5. Put More Attention on Kindergarten and the Early Grades

Over the last two decades, state and federal actors, researchers, and other stakeholders have increased attention on pre-K for four-year-olds. During roughly that same period, grades 3–12 have drawn the focus of the U.S. Department of Education as well as states and school districts. Kindergarteners and first and second graders aren’t getting the attention they need and deserve. A major reason for the focus on third grade and up is that states concentrate attention on areas valued by accountability and improvement systems. Without making kindergarten and first and second grades part of those systems, in an appropriate way, there is little impetus for schools and school districts to do things differently. However, before including young children in accountability systems, those systems have to fundamentally change from their current state. More research, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and piloting are needed to determine what measures would be most appropriate. But states do not have to wait for a new iteration of accountability systems before injecting K-2 with new energy and ideas grounded in best practice in early childhood education. To give children the best possible path to success in the later grades, it is important to shine a light on teaching and learning in kindergarten and the early grades.

Promote a well-rounded curriculum. In too many early grade classrooms, a student’s day is limited to reading and math instruction with very little attention over the school year to science, social studies, and other areas. Learning across content areas is essential for young students to build their background knowledge about the world, our past, and beyond. Skilled teachers will find ways to incorporate science, history, geography, and so forth into lessons, but all teachers need resources and support to ensure their students have well-rounded learning experiences. In addition to the common subject areas included in K–12 state standards (English language arts, math, science, social studies, the arts, and physical education), K–3 standards should also include standards related to social-emotional development (managing emotions, interactions with peers and adults, and appropriate self-expression) and growth in approaches to learning (curiosity, persistence, attentiveness, etc.) that are aligned with birth-to-five early learning and development standards. Broadening the focus of K–3 standards to include these other domains would send an important signal to educators that children’s development in these areas is equally important to their success in school and later in life. States can develop curriculum implementation guidance, as New Jersey has done, to support teachers in following standards and providing learning experiences and environments aligned with how young children learn best. States can also provide grants to encourage school districts to commit to well-rounded learning and prioritize grant dollars to those districts that are already doing it.

Embrace a whole-child emphasis in the elementary grades. Instead of narrowly focusing on academic achievement, school districts should embrace practices that promote the long-term development and success of children. This means emphasizing four major components: education, health, family involvement, and social services. Elementary schools should partner with local organizations to provide health services, such as immunizations and nutritional services, engage parents as partners in their child’s education, and assist families in connecting with needed social services. A community school model is one method of adopting a whole-child emphasis in the early elementary grades. Another approach is First 10 school hubs and community partnerships, which combine a community school model with a focus on birth to third grade alignment.

Take stock of assessment in kindergarten and the early grades. Assessment is important in the early years and grades. Screenings, diagnostic assessments, and summative assessment all play an important role. The challenge with assessment comes when there are too many or duplicative assessments throughout the year and when they are used inappropriately. School districts should review what kind of and how many assessments are being used in schools and work to reduce duplicative measures where possible. Districts should also look at how teachers use results to adapt curricula and instruction and how parents use results to understand their child’s progress. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) should do a study of assessment implementation and make updated recommendations to states for appropriate use. This should include reviewing whether assessments in use meet the needs of both monolingual and multilingual students. There are multiple benefits to having consistent statewide data, particularly about kindergarten readiness. States can and should use these data to inform how they target resources across the state.

Rethink kindergarten. As states and communities continue to rapidly expand pre-K for four-year-olds, it is time to take a close look at kindergarten. While most kindergarten-aged children attend school, in most states, kindergarten is not compulsory. In fact, eight states do not even require districts to offer it. Kindergarten is offered in those states, but a full-day kindergarten equivalent to a full-day of first grade is not the standard. Some children attend only a half-day of kindergarten; some parents must pay tuition for a full day in a public school. States should fund a full day, equivalent to the length of a day in first grade, signaling their commitment to giving all children access to a strong kindergarten experience. Complicating kindergarten further are ongoing debates about whether kindergarten should be more academic or play-based. Recent research has looked at whether kindergarten has become “the new first grade.” Kindergarten classrooms today in many communities look and feel more like classrooms for older children. It should not be that way. Developmental science tells us that young children learn best through play, inquiry, and exploration (think experiential learning for older kids). It is important to structure kindergarten classrooms in a way that supports this kind of learning, as Boston Public Schools is doing. States and school districts need to invest in professional development for principals and kindergarten teachers, promote smoother transitions and alignment between pre-K and kindergarten, and provide funding to ensure kindergarten classrooms are sufficiently resourced to include space and materials for play-based centers, STEM learning, and at least two educators in the classroom. One way to make this happen is by establishing a federal grant program for states or districts to promote quality in kindergarten. Federal grants should focus on quality and prioritize states or districts that are ready and willing to transform kindergarten by implementing promising practices around curricula, instructional strategies, transitions, classroom environment, and professional development.

Move away from retention in third grade. Eight states and the District of Columbia require students to be held back in third grade if they are not reading proficiently according to the state’s reading test. All states should make literacy a priority. To improve children’s literacy outcomes, however, state strategies must begin much earlier than school entry and must be comprehensive and coordinated with other initiatives. Researchers, such as Nonie K. Lesaux, professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, argue for an approach that includes teacher professional development, early identification of reading difficulties, comprehensive assessment systems, and more. But most states are not taking this kind of approach. The dismal 2019 NAEP reading results show that a different approach is needed. Instead of primarily focusing policies at third grade, states should focus on better supporting children’s literacy development from birth. This could include investments in developmental screenings, home visiting that supports family literacy, public libraries, transition and alignment across pre-K and the early grades, social-emotional learning and executive function, and quality interactions, early literacy learning, and building children’s background knowledge in center-based and family child care, pre-K, and kindergarten.

• New America resources:
  • Moving into Kindergarten: How Schools and Districts are Connecting the Steps for Children and Families (policy paper)
  • Using Local, State, and Federal Dollars to Improve Pre-K to K Transitions (policy paper)
  • A Focus on Teaching and Learning in Pre-K through 2nd Grade: Lessons from Boston (policy paper)
  • Connecting the Steps: State Strategies to Ease the Transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten (policy paper)
  • From Crawling to Walking (policy paper)
  • Principal’s Corner: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in PreK–3rd Grade (policy paper)
  • Don’t Use Kindergarten Readiness Assessments for Accountability (blog post)
  • As Spotlights Grows on Pre-K, We Can’t Forget the Early Grades (article)
• Other resources:
  • Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison: State K–3 Policies
  • Early Learning Network, Welcome to the Early Learning Network
  • Foresight Law + Policy, Why the K–12 World Hasn’t Embraced Early Learning
  • Council of Chief State School Officers and the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes, Birth to Grade 3 Indicator Framework: Opportunities to Integrate Early Childhood in ESSA Toolkit
  • Council of Chief State School Officers and the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes, Third Grade Reading Laws: Implementation and Impact
  • EdPolicyWorks, Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?