Juniata River Valley Festival of Ice
Juniata River Valley Festival of Ice
Juniata River Valley Festival of Ice
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The PA KEI was designed to be used as part of Pennsylvania’s comprehensive prenatal-to-third-grade (P3) initiative as a resource to create a common language about children’s development and instructional supports across early childhood practitioners, school administrators, and families.

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The Pennsylvania Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) is a teacher-report measure of children’s competencies at the start of kindergarten. Its purpose is to provide state, district and school administrators with an evidence-supported, descriptive snapshot of the child’s capabilities at kindergarten entry.

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KEI Data Calendar

Enhanced Security Measures

Beginning on Saturday, February 17, 2024, PA KEI Database Users will need to update their password every 60 days. This…

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KEI Data Calendar

PA Kindergarten Entry Inventory Informational Sessions – Sign Up…

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning along with Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit will be offering informal KEI informational…

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KEI Data Calendar

PA KEI Teacher and Administrator Software Trainings – 2025

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning along with Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit will offer KEI software training sessions…

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A Word From Our Implementing Teachers

KEI Intro Video

The following five-minute video provides a peer-to-peer look at the purpose and benefits of KEI implementation. Watch and listen as some of our implementing teachers provide feedback on how they use the tool to determine in what areas their students excel, or may need some extra assistance, in order to make their students kindergarten experience a success.

Sign up NOW for School Year 2025-2026 Implementation

The Pennsylvania Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) is a teacher-reported measure of children’s competencies at the start of kindergarten. The PA KEI is intended to be used by kindergarten teachers to record student’s demonstration of skills within the first 45 days of the kindergarten year.

Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) is a reliable reporting tool that offers teachers an instructional strategy for understanding and tracking a student’s proficiency at kindergarten entry.

Teacher in kinder-garden class

The tool collects information on a consistent set of standards-based indicators across the commonwealth. The PA KEI is based on Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood and the Pennsylvania Core Standards. KEI includes 30 indicators and provides a comprehensive profile that includes the domains of:

  • Social and Emotional Development;
  • English Language Arts;
  • Mathematics;
  • Approaches to Learning; and
  • Health, Wellness and Physical Development.

PA KEI is intended to be used by kindergarten teachers to record a student’s demonstration of skills within the first 45 calendar days of the kindergarten year.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities to strengthen the contribution of high-quality early childhood education in school reform and improvement efforts. The law recognizes that school success starts before a student enters the K-12 setting. It calls on states to describe how they will assist school districts and elementary schools to collaborate with early childhood education programs, and to invest in evidence-based practices. ESSA supports early learning and LEA collaboration in three main ways:

  1. expanding access to high-quality early learning;
  2. encouraging alignment and collaboration from birth through third grade; and
  3. supporting educators.

The Pennsylvania Kindergarten Entry Inventory is a tangible tool to assist districts in understanding the comprehensive learning strengths and needs of students entering the K-12 setting, in establishing common expectations and language for beginning and extending collaborative conversations with pre-kindergarten programs and families, and in planning and implementing joint professional development opportunities that focus on strengthening evidence-based practices for young learners.

All elementary schools are encouraged to implement Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory in the 2025-2026 school year. The Kindergarten Entry Inventory is available to all school districts at no cost.

In order to implement the PA KEI, a Kindergarten Entry Inventory Point of Contact (KEI-POC) is required. The KEI-POC will act as the liaison between local education agency (LEA) administrative staff, implementing kindergarten teachers, and OCDEL and data systems staff. Having a dedicated KEI-POC will ensure that effective communication and implementation occurs throughout the KEI process.

Please send the KEI-POC name, email address and phone number to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov by August 15, 2025. Receipt of this information will initiate KEI participation in the 2025-2026 school year.

All kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development on-line course and obtain a certificate of completion in order to gain access to the web-based data system. Teachers with a current proficient user certificate of completion do not need to repeat the professional development protocol.  A PA KEI Proficient Certification last for five years.

The tentative training schedule is as follows:

  • April – June: Face-to-face skills and scoring practice professional development available/ dependent on number of teachers and availability of OCDEL staff
  • April – September: Required professional development online course available
  • ALL implementing kindergarten teachers without a proficient user certificate of completion MUST complete the required PA KEI professional development on-line course.
  • August-September: KEI systems professional development opportunities available
  • By the start of school: Implementing kindergarten teachers must have a required professional development online course certificate of completion on file in order to gain systems access
    • 45 calendar days from start of school: Observation and evidence collection/scoring completed
    • 60 calendar days from start of school:  Data submissions (student outcomes) finalized within data system

Questions about this communication may be sent to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov.

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