District reports 83% kindergarten readiness on Brigance screener; staff outline progress monitoring

FORT THOMAS — District staff told the Fort Thomas Independent Board of Education that kindergarten readiness remains strong after administration of the Brigance screener.

Speaker 6 said the district administered the Brigance (a norm-referenced kindergarten readiness screener) to incoming kindergarten students and reported the cohort rose from about 190 last year to 224 students this year. “We are 83% ready,” Speaker 6 said, defining readiness to include both ‘ready’ and ‘ready with enrichment’ categories; 17% were identified as 'not ready.'

Staff described the screener as having two components — an in-person teacher-administered portion and a parent survey — and said results allow teachers to identify discrete skills for targeted intervention, including letter formation, letter sounds and gross motor or social skills. Speaker 6 said the district will re-assess progress with tools such as STAR early literacy in addition to the Brigance and use multiple measures to track growth.

Board members credited community programs for supporting readiness, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library deliveries beginning at age 2 and local early-childhood offerings. Speaker 7 noted broad community involvement and data going back to 2016 to show historical trends; Speaker 6 said the district’s current cohort is one of the largest on record.

Officials did not provide specific dollar figures tied to early-learning programs in the meeting transcript but noted reporting exists for program participation and that further progress monitoring will be used to identify students needing additional supports.