All Day Kindergarten

[204parent]

Here is the action item on the agenda for tonight's school board meeting:

E. All Day Kindergarten

Recommendation: That the Board of Education approve that all day kindergarten is offered in all elementary buildings beginning in the fall of 2008. Half-day kindergarten will continue to be an option at selected locations, based on interest.
(Policy #625.12)

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[we4]

If this for all students, sign me up. I am in year 3 of 5 years of split days. After going through 4 years of splits days with my older daughters, I will love dropping one of those years.

[204parent]

Does anyone know how much this is going to cost?

[rew]

I came from a district that "offered" all day kindergarten (in 1992). The parents paid tuition (I think at the time it was $800 for the school year. They had all morning half day K and then kids could opt to stay. They did not introduce new material but had enrichment activities from the days lessons in the PM.

After the first year they put a ref out to fund it for everyone, because they had 90% participation. Parents passed the ref.

I wonder how it will work here?

[204parent]

rew said:

I came from a district that "offered" all day kindergarten (in 1992). The parents paid tuition (I think at the time it was $800 for the school year. They had all morning half day K and then kids could opt to stay. They did not introduce new material but had enrichment activities from the days lessons in the PM.

After the first year they put a ref out to fund it for everyone, because they had 90% participation. Parents passed the ref.

I wonder how it will work here?

I get the feeling it will work the way the SB tells us it's going to work!

They don't seem very interested in asking for public opinion!

[momto4]

204parent said:

rew said:

I came from a district that "offered" all day kindergarten (in 1992). The parents paid tuition (I think at the time it was $800 for the school year. They had all morning half day K and then kids could opt to stay. They did not introduce new material but had enrichment activities from the days lessons in the PM.

After the first year they put a ref out to fund it for everyone, because they had 90% participation. Parents passed the ref.

I wonder how it will work here?

I get the feeling it will work the way the SB tells us it's going to work!

They don't seem very interested in asking for public opinion!

Note that the administration is asking the SB to approve this. It was not initiated by the SB as far as I know.

[EagleDad]

204parent said:

Here is the action item on the agenda for tonight's school board meeting:

E. All Day Kindergarten

Recommendation: That the Board of Education approve that all day kindergarten is offered in all elementary buildings beginning in the fall of 2008. Half-day kindergarten will continue to be an option at selected locations, based on interest.
(Policy #625.12)

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Holy Cr*p - didn't give the community much time to debate the merits of this, did they? What are the operations costs impacts?

Too bad I can't make it tonite - it should be entertaining.

[momof3]

I would much rather have my child in half-day K then have them is a class of 30+ for all six years in ES. I guess we'll see what they have planned.

[Arch]

My oldest did full day in CA, the rest did half days here. Academically, I don't think anything mattered one way or the other with that. ED does have a good point (in the powerline thread) that it does allow for more time for kids who need the extra help with areas to hit their milestone points... but I'm not sure how much one on one time those kids will get if the student:teacher ratio ends up being more lopsided.

[momto4]

eagledad said:

204parent said:

Here is the action item on the agenda for tonight's school board meeting:

[/size][/quote]

Holy Cr*p - didn't give the community much time to debate the merits of this, did they? What are the operations costs impacts?

Too bad I can't make it tonite - it should be entertaining.[/quote]
The agenda was published on Friday on the website. I expected something might show up in the newspapers over the weekend but maybe our friendly neighborhood reporters didn't notice it.

[momof3]

momof3 said:

I would much rather have my child in half-day K then have them is a class of 30+ for all six years in ES. I guess we'll see what they have planned.

I would also rather have foreign language taught in ES than all day K. Maybe I should email the curriculum chair on the board to see if she can make that happen.

Research on all day K. Strikes me that all of the data points to K improvements but no long term impact.
www.edina.k12.mn.us/district/registration/pdfs/AllDayKResearch.pdf

Class size research...Seems to have the most impact in grades K through 3.
www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/c.kjJXJ5MPIwE/b.1533647/k.3B7C/Class_size_and_student_achievement.htm

Smaller classes in the early grades (K-3) can boost student academic achievement;

A class size of no more than 18 students per teacher is required to produce the greatest benefits;

A program spanning grades K-3 will produce more benefits than a program that reaches students in only one or two of the primary grades;

Minority and low-income students show even greater gains when placed in small classes in the primary grades;

The experience and preparation of teachers is a critical factor in the success or failure of class size reduction programs;

Reducing class size will have little effect without enough classrooms and well-qualified teachers; and

Supports, such as professional development for teachers and a rigorous curriculum, enhance the effect of reduced class size on academic achievement.

[momto4]

momof3 said:

momof3 said:

I would much rather have my child in half-day K then have them is a class of 30+ for all six years in ES. I guess we'll see what they have planned.

I would also rather have foreign language taught in ES than all day K. Maybe I should email the curriculum chair on the board to see if she can make that happen.

Me too! It is so much easier for young children to learn than high schoolers.

[justvote]

I was at a meeting where the Superintendent discussed this. It is definitely for all students and, if memory serves, he stated that class size would not be increased and that we have sufficient space to accomodate all day kindergarten for all students. He is a huge advocate of all day kindergarten and was pretty vocal about wanting to see it in the district by next year.

[204parent]

I'm an advocate of all day kindergarten, but this just seems like a bad time to implement it. We should resolve the MV crisis first.

[rew]

Does anyone think there will be any MVHS discussion tonight?