Kindergarten Essential Skills Assessment (KESA)

Measures Critical Skills that Predict End-of-Year Kindergarten Success
Main product art for Kindergarten Essential Skills Assessment (KESA).
ISBN: 978-1-57128-972-8
Publisher: ATP
Purchase Options
Item
KESA Complete Test Kit
8972-8P
$252.00
Manual, 25 Record Forms, 25 Examinee Workbooks, Test Plates, Timer, Transparency, 8 Building Blocks, 1" Masking Tape, 8-Crayon Box, all in a sturdy messenger bag
Components (Sold Separately)
Manual
8973-5
$77.00
25 Record Forms
8974-2
$55.00
25 Examinee Workbooks
8975-9
$44.00
Test Plates
8976-6
$44.00

Author(s): Raymond E. Webster, PhD / Angela H. Matthews, MA, CAS

  • School Readiness
  • At-Risk Identification
  • Ages 4 to 5
  • Individual Administration
  • Norm-Referenced
  • Qualification Level B
  • Description
    The KESA supports early identification and intervention for children who are at risk for kindergarten retention and special education referral. It can help providers determine the need for additional classroom support and/or further evaluation. The KESA works well as a global screener and can provide the teacher with a snapshot of the range of skills and challenges in a class, or specifically for children who are at known risk or present with early struggles and may need special education referral.

    The KESA can be used in the last year of preschool and also at the start of kindergarten. It covers the major factors that have been identified as predictive of school success:

  • Motor skills
  • Ability to comprehend and follow oral directions
  • Visual memory and visual attention
  • Academic skills
  • Phonemic awareness
  • Vocabulary
  • Behavioral regulation

    The KESA fulfills the following purposes:

    • Provides objective data on a child's kindergarten readiness and risk for poor kindergarten achievement
    • Assesses skills in all five student readiness domains identified by the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative
    • Complements curriculum-based and observational measures
    • Can be used as an RTI Tier 1 universal screener
    • Can assist schools in making kindergarten entry decisions for underage children

    Data was collected from a nationally representative sample of 486 children ages 4-0 through 5-11 years. Results of reliability and validity studies are provided in the Manual, including predictive validity to end-of-school-year-outcomes.

    Administration and Scoring
    The KESA takes 25–30 minutes to administer. Scoring can be completed in only 5–10 minutes. The raw score is quickly converted to one overall standard score and percentile rank.
  • See Also...

    The ELCI is a rating scale that elicits information about a child’s observed receptive and expressive language and social/play skills.

    The LRS-5 is a research-based tool that lets principals and administrators make informed decisions about the sensitive issue of retention. Backed by comprehensive research of the literature regarding grade school retention, it is a useful aid for to help insure that the educational opportunities available during the school year are appropriate and administered with fidelity.

    The ASC is useful for assessing listening comprehension in a wide range of young children, including those with language impairments and developmental disabilities, and young English-language learners (ELLs).

    The WABC is a unique, norm-referenced assessment that evaluates a child’s understanding and use of basic concepts.

    The YCAT-2 provides an early identification of children at risk for later school failure.

    The TOPEL can identify preschoolers who are at risk for literacy problems, allowing early intervention.