Press Room
MSEA Calls for Immediate Suspension of Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
Surveys of Hundreds of Kindergarten Teachers Identify Major Concerns with New Test
On the heels of an outcry from kindergarten teachers across the state, the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) released a report today calling for the State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education to suspend the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) until deep concerns about the assessment and its implementation are addressed. The report is based on surveys and feedback from hundreds of Maryland kindergarten teachers.
“Kindergarten teachers flagged numerous problems with the KRA, including the significant loss of instructional time, the test’s developmental appropriateness, inadequate technology support, and the test’s inability to inform and improve instruction for students,” said MSEA President Betty Weller. “We stand ready to partner with state leaders to ensure that teachers have time to teach, students have time to learn, and assessments serve as effective tools in the classroom.”
Among the report’s findings:
- 91% of kindergarten teachers in an MSEA statewide survey do not believe that the KRA will help improve instruction.
- 78.4% reported technology problems with the administration of the KRA.
- 51% reported that no or minimal accommodations were made for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and English Language Learners (ELL).
The full report, accessible at marylandeducators.org/KRAreport, includes 137 pages of kindergarten teachers’ comments and anecdotes about the KRA that were sent to MSEA. The report also contains a separate survey and set of feedback conducted by the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) in October of more than 350 kindergarten teachers in Montgomery County.
MSEA’s survey and request for feedback from kindergarten teachers was sent out to all kindergarten teacher members statewide in late October. MSEA received nearly 500 completed surveys or lengthy anecdotes from kindergarten teachers.