Provide a strong foundation of Kindergarten readiness A modified curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate Focus on where children come from and where they are going Districts have flexibility to determine how best to meet the curricular needs of each child
TraditionalTransitional Mastery of content standards is expected Curriculum based Majority of students move to first grade Lessons and activities are differentiated depending on students levels and needs Parents are encouraged to participate Content standards are introduced and mastery is encouraged Is developmental needs based Students continue on to traditional kindergarten Lessons and activities are differentiated depending on students levels and needs Parents are encouraged to participate
DevelopmentalStandards Based Hands on exploration Building on children’s prior experiences Individually and culturally appropriate Extending children's interests and choices Facilitated learning Inclusive of children with disabilities or other special needs Teachers are responsible to children's concepts, skills, dispositions and feelings Teachers reflect on their observations of children’s activities to intentionally plan curriculum Inclusive of children with disabilities or other special needs
No current Transitional K standards for CA CA Board of Education has charged the Early learning Advisory Council to develop them In the meantime….make connections between CA Preschool Learning Foundations, CA Content Standards for Kindergarten and California Common Core Standards for Kindergarten
Marin Head Start through a grant from the San Francisco Foundation and Marin Community Foundation ◦ curriculum-instruction/ curriculum-instruction/
Reading At around 48 months At around 60 months At the end of Kindergarten Concepts about Print 1.0 Children begin to recognize print conventions and understand that print carries meaning 1.1 Begin to display appropriate book- handling behaviors and begin to recognize print conventions 1.2 Recognize print as something that can be read 1.0 Children recognize print conventions and understand that print carries specific meaning 1.1 Display appropriate book-handling behaviors and knowledge of print conventions 1.2 Understand that print is something 1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book 1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page 1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information 1.4 Recognize that sentences are made up of separate words 1.5 Distinguish letters from words From: Marin Head Start by Erin Blakely
If district offers a combo class of Kinder and TK, focus should be on differentiated instruction to make sure that the programs are different Nurturing and engaging learning environment Outdoor areas are an extension of classroom Developmentally appropriate materials accessible to students Classroom materials reflect all cultures, families and communities of students
Small and large group activities Students actively engaged in learning Learning centers and lesson activities that encourage inquiry and exploration Balance between student and teacher directed activities Create opportunities for thinking, listening, speaking, reading and writing Organize around big ideas, themes and sub- topics
Have the same level of services as those in Kindergarten Value and support home language
Early Learning Environments Social-emotional development Developmentally appropriate instructional practice Preschool Learning Foundations Oral language and literacy development
Achieving sense of self Behaving in a prosocial manner Taking responsibility for self and others
Addition of TK data fields into existing SIS Selection of formative assessment tools Development of progress reports
Documentation of children's oral language and literacy skills Observe and gather evidence of each child's knowledge, skills, behaviors, and dispositions Use multiple sources of evidence on a systematic basis over time Assess to inform instruction