Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) is a reliable reporting tool that offers teachers an instructional strategy for understanding and tracking a student’s proficiency at kindergarten entry. The tool collects information on a consistent set of standards-based indicators in the domains of: Social and Emotional Development; English Language Arts; Mathematics; Approaches to Learning; and Health, Wellness and Physical Development. PA KEI is intended to be used by kindergarten teachers to record a student’s demonstration of skills within the first 45 calendar days of the kindergarten year. The PA KEI is available to all LEAs at no cost. For more information about the Kindergarten Entry Inventory, please visit: www.kei-pa.org.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities to strengthen the contribution of high-quality early childhood education in school improvement efforts. The law recognizes that school success starts before a student enters the K-12 setting. It calls on states to describe how they will assist school districts and elementary schools to collaborate with early childhood education programs, and to invest in evidence-based practices. ESSA supports early learning and local education agency (LEA) collaboration in three main ways: (1) expanding access to high-quality early learning; b encouraging alignment and collaboration from birth through third grade; and (3) supporting educators.

The PA KEI is a tangible tool to assist districts in understanding the comprehensive learning strengths and needs of students entering the K-12 setting, in establishing common expectations and language for beginning and extending collaborative conversations with pre-kindergarten programs and families, and in planning and implementing joint professional development opportunities that focus on strengthening evidence-based practices for young learners.

For LEAs choosing to implement the PA KEI, a Point of Contact (POC) is required. The POC will act as the liaison between LEA administrative staff, implementing kindergarten teachers, OCDEL, and data systems staff. Having a dedicated POC will ensure that effective communication and implementation occurs throughout the PA KEI process. 

Please send the POC name, email address and phone number to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov by May 29, 2020. Receipt of this information will initiate PA KEI participation in the 2020-2021 school year. All kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development online course and obtain a certificate of completion in order to gain access to the web-based data system. Teachers with a proficient user certificate of completion do not need to repeat the professional development protocol. 

The tentative training schedule is as follows:

April – June:  Face-to-face skills and scoring practice professional development available / dependent on number of teachers and availability of OCDEL staff

April – September:  Required professional development online course available

ALL implementing kindergarten teachers without a proficient user certificate of completion MUST complete either face-to-face training or a required professional development online course.

August – September:  PA KEI systems professional development opportunities available

By the start of school: Implementing kindergarten teachers must have a required professional development online course certificate of completion on file in order to gain systems access

45 calendar days from start of school:  Observation and evidence collection/scoring completed

60 calendar days from start of school:  Data submissions (student outcomes) finalized within data system

Questions may be sent to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov.