Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) for Kindergarten Data, Public Prekindergarten, and Private Prekindergarten Providers

The Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) is a feature in the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) that enables state reporting of early childhood education data. All local educational agencies (LEAs) in Texas must report assessment data, aligned with the Texas Education Data Standards (TEDS), that are collected using assessments that are on the commissioner’s list of approved instruments. 

More detailed information about the instruments approved by the commissioner can be found on the TEA Data Tool Selection Guidance page. 

LEAs can promote kindergarten data into the ECDS application from November 13, 2023, to January 25, 2024. It is recommended that LEAs start submitting kindergarten data on November 13th to allow time to resolve any potential data issues. 

For prekindergarten (PK) data, LEAs can promote and validate data in the ECDS application from November 13, 2023, to June 27, 2024. Starting the submission of PK beginning of year (BOY) data on November 13th is encouraged to distribute the workload and avoid submitting a large amount of data at the end of the year. 

Data elements to be reported in the 2023–2024 school year vary by type of program. Separate sections below outline the data elements for each of the following: 

• Public Kindergarten Programs 
• Public Prekindergarten Programs 
• Private Prekindergarten Programs (voluntary)

Full details regarding the state reporting data standards can be accessed in the Texas Education Data Standards. 

Public Kindergarten Programs (November 13, 2023, through January 25, 2024) 

Reporting of kindergarten program data into ECDS is mandatory for all LEAs. LEAs are required to use an approved instrument from the commissioner’s list, which currently includes the following: 

• Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA) by CLI Engage 
• mCLASS Texas Edition by Amplify Education 

More detailed information about the requirements can be found on the TEA Early Childhood Data Collection Requirements page. 

Data Collection 

Each LEA will load the following data extracted from their Student Information System (SIS): 

• Demographic information 
• Special program information 
• Course section information on students enrolled in district kindergarten classes 

For TX-KEA, kindergarten readiness will be determined by if a student meets all three specified score ranges in the Emergent Literacy Reading (ELR), Emergent Literacy Writing (ELW), and Language and Communication (L&C) domains. For mCLASS, kindergarten readiness will be based on the Composite Academic subject score. The readiness ranges and subjects used for determination are aligned to the Assessment Specifications that are published in TEDS. CLI Engage (TXKEA) and Amplify (mCLASS Texas) will provide the BOY data directly to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The vendors will communicate the delivery schedule directly to their LEAs. 

ECDS data will be available for promotion on November 13, 2023. Vendors will establish the frequency of submissions and contact LEAs accordingly. Before the final ECDS kindergarten submission, LEAs must validate their student, staff, course section, and assessment data, by verifying data and counts on reports and resolving any fatal business validations. 

More detailed information can be found on the 2023-2024 ECDS Assessment Specifications. 

Public Prekindergarten Programs (November 13, 2023, through June 27, 2024) 

The reporting of public prekindergarten program data into ECDS is mandatory for LEAs that administer a prekindergarten program. The collection includes the following data: 

• Demographic information 
• Special program information 
• Sources of funding for prekindergarten classes 
• Course section data needed to determine: 
• students enrolled in LEA prekindergarten classes, including the number of children who are eligible for free prekindergarten under Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.153 
• the number of half-day and full-day prekindergarten classes offered by the LEA and campus (calculated by TEA) 
• class size (The instructional staff-to-student ratio will be calculated by TEA.) 
• the curriculum used in the program (The requirement for curriculum to align with the current Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines still applies to the curriculum reported as “Other.” LEAs should keep documentation on file to confirm alignment with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines when reporting Code 99.) 
• The appropriate assessment tool from the list provided (LEAs will not be allowed to submit assessment data from an assessment that is not on the Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten Assessment Instruments.)  
• The BOY and end of year (EOY) scores from a commissioner approved prekindergarten progress monitoring tool (Commissioner’s List) 
• The PK school type 
• *Update: beginning in SY 23-24 this code will now be reported at the section level instead of the LEA level. A new code has been added to distinguish between LEA Head Start grantee and non-LEA Head Start grantee programs. (PK-School-Type Code Table) 
• The childcare operation number of the childcare facilities with which an LEA has a prekindergarten partnership (defined as students enrolled in both the childcare and the LEA)

In addition to the data elements above, the following data is also required to be submitted into ECDS for those public prekindergarten programs serving eligible four-year-old students: 

• BOY and EOY student assessment data collected using assessments from the commissioner-approved assessment vendors who provide a raw score for each of the following five (5) academic domains: health and wellness; language and communication; emergent literacy: reading; emergent literacy: writing; and mathematics 
  • Assessment tools used for reporting purposes must be from the Commissioner’s List of Approved Progress Monitoring Instruments. If needed, LEAs should supplement their assessment with other tools from the list to assess in all five required domains. 
• Additional teacher qualifications (note the changes in bold as well as the new qualifications for teachers in prekindergarten partnership classrooms as outlined in House Bill 2729, 88th Texas Legislature, 2023): 
  • For teachers in an LEA-provided prekindergarten classroom 
    • Certification offered through a training center accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale or through the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education 
    • Employment as a prekindergarten teacher in a school district that has ensured specific early childhood education professional development has been met  
    • A Child Development Associate (CDA) credential  
    • Documented completion of the Texas School Ready Training Program (TSR Comprehensive) 
    • An associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or a related field or 
    • At least eight (8) years of experience teaching in a nationally accredited childcare program or a Texas Rising Star Program 
  • For teachers in a prekindergarten classroom provided by an entity with which a school district contracts to provide a prekindergarten program (TEC, §29.167(b-1)) 
    • At least two years’ experience of teaching in a nationally accredited child care program or Texas Rising Star Program and a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or another early childhood education credential approved by the agency 
    • At least two years’ experience of teaching in a nationally accredited child care program or Texas Rising Star Program and a certification offered through a training center accredited by Association Montessori Internationale or through the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education 
    • Employment as a prekindergarten teacher in a school district that has ensured specific prekindergarten professional development requirements have been met 
    • An associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood or a related field 
    • At least eight years’ experience of teaching in a nationally accredited child care program or Texas Rising Star Program 
• URL (link) to the family engagement plan (indicates the internet website address that connects directly to the local educational agency's high-quality prekindergarten Family Engagement Plan document) 
• Program evaluation type 
  • *Update: Beginning in SY 23-24 the program evaluation will be reported at the LEA level  
• High-quality prekindergarten program indicator (student level) 

Additional Information 

If a student is served in a stand-alone PK3 (PK for three-year-old students) classroom, specific progress monitoring is not required. Progress monitoring is required in prekindergarten classrooms serving eligible four-year-old students. If a student is served in a mixed classroom (PK3 with PK for four-year-old students—PK4), where progress monitoring is required, a teacher should implement progress monitoring that is developmentally appropriate for students and may adjust monitoring for 3-year-olds or exclude 3-year-old students if it is deemed developmentally inappropriate. Student progress monitoring is a very important part of the teaching cycle and is considered a best practice with all age groups, as it enables a teacher to effectively adapt the daily classroom instruction to meet the needs of their students. If a district conducts student progress monitoring with its eligible three-year-old students using a tool from the commissioner’s list, the BOY and EOY data must be submitted into ECDS annually. This is true for both standalone PK3 classes and mixed PK3/PK4 classes (TEC, §29.1532). 

Private Prekindergarten Providers (November 13, 2023, through June 27, 2024) 

The reporting of private prekindergarten program data into ECDS is optional. The data collection includes the following data: 

• Demographic information 
• Special program information 
• Classroom link on four-year-old students enrolled in a licensed childcare or Head Start program 

Support 

LEAs can seek training and support from their regional education service centers (ESCs) or assessment vendors. The ESC staff members, trained in TSDS and data loading, can provide assistance throughout the process. 

The TEA Early Childhood Education Division will hold office hours on the following dates to better support ECDS submission needs: 

• Monday, November 28, 2023, from 10:30-11:30 AM CT for ECDS General Submission Guidance 
• Registration Link — November 28, 2023
• Tuesday, January 17, 2024, from 1:00-2:00 PM CT for ECDS Kindergarten Submission Guidance 
• Registration Link — January 17, 2024

Technical Assistance 

For more information about ECDS or assessments, visit the Early Learning Assessments webpage. The 2023-2024 ECDS Assessment Specifications can be found on the ECDS Assessment Specifications page. Questions regarding high-quality prekindergarten components, kindergarten programs, or assessments should be sent through the Early Childhood Education Support Portal. Technical questions regarding ECDS submission should be submitted via the TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS) using a TEAL log in.