elementary and Secondary Education Act
ACA = Affordable Care Act
Policy Recommendations
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EEC and DESE
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•
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Consensus definition of school readiness by 2012
noting importance of social & emotional skills
Slow and steady scale-up of statewide school
readiness assessment system
Other inter-agency collaborations
•
Enhanced EEC and DPH collaboration around
Early Intervention services and pilot of DPH-run
Early Development Inventory
•
DPH proposes regulatory changes to pilot
assessment by pediatricians in alignment with
EEC, DESE, and AAP standards
EEC = Department of Early Education and Care
DESE = Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
DPH = Department of Public Health
AAP = American Academy of Pediatrics
Acknowledgements
• MA Department of Early Education and Care
• MA Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education
•
•
Strategies for Children, Inc.
•
•
•
The Commonwealth Fund
•
Research participants
Harvard Department of Diversity and
Community Partnership
Harvard School of Public Health
Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University
Minority Health Policy co-fellows