Exactly what is a kindergarten-readiness assessment? What does it measure? How is it used? The U.S. Department of Education specifically mentions the need for more research on kindergarten-readiness assessments in its budget request for fiscal year 2011. (The Institute for Education Sciences would be responsible for the studies.) It's a good time to start questioning how and if states and locailties are using various tools to determine the status of their incoming kindergartners.
We can learn some lessons, for example, from Santa Clara County, Calif, where the Santa Clara County Partnership for School Readiness has already made some major progress. For this second edition of the Early Ed Watch podcast, I spoke with Lori Burns, the director of the Partnership, about how the county is measuring the needs and skills of its kindergartners in their first month of school -- along with the expectations and needs of kindergarten teachers. (Download the mp3 from the column to the right or click on the button below for immediate listening.)
Early Ed Watch podcast -- February 19, 2010
How Santa Clara County Measures The Needs of Incoming Kindergartners
With our guest Lori Burns, Director of the Santa Clara County Partnership for School Readiness
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Our early ed forum is a discussion space for school district leaders, early childhood educators, policymakers and others. Anyone who is interested in issues related to improving outcomes for young children from birth through third grade is welcome to participate.
The Early Education Initiative seeks to promote a high-quality and continuous system of early care and education for all children, birth to age 8. While much of our focus is on pre-K up through 3rd grade, we also examine the need for high-quality infant and toddler care and better policies to support new parents.
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