KIDS Letter to Parents - Sample - Illinois State Board of ...



The text of this document is being provided by the Illinois State Board of Education as a sample for district use. Please contact the Early Childhood Division at 217/524-0664 or earlychi@ with questions or concerns.

Date

Dear Kindergarten Parents and/or Guardians:

In early 2010, the Illinois State Board of Education Superintendent, Chris Koch, invited a group of educators, advocates, experts, and researchers to form a committee to explore the adoption of a kindergarten readiness assessment process. The committee wanted an assessment that accurately reflects a kindergarten child’s readiness and development, with the intent of promoting long-term student success. The instrument that was recommended by the committee was the Desired Results Developmental Profile-School Readiness© (DRDP-SR©) from the California Department of Education. The DRDP-SR was used as a foundation and adapted for Illinois; that adapted version is now known as the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). Starting with the 2015–2016 school year, all school districts in Illinois with kindergarten programs will be mandated to implement KIDS.

The KIDS assessment is not a test; it is an observational assessment repeated over time in natural, comfortable settings, which is considered best practice for children of this age. Teachers will observe and collect evidence that demonstrates what a child can do as he/she works individually, in small groups, or within the classroom setting as a whole. On-going teacher observations will occur throughout the school day and building. These observations are collected and reviewed by the classroom teacher as a means to better understand the developmental strengths and challenges of each child. KIDS will allow the teacher to tailor classroom instruction to meet the varying needs of the class.

The KIDS instrument provides parents, teachers, and administrators with a clear picture of the child’s developing strengths across multiple domains. A domain is a crucial area of learning and development for young children. Within each domain there are several measures that focus on the specific knowledge, skills, or behaviors a child is able to demonstrate at different points across a developmental continuum. The domains that make up KIDS are:

• Approaches to Learning–Self-Regulation (i.e., engagement and persistence, curiosity and initiative)

• Social and Emotional Development (i.e., relationship skills, identity of self);

• Language and Literacy Development (i.e., concepts of print, letter/sound recognition)

• English-Language Development (for children of varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds)

• Language and Literacy Development in Spanish (for use in a bilingual kindergarten class where the curriculum provides opportunities for learning and development of Spanish)

• Cognition: Math and Cognition: Science (i.e., number sense, exploration)

• Physical Development and Health (i.e., movement concepts, nutrition)

• History–Social Science (i.e., sense of time and place, conflict negotiation, responsible conduct)

• Visual and Performing Arts (i.e., art, music, drama).

Teachers will review, reflect, and report the child’s KIDS rating three times a year. Individual child reports can be shared with parents providing a complete picture of their child’s development. Children may not be at the same developmental level on all of the measures as they do not learn and grow at the same rate in all areas. We believe that KIDS will help schools and families produce learners ready for the 21st century. Please visit for more information on the KIDS instrument and ways you may choose to support your child at home.

Sincerely,

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