Establish a Comprehensive “Ready Schools” Approach
“Ready Schools” are prepared to support the learning and development of young children. The benefits of high quality early childhood experiences are undermined if children are subsequently exposed to low quality early elementary education (grades K-3). [i] Emerging “Ready School” policies are especially important for low-income children, who are more likely to end up in low resource schools. [ii]
What Can Policymakers Do?
·
Establish a clear state-level vision, priorities, and mechanisms for a comprehensive approach to school readiness.
State policymakers can provide necessary leadership to build consensus on a vision and set priorities among multiple state agencies, funding streams, and constituencies (early care and education and K-12).
[iii]
·
Establish formal governance to build, support, and monitor comprehensive school readiness efforts.
The
Maryland enacted
a law establishing a new
Division of Early Childhood Development within the State Department of Education
. Programs for child care licensing, registering, and monitoring moved from two other agencies into the new division to improve alignment between early childhood programs and K-12 education goals.
·
The governor of Colorado issued an
Executive Order
creating a P-20 Education Coordinating Council, and appointed a
P-3 sub-committee
(preschool through third grade) to develop specific recommendations. [iv]
·
Enact a comprehensive definition of school readiness into law/regulation.
Hawaii ’s legislature adopted a statutory
definition of school readiness
. The state has since implemented an annual
readiness assessment
of both children and schools. Under
legislative mandate
, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted a similar
definition
. [v]
·
Establish state-level, grade-specific standards and assessments
for kindergarten through Third grade.
Pennsylvania has grade-specific
learning standards
for Kindergarten, 1 st , and 2 nd grades that are aligned with the state’s
third grade academic content standards
. [vi] The state issued explicit guidance to districts on instituting age-appropriate, valid, and reliable assessments during the K-3 years.
·
Establish state-level
Ready School standards and assessments.
Among a handful of
leading states
,
North Carolina ’s State Board of Education adopted a “
D efinition and Pathway s
” to a
Ready School and recommends that each elementary school develop a “ Ready School plan” within its required School Improvement Planning process . Local Ready School Teams use the High/Scope Ready School Assessment [vii] to evaluate their “Readiness Rate.”
[i]
Currie, J. and Thomas, D. (2000). School quality and the longer-term effects of Head Start.
Journal of Human Resources 35
(4), 755-774; Lee, V. E. and Loeb, S. (1995). Where do Head Start attendees end up? One reason why preschool effects fade out. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 17 (1),62-82
[ii]
Clements, M.A., Reynolds, A.J., and Hickey, E. (2004). Site-level predictors of children's school and social competence in the Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 19, 273-296; Reed, D.S. (2001). On equal terms: The constitutional politics of educational opportunity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; Schrag, P. (2003). Final test: The battle for adequacy in America's schools. New York: The New Press
[iii]
Lovejoy, A. (2005).
A governor's guide to school readiness.
Washington, DC: National Governors Association
[iv]
For more information on Colorado’s P-3 sub-committee: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/GovRitter/GOVR/1188246122173
[vi]
Pennsylvania’s learning standards, birth through 3rd grade: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/cwp/view.asp?a=317&Q=124120&early_childhoodNav=|10704|&early_childhoodNav=|6339|
[vii]
High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. (2006).
The ready school assessment: Making every school a place where every child can learn
. Ypsilanti, MI: Author; see also: http://www.readyschoolassessment.org/