What does the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate mean?

All Public school kindergarten children receive a screening to assess their “kindergarten readiness” within the first 30 days of the school year, as required by state law.  This year, a new assessment instrument, the STAR Early Literacy Assessment, was implemented. It is an online computer program that Kindergarten students take independently within the first 30 schools days. The STAR Early Literacy assesses alphabetic principles, letter recognition, and early math skills. Technological assistance is offered to a child, if needed, to navigate the assessment.   The assessment scores of the children are then connected back to the class/child care center where the child attended Voluntary Pre-K (VPK).  The scores of the children who took the STAR Early Literacy assessment at each Kindergarten are then averaged in order to establish the program’s VPK Readiness Rate. This year, children’s scores were significantly lower than in previous years, and these lower scores were applied toward the individual child care centers/classes where the children attended VPK.  This year’s scores were lower not only in Broward County, but throughout the State of Florida. While certainly not ignoring these scores, there are other factors that may have contributed to the lower scores.

For many kindergarten students (and their teachers), this was the first time they had used a computer and mouse to take a test.   During the VPK year, children were assessed by having them point to answers in a book. Additionally, many VPK classrooms utilize tablets with touch screens when implementing technology into learning.  Using a computer and/or mouse may be a new skill for some children and time to adapt and create comfort is short since testing occurs within the first month of school.

Additionally, in the weeks of summer vacation, many children lose some of the content that was reinforced throughout the VPK school year.  This is known as “summer slide”.  Students have a tendency to score much lower on standardized tests at the beginning of a school year than on tests taken at the beginning of the school as they are adjusting to a new learning environment. This is often demonstrated on the VPK Assessment which is given at the beginning and at the end of the year. The majority of children demonstrate progress and score higher in May than they did when the program started in August.

Finally, the Kindergarten Readiness Rate may not be entirely accurate because children who attend private school after VPK aren’t required to be tested.  There is currently no formula in place to account for this factor when calculating scores. Therefore, the Readiness Rate doesn’t reflect all children who attended the program and doesn’t take into account the successful progress of children who are attending kindergarten in private schools.

In summary, the Kindergarten Readiness Rate is not a sole reflection of a school and should not be used in isolation when choosing a VPK program that is right for your child/family.  The STAR Assessment is best used as a baseline to determine what children know when they enter kindergarten and how the kindergarten teacher can plan for their instruction. As we learn more and become more familiar with the STAR assessment, partner with our public school kindergarten programs and implement the new Four Year Old Standards, the ELC is committed to providing continued training and support for our VPK classrooms and families preparing for Kindergarten.