TKW Consulting

60,000 Minnesota children will start kindergarten this fall, but are they fully ready?
ST. PAUL, MN – Sept. 6, 2005 – Nearly a million students in Minnesota will begin a new school year this week. Of those about 60,000 will be entering public school for the first time as kindergartners, and many are not fully ready. Half of these children are not proficient in two crucial areas: language and literacy and mathematical thinking.

Ready 4 K President Todd Otis finds this unacceptable in a state that prides itself on being a leader in innovative education. “It’s time for everyone, especially our elected officials, to take action so that every child in Minnesota has the opportunity to succeed in learning and in life,” Otis said.

These findings were compiled by the Minnesota Department of Education in a three-year series of studies, beginning in 2002. The studies focused on assessing school readiness across the state with the purpose of providing a snapshot of a child’s readiness as he or she enters kindergarten in the fall. Results from the 2002 and 2003 studies were based on a random sampling of the population entering kindergarten using teacher assessments, which in the second year included a parent’s survey. The emphasis in the 2004 study shifted strategically, assessing each child entering kindergarten in 20 selected school districts.

In all three years of assessment, more than half of the children entering kindergarten were found to not be fully ready to thrive in school. In the 2004 study of selected districts, only 47 percent were deemed proficient in the category of language and literacy skills. The 2003 study, which used a sample of the whole population, had a 43 percent proficiency in the same area. The 2004 study also found that merely 46 percent of children in the assessed districts are proficient in mathematical thinking skills when they enter kindergarten. This is a 6 percent increase above the random sample taken
n the 2003 study.

Otis thinks Minnesotans can and must do better.

“The start of a school year is an exciting time, but for too many young children it is the first day of being left behind in critical skills and knowledge,” Otis said. “Ignoring the danger signs of gaps in school readiness is foolish, for once children start behind –- it becomes harder and harder for them to catch up.”

It is the intent of the Minnesota School Readiness studies to use results to inform parents, educators, policymakers and the general public about the progress made toward the goals of ensuring that children are ready for school. This is also the mission of Ready 4 K; that every young child in the state will enter kindergarten encouraged, supported and fully prepared for learning success.

“The benefits of quality early care and education not only includes better performance in K-12, but also makes for better citizens with a higher likelihood of being employed in well-paying jobs, less dependence on public assistance and a smaller probability of committing crime. Teachers can do great things, but we need to support them by assuring our children are ready for school when they arrive,” Otis said.