***ALERTS***

• District Assessment Coordinators may register schools with kindergarten classes that are not state-funded/full-day for fall 2012 WaKIDS implementation by visiting Washington Assessment Management System (WAMS) - DUE: June 15, 2012
• The State Board of Education is still accepting applications for 180-day WaKIDS waivers - DUE: June 29, 2012

The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a process that helps to ensure a successful start to the K-12 experience.

WaKIDS has three components:

• Family Connection welcomes families into the Washington K-12 system as partners in their child’s education.
• “Whole-Child” Assessment gives kindergarten teachers information about the social and emotional, physical, cognitive and linguistic development of the children in their classrooms, so they may tailor their instruction to the individual needs of each child.
• Early Learning Collaboration aligns practices of early learning professionals and kindergarten teachers to support smooth transitions for children.

WaKIDS provides a statewide snapshot of where children in Washington are in their development at the start of kindergarten. This helps inform state-level decisions about education policy and investments.

WaKIDS is a partnership paid for with state, federal and private funding. It is mandated for state-funded full-day kindergarten programs in the 2012-13 school year by ESHB 2586. The Department of Early Learning (DEL) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) work together to oversee WaKIDS. Private partners include Thrive by Five Washington and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.