All Day K

[Arch]

I wonder if Mina ever heard of the intervention techniques that already happen to 'catch students up' who need it during the normal course of the K half-day. Oddly enough, they also employ this technique for higher grades too without having to extend the regular class day any further. It's far more cost effective and specifically targeted to those that need it. During ADK, the teacher would still have to take the time to help the struggling students. What do the students who don't need that help do while the teacher is 'busy' with the ones needing help?

I just can't follow her logic the way she's spelled it out.

[momof3]

Why does my kid have to go to all day K and live with the consequences of reduced space for all in K-5 to make up for the few that come unprepared?

Single out the unprepared and catch them up with all day K! I'm all for that!

Using the logic in that letter, maybe the district should start admininstering Ritalin to all elementary school student just to make sure the kids that need it are getting it.

[momin204]

The part that people are missing is there is no testing before entering Kindergarten so there is no way to identify these “at risk” kids.

[momto4]

momof3 said:

Why does my kid have to go to all day K and live with the consequences of reduced space for all in K-5 to make up for the few that come unprepared?

Single out the unprepared and catch them up with all day K! I'm all for that!

Using the logic in that letter, maybe the district should start admininstering Ritalin to all elementary school student just to make sure the kids that need it are getting it.

Agreed! I really am having trouble understanding how all day K for ALL will help those who come unprepared to get caught up. Won't the bar have been raised for all?

Prior to this year's experiment with all day K I had heard of cases where kids who needed extra help would attend both a morning K and afternoon K, so they were doubling up on the learning. I have heard from others that this year's pilot program is similar, just doing lots of repetition. This is very different from whatever the curriculum will/should look like for those kids who do show up prepared, yet we've been told it won't be like moving 1st grade curriculum down to K. What more would they need to learn in K that they didn't already know and isn't something they'll be learning in 1st grade?

I'm so glad that I'm done with kindergarten. Yet still grades 1-5 in many schools will suffer from the overcrowding effect caused by this.

[momto4]

momin204 said:

The part that people are missing is there is no testing before entering Kindergarten so there is no way to identify these “at risk” kids.

This year they identified the children at the beginning of the school year, didn't they?

[Arch]

It used to be that one could have their child evaluated by the District pre-school program to see if they qualify.

Is that not the case anymore?

[jenrik2714]

As someone who benefitted by ADK, I must disagree, I think it would be good for all children. My parents noticed the difference between my sister and I compared to my other 3 sisters who had half day kindergarden in terms of learning. We were learning phonics and vowels, and eventually learned to read by the end of kindergarden (with our parents help also) . We had nap and play time and story time. My sisters did not have the same opportunities with 1/2 day kindergarden. I was not behind. I went to pre-school. My mom was a stay at home mom at the time, so she wasn't using it as a baby sitting service.

I was hoping this would happen in the district so my preschool daughter could have the benefit of this.

I say utilize Wheatland and Peterson for ADK. Then use the local elementary schools for kids who want 1/2 kindergarden.

[momin204]

There is no evaluation for children coming into kindergarten. I checked when my youngest was entering, his birthday was close to the cut off and I was concerned because there are a lot of kids that wait a year before starting. Both the school and the district told me they did not have any evaluation available.

It is not that I am against ADK I just really do not see how they are going to make it work (at least in my school) without disrupting grade 1 -5.

[gatormom]

From what I have been told, testing began this year at the schools in the program for at-risk children. The children were tested the first day of K and then were given class assignments, all day or not.

[momof3]

In my sister's district in Ohio, all incoming kindergarteners are evaluated the summer before they start. The ones that need help are sent to all day, any remaining all day slots are filled using a lottery.

So her district makes it work. It seems like a much better approach. Unfortunately for us in 204, the solution was determined before the problem was defined.

And if the solution for us is all day K for everyone, do as jenrik suggests instead of overcrowding all of our ES.

[d204mom]

www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG558/

When next year's kindergartner's are in fifth grade, if their test scores drop, how will we be able to sort out if it was due to the negative effect of all day k or increased class size?

Oh well, I'm sure we'll find someone to blame for it!

Full-day kindergarten doesn't benefit all

I have become aware that District 204 will be starting a full-day kindergarten program in 2008 for the entire district. I know that the district will still offer half-day kindergarten, but it might not reside in your child's home school.
District 204 has been supplying research to the parents of District 204 that states that all children benefit from full-day kindergarten.

Why has 204 not made the public aware of the newest RAND study that shows "typical" children who attend full-day kindergarten don't benefit 100 percent?

The RAND study found that full-day kindergarten may actually be detrimental a child's mathematics performance and nonacademic readiness skills once they reach fifth grade.

I encourage all parents to Google "Rand Study Full-Day Kindergarten" to be informed before sending your child to a full-day kindergarten program in District 204.

Cathy Diesman

Naperville