News
Kindergarten Red-Shirting - Position Statement
Click Here, National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education
Alternatives to Kindergarten Retention and Transition Placement
Click Here, Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), University of Minnesota
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? Redshirting may do more harm than good
Click Here, EducationNext, 2017, 17(3)
Red-Shirting: Quite Bad for Some
New research from Duke University indicates that children who are older when they start kindergarten do well academically and socially in the short term, but as teenagers, can be more likely to drop out and commit serious crimes, depending on context. The study compared North Carolina public school students born 60 days before and 60 days after the school cutoff, which at the time of the study was five years old by October 16 to enter kindergarten that year. Prior studies have established that children who enter school "old for grade" perform better academically than younger classmates. The study confirms this, and also finds old-for-grade students one-third less likely to engage in delinquent behavior while still in school. However, after age 16 and for certain populations, the picture shifts. Among old-for-grade students, likelihood of dropping out and being convicted of a serious crime before age 20 is 3.4 times greater for those born to an unwed mother and 2.7 times greater for those whose mothers were high school dropouts. The explanation may lie with the age at which students may legally withdraw from school, 16 in North Carolina. To improve outcomes, the study recommends that states should require completion of a certain grade or a specified number of years in school for withdrawal, rather than legal age.
Click Here for More Information
Links
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) - Kindergarten page
Click Here
Minnesota
News
Free All-Day Kindergarten Rolls Out Across Minnesota
Click Here, Star Tribune, by Kim McGuire, September 2, 2014
Free, Full-Day Kindergarten Begins for Minnesota Children
Click Here, Education Week, by Kathryn Baron on September 2, 2014
Information and Resources
Early Entrance to Kindergarten: 2013-2014 Application Guide
Click here for file, District 279
Full-Day Kindergarten Funding Available to School Districts and Charter Schools Fall 2014
Full-day kindergarten provides crucial opportunities for Minnesota’s younger learners to build upon their prekindergarten or early learning experiences to sustain the development of their cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills. Beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2014, funding will be available to school districts and charter schools to provide full-day kindergarten.
Click Here for more information. From the Minnesota Department of Education website.
National
Kindergarten Policy Updates (2013)
Updated overview of kindergarten entry policy and program type by state.
Click here to access article
Template for Early Kindergarten Entrance from Ohio
Click Here
The Power of K: North Carolina Position Statement on Kindergartens of the 21st Century
Click Here, N.C. State Board of Education, 2007
International
Ontario Kindergarten Program
Click Here
Policy & Legal
Kindergarten Policy Updates (2013)
Updated overview of kindergarten entry policy and program type by state.
Click here to access article
Moving Forward with Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Efforts: A Position Paper of the Early Childhood Education State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards
Click Here
NAEYC and NAECS/SDE Position Statement on Early Learning Standards
Click Here
NAEYC Standing on Assessing Young English Language Learners
Click Here
NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8
Click Here
Pushing Full-Day Kindergarten
Click Here, The PEW Charitable Trusts
The Power of Kindergarten: 10 Policies Leading to Positive Child Outcomes
All children benefit from a powerful kindergarten experience. The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education have identified 10 policies that support, promote, and enhance the learning and joy of learning for all kindergarten children, leading to positive child outcomes for all.
Click Here
Retention in the Early Years: Is early retention an effective, research-based strategy for improving student outcomes?
Click Here or http://ceelo.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ceelo_fast_fact_retention_final_web.pdf
Presentations
Resources from Seminar I on Full-Day Kindergarten Implementation on May 19 & 20, 2014
- Drop Out Prevention Starts Early: How Do Effective Full-day Kindergarten Practices Improved Early School Experiences for All Children? (PPT) Presented on May 19, 2014 at the Minnesota Department of Education by Dr. Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and Ms. Juliana Harris, Kindergarten Demonstration Teacher, East End Elementary – Martin County, North Carolina
- More than Hours: Creating Differentiated Full-day Kindergarten Environments that build Knowledge and Skills for All Students (PPT) Presented on May 20, 2014 at the Minnesota Department of Education by Dr. Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and Ms. Juliana Harris, Kindergarten Demonstration Teacher, East End Elementary – Martin County, North Carolina
- “Arm Yourself: Using Research to Guide Practice and Advocate on Behalf of Children” (Research slides from the Drop Out Prevention Starts Early and the More than Hours presentations held at MDE on May 19-20, 2014). Selected citations on classroom observation, children’s trajectories, oral language and vocabulary, collaboration, self-regulation, and teaching approaches. Developed by Dr. Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
- Reference listing for the Drop Out Prevention Starts Early and More than Hours presentations held on May 19-20, 2014 at MDE. Developed by Dr. Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
Resources from Seminar II - 21st Century Full-day Kindergartens: High Impact Teaching for ALL 21st Century Learners
August 18, 2014 from 9 am - 3 pm
Spend the day planning for high-quality, effective and appropriate full-day kindergarten programs for each and every child. We will explore the importance of the learning environment including the physical arrangements of furniture and materials, as well as, the teacher-child and child-child interactions. We will discuss the core components of developmentally appropriate practice and strategies for incorporating effective practices within the classroom designed to meet the needs of all learners. The seminar will include meaningful and practical strategies for smooth transitions for children and their families in to full-day kindergarten programs.
Presenters: Dr. Eva Phillips, author of Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners; Nikole Logan, Parent Engagement Coordinator, St. Paul Public Schools; Sarah Clyne, Executive Director, Joyce Preschool, Minneapolis
Resources from Seminar III - Transformational Full-day Kindergarten Teachers: Motivating the Learner in EVERY Child
March 19, 2015
Seminar III - Transformational Full-day Kindergarten Teachers: Motivating the Learner in EVERY Child (March 19, 2015). Motivating children is the foundation for all successful teaching practices. The way we positively motivate our children has implications for the long-term development and learning. Creating a positive motivational outlook is important in kindergarten and beyond.
This seminar focused on the importance of student motivation and engagement in full-day kindergarten. Along with Dr. Holland, we explored how to build assessment and evaluation into practice to improve the learning of all kindergarten students. We also discussed ways to develop smooth transitions from grade-to-grade to allow children to experience successes as they grow and develop to keep children fully motivated and engaged in their learning.
Presenter: Dr. Adam Holland, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and former kindergarten teacher.
Early Kindergarten Entrance
- Data Sources about a Child’s Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Early Kindergarten Entry and Sample Early Kindergarten Entrance Process
Click Here, Minnesota Department of Education
Research
Ackerman, D.J., Barnett, W. S., & Robin, K. B. (2005). Making the most of kindergarten: Present trends and future issues in the provision of full-day programs. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research
Bassok, D., & Rorem, A. (2014, January). Is kindergarten the new first grade? The changing nature of kindergarten in the age of accountability. EdPolicy Works Working Paper Series, No. 20. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/20_Bassok_Is_Kindergarten_The_New_First_Grade.pdf
Berk, L. E. (2006). Looking at kindergarten children. In D. F. Gullo (Ed.), K today: Teaching and learning in the kindergarten year (pp.11-25). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Elicker, J., & Mathur, A. (1997). What do they do all day? Comprehensive evaluation of a full-day kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12(4), 459-480. doi: 10.1016/S0885-2006(97)90022-3
Gibbs, C. R. (2014). Experimental evidence on early intervention: The impact of full-day kindergarten. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia. Retrieved from http://batten.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/fwpapers/Gibbs_full-day%20K%20experiment.pdf
Gullo, D. F., & Hughes, K. (2011). Reclaiming kindergarten: Part I. Questions and theory and practice. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 323-328. doi:10.1007/s10643-010-0429-6
Han, M., Buell, M., Holochwost, S. J., Demott, K., & Amsden, D. (2012). Instructional quality of full-day kindergarten classrooms. Focus on Prek-K & K, 25(1), 1-9.
Heroman, C., & Copple, C. (2014). Teaching in the kindergarten year. In C. Copple, S. Bredekamp, D. Koralek, & K. Charner (Eds.), Developmentally appropriate practice: Focus on kindergarten (pp. 5-20). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Kauerz, K. (2010, June). PreK-3rd: Putting full-day kindergarten in the middle. Foundation for Child Development. Retrieved from http://fcd-us.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20Kindergarten%20Brief.pdf
Maxwell, K., Ritchie, S., Bredekamp, S., & Zimmerman, T. (2009). Using developmental science to transform children’s early school experiences. Issues in PreK-3rd Education, 4.
Miller, E., & Almon, J. (2009). Crisis in the kindergarten: Why children need play in school. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood.
National Association for the Education of Young Children/National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAEYC). (2003, November). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth to age 8. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
New, R., Palsha, S., & Ritchie, S. (2009). A FirstSchool framework for curriculum and instruction. Issues in PreK-3rd Education, 7, 1-10. Retrieved from http://firstschool.fpg.unc.edu/sites/firstschool.fpg.unc.edu/files/1stSchoolBrief7.pdf
Oertwig, S., & Holland, A. L. (2014). Improving instruction. In S. Ritchie & L. Gutmann (Eds.), FirstSchool: Transforming preK-3rd grade for African American, Latino, and low-income children, (pp. 102-124). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., Payne, C., Cox, M. J., & Bradley, R. (2002, January). The relation of kindergarten classroom environment to teacher, family, and school characteristics and child outcomes. The Elementary School Journal, 102(3), 225-238.
Phillips. E., & Scrinzi, A. (2013). Basics of developmentally appropriate practice: An introduction for teachers of kindergartners. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Snow, K. (2012, November). Variations of children’s experience in kindergarten and common core. Common Core Issue Brief. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/CommonCore_KVariation.pdf
Stipek, D. (2004). Teaching practices in kindergarten and first grade: Different strokes for different folks. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19(4), 548-568. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.10.010
Tomlinson, H. B. (2012). Cognitive development in the kindergarten year. In C. Copple, (Ed.), Growing minds: Building strong cognitive foundations in early childhood (pp. 25-32). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Villegas, M. (2005, April). Full-day kindergarten: Expanding learning opportunities. WestEd Policy Brief. Retrieved from http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-05-01.pdf
Wood, L. D. (2014, May). Holding on to play: Reflecting on experiences as a playful K-3 teacher. Young Children, 69(2), 48-56.
Tools
Data Sources about a Child’s Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Early Kindergarten Entry and
Sample Early Kindergarten Entrance Process
Click Here, Minnesota Department of Education
Kindergarten Online Database (Education Commission of the States)
Provides interactive database by state of key kindergarten issues including compulsory attendance age, kindergarten entrance age, exemptions, minimum days/hours, curriculum, standards, ratios, and access.
Click here to access database
Webinars & Videos
Administrator’s Role in Formative Assessment in Kindergarten (2-minute video)
Click Here or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bON4ultMb20
Full-Day Kindergarten Videos
Click Here, Children's Defense Fund
High-Quality Kindergarten Today — Best practices in kindergarten based on New Jersey’s Kindergarten Implementation
- Part 2 - Classroom Environment, shows the best materials and center-based set up to use Click here for video
- Part 3 - Classroom Schedule, talks about how the various components of a typical Kindergarten day may be organized Click here for video
Principals' Toolkit (from CAYL)
This video covers the importance of relationships in early childhood education.
Click Here, or https://vimeo.com/40733273 by Julie Mallozzi
