WaKIDS Whole-child Assessment
The Whole-child Assessment is not a test, but a practice that allows teachers to observe children while they're engaged in everyday activities (transitions, instruction, learning centers, etc.) This is an opportunity for children to show their skills, knowledge, and abilities in an authentic way as they interact with the learning environment.
The Whole-child Assessment uses an observational assessment tool, GOLD®, to observe, collect documentation, and level children’s knowledge skills and abilities across the 6 areas of development and learning:
Social-emotional | Physical | Cognitive | Language | Literacy | Mathematics
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information about the Whole-child Assessment, review the complete list of WaKIDS Frequently Asked Questions.
Kindergarten teachers, Transitional Kindergarten teachers, Inclusive Transitional Kindergarten teachers, and Special Education teachers supporting kindergarten children with disabilities administer the Whole-child Assessment. These educators must successfully complete WaKIDS 101 before administering the Whole-child Assessment. To register for upcoming training, visit the WaKIDS Events and Training page.
If you do not see children in your MyTeachingStrategies® class, this means that children have not been added to your account. This will impact both your MyTeachingStrategies® and GOLD® Documentation app. Please reach out to your building administrator and/or District Assessment Coordinator to import your roster into the system.
The WaKIDS Whole-child Assessment data can be used for the following purposes:
- Provide targeted supports to students who entered kindergarten with skills and behaviors below expectation;
- Share with specialists and other district staff to guide their instructional planning;
- Prompt further investigation about children’s strengths and needs, including as part of the
- information considered for highly capable, or special education services;
- Share with families, including at conferences and with report cards;
- Look for trends in student needs to prioritize paras and resources for targeted support to schools and classrooms;
- Track student growth across the kindergarten year;
- Determine professional development needs, including with community preschool teachers;
- Prepare reports for conversations with local early learning providers; and
- Share with school board and community stakeholders.
- Guidance for Kindergarten Teachers in Alternative Learning Experience Programs
- WaKIDS Roles & Responsibilities for School District
- Whole-child Assessment Documentation Guidance
- Whole-child Assessment Alignments
- List of GOLD™ Objectives Assessed by WaKIDS
- Using Teaching Strategies GOLD® to Assess Children Who are English-Language Learners
- 2021-22 WaKIDS Implementation Guide for Teachers
- Guidance for Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers Supporting Students with Disabilities
- Kindergarten Readiness and 3rd Grade Outcomes
- WaKIDS 101 Training and Interrater Reliability District Reimbursements Instructions
There are many different ways of pacing the WaKIDS Whole-child Assessment over the course of the assessment period. Listed below are three examples of Pacing Guides. For versions that can be adapted, visit OER Commons.
- Sample Pacing Guide Option #1 – 8 weeks
- Sample Pacing Guide Option #1 – 10 weeks
- Sample Pacing Guide Option #2
- Sample Pacing Guide Option #3 – 8 weeks
- Sample Pacing Guide Option #3 – 10 weeks
The Goal Planning & Reflection Sheet is intended to be co-created with the child, their parent/guardian, and the teacher during meeting times. Filling it out together, the family can work with the teacher to determine when in their daily routine, children will have the opportunity to work on their goals, as well as documentation that can be collected to help inform the WaKIDS assessment. The Goal Planning and Reflection Sheet is available in 9 languages:
Choice boards include a variety of activities associated with objectives assessed as part of the whole-child assessment component of WaKIDS. Laid out in a table, they are filled with fun activities that kindergartners can choose from to build skills and manage their own learning. Choice Board resources are available in 9 languages. Please make selection from below:
Activity Knowledge of Print
Activity Writing Name
Numeral and Quantities
Quantifying: Option 1
Quantifying: Option 2