About Kindergarten Screenings & Children with Special Needs

All school districts require students entering kindergarten to enroll in a kindergarten screen.  The primary purpose of the screening, according to the NYS Commissioner of Education's Regulations Part 117 is to identify children who have potential English deficiency or who may have a disability.

All schools also maintain a Committee on Special Education (for school age children) and Committee on Preschool Education (for children ages 3-4).  They identify children with disabilities and make arrangements for services.  Cattaraugus County maintains an early intervention council that identifies children birth to age 3 for disabilities and makes arrangements for services.

The DIAL 3 test is used in eight school districts: Allegany-Limestone, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Franklinville, Hinsdale, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, and West Valley.  Ellicottville uses the Screening Test for Educational Prerequisite Skills, Pioneer the Curriculum Based Memory Assessment, and Portville the Kindergarten Readiness Test.  Screenings and ways in which you can help young children include:

Fine and Gross Motor
  • catching a soft object
  • jumping, hopping, skipping
  • play with building blocks
  • copy geometric shapes and letters
  • writing name

Language

  • articulating ability
  • identify and name pictures and objects (i.e. plane and fly it)
  • personal data like name, age, birthday, gender
  • letter recognition, recite the alphabet, letter sounds
  • rhyming
  • problem solving

Social

  • routines of daily activities
  • consistent rules for behavior
  • playtime is a child's work time
  • plays with other children
  • pretend and dress up play

Self Help

  • learn to dress and undress by themselves
  • room clean up
  • know own phone number
  • chores like setting the table
  • avoiding dangers and personal safety

Concepts

  • identifying body parts
  • name colors
  • counting up to 20, with and without objects
  • sorting-shapes and sizes
  • positioning - up, down, around, between, front, back

 

 Schools, websites, phone numbers, and screening instrument are:

Allegany-Limestone: www.alli.wnyric.org  716-375-6600, Dial 3

Cattaraugus-Little Valley: www.cattlv.wnyric.org  716-938-9155, Dial 3

Ellicottville: www.ellicottvillecentral.com  716-699-2318 Screening Test for Educational Prerequisite Skills

Franklinville: www.franklinville.wnyric.org 716-676-8000, Dial 3

Hinsdale: www.hinsdale.wnyric.org  716-557-2227, Dial 3

Olean: www.oleanschools.org  716-375-8000, Dial 3

Pioneer: www.pioneer.wnyric.org   716-492-9300  Curriculum Based Memory Assessment

Portville: www.portville.wnyric.org 716-933-6045 Kindergarten Readiness Test

Randolph: www.randolph.wnyric.org 716-358-7030, Dial 3

Salamanca: www.salamancany.org 716-945-2400, Dial 3

West Valley: www.wvalley.wnyric.org 716-942-3440, Dial 3