What is the KEEP? The Keep is a state-designed assessment to be given to students as they enter and exit Kindergarten. The state of Utah requires that this profile be given to every student in Kindergarten. The scores/data obtained from the testing will be used to:
Provide insights into current levels of performance upon entrance and exit of Kindergarten.
Identify students in need of early intervention and promote differentiated instruction for all students.
Analyze effectiveness of programs, such as extended-day kindergarten and preschool.
Provide opportunities for data-informed decision-making and cost-benefit analysis of early learning initiatives.
Understand the influence and impact of full-day kindergarten on at-risk students in both the short- and long-term.
What if my student does not perform well on the Entry Profile? Rest assured that every child will have the opportunity to come to Kindergarten. The KEEP assessment is NOT designed as a qualification test. Granite School District policy dictates that in general, students should advance through school with children their own age. We will use the results of the entry profile to identify the best class placement for your child's Kindergarten experience. Your child's Kindergarten teacher will use the assessment to determine how to help your child be successful.
What will my student have to do for the Entry Profile? Please note that students are not expected to perform every task on the assessment with perfection. It is just fine if your student is unable to correctly complete some of the testing items. As educators, we just need to see what your child does and does not know upon entering Kindergarten. Your child's assessment will consist of literacy tasks followed by some numeracy tasks. Literacy Tasks Your student will be asked to:
Identify objects and describe what is happening in a given picture.
Identify each upper and lowercase letter.
Write selected letters (either case is acceptable).
Identify the beginning and ending sounds of words.
Identify the sound of each alphabet letter pair (e.g. Nn).
Demonstrate knowledge of concepts of print and directionality.
Differentiate between letters and words.
Numeracy Tasks Your student will be asked to:
Count to 20.
Identify numbers 0-10
Count objects with one-to-one correspondence and state how many objects are in the set (10 objects or less).
Associate a quantity of objects with the corresponding written numeral (10 or less).
Compare groups of objects to determine which group has more (groups of 10 or less).