Comparing the Content of and Home Language Use Policies for Six GOLD®-Based Kindergarten Entry Assessments

• In Event: Early Childhood Assessments

Abstract

Two consequentially-related education policy topics in the United States are kindergarten entry assessments (KEAs) and the growing number of students who are “English learners” (ELs). In this study I compared the content of, and home language use policies for six state KEAs, all of which were comprised of items from the marketed-as-customizable GOLD® observational measure. The six sampled GOLD®-based KEAs differed in the domains included and items for which teachers were expected to collect evidence, as well as the extent to which such evidence was permitted to be collected while EL kindergartners used their home language. These results expand our understanding of the potential utility of these KEAs to provide valid and reliable evidence of EL kindergartners’ knowledge and skills.

Author

• Debra J. Ackerman, PERC