a Deiat of Announcement: Recruitment Beginning for Fall E d U Cati ion 2016 Kindergarten Entry Profile Cohort January 8, 2016 Dear Superintendents; Investing in and strengthening children’s school readiness is a high priority for Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). To ensure every child begins school on a path for success, we must not only invest in strategies to expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities, but also continuously evaluate our current efforts. A critical piece of this ‘work is measuring how many children are ready for kindergarten in World's Best Workforce planning, In spring 2016, MDE will be contacting a small sample of schools to participate in the Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP). Participation in the KEP is optional. If schools in your district are chosen to participate and accept the offer, MDE will provide free training to kindergarten teachers, free online subscriptions for one year and guidance on measuring World's Best Workforce goal #1: having all children ready for kindergarten. The KEP menu of tools aligns with Minnesota's early learning and kindergarten academic standards. Each tool measures critical domains of children’s social and emotional development; cognitive development; language and literacy development; creativity and the arts; and approaches to learning, | am writing to ask you to encourage the schools in your district to participate in this important effort. Your inclusion will be an integral part of ensuring high-quality results for your World's Best Workforce plans. ‘Schools selected for participation will receive an invitation letter later this month, Letters will be addressed to principals and MDE would prefer responses by the end of January 2016.This deadline is to ensure adequate time to work with schools on teacher professional development and respect district professional development time to the extent possible. The Division of Early Learning Services will also be offering webinars where staff from participating schools can learn more about the KEP. You can check the MDE calendar for updated webinar information. If you have any questions about the process or outcomes, please contact Megan Cox (Megan. Cox@state,mn.us) Sincerely, Brel Conlin Dr. Brenda Cassellius Commissioner