By Amanda Petersen, director, KSDE early childhood  

The beginning of each school year creates new opportunities to build relationships with students and families. To advance kindergarten readiness, all Kansas elementary schools are required to partner with families of incoming kindergarten students to collect kindergarten-entry data using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires^®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires^®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2). 
 
The window to screen 2025-2026 kindergarten students closes Monday, Sept. 22. This is a good time to double-check ASQ data to confirm the family of each enrolled kindergarten student has completed an ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2. If a child did not participate because screening was inappropriate, or because the child was older than 77 months and 30 days, or because the family decided to opt out, schools should create a Child Profile in ASQ Online and fill in the appropriate “Reason for Not Participating.” 

Visit agesandstages.com/ks for helpful resources, frequently asked questions and the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot Fact Sheet. 

If staff would like to build their ASQ understanding to support future screenings, KSDE and the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center will offer an “Introduction to ASQ” live virtual training on Sept. 18 from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.  Register at ksdetasn.org/events. 

Please reach out to Amanda Petersen (Amanda.Petersen@ksde.gov) and Stacy Clarke (Stacy.Clarke@ksde.gov) with any requests for ASQ assistance. We’re more than happy to help ensure your data is finalized or to think through how you might improve your Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot for future years. Thank you for your hard work to make the 2025-2026 school year a great one for our youngest learners.