This document defines a framework for strengthening linkages between early childhood and elementary school programs at the local, state, and regional levels. The concept of a continuum of services is central within the framework, in the belief that when service providers link together to provide continuity, the connections they establish provide…

Written to help parents understand what their children need to know before they start kindergarten, this volume, bound separately in English and Spanish, is intended to help parents become their children's best, as well as their first and most important, teachers. The first part of the book, the before school checklist, is divided into eight…

This document describes South Carolina's progress during 1991-92 toward achieving the six National Education Goals, first formulated at a meeting between the U.S. president and the 50 state governors in September, 1989. The goals, which are listed at the beginning of this report, are targeted respectively at: (1) school readiness; (2) school…

A year-long cooperative study examined school readiness and academic achievement of normal and at-risk students. Subjects were 360 Russian and 400 American first-graders. A Russian-developed diagnostic screening instrument was used to identify at-risk individuals. Data were then collected through achievement tests at the beginning and end of the…

This report describes the progress of the "Way to Grow School Readiness Program," a program implemented in several cities in Minnesota to promote intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development and school readiness of children to age 5. The program coordinates and improves access to community-based and neighborhood-based…

Many children, and their families, experience stress when they leave preschool and enter kindergarten. This paper describes a transition plan for children entering kindergarten that addresses the needs of developmentally delayed children as well as typically developing children. By coordinating all the involved parties--parents, teachers,…

This paper presents Rudolf Steiner's maturational readiness theory of human physiopsychology and comments on education in the Waldorf Schools. Discussion asserts that Steiner's concept of human development is complex and that intensive study is required for even a superficial understanding of "the four members of man": the physical,…

This report reviews prekindergarten programs in fiscal years 1987-88 in Illinois, where an estimated 112,000 children of 3-4 years of age are at risk of academic failure. Each year, State Board of Education staff collect data on prekindergarten programs and the children they serve in order to answer four primary questions: (1) What are the…

In the Mesa, Arizona, public schools, 4-year-old children with birthdays during the period from September to December were allowed to enter kindergarten if they passed the district screening test. Kindergarten teachers disagreed with this policy and recommended that, with no exceptions, the district no longer enroll 4-year-old children.…

A process evaluation was conducted of the Saginaw, Michigan Public Schools' Prekindergarten Program. During the 1985-86 year, 454 children participated, based on their Prekindergarten Readiness Screening Device scores. The half-day program was funded through Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act to develop the school…

With increasing frequency, school readiness tests are used to determine a child's potential for kindergarten and/or the child's placement in a certain type of kindergarten program. This study compared two teachers' predictions of test results for 20 children with the scores children achieved in actual testing situations. The study also queried the…

Compliance with South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP), involving test administration and instructional monitoring, was on schedule for the 1983-84 school year. Results of readiness tests given to over 50,000 first graders showed 72.6% "ready" to begin formal instruction. Teachers were given materials for areas in which…

Intended to provide an intensive and comprehensive view of all early childhood programs serving children before they enter first grade, this population study focused on preschool, readiness kindergarten, regular kindergarten, and readiness first grade programs in all of Michigan's 528 K-12 school districts. Reflecting the 1983-84 school year, data…

The major goals of this practicum were (1) to initiate a preschool screening program to identify children with special needs in the Lower Township School District, Cape May, New Jersey; (2) to refer these children to appropriate remedial services prior to their entrance into kindergarten; and (3) to provide opportunities for parents to attend…

A guide to assist prospective test users in the selection of commonly used standardized achievement tests is presented. The tests include seven readiness tests (prekindergarten and kindergarten), 10 English reading and mathematics tests (grades 1 through 12), and two Spanish achievement tests (grades 1 through 12). Most of the readiness tests are…