Invitation to Opportunities Related to a Kindergarten Entry Inventory

In 2022, the Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), was awarded the Preschool Development Renewal Grant B-5. This three year, $8,000,000/year grant supports early care and educational programming for our youngest students. The Maine DOE, in collaboration with Maine DHHS, is exploring strategies to help support transitions from early childhood settings into kindergarten settings.

One of the many projects included in the grant is the development of a Kindergarten Entry Inventory (KEI). A KEI is a tool administered in the beginning of kindergarten to help teachers gather information about children's development across a range of domains so that teachers can be responsive to children's learning. Additionally, data aggregated from KEIs can help strengthen Maine's early care and education system by identifying areas of steady growth and continuous improvement.

If you are a Maine Kindergarten Teacher, Early Childhood Administrator, Curriculum Director or Instructional Specialist/Coach, the Maine DOE invites you to engage in the design of a Kindergarten Entry Inventory (KEI). Your expertise and perspective are needed in the following areas:

• Consider applying for membership in the KEI Advisory Team. The goals of this group are to determine the key purposes of a KEI, review research and successful implementation practices, and identify constructs within each domain to assess. Services on this committee will include a stipend. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, attendance at monthly virtual meetings as well as 2 in-person meetings per year. School administrative unit leaders and early childhood educators are welcome to complete the application linked below. Applications for this position are being accepted through May 10th.
• Consider applying for a Kindergarten Entry Implementation Specialist position. The goal of these positions is to pilot various domain specific inventory strategies and to provide feedback to the Advisory Group. Services for this position will include a stipend. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, testing inventory strategies with students, offering timely feedback and attendance at periodic in-person and virtual trainings/meetings. All Kindergarten teachers are welcome to complete the application linked below. Applications for these positions are being accepted through May 10th.

Application for KEI Advisory Team can be found here

Application for KEI Implementation Specialist can be found here.

• Communication about selections for the KEI Advisory Team and for the KEI Implementation Specialist positions will be made by May 24th. The KEI Advisory Team will begin meeting in early June and the Implementation Specialists will begin in the summer (date TBD).
• Additionally, in the near future, School Administrators and Kindergarten Teachers will be invited to complete a survey regarding KEI implementation practices in their school administrative unit. The survey will gather information such as domains assessed, materials used, timelines, professional development and reporting.

For questions or additional information regarding the KEI design and pilot, please reach out to Karen Mathieu, Maine DOE Kindergarten Entry Inventory Specialist, at [email protected].