Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

1 Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers Governor s State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Sacramento t 2013 This page intentionally blank Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers Governor s State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Sacramento 2013 Publishing Information The Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE : A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers was developed by the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education (CDE), under contract with the Sacramento County Office of Education. The document was edited by John McLean and Faye Ong, working in cooperation with Erin Dubey, Consultant, Child Development Division.

2 It was published by the California Department of Education, 1430 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-5901, and was distributed under the provisions of the Library Distribution Act and Government Code Section 11096. 2013 by the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care All rights reserved ISBN: 978-0-8011-1744-2 CDE Publications and Educational Resources For information about publications and educational resources available from the California Department of Education (CDE), visit or call the CDE Press sales offi ce at 1-800-995-4099. Notice The guidance in the Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE : A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers is not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for statutes, regulations, and court decisions referenced herein, the document is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory.

3 (See Education Code Section ) Contents A Message from the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care .. v List of Members: State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care .. vi Acknowledgments .. vii Introduction .. 1 Rationale for Transitional Kindergarten .. 3 Overview of the Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE .. 3 Chapter 1: Program Structure and Design .. 5 Policy Development.. 6 Funding .. 6 Staffi ng Qualifi cations .. 7 Class Confi guration/Schedules .. 7 Universal Design for Learning .. 8 Special Education Services .. 9 English Learners .. 10 Chapter 2: The Transitional Kindergarten Student .. 13 Social Emotional Development .. 14 Transitional Kindergarten : An Extended Opportunity to Build a Strong Foundation for School Success.

4 17 Preparing the Transitional Kindergarten Student for Kindergarten .. 20 Summary .. 21 Chapter 3: Curriculum in a Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 23 The Transitional Kindergarten Curriculum .. 24 Transitional Kindergarten Curriculum Content: Bridging Preschool and Kindergarten .. 28 Integrated Transitional Kindergarten Curriculum .. 32 Guidelines for Selecting and Modifying Curriculum Materials .. 36 Summary .. 36 Chapter 4: Eff ective Instruction in a Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 37 Using Knowledge of Child Development to GUIDE Instructional Strategy Decisions .. 38 iii Daily Routines .. 42 An Overview of Selected Transitional Kindergarten Instructional Strategies .. 45 Transitional Kindergarten / Kindergarten Combination Classrooms.

5 48 Students with Disabilities .. 52 Students Who Are English Learners .. 55 teacher Family Community Engagement: A Key to Eff ective Transitional Kindergarten Instruction .. 58 Chapter 5: The Transitional Kindergarten Learning Environment .. 61 The Transitional Kindergarten Classroom .. 63 Extending Learning from the Classroom to the Outdoor Environment .. 77 Chapter 6: Assessment and Differentied Instruction in the Transitional Kindergarten Classroom .. 83 An Overview of Transitional Kindergarten Assessment .. 84 Response to Instruction and Intervention in the Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 90 Using Evidence from Assessment to Differentiate Instruction .. 94 Communicating with Families About Student Learning .. 98 Chapter 7: Involving Families and Community Partners in a Transitional Kindergarten Program.

6 101 Communicating About Transitional Kindergarten with Family and Community Partners .. 102 Engaging Families in the Transitional Kindergarten Classroom .. 103 Diverse Backgrounds and Experiences of Families .. 105 Engagement of Community Partners .. 105 Summary .. 106 Chapter 8: Supporting Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION .. 107 teacher Qualifications and Early Education Experiences .. 108 Staffing Patterns to Support Transitional Kindergarten Students .. 109 Professional Learning .. 111 Summary .. 114 Glossary .. 115 References .. 119 iv A Message from the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care We are pleased to present the Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE : A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers, a publication we believe will be valuable to local educational agencies as they implement Transitional Kindergarten (TK) programs.

7 Building upon the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Planning GUIDE published in 2011 by the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, this publication provides resources and guidance in the areas of program design, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and family/community partnerships. The TK IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE focuses on the essential components for school district administrators and teachers to consider as they develop comprehensive TK programs. The first chapter of the GUIDE focuses on considerations for the structure and design of TK programs. Chapters 2 8 provide a more in-depth discussion of effective instructional and curricular approaches, including the importance of family and community partnerships and systems of support for Transitional Kindergarten . We express our gratitude to teachers, administrators, and early care and education experts who provided extensive feedback on the development of the Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE .

8 We also extend our appreciation to the teachers who served on the TK/K Advisory Committee to share their expertise in the development of the GUIDE and the video illustrations that accompany it. In addition, we thank the local educational agency representatives and parents who shared their experiences through interviews and provided access for videotaping TK classrooms and activities. We are especially grateful to the Sacramento County Office of Education and its subcontractors for coordinating and leading the effort to provide California s public school district administrators and teachers with these valuable TK resources. PETE CERVINKALUPITA CORTEZ ALCAL PETE CERVINKA LUPITA CORTEZ ALCAL California Department of Social Services California Department of Education Co-Chair, State Advisory Council on Co-Chair, State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Early Learning and Care v List of Members.

9 State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Co-Chairs Pete Cervinka, Program Deputy Director of Benefits and Services California Department of Social Services Lupita Cortez Alcal , Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction California Department of Education Camille Maben, Executive Director First 5 California (former Co-Chair) Members Nancy Bargmann, Deputy Director, Community Operations Division California Department of Developmental Services Magdalena Carrasco, Commissioner First 5 California Julian Crocker, Superintendent of Schools San Luis Obispo County Sydney Fisher Larson, Professor, Early Childhood Education College of the Redwoods Mark Friedman, Executive Director First 5 Alameda County Linda James Perry, Head Start Director Long Beach Unified School District Katie Johnson, Assistant Secretary California Health and Human Services Agency Nancy Remley, Director Head Start State Collaboration Offi ce Ryan Storm, Assistant Program Budget Manager California Department of Finance Natalie Woods Andrews, Director.

10 School Readiness Department Sacramento County Offi ce of Education vi Acknowledgments The Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE was developed with contributions from many people and organizations. We gratefully acknowledge the eff orts of the individuals and entities named below. Project Leaders Natalie Woods Andrews, EdD, Director, School Readiness Department, Sacramento County Offi ce of Education Nancy Herota, Director, School Readiness Department, Sacramento County Offi ce of Education Writers (Staff Members and Consultants from the Sacramento County Offi ce of Education) Jennifer Gonzalez, Key Writer Kelly Twibell Sanchez, Key Writer Elizabeth Pinkerton, Editing Assistance Natalie Woods Andrews, EdD Karen Hayashi Nancy Herota Jan Mayer, EdD Kathleen Sadao, EdD Transitional Kindergarten / Kindergarten teacher Advisory Committee Barbara Blakely, Retired Transitional Kindergarten / Kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Magruder, Transitional Kindergarten Consultant Lisa Peterson, Transitional Kindergarten teacher , Clovis Unifi ed School District Vera Refnes, Retired Kindergarten teacher Vara Tanner-Palmero, Transitional Kindergarten teacher , Rescue Union School District Heather Wright, Kindergarten teacher , Elk Grove Unifi ed School District Local Educational Agencies The following local educational agencies are recognized for their contributions.