Transitional Kindergarten: Questions and Some Answers
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I recently found out that my son, who will turn five years old in November 2012, will be eligible for California’s new transitional kindergarten program. I had planned to hold him back and keep him in preschool another year. As an educator and parent, I have witnessed firsthand how many kindergarteners with fall birthdays are not ready academically or socially for the requirements of today’s kindergarten classrooms. Now it looks like I have another option. Here are my questions about transitional kindergarten and the answers I found (or at least partial answers).
Q: What is transitional kindergarten and how does it differ from kindergarten?
A: Transitional kindergarten is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program specifically designed for children who turn five in the fall of their kindergarten year. It uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for younger children. It provides a bridge between preschool and traditional kindergarten and is intended to help students with fall birthdays become more successful in their future years of schooling.
Q: Who is eligible for transitional kindergarten?
A: A child is eligible for transitional kindergarten if he will have his fifth birthday between:
For the 2012–13 school year: November 2 and December 2
For the 2013–14 school year: October 2 and December 2
For the 2014–15 school year and each school year thereafter: September 2 and December 2.
Each elementary or unified school district in California is required by law to provide kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes for all eligible children.
Q: How and why did California decide to implement a transitional kindergarten program?
A: Children in California were eligible for kindergarten if they turned five years old by December 2. Most states do not allow children to begin kindergarten at age four. California also has some of the highest learning standards, yet many “young fives” (kindergarteners with fall birthdays) were not ready socially or developmentally to meet these standards. Providing “young fives” with a year of transitional kindergarten gives them more time to develop socially and cognitively and to be successful in kindergarten.
Research shows that moving up the kindergarten entry date helps increase test scores by as much as 27 percent. If students are in high-quality early childhood programs like transitional kindergarten, studies show they are less likely to become high school dropouts, repeat a grade, or place in special education programs.
Establishing transitional kindergarten and moving up the kindergarten start date in California are part of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010.
Q: What are the standards and curriculum for transitional kindergarten?
A: Currently, there are no state standards for transitional kindergarten but the state Board of Education has asked the Early Learning Advisory Council to develop them. Until those standards are available, educators are advised to refer to the Common Core State Standards, California’s Content Standards, and California’s Preschool Learning Foundations.
There is no mandated transitional kindergarten curriculum. District educators are to modify the current kindergarten curriculum to make it age and developmentally appropriate for transitional kindergarteners.
Q: How will transitional kindergarten be funded and who will teach it?
A: Transitional kindergarten will be part of the public school system and will use existing funding and credentialed teachers previously allocated to students with fall birthdays (“young fives”).
Q: How many students will be in transitional kindergartens in California?
A: Eventually over 120, 000 students per year could be eligible for transitional kindergarten.
Q: Which districts in the state already have transitional kindergarten programs?
A: Long Beach, Los Angeles Unified, Palo Alto, and Kingsburg Charter Elementary in Fresno are examples of districts that already have programs.
Q: What other states have transitional kindergarten programs?
A: Some states have universal prekindergarten programs or transitional kindergarten in private preschools or schools. The only other school districts I found that have government-funded transitional kindergarten are in Iowa. See the following examples: Woodward-Granger Community School District and Sioux City Community Schools.
If you know of any other states that offer government-funded transitional kindergarten that are part of the K–12 public school system, please let me know in the comments section.
Q: What kinds of professional development opportunities were offered or will be provided for teachers of transitional kindergarten?
There will be no additional funding for transitional kindergarten professional development although existing funds may be used. The California Kindergarten Association’s annual conference in January 2012 will offer a strand on transitional kindergarten.
Two statewide learning opportunities on transitional kindergarten took place in spring 2011—the Central California Regional Summit and the South Bay Transitional Regional Conference. Resources from the Central California Regional Summit are available on this website.
Q: Where can I learn more about transitional kindergarten?
A: Here are some websites that provide more information:
California Department of Education’s FAQs About Transitional Kindergarten
Delaying Kindergarten: Effects on Test Scores and Childcare Costs
Other Questions
I have two more questions, which I haven’t been able to answer yet. Let me know if you have any thoughts or answers!
Q: Will most districts decide to form separate transitional kindergarten classrooms or will they mix transitional and traditional kindergartners in the same classrooms?
Comment: If my home district, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), decides to only accommodate transitional kindergarteners at certain schools, this may pose a dilemma for those of us with an older child (like me) already attending school. If there is no transitional kindergarten option at my older daughter’s school, I will not send my son somewhere else for two years just so he can attend transitional kindergarten. I think it would be logistically impractical. SFUSD is in the process of deciding how it will provide transitional kindergarten to eligible students.
Q: If kindergarteners and traditional kindergarteners are in the same classrooms (which is permitted by the new law) how will teachers differentiate instruction?
What are your thoughts on transitional kindergarten?
Lisa Borah-Geller is a Materials Developer at Developmental Studies Center
This blog by Lisa contrasts with a later blog on transitional kindergarten by DSC Writer Kenni Smith.
The DSC Way creates a culture of learning where students are motivated to do the thinking and talking that builds community, literacy skills, personal relationships, and personal responsibility while engaging teachers in reflective professional development. The seven core principles of the DSC Way are integrated within each of its program, professional, and product development activities.
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Comments
Hi Lisa, I don't get your
Hi Lisa, I don't get your logic that requires your son's state-funded TK must be in the same school as your older child. You started your post by saying that your son is already in preschool (presumably at a different site then your older child), and you had planned on keeping him there another year. I thought that your dilemma was having an additional choice: FREE daycare (provided by the State) versus PAID day care (provided by your current preschool).
Why are you demanding that the FREE TK year must be at the same school as another child? You are doing the drop-off routines now, and had planned to continue for another year, so why can't you manage the same type of situation for the FREE option? Why is the FREE option "logistically impractical" if you have separate drop offs now. Why do you feel such entitlement?
I feel that it is logistically impractical to fill all of the popular elementary school K classrooms (like Clarendon, Sherman, Alvarado, Alamo, Miraloma, etc) with kids who will occupy those coveted seats for two years. Hello! Has anyone done the math? Is the District going to eliminate even more of the limited playground space at some schools but installing trailers for these children? Geesh!
There are fine under-enrolled locations around the City for these TK programs, many of them near some of the most reputable for-profit preschools in the City: Cobb for Richmond/Pac Heights/Marina, Muir for Inner Sunset/Haight/Western Addition, Chavez for the Mission, etc, etc, to name a few.
Thank you for your
Thank you for your questions. Yes, it is true that I do two drop-offs now for my children. My understanding of the TK option though is that it is a two-year program meaning that if I send my son to a TK in a different school than my daughter, he would stay there for two years (TK and K). This would add an additional year of drop-offs at two different locations instead of one. It would also add an additional transition for my son as he would go to one school for TK and K, and then I would probably want to switch him to my daughter's school. As a working parent who is very involved in helping my children's schools, I would love to save time and focus my energy by having my children attend the same school whenever possible.
I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both options: integrating TK students into all K classrooms and having separate TK classrooms at only certain schools. Rachel Norton, a San Francisco school board member, posted information about TK and SFUSD:
http://rachelnorton.com/2011/10/17/better-late-than-never-oct-11-meeting-recap/
I understood that if there
I understood that if there are stand-alone TK classrooms (ie, not intermixed with K students), then the student would only stay there for one year (the underage year) and would go on to enter K at the school of their choice through the normal lottery procedures for 5 year olds. It doesn't make any sense to occupy K seats in every school for 2 years with underage children that supposedly don't belong there in the first place according to the new age rules. If that were the case, than what would the new age rules accomplish? It would be the same old, same old. Aside from tying up coveted K seats throughout the City, isn't intermingling TK students with K students counterproductive to the intent of keeping unprepared, underage, undersocialized children out of Kindergarten in the first place?
SFUSD needs 1-year TK programs, from which they gently push the baby birds out of the nest for flight, 'er I mean Kindergarten. There are probably 10 or more elementary schools in SF with classroom capacity for stand alone TK classrooms in close proximity to the underserved children who need these services.
Thank you Lisa for this
Thank you Lisa for this interesting and informative article. It will help me make the best decisions for my kids as they enter school.
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