Learn more about the use of ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 as the Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot Tool through these FAQs.
Early childhood experiences lay the foundation for a child’s future academic success. A child’s health and physical well-being, along with the development of cognitive, communication and social-emotional skills, all can be influenced by the community, educational environment, family and the individual child. Effective policies, targeted and appropriate levels of funding, and collaborative systems of support enhance a child’s ability to thrive in learning environments.
In 2015, the Kansas State Board of Education announced a new vision for education in Kansas: Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. Education leaders held dozens of focus groups with thousands of Kansans to shape this vision. The Kansas State Board of Education and the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) are tracking five key outcomes to measure progress toward achieving this Kansans Can vision:
Our Kindergarten readiness goal is that each child enters Kindergarten at age five socially, emotionally, and academically prepared for success. As districts continue to implement fully funded all-day Kindergarten, this builds on Kansas educators’ work to support developmentally appropriate and academically rigorous Kindergarten classrooms. See the Kansas Full-Day Kindergarten Guide for more information.
Kansas needed additional information to better understand students’ development when they entered Kindergarten. During the Kansans Can listening tour, Kansans told education leaders that quality early childhood experiences should be a priority, and that school districts should collaborate with community partners in achieving that goal.
The Kansas State Department of Education collaborated with stakeholders to determine key principles for a developmental snapshot tool. Stakeholders established that the Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot Tool must include communication (language and literacy), problem-solving, motor, and social-emotional areas of development. They also determined that schools must engage families and caregivers in gathering information about a child’s development and early experiences.
In considering these core principles, KSDE selected Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®:SE-2) to provide a snapshot of children’s developmental milestones when they enter Kindergarten across the state.
As caregivers know their children best, they complete both versions of the questionnaires.
ASQ-3 addresses five developmental areas: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving and personal-social.
ASQ:SE-2 addresses seven social-emotional areas: self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect and interaction with people.
ASQ is a tool that is used in many early childhood settings in Kansas, including health care, child care, and community-based preschool.
All accredited schools are required to administer both ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 to incoming kindergarten students.
For the 2023-24 school year, districts may begin their 2023 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot after April 1, 2023. Districts will agree to assurances that include:
All schools must administer the ASQ to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 20, 2023. All data (including pending Family Access screenings) must be entered into ASQ Online by Oct. 10, 2023.
For the purposes of the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot, KSDE will only use data on screenings completed on or before September 20 and entered into ASQ Online on or before October 10. Participation rates will be calculated by comparing the number of students who participated to the number of students reported as enrolled on September 20. However, a teacher is welcome to use ASQ to screen at any point during the school year if that proves useful to the student or family and teacher relationship.
Yes. See the question “What are schools required to do for the 2023-2024 school year?” above.
No. However, if a child scores in the monitoring zone on ASQ-3 or ASQ:SE-2, the teacher may choose to re-administer the questionnaire after 2-3 months. And a teacher is welcome to use ASQ to screen at any point during the school year if that proves useful to the student or family and teacher relationship.
Rescreening decisions will be made at a District level; however, rescreening is not required for the KSDE Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot.
Districts that have purchased ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 Starter Kits for a building are permitted to print or photocopy ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 questionnaires, in accordance with photocopying and use guidance. Each building that will be using the ASQ system must purchase its own set of original questionnaires; master forms cannot be shared among a district’s buildings.
Beginning in July 2020 state funding is available to support administering screenings for any child birth through kindergarten entry served by a school.
Yes, districts are required to administer both ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 for incoming kindergarten students.
Yes. All accredited schools are required to administer both ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 to incoming kindergarten students. This includes incoming kindergarten students enrolled in virtual schools and virtual programs. Virtual administrators should contact Stacy Clarke, kansasicc@ksde.org, to discuss where students will be reported in the ASQ Online system.
Districts notified KSDE who the building level Administrators were for each kindergarten building during initial implementation of the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. They have been responsible for working with the ASQ Online system, setting up building level users, and running reports from data collected. This contact person could be the building level principal, a Kindergarten teacher, testing coordinator, or other staff designated by the district. Please check with the building level principal to identify who the administrator is for the building. Districts submit a District Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (ASQ) Coordinator’s contact information in the KSDE Directory Updates authenticated application at the beginning of the school year.
If your district does not have an active Program Administrator, please email Stacy Clarke, for assistance: kansasicc@ksde.org.
Preschool programs receiving funding from the Preschool-Aged At-Risk (State Pre-K 4 Year Old At-Risk) program and the Kansas Preschool Pilot are required to ensure that each child receives a developmental screening using an evidence-based screening tool while they participate in the preschool program. The program must share results with the child’s family.
Preschool programs may determine whether children receive screenings during enrollment prior to the start of the school year, at the beginning of the school year, or upon enrollment of students who enroll after the beginning of the school year.
KSDE recommends but does not require that the preschool program select ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 developmental and social-emotional screening tools for preschool-aged students.
Preschool programs that utilize ASQ are not required to enter the results of the screenings in ASQ Online or report the results to KSDE.
Yes. Accredited schools (public and private) participating in the Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot can now use the same ASQ Online system to screen any child birth through kindergarten entry, in accordance with the ASQ photocopy release. Each branch office or physical site that will be using the ASQ system must purchase its own set of original ASQ questionnaires; master forms cannot be shared among sites. Kansas state agencies may purchase Starter Kits for home-based programs and small programs to increase access to commercially available ASQ questionnaires in additional languages and to screen children who may be spread out in small numbers across sites. For these programs, the requirement of one (1) Starter Kit per Location is waived, but at least one (1) kit must be purchased for each 100 children served annually.
For the 2023-24 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot, districts and private school systems may begin screening April 1. Please contact Stacy Clarke via email at kansasicc@ksde.org if you would like to begin prior to April 1. All schools must administer the ASQ to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 20, and all data (including pending Family Access screenings) must be entered into ASQ Online by Oct. 10.
Districts operating approved Preschool-Aged At-Risk programs are required to ensure that each child receives a developmental screening using an evidence-based screening tool. The program must share results with the child’s family. Programs may determine whether children receive screenings prior to the start of the school year or once school begins. Students who enroll after the beginning of the school year must receive screening within 90 days of enrollment. These preschool developmental screenings should occur early in the program year, so that schools may identify any potential areas of delay.
Districts may choose to rescreen preschool students in the springtime. If that is the case, it is possible that families could complete one screening in the springtime of the preschool year that could also serve as the screening used for the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. Schools should refer to the expectations for completing the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot in the springtime, including timely follow-up with families and sharing results with the child’s kindergarten teacher.
With Family Access, Administrators have the ability to accept a screening without immediately assigning to a provider. Administrators should select the “Accept as a new child profile without assigning to a provider” option and click the Process button.
When the Administrator is ready to assign the child to a teacher, they will return to the Family Access page and select the link, “There are family access screenings to assign”. From this page, Administrators can select the teacher from the dropdown menu and click “Assign”.
The Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot window closes on Count Day (Sept. 20). Schools are not required to administer the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot to students who enroll after Sept. 20, although they are welcome to use the tool for that purpose. Participation rates will be calculated by comparing the number of students who participated to the number of students reported as enrolled on Sept. 20.
Schools have shared the following ideas that others might consider:
This is a good opportunity to reflect on how your school introduces the ASQ to families. The August 17, 2023 Kansas Kindergarten News and Updates Newsletter lists resources that may be helpful.
Although we would like for the parents to complete the screening tools, a parent may decide not to participate or decide not to have data shared with the state. Teachers should document the parent’s decision to opt out by selecting “Parent/Caregiver opted out of participating” under “Reason for not participating” on a child’s profile page in ASQ Online. Completing ASQ is a parent’s choice. If a family chooses to complete the ASQ but not share data with the state, the questionnaires should be completed on paper (not via Family Access) and the results should not be entered into the ASQ Online system.
Teachers should not complete a screening in lieu of parent response.
When KSDE calculates district participation rates, opting out is counted as not completing the questionnaire. If the parent and teacher together determine that screening using the ASQ would be inappropriate (for example, if a child already has an IEP in place and has already been assessed in all the domains screened by the ASQ), or if the child is older than 77 months and 30 days (outside the age range for the questionnaires), then the child is not included in the denominator when calculating participation rates.
Parent/guardian consent is obtained when the parent enters data into ASQ Online. Kansas programs should not change the consent language loaded into the ASQ Online system.
If your program is administering the paper/pencil version of the questionnaires, you should print out the following parent consent forms:
For Accounts Administered by Schools (KSDE Enterprise)
For Accounts Administered by Part C Programs (Part C Enterprises)
Every family has the opportunity to participate in the screening. It is family choice if they participate by completing ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2, but it is not required. If a child is already receiving special education services, it may not be appropriate to complete the screening. If you believe completing ASQs would be inappropriate or not a positive, relationship-building experience for the parent, collaborate with your Special Education team and document as a team your rationale for exempting this child/family from the screening process. On a child’s profile page, select “Determined screening was inappropriate” under “Reason for not participating.” Completing ASQ is a parent’s choice.
Schools that administer the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (ASQ) in the spring (April – July) agree that they will accept the screening results in ASQ Online and follow up with the family within two weeks of completion to provide results and learning activities.
For all other schools, when to share results with parents is a local decision. However, parents will expect to hear about results, so schools should provide follow-up information in a timely manner.
Recommendations include:
The questionnaire ends at 77 months and 30 days, so the system will not allow for a questionnaire to be completed if a child is older than that. Teachers should select “Child older than age cutoff” under “Reason for not participating” on a child’s profile page in ASQ Online.
The ASQ Online screening will take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete for each ASQ tool (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2). Parents will need to submit each screening questionnaire in one sitting, as there is not a save option during the online entry. They will not be able to save a screening in progress and return later. They may visit the website to complete ASQ-3 and then return at a later time to complete ASQ:SE-2.
No, it does not matter which screening is completed first. You may ask the parent/guardian to complete either ASQ-3 or ASQ:SE-2 first; however, both must be completed.
ASQ Online information can only be transferred from district to district within the state. Contact Stacy Clarke (kansasicc@ksde.org) to request transfers.
A score in the monitoring zone means that the child’s performance is close to the cutoff score. After talking with parents, you may decide to rescreen the child in 2 to 3 months or, in some cases, make a referral for further evaluation. Children whose scores are close to the cutoffs in one or more areas may be provided with developmental activities specific to the areas of concern.
For children whose scores fall below the cutoff scores for ASQ 3 and above for ASQ: SE-2, some level of action should be taken. Before making a referral, suspecting the child to potentially be a child with a disability, meet with the family, and carefully consider whether any of extraneous factors affected the child’s performance. Questions to consider include:
When considering action steps:
ASQ Online provides several reports that allow programs to interpret and analyze data at the child, classroom, school, and district level. Data can be used to help schools:
One example of data informed instruction is Emerson Elementary School in Kansas City. They used school-level data for the 2019 class of incoming kindergartners to plan the topic of an upcoming Kindergarten Family Night. Because the children scored lowest on fine motor skills, the night included having families work with their child at activity stations where they could glue beads, shape dough, and use shaving cream to form letters.
At the state level, this data will provide a snapshot of Kansas kindergartners’ development and help inform opportunities to improve Kindergarten readiness statewide.
Kansas is taking a developmental snapshot approach to look at Kindergarten Readiness. ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 offer a quick, valid check of milestones, with skills selected that exemplify children’s development yet are easily observable and understandable across cultural and socio-economic groups. The items use familiar, concrete words that don’t exceed a sixth-grade reading level, and illustrations and examples are provided for as many items as possible. While not written formally, questionnaire items include details and examples to make the intent clear. Explicit item-by-item criteria would affect readability, increase time to answer a questionnaire, and be less suited for a measure parents complete. (And including “test criteria” might imply that there is a specific, single way each developmental skill must look, which is not the case.)
Here’s what was reported in an article on development and validation of the 72 Month ASQ-3 for school-age children: “This tool can be used in kindergarten as it is easy to administer and score and many children can be screened at low cost. Pediatricians, professionals, and parents can use it to learn about skills the child has mastered, skills that are emerging, and skills the child is not yet doing.” (Singh, A., Squires, J., Yeh, C.J., Heo, K.H., & Bian, H. (2016). Validity and reliability of the developmental assessment screening scale. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 5:124-8.)
Most parents see their children interact with peers—during playdates, family gatherings, birthday parties, social events, in the neighborhood, in the community, on sports teams, and so forth. For children who have been in a preschool or child care environment, parents typically have seen and heard about their children’s social interactions.
If there appears to be a discrepancy between parent and teacher perceptions, utilizing reported ASQ data is a terrific way to initiate conversation that can bridge the gap. In many instances, educators utilize their training and expertise to design developmentally appropriate learning environments supportive of the social-emotional needs of children. This can lead to improved behaviors and increased cognitive performance as children reflect new skills rapidly obtained from peer interactions. Sharing tips on what is working in the classroom can provide beneficial support to parents while encouraging generalization of new skills in the home environment. Conversely, it may be the case that parents provide support at home which helps a child be successful in ways not presently demonstrated in the classroom setting. Creating intentional space to have reflective conversations regarding ways to best support students is a highly beneficial aspect of utilizing ASQ screening.
You will want to collect the Family Access URLs for each school building and have the families select the appropriate school building. If your district has a website, you can post the school names and link to the appropriate Family Access page.
ASQ Online automatically generates an identifier for each child.
Yes, ASQ Online allows the ability for data to be transferred from one school/district to another. Send the request to kansasicc@ksde.org. Districts may determine locally whether they will screen children who enroll after the September 20 Count Day.
Yes, KSDE purchased a subscription to ASQ Online. After you purchase the required ASQ products (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 Starter Kits), you will find a keycode on the inside flap of each box. This keycode allows access to the questionnaires once the Program Administrator has logged in and registered you as a provider.
Contact kansasicc@ksde.org if you require access to multiple programs. In all instances, permission will be required from the districts involved.
If you are unable to post the Family Access URLs on a website, you can create a word document or pdf that contains links to Family Access for each school building.
For the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot, only two screenings per child will need to be completed: one ASQ-3 screening and one ASQ:SE-2 screening. You may receive an additional completed questionnaire from an additional caregiver, such as a grandparent or divorced parent; this may also be entered as an additional screening for the same child. Please note that there is a fee of $.35 for each finalized screening that is accepted, which is paid by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Yes, KSDE will incur fees for all screenings accepted as final, even if the screens are later deleted.
ASQ Online has a built-in Help component which includes a variety of tutorials. If you require additional assistance, call the Technical Assistance line 1-866-404-9853 or send an email through https://www.asqonline.com/support. Technical Support is available 24/7.
Many ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 questionnaires will be entered through ASQ Online Family Access by the parents. The data is loaded directly into the ASQ Online system. Some parents may not be able to use ASQ Online and may choose to complete the paper questionnaire. In the case of the latter, the teacher or other assigned staff will enter data from the paper questionnaire into ASQ Online using either the short form or the long form. KSDE recommends Kindergarten teachers enter data for their students as they design environments and instruction to meet the needs of incoming Kindergarten students.
If you have new teachers that would like to practice using ASQ Online, we can provide access to a demo program, where practice screens can be entered. Contact the Brookes Implementation Team (implementation@brookespublishing.com) for more information.
Yes, ASQ Online can be accessed via a phone or tablet. The Family Access component has been optimized to be easily used on a phone or tablet.
Support for families will need to be provided at a district or building level.
ASQ Online allows users to toggle between English and Spanish versions of the questionnaires and information summary sheets. However, any comments/written responses provided by the caregiver are not translated from Spanish to English.
Yes, if your school has purchased the ASQ-3 Learning Activities and ASQ:SE-2 Learning Activities & More books and entered the keycodes into the system, the activities will be available to you in ASQ Online.
There are three types of assessments available in the early childhood field—screening assessments, diagnostic assessments, and curriculum-based assessments. Each has a different purpose.
A screening assessment is a brief assessment procedure designed to identify children who should receive more intensive evaluation. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires is a screening tool. Screening tools answer the question “Does this child need further evaluation at this time?”
A diagnostic assessment is an in-depth assessment of one or more developmental areas to determine the nature and extent of a physical or developmental problem and determine if the child is eligible for services (e.g., early intervention). District school psychologists or other qualified personnel administer diagnostic assessments.
A curriculum-based assessment (or programmatic, ongoing assessment) is an in-depth assessment that helps to determine a child’s current level of functioning. This type of assessment can provide a useful child profile, help with program planning, identify targeted goals and objectives, and be used to evaluate child progress over time. It is recommended that a chosen curriculum-based assessment be linked to the Kansas Early Learning Standards. These can be found here.
ASQ questionnaires have been translated into many languages to meet the growing needs of programs working with diverse families. Some translations of ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 are available to purchase or license.
ASQ-3 is available for purchase in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, and Vietnamese. ASQ:SE-2 is available for purchase in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic. You can access these languages in the online system, with the purchase of the print product.
At this time, the 72-month ASQ-3 questionnaire is only available in English and Spanish. A full list of available translations is available here.
Regular kindergarten classrooms are expected to be ready to meet the needs of all incoming kindergarteners. The Kansans Can Star Recognition Program recognizes district success in the outcome measures Kansans told us they value, including Kindergarten Readiness. In order to be eligible for recognition in this area, a district must be in compliance with the following: All families of children who are age-eligible for kindergarten (5 years old on or before Aug. 31) are encouraged to enroll their children in kindergarten. All children are welcomed – as they are – into heterogeneous kindergarten settings; they are not segregated into extra-year programs prior to or following regular kindergarten.
Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (ASQ) data is not a gatekeeping tool and should not be used to keep students out of Kindergarten. Per Kansas law (K.S.A. 72-3118), the only requirement for entry into kindergarten is that a child be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31 of the current school year (unless a child has previously attended kindergarten in another state). Each district has policies and procedures in place for determining tiered interventions and referral to special education. Teachers and teams should continue to follow those processes for all students. ASQ results are one piece of information that may be included in the data collected for a special education evaluation but, by itself, is not enough to move forward with an evaluation.
View the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot Fact Sheet
Individual buildings are responsible to provide access to parents to utilize the ASQ Online system. All accredited schools are required to administer ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 for incoming kindergarten students enrolled in their school.
If there is a system you currently use for student data, please use the upload feature provided, here.
Alternatively, you will need to enter each child’s profile into the ASQ Online system.
Recorded webinars and how-to videos are available to help you get started with ASQ Online and use the system effectively.
View webinars View how-to videos
ASQ Online also has a built-in Help component which includes a variety of tutorials. If you require additional assistance, call the Technical Assistance line 1-866-404-9853 or send an email through https://www.asqonline.com/support. Technical Support is available 24/7.
KSDE is able to grant multi-building access to ASQ Online users, so that users can log in to ASQ Online with a single account to access all buildings in their district. Users with multi-building access are able to run multi-building reports. Email Stacy Clarke (kansasicc@ksde.org to request multi-building access.
KSDE is working to incorporate ASQ data into the AMOSS authenticated application beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. Data will be uploaded following the close of the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot collection window to assist districts in analyzing results and participation.
If you have administrators that need access to multiple schools, please email Stacy Clarke: kansasicc@ksde.org. We would be glad to set up multi-building access.
Brookes Publishing created a document for importing student data from a variety of systems. Please see the instructions.
The fee of $.35 per screen will be charged when the screening is finalized. KSDE will pay for ASQ Online subscriptions and for the per-screening fees. There are no fees associated with the computer-generated reports that compile data for the classroom teachers or administrators (i.e., Screening Scores, Screening Results, and Aggregate Results).
Kansas has worked for several years to standardize developmental and social-emotional screening for children birth through kindergarten entry using Ages & Stages Questionnaires. Ages & Stages Questionnaires are brief, parent-completed tools that help to identify if a child may be at risk for developmental or social-emotional delay. Ages & Stages Questionnaires can be a utilized as a tool to connect children to relevant supports and services to support healthy development. Historically, programs across the state have had to figure out how to access ASQ Online independently. Now, with funding from the Preschool Development Grant – Renewal, we are able to provide statewide access to the ASQ Online system to improve coordination and reach more families!
Definitions:
Step 1: Determine if you already have access to an ASQ Kit and locate its corresponding keycode or purchase an ASQ Starter Kit in the desired language. Ordering instructions can be found here.
Step 2: Determine who your local Community ASQ Enterprise Account Administrator is and reach out indicating your interest in joining the ASQ Online system. Map of Account Administrators can be found here.
Step 3: Account administrators will guide you through the onboarding process. This includes receiving the consent forms you will utilize when screening and filling out the appropriate data governance. See documents below:
Program Information Form
ASQ Enterprise User Agreement
Parental Consent Form in English; Parental Consent Form in Spanish
Step 4: Set up your ASQ Online Program
A map of Account Administrators can be found here.
Community partners that are providing or may want to start providing children’s developmental screenings to the children they serve are welcome and encouraged to join a local community ASQ Enterprise account. Community partners could include medical providers, health departments, mental health providers, home- and center-based child care facilities, home visiting programs, WIC offices, Part B providers, Early Childhood Block Grantees, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and others.
There is NO COST to join the local community ASQ enterprise account; however each physical site (community partner program) will need starter kits to administer the ASQ screening tools. Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) each have a starter kit that will need to be purchased. Organizations that already have a kit can utilize the keycode that is associated with their current kit at no additional cost. English ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 starter kits are available with a Kansas pricing discount for $265.00 each using the discount code information available here. Lower volume programs can purchase a kit together as long as 100 children or less are being served. If this is a cost barrier, please apply for financial assistance through Help Me Grow Kansas.If interested in the cost of questionnaires in other languages, please inquire.
A monthly training will be available on administration and use of the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 screening tools. Find upcoming trainings on the KSDE TASN website.
The Statewide ASQ Online System website includes FAQs, quick-reference guides, online training modules and “how-to” videos describing how to implement ASQ.
The Kansas State Department of Education contracts with Brookes Publishing to provide ASQ Online technical and implementation support. Kansas users can access this support by phone (1-866-404-9853), by filling out the ASQ Online Technical Support Form or by emailing implementation@brookespublishing.com.
The easiest way to share results is to empower parents with their child’s developmental health information. This allows parents to control who has access to their child’s data. A few resources to consider:
For additional resources on using the ASQ Online system, you can log into ASQ Online. Under “Announcements,” you can view “ASQ Online HOW-TO videos”, including “How to print the Information Summary sheet”.
“What I love about the ASQ is that it allows our staff to catch delays quickly and allows us to get our clients the early intervention programs that they sometimes need. In many cases [ASQ] helps us catch children up before they start kindergarten, therefore providing children with the start that they deserve.”
Sharon Gee, Supervisor, Healthy Families Niagara