Dear Parents/Guardians,

Irvington Public Schools is committed to providing a high-quality education that guarantees college
preparedness and career readiness for every child.

The New Jersey Department of Education is mandating all school districts in the state to administer a
Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. The assessment
will be administered within the first six to eight weeks of the school year to measure children’s
knowledge, skills, and behaviors at the beginning of kindergarten.

The KEA will measure social-emotional development, cognitive development, language and literacy
development, mathematical and scientific reasoning, and physical development to establish a
performance and development baseline for every student in kindergarten. Students will be
administered the KEA in all general education, bilingual education, and special education classrooms
by their teachers. Physical education/health teachers will offer support by assessing the physical
development component, teachers will also collect data.

The KEA, developed by Renaissance Star Early Literacy will monitor student progress as they advance
through third grade and ensure that students are reaching important milestones during their formative
years of education. The assessment will also serve as an effective method to enhance the partnership
between families and their child’s learning community. Sharing the results of the assessment with
families will provide an opportunity to reinforce classroom learning at home by keeping families
engaged with their child’s learning experiences and aware of their child’s skill levels.

The administration of the KEA will take place for all kindergarten students by October 2023. Feel free
to contact your child’s School Counselor for questions about the KEA.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Dr. April Vauss
Superintendent of Schools