Transitional Kindergarten

Program Development Considerations

Jessica Mihaly

SMCOE Transition Coordinator, School Readiness

Nirmala Dillman

SMCOE Coordinator Child Care Partnership Council

Tracy Wilson

SMCOE Reading Language Arts Coordinator04/22/23

What does the Law Say?

• California law (EC 48000) defines transitional kindergarten as “the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.”

• While no state curriculum is mandated, local education agencies must modify the local course of study in order to provide age and developmentally appropriate curriculum for transitional kindergarten.

What is required?

Immediate Attention• Likely enrollment

– Collect and capture birthdates of siblings at enrollment

• Plausible sites – Criteria used if not at all sites

• Funding model

• Policy impact

• Round up, enrollment process and records– Create a new grade

• Public communication: – Board, Community, Parents, Teachers

• Staff selection

Near Future Work …December- March

• Curriculum: create a curriculum map or broad pacing guide, select resources, design classroom spaces

• Instruction: define signature practices

• Assessments: clarify assessment practices

• Professional Development: – anticipate the PD needs of a class of all young 5’s

– determine focus, delivery, support providers, on-going support

• SMCOE Spring Workshops

Today’s Objective

Clarify how transitional kindergarten isdifferent from preschool and different

from traditional kindergarten

Review current research

Share resources

Support the development of a philosophy

What does the research say?Executive Summary: Set for Success, Building a strong foundation for school readiness based on the

social development of young children

• How children feel is as important as how they think when ensuring learning.

• Learning depends on stable, secure and enduring relationships with both adults and peers.

• Emotional and motivational readiness is not just good for, but critical to, learning.

What do local data suggest?

Source:

“School Readiness and Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis for Santa Clara and

San Mateo County Students”

Compared 3rd grade ELA and Math CST scores with K readiness data of 1,543 students

Developed by:

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Santa Clara Partnership for School Readiness

Applied Survey Research

www.siliconvalleycf.org

AcademicsRecognizes lettersRecognizes shapesRecognizes colorsCounts 10 objects

Engages with booksWrites own first name

Recognizes rhyming words

Self-Regulation Comforts self

Pays attention Controls impulses Follows directions

Negotiates solutions Plays cooperatively

Participates in circle timeHandles frustration well

Social Expression Expresses empathy Relates well to adults Has expressive abilities Is curious & eager to learn Expresses needs & wants Engages in symbolic play

Self-Care and Motor SkillsUses small manipulativesHas general coordination

Performs basic self-help / self-care tasks

BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF READINESS

See Attachment

What do Local Data Suggest?

• 70% of children who were proficient in all 4 building blocks were proficient or advanced in ELA and Math by 3rd grade

• Only 25% of the children who were not proficient at K entry were proficient or advanced by 3rd grade

• Kindergarten readiness was a much bigger predictor of 3rd grade success for Latino children

• Children most successful at 3rd grade had a strong combination of K academics and self-regulation

Percentage Scoring Proficient or Advanced at 3rd grade, by

Readiness Pattern

What do local data suggest?

Who is most likely to be Ready at K and Successful by 3rd grade?

• Children who are 5 before K entry• Children with parents who

Read with them more often Tell stories and sing songs Have higher maternal education Are Asian, Caucasian Are High income

_____________________• Preschool impacts readiness, but does not predict success separately

What is your school philosophy?

How will TK support the larger philosophy of the school,

district?

What are your core values?

Children need many opportunities for work and play that cultivate their individual styles, recognize their cultures, and accommodate their individual needs.

Children gain understanding of the world and society by exploring materials, engaging in physical

activities, and interacting with peers and adults.

Children need sufficient time to become involved in projects and investigations to satisfy their own interests. Balancing child-initiated and teacher-

selected activities enhances learning.

What are the benefits of TK?How is TK different than K?

• Transitional kindergarten serves as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten, giving children more time for hands-on, interactive learning.

• Transitional kindergarten provides young learners with high-quality kindergarten readiness at no cost to parents.

• Transitional kindergarten helps children adjust to the school environment & develop strong learning skills in preparation for kindergarten.

What are the benefits of TK?How is TK different than K?

• TK students will be better prepared to succeed in traditional kindergarten and beyond

• TK improves social-emotional and cognitive development

• Early, rich preparation improves test scores

• Early, rich preparation reduces grade retention and special education placement

• TK is a tremendous opportunity to integrate early learning and elementary systems

Consider a Blended Approach

• Begin with: an intentional focus on a learning objective (standards-based)

• Include learning through play, doing, interacting (experiential)

• Plan the learning within a child’s zone of proximal success (developmental)

• Based upon student interests (emerging)

What does the research suggest?Source: National Academy of Sciences: from Neurons to Neighborhoods

3 Qualities

Needed for School Success

Intellectual Skills

Motivation to Learn

Strong Social-emotional Capacity

What are the Standards?

Preschool Foundations

Social-Emotional Development

Language and Literacy

English-Language Development for English learners

Mathematics

TKPossibilities

Traditional Kindergarten

What is different?

Social Emotional Development PreschoolFoundations

48 MonthsDescribe their physical characteristics,behavior, and abilities positively

60 MonthsCompare their characteristics withthose of others and display a growingawareness of their psychologicalcharacteristics, such as thoughts and feelings

Possible TK Objectives

Teach children to…

• Describe their own physical characteristics• Name ways in which people are similar and ways in which they are different• Name basic body parts and their functions• Describe the five senses• Identify personal feelings• Ask for help when confused or after several attempts to solve a problem

What is different?

Self RegulationPreschoolFoundations

48 MonthsNeed adult guidance in managing theirattention, feelings, and impulses, showsome effort at self-control

60 MonthsRegulate their attention, thoughts, feelings, and impulses more consistently,although adult guidance is sometimes necessary

Possible TK Objectives

Teach children to…

• Communicate personal needs• Express a range of emotions appropriately• Follow rules for safe play and safety routines• Share or take turns• Focus attention • Delay gratification• Anticipate the schedule, routines• Explain the classroom rules

What is different?

Initiative in LearningPreschoolFoundations

48 MonthsEnjoy learning and are confident in their abilities to make new discoveries although may not persist at solving difficult problems

60 MonthsTake greater initiative in making newdiscoveries, identifying new solutions, andpersisting in trying to figure things out

Possible TK Objectives

Teach children to…

• Suggest other ways of doing things• Offer information known or discovered• Ask to learn more about a subject, event, or experience, demonstrating curiosity• Make connections, see similarities between new learning and prior learning or experience• Ask relative questions

K) RLA. 1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

K) RLA 2. With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

Possible Kindergarten to TKCCS Standards Work

K) RLA. 1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Possible Kindergarten to TKCCS Standards Work

TK) RLA 1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about a story or poem read-aloud

Daily Schedule 8:30 - 8:45 Nametags, stow lunch boxes, and outside play

8:45 - 9:10 Rug time: Teacher and children; Work-parents set up individual activities

9:10 - 10:15 Activity time: Work-parents work with groups of children

10:15 - 10:25 Clean up: EVERYONE helps

10:25 - 11:20 Snack and outside time; Adults monitor and engage in outside activities

11:20 - 11:30 Yard cleanup: EVERYONE helps

11:30 – 11:40 The run: Children run two laps as a group

11:45 – 12:05 Lunch: Children eat in small groups with adults

12:05 – 12:10 Children come into the room and select a book from bins to “read” quietly on the carpet

12:10 – 12:15 Final rug time

12:15 Dismissal

Does it support

your philosophy?

Assessment Considerations

• How will it be different than a kindergarten assessment? Will it include some developmental readiness components?

• Pre- assessment plan?– Skills, Readiness, Observation survey

• Post assessment plan?

• What will you do with the data? – How will use it to show growth? – How will you use it to evaluate the effectiveness of the TK design?

Communication Considerations

• TK round-up and program promotion

• Parent involvement

• Parent conferences

• How will you inform families of current and future events?

• How will you report student progress?

• Local community outreach and partnership

• Preschool continuity and enrollment

SMCOE Sample Brochure

SMCOE FAQs for Teachers and Leaders

Professional Learning Considerations

• English language development and strategies

• Creating child centered classrooms

• Experiential (interactive) writing

• Social-emotional development

• Creating positive behavior systems

• Creating and sustaining family support

• Curriculum development (math and literacy)

• SMCOE Spring Workshops

In Closing…

Questions or Curiosities

SMCOE Support

• On-line Resources– FAQ’s, Brochure, References

– Updates: CSBA (Nov), WestEd/CDE (Jan)

• Evaluation – identify support needs

• Learning Circles (flyer)