Engaging families as children transition into kindergarten supports kindergarten readiness and later student success.

Several resources are available to support schools in engaging with the families of incoming kindergarteners to complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ: SE-2).  

All schools accredited by the Kansas State Board of Education must administer both the ASQ-3 and the ASQ: SE-2 to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 20, 2023. All data must be entered into ASQ Online by Oct. 10, 2023.

Review the KSDEweekly article Ensure your school is ready for the 2023-2024 Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot for helpful tips and reminders as you prepare for the new school year.

Live ASQ training and support opportunities

Brookes Publishing hosts an ASQ Online Q&A Session from noon to 1 p.m. every Wednesday to answer questions about using ASQ Online. Register here for the Brookes Publishing ASQ Online Weekly Q&A Webinar.

Note that these ASQ Online Q&A sessions are available for all ASQ Online users nationwide and are not hosted by KSDE staff members. Email questions specific to Kansas requirements and the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot to kansasicc@ksde.org.

July 26-27: The 2023 KSDE Special Education and Title Services (SETS) Summer Leadership Conference will include a Thursday morning breakout session focused on meaningfully engaging families and communities in sharing Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (ASQ) data. KSDE staff members at the conference will be available to troubleshoot ASQ Online issues. Click here for 2023 KSDE SETS Summer Leadership Conference registration.

Friday, July 28: KSDE will host a Zoom meeting to review the steps schools can take to prepare for a successful Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. Click here to register for the Get Ready for the 2023 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot Zoom (10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 28).

Tuesday, Aug. 1 and Wednesday, Aug. 2: Amanda Petersen, KSDE director of Early Childhood, will be attending the NKESC Admin Council in Oakley and the SWP Superintendents Council in Sublette. She will be available to troubleshoot ASQ Online issues.

Thursday, Aug. 10: The Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC) will present the live virtual course “Introduction to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)”. The training is designed to provide any professional working with children birth through kindergarten a solid understanding of what the ASQ is and how to partner with families to complete developmental screenings. The training incorporates family studies, role-playing and practice with evaluation and scoring. Participants will also learn how to discuss screening results, next steps, and referrals to community resources with families. This training is from 9 a.m. to noon. Click here to register for the Aug. 10 “Introduction to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)” training.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 11: KSDE will host a weekly “ASQ Tips and Questions Session” each Friday from noon to 1 p.m. KSDE staff members will be available to answer questions and help with the ASQ. Visit the KSDE TASN Calendar at ksdetasn.org/events to register. This series will conclude Friday, Sept. 29.

Thursday, Sept. 7: KPIRC and KSDE will present a second offering of the live virtual course “Introduction to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ).” This training is from 9 a.m. to noon. Click here to register for the Sept. 7 “Introduction to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)” training.

Sept. 12-14: The 2023 Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports and Alignment Symposium will include a breakout session “Using ASQ data to support and drive instruction for students”. This session will walk participants through the process of accessing the reports, how to interpret the data and resources available to address concerns that may arise. Click here to register for the 2023 Kansas MTSS Symposium.

On-Demand ASQ training and support opportunities

The website agesandstages.com/ks includes on-demand resources. In addition to the Quick Reference Guide for Program Administrators and the Quick Reference Guide for Providers (Teachers), Kansas educators can access the following Online Support Modules:

• Getting started with ASQ Online for administrators (40 minutes): This online training module is designed to provide an overview of ASQ Online and provide Program Administrators with the steps needed to set up their program and prepare for Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot data collection. Program Administrators will:
  • Learn how to enter keycodes to unlock the questionnaires in the online system.
  • Learn about the ASQ Online user roles and how to create users.
  • Learn how to set up Child and Caregiver Profiles in the system through manual entry, importing data or via Family Access.
  • Receive an overview of Family Access, which allows parents to complete the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 questionnaires online.
  • Learn about the various help and support content available.
     
• Getting started with ASQ Online for teachers (25 minutes): This online training module is designed to provide an overview of ASQ Online and provide teachers with the steps needed to prepare for Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot data collection. Teachers will:
  • Receive an overview of ASQ Online.
  • Learn how to create and/or access Child and Caregiver Profiles.
  • Receive an overview of Family Access, which allows parents to complete the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 questionnaires online.
  • Learn about the various help and support content available.
     
• Preparing for questionnaire completion (35 minutes): This online training module is designed to show users how to prepare for questionnaire completion to collect data for the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. Users will:
  • Learn best practices for introducing the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 to families.
  • Decide the best methods to provide questionnaires to families.
  • Learn how to create and prepare documents, letters and other introductory materials.
     
• Entering questionnaire data into ASQ Online (30 minutes): This online training module is designed to show users how to enter ASQ-3 and ASQ: SE-2 questionnaire data into ASQ Online for the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot.  Users will learn how to:
  • Enter the responses from paper questionnaires into ASQ Online.
  • Review the questionnaires that come in through Family Access, the online questionnaire completion system for parents and caregivers.
     
• Interpreting results and next steps (30 minutes): This online training module is designed to show users how to interpret results from the ASQ-3 and ASQ: SE-2 questionnaires and how to facilitate the next steps. Users will:
  • Learn how to review the Information Summary for ASQ-3 and ASQ: SE-2.
  • Learn differences between ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 results.
  • Learn best practices for follow-up and next steps.
  • Learn how to engage Families with ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 Learning Activities.

Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Newsletter

All Kansas school ASQ Online users will receive a series of five newsletters in August and September with quick Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot tips and resources. All users with ASQ Online accounts connected with the state Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot initiative will receive these updates beginning Aug. 2. Others can visit https://agesandstages.com/ks/newsletter-sign-up/ to sign up. Note: Due to a technical issue, not all Kansas ASQ Online users received these newsletters in 2022 or a message on July 19 outlining the information contained in this KSDEweekly article. KSDE and the Brookes Publishing team are working to resolve this issue.

Whom do you contact for questions?

For simple questions related to the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (for example, resetting a password to ASQ Online), contact Brookes Publishing Technical Support or call 1-866-404-9853.  

For more specific questions (for example, setting up ASQ Online Family Access links), contact the Brookes Implementation Team at implementation@brookespublishing.com.  

PreK-12 school staff members with questions for KSDE can email kansasicc@ksde.org.