FullDay Kindergarten Curriculum Comparison

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Full-Day KindergartenCurriculum Comparison
Gretchen Guitard, Director of Curriculum and
Staff Development September 2006
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Full-Day Kindergarten Programs Should Include

• Developmentally appropriate programs that provide
  cognitive, social, physical, and emotional
  benefits for children.

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Full-Day Kindergarten

• Full-Day Kindergarten is NOT half day
  kindergarten with an extra half day of play time.

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Full-Day Kindergarten Programs Should Include

• Developmentally appropriate programs that provide
  cognitive, social, physical, and emotional
  benefits for children.

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How is Time Used in Full-Day Programs?

• Peer tutoring
• Mixed-ability grouping
• Reading aloud
• Teaching social skills
• Reinforcing concepts taught earlier in the day
• Completing challenging tasks
• Developing friendships
• Understanding other points of view
• Child-initiated activities

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Results of Research based on Full-Day
Kindergarten

• Academic Achievement
• Grade Level Retention
• Special Education Referrals
• Social and Behavior Effects

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Academic Findings

• Eight different research documents found that
  full day kindergarten students performed
  statistically significantly higher than half day
  students on nationally standardized tests.

• These tests measured skills in reading, spelling,
  handwriting, in addition to individual skills
  (e.g., color, shape, numbers, letters,
  quantities).

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Academic Findings

• Additional findings indicated gains on the
  English, mathematics, and handwriting subtests.

• Similar results were found in prerequisite
  reading skills and oral language assessments.

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Continuing Benefits

• There also was evidence that students have higher
  academic gains in third and eighth grades.

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Additional Findings

• Additional class time was used to teach social
  skills, reinforce concepts taught earlier in the
  day, and allow students more free play time.

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Grade Level Retention

• The impact of full versus half-day programs
  uncovered evidence that full day programs
  resulted in fewer grade retentions.

• This finding is an indirect indicator of student
  achievement.

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Special Education Referrals

• Special Education referrals also decreased for
  students participating in a full-day kindergarten
  program.

• Variables to be consider in this finding include
  more individual instruction and small group
  activities.

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Social and Behavior Effects

• Research investigated facets such as
• Originality
• Individual learning
• Involvement in classroom activities
• Productivity with peers

• Intellectual dependency
• Failure
• Anxiety
• Withdrawal
• Blaming
• Approach to teacher

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Research Findings

• Research favored the development of these
  pro-social and behavior attributes, with the
  exception of blaming.

• Research generally supports the conclusion that
  kindergarten students adjust to the longer days
  without major difficulties.

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Additional Findings

• Smaller percent of time was spent in transitions.
• Teachers spend more time helping children
  complete challenging tasks, develop friendships,
  resolve conflicts, and understand other points of
  view.

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Disadvantaged Students

• Several studies indicate that full- day
  kindergarten has the greatest effect on at-risk
  children and children from educationally
  disadvantaged homes.

• Studies also support the finding that students at
  or below poverty level enrolled in a full- day
  kindergarten scored statistically significantly
  higher in math and reading.

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What does this mean to Jefferson City Public
Schools?
Diane VanZandt, Thorpe Gordon Elementary
Kindergarten Teacher
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Increase in Expectations
Kindergarten Curriculum Objectives
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What does this mean to Jefferson City Public
Schools?
Mary Thorne, North Elementary Kindergarten Teacher
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Research Summary

• Sources in the presentation reflect information
  from national research, including an extensive
  study of eight data sets. The criteria used
  included full-day kindergarten students and a
  control group. The programs had to be every day
  programs (not alternating), and had to include
  substantive instruction (not afternoon childcare).

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Full-Day KindergartenCurriculum Comparison
Gretchen Guitard, Director of Curriculum and
Staff Development September 2006