Wednesday, April 30, 2008
2007 Minnesota School Readiness Report...
The 2007 Minnesota School Readiness Study was released this month, showing that only about half of Minnesota children are fully ready for kindergarten ("proficient" in key domains). The study also found a decrease since 2006 in the number of children assessed as proficient in every domain of school readiness (Physical Development, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking; Personal and Social Development; and The Arts).
The 2007 study again confirms that children enter kindergarten with arange of skills, knowledge, behaviors and accomplishments.
1. In all of the developmental domains assessed, a certain percentage of children entering kindergarten did not yet show the indicators of focus.
2. Household income is related to readiness level. The results by household income are consistent with national research showing the impact of poverty on children's school readiness and school success. Future studies will continue to examinethe degree of impact of parent education level on child outcomes.
3. The total percentage of students rated on average as "Not Yet"in each of the five developmental domains has remained consistent throughout the five years of the study.
4. Schools with a higher percentage of entering kindergarteners with disadvantaged backgrounds may tend to have fewer children fully prepared for kindergarten at the beginning of the school year.
5. Using performance-based assessments such as the Work Sampling System is appropriate when working with elementary school principals and kindergarten teachers to assess children's readiness as they enter kindergarten.
Of note also is the study's finding that children whose home language is English were nearly three times more likely to be proficient or in process for two key domains, Language and Literacy and Mathematical Thinking. On this issue, the Foundation for Child Development's recent brief Challenging Common Myths About English Language Learners provides research-based information for early childhood educators serving English language learners and specifically, Spanish-speaking English Language Learners.
The 2007 Minnesota School Readiness Study was released this month, showing that only about half of Minnesota children are fully ready for kindergarten ("proficient" in key domains). The study also found a decrease since 2006 in the number of children assessed as proficient in every domain of school readiness (Physical Development, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking; Personal and Social Development; and The Arts).
The 2007 study again confirms that children enter kindergarten with arange of skills, knowledge, behaviors and accomplishments.
1. In all of the developmental domains assessed, a certain percentage of children entering kindergarten did not yet show the indicators of focus.
2. Household income is related to readiness level. The results by household income are consistent with national research showing the impact of poverty on children's school readiness and school success. Future studies will continue to examinethe degree of impact of parent education level on child outcomes.
3. The total percentage of students rated on average as "Not Yet"in each of the five developmental domains has remained consistent throughout the five years of the study.
4. Schools with a higher percentage of entering kindergarteners with disadvantaged backgrounds may tend to have fewer children fully prepared for kindergarten at the beginning of the school year.
5. Using performance-based assessments such as the Work Sampling System is appropriate when working with elementary school principals and kindergarten teachers to assess children's readiness as they enter kindergarten.
Of note also is the study's finding that children whose home language is English were nearly three times more likely to be proficient or in process for two key domains, Language and Literacy and Mathematical Thinking. On this issue, the Foundation for Child Development's recent brief Challenging Common Myths About English Language Learners provides research-based information for early childhood educators serving English language learners and specifically, Spanish-speaking English Language Learners.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:54 PM 
