Impact of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program, 2013-14

Transitional kindergarten (TK)—the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for California children who turn 5 between September 2 and December 2—is intended to better prepare young five-year-olds for kindergarten and ensure a strong start to their educational career. To determine whether this goal is being achieved, American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting an evaluation of the impact of TK in California. The goal of this study is to measure the success of the program by determining the impact of TK on students' readiness for kindergarten in several areas. Using a rigorous regression discontinuity (RD) research design,1 we compared language, literacy, mathematics, executive function, and social-emotional skills at kindergarten entry for students who attended TK and for students who did not attend TK. Overall, we found that TK had a positive impact on students' kindergarten readiness in several domains, controlling for students' age differences. These effects are over and above the experiences children in the comparison group had the year before kindergarten, which for more than 80 percent was some type of preschool program

Effects of Kindergarten Period on School Readiness and Motor Abilities

A battery of 4 school-readiness tests and 16 motor tests were administered in a sample of 660 preschool children (333 male and 327 female) just about to enroll in the first grade, in order to analyze the effects of kindergarten period on school readiness and motor abilities. The sample of children was divided into six groups according to sex and duration kindergarten attendance (kindergarten period of 5 years, 3 years and 8–9 months). Study results showed the entire education and motor activities in kindergarten to contribute significantly to school-readiness and motor abilities of children. The highest school readiness was found in the children that attended kindergarten for the longest period, whereas lowest school readiness was recorded in children that attended kindergarten for only one academic year or less before enrolling in the first grade

Kindergarten Readiness: Using Age or Skills in Assessing a Child’s Readiness

Currently, age is the primary indicator of kindergarten readiness. A concise list of readiness skills to guide parents and teachers when deciding if a child is ready for kindergarten is lacking. The literature reveals that older age kindergarten entrance is not a predictor of academic success, nor is age an accurate indicator of readiness. In this study, responses from approximately 22 kindergarten teachers to a readiness questionnaire identify and develop a succinct list of the skills these professionals view as most significant for kindergarten readiness. According to the teachers in this study, the ability to sit and listen for approximately 15 minutes is a very necessary readiness skill. Additionally, respect for peers, following directions, appropriate classroom behavior, and personal responsibility were also consistently identified as indicators of kindergarten readiness. While most teachers in the sample would prefer incoming kindergarten students to have already turned five before entering school, age and academic skills were not identified as necessary for kindergarten readiness in this study. Questionnaire is appended

Strengthening Kindergarten Transition for Children in Tough Neighborhoods

Explores ways to connect school readiness efforts with public school kindergarten programs, and describes lessons learned from a peer match program visit of the Making Connections initiative

Ensuring Success for Young Children: Transition to Kindergarten

Outlines the need for early childhood education and suggests strategies for funders to support programs that address school readiness and transition to kindergarten, such as transition camps, affordable child care, and health and nutrition programs

The Relationship Between Readiness Test Results Obtained by Children in an Optional Kindergarten and a Regular Kindergarten Program as Measured by the Metropolitan Readiness Test

v, 54 leaves. Advisor: Charles D. Rowley.The problem, The major question that provided the basis for this study is "Do children in an optional kindergarten program designed specifically for risk children produce readiness test scores at a statistical difference of .05 when compared with children's readiness test scores in the regular kindergarten program as measured by the Metropolitan Readiness Test?" Procedure. This study was conducted in an independent suburban school district of approximately 3,200 students K-12 near a midwestern metropolitan area. The population for the study consisted of thirty-two children enrolled in the district's optional kindergarten program and thirty-two children randomly selected from the regular kindergarten population of the district's six elementary schools. The research design consisted of a fall and spring readiness testing of the total optional and regular kindergarten population during the 1983-84 school year. A stratified random sample was identified from the regular kindergarten population and the total population of the optional kindergarten was used. Analysis of variance statistical procedures were chosen to test the study hypotheses. Hypothesis One and Two were tested with a 2 X 2 X 2 ANOVA, Hypothesis Three and Four a 2 X 2 ANOVA and a one-way ANOVA was used for Hypothesis Five.Descrip tive statistics reported are age and sex. Findings. In testing the research hypotheses at .05 level, significant differences were found for Hypothesis One, Three, Four, and Five. The results of this study found a significant difference beyond the .00l level for these hypotheses, Conclusions. The general conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that this group of Optional Kindergarten children scored at a statistically significant lower level on a fall and spring readiness measure than regular kindergarten children. The data also shows that as a group the optional children are less ready for first grade in the spring than they were for kindergarten in the fall. The overall conclusion drawn from the data is that a significant difference does exist between the Optional Kindergarten children and Regular Kindergarten children as measured by the Metropolitan Readiness Test

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Kindergarten Readiness

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in perception between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers on kindergarten readiness. In addition, this study sought to find out if there was any difference in PEAK assessment scores between those students who attended pre-kindergarten versus those students who did not attend pre-kindergarten. The instruments used for this research were the Pascagoula Early Assessment for Kindergarten (PEAK) scores and the Kindergarten Readiness Questionnaire. The PEAK scores measured students‟ readiness by assessing their knowledge on language, writing communication, math, and fine motor development from the onset upon entering kindergarten. The Kindergarten Readiness Questionnaire contained 42 questions. Of these 42 questions, five were demographic and the remaining questions were based on a 5-point Likert scale to determine the perceptions between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers. The PEAK scores and the questionnaire results were analyzed by calculating the means, standard deviations, and independent samples t-test. There were also some ancillary findings on how pre-kindergarten correlated with testing proficient. These data were analyzed by calculating a chi-square test. Once the data were analyzed, it was determined that students who did attend pre-kindergarten were much more likely to test higher on the PEAK assessment upon entering kindergarten. Also, those students who attended pre-kindergarten were at a greater likelihood to test proficient with the PEAK assessment. Data also showed that pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers had mixed feelings about kindergarten readiness. On perceptions of kindergarten readiness skills, kindergarten teachers believed students were not as ready as the pre-kindergarten teachers believed. On perceptions of at-risk factors, kindergarten teachers believed that these factors were more of a burden than the pre-kindergarten teachers believed. On perceptions of barriers, the kindergarten teachers believed that these barriers played more of a factor than the pre-kindergarten teachers believed. For perceptions of ways pre-kindergarten programs can help primary schools and ways primary schools can help pre-kindergarten programs, both the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers believed the same and that they both could benefit from communicating more effectively

An Examination of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions from Prekindergarten Teachers, Kindergarten Teachers, and Parents: A Quantitative Study of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions

This study examined the perceptions of kindergarten readiness for kindergarten teachers, public prekindergarten teachers in both public and private settings, and parents. Data were collected and analyzed through a quantitative method using an inferential approach. A Likert-style survey was distributed to current kindergarten teachers, prekindergarten teachers, and parents; and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data collected from the surveys indicated differences in kindergarten readiness perceptions in the areas of social/emotional skills, literacy skills, and communication between kindergarten parents and teachers and between public and private prekindergarten participants. There were also differences in kindergarten readiness perceptions based on the age of the participants. The study concluded that these differences in kindergarten readiness perceptions have an impact on public education programs, and the success of public school students effects the communities in which they reside

IMPROVING PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT FOR KINDERGARTEN READINESS: AN IMPROVEMENT SCIENCE STUDY

Every child deserves the opportunity to come to school ready to learn with the skills needed to take on the content in kindergarten. Students, who are not ready for kindergarten, have a higher chance of needing additional support services with academics and behavior (Fitzpatrick et al., 2020). In Kentucky, less than 50% of the kindergarten students were considered kindergarten ready based on the 2022 Kindergarten Readiness data (Kentucky Department of Education, 2023). In the district where this study took place, 43% of students were determined to be kindergarten ready (Kentucky Department of Education, 2023). Knowing the implications and long term impact of not being kindergarten ready, the district placed a priority on early education and kindergarten readiness by having preschool four days per week, a mobile preschool classroom, additional personnel, and more awareness of the importance of early education. In the improvement science study, interventions focused on engaging parents in learning about strategies to help their child become kindergarten ready based on the root cause analysis and literature on kindergarten readiness. Parent seminars were conducted throughout the year to help parents understand the importance of being prepared for kindergarten and multiple strategies to use at home with their child. Materials were distributed at each parent seminar to help with kindergarten readiness. Translators were made available to help all parents understand the content. The participation increased as the interventions were revised to meet the needs of the parents. Kindergarten readiness scores improved throughout the interventions, although other factors contributed to the improvements. The findings in this study suggest there are strategies that can be implemented to improve parent participation in parent seminars, specifically focused on kindergarten readiness

Parental Learning and School Readiness in the Gearing Up for Kindergarten Program

Entering kindergarten is a key moment in a young child’s life, and parents are a child’s first teacher. What can guide parents as they assist children with school readiness? Gearing Up for Kindergarten is an intensive parent education and school readiness program designed to help parents and children prepare for school. Gearing Up for Kindergarten is a parent education program that combines early learning opportunities for pre-kindergarten children with parent education opportunities for adults. This study presents findings from evaluation efforts conducted with 59 Gearing Up for Kindergarten adult participants during the 2006-2007 school year. Participants in the program demonstrated (1) high satisfaction with program quality and experiences, (2) impacts on parental knowledge and confidence, and (3) significant and positive changes in parental practices related to school readiness. Implications for parent education and programs intended to strengthen school readiness among pre-kindergarten children are explored. Parent education on school readiness can provide a substantive resource as parents help their children develop and become ready for the school years