The Kindergarten Assessment is a Starting Point

A few weeks ago OPB’s Think Out Loud featured a conversation about Oregon’s new Kindergarten Assessment. If you were listening, the conversation might have left you with more questions than answers. Not surprising with such a complex issue, but the confusion is not helped by the focus on the assessment itself. If I ruled the media markets, we’d instead be focusing on the value of understanding more about the opportunities and challenges young children face in our community. We’d be talking about what it means to have a robust early learning experience and we’d be using the media coverage to rally the community to provide that experience to more of Portland’s children.

Instead, much of the conversation has been focused on what is or isn’t in the assessment. This isn’t to say that the content of the assessment is not important. It certainly is, and it is an academic discussion. One of our Partners, Stephanie Feeney, was a guest on the program as an early childhood expert and Adjunct Professor at Portland State University. Stephanie is clear that she doesn’t see much value in the literacy and numeracy content of the current assessment and she has suggestions for improvement. It is terrific that Stephanie is adding her voice and value to the conversation. As an academic herself, it is a perfect role for her.

The academic conversation however should not distract from the practical and urgent conversation around the experiences of young children in our community. The kindergarten assessment sheds light on significant inequities and that is an important first step. Yes, we need to get the content of the assessment right and yes, we need to diagnose the challenges and invest in solutions. This isn’t an either/or conversation.