Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) Changes: What Education Leaders Need to Know before the 2025-2026 School Year

The ripple effects from the implementation of mandatory kindergarten are still showing up in our schools and systems, and we’re taking time today to walk you through the changes to kindergarten entry assessments.

Kindergarten entry assessments (KEAs) have long been a requirement when a child enters the school system. While we don’t know yet the impact mandatory kindergarten will have on enrollment long term, we do know that kindergarten entry assessments are beginning to shift dramatically. First, the Superintendent of State, Cade Brumley, announced that the longer-form KEAs are being phased out for more targeted screeners. Previously, districts could choose to either pay for a GOLD license or utilize DRDP-K which was our favorite price, free ninety-nine. Now, kindergarteners will receive a much more streamlined experience with DIBELs and a yet unnamed mathematics screener. Let me tell you there is literally nothing cuter than a five year old confidently huffing and puffing through some good old phonemic segmentation. Kindergartners were already adorable, and now they’re passionate about sounding out words? No wonder Louisiana’s reading revival has been on such a winning streak.   

Reduced Teacher Administrative Burden

So there’s two good things and one not so great thing about these changes to KEAs. The first good thing is that these changes represent a significant reduction in assessment administration for teachers. Reducing teacher administrative burden has been a big focus of Louisiana’s Teachers Teach workgroup and most classroom teachers will welcome those instructional minutes back. The one not so great thing is that by simplifying down to just literacy and numeracy in our entry assessments, we’ve lost a lot of the whole-child focus kindergarten is famous for. A kid who can confidently sound out 100 nonsense words but can’t sit still in circle time is just not prepared for school, no matter what a test tells you. 

Adapting to Assessment Changes

Teachers and administrators are going to have to get creative in their understanding of the existing data and potentially have an additional behind the scenes burden to support students to adjust to the new literacy and numeracy screener. But there is some good news, which is that because of these simplified assessments, parent engagement should get much easier. Rather than sifting through pages and pages of reporting at parent conferences, these two measures are pretty easy to talk to families about. Parents are going to appreciate the new transparency and that should make it easier to connect and support kids holistically. 

Final Thoughts and How to Take Action

What do you think about the KEA changes? Looking to get affordable support to connect the dots for these assessments? I’d like to invite you to schedule a one on one call with Instructional Data Systems today to review the Cohort Achievement tracker. This simple, scalable tool gives you the insights you need, connected to your RTI, without the need for new software or new platforms.  Check out a video of the Cohort Achievement Tracker here or view a sample copy.

About Instructional Data Solutions: Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. We assist school systems and education organizations of all sizes by collecting, analyzing, and clearly communicating data. We are committed to empowering educators through comprehensive data analytics and tailored support. Additionally, we provide dedicated support for operational needs, process improvement, and special projects, offering customized solutions to enhance effectiveness and success. Our solutions bridge the gap between data collection and instructional improvement in PK-12 settings.