ALE Profile 2022-23

The purpose of this survey is to understand the implementation of full-day kindergarten (FDK) in Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) schools and provide appropriate assistance in implementing WaKIDS.

Schools/programs offering ALE courses or coursework to students enrolled in FDK must administer the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), with fidelity. WaKIDS is intended to identify the skills, knowledge, and characteristics of kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year in order to inform instruction and support social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of individual children.

To maintain fidelity to the state assessment protocol, WaKIDS requires multiple weekly observations of students by certificated teachers each week during the eight-week assessment window. Teachers must be successfully trained in WaKIDS 101 and observations must take place either in person or through synchronous digital instructional contact. While families may help contribute evidence for assessment, the levels of development and learning must be established by a certificated, WaKIDS-trained teacher.
The school/program and the WaKIDS-trained teacher(s) should decide how much in person or synchronous digital instructional contact time is needed to have multiple weekly observations. If you are attempting to determine whether your school/program is implementing with fidelity, ask yourself these questions:

Are you providing multiple weekly opportunities for observation by a certificated teacher either in person or synchronously?
Does the student have the opportunity for prolonged engagement in an activity that the certificated teacher can observe?
If a student does not demonstrate an indicator of development during the allotted time, will he/she have another opportunity? When?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, it is unlikely that your school/program is implementing with fidelity. If this is the case, you may need to increase the opportunity for in person or synchronous observation.

If you have any questions about implementing the assessment, please reach out to wakids@k12.wa.us

1. District name *This question is required.

2. School name *This question is required.

3. School administrator's name *This question is required.

4. School administrator's email *This question is required.

5. How many children are enrolled in full-day kindergarten in this ALE school? This information will be cross-checked with P223 and ALE Year-End reporting. *This question is required.

6. Have your full-day kindergarten teachers been trained in WaKIDS 101? If not, they are not allowed to implement the assessment which will result in not meeting the FDK requirements. *This question is required.