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 O ce of Education.

2 The document was edited by John McLean and Faye Ong, working in cooperation with Erin Dubey, Consultant, Child Development Division. 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 o ce at 1-800-995-4099.

3 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. (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.

4 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. Sta ng Quali cations .. 7. Class Con 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.

5 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: E ective Instruction in a Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 37. Using Knowledge of Child Development to GUIDE Instructional Strategy Decisions.

6 38. iii Daily Routines .. 42. An Overview of Selected Transitional Kindergarten Instructional Strategies .. 45. Transitional Kindergarten / Kindergarten Combination Classrooms .. 48. Students with Disabilities .. 52. Students Who Are English Learners .. 55. Teacher Family Community Engagement: A Key to E 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 Di erentied Instruction in the Transitional Kindergarten Classroom.

7 83. An Overview of Transitional Kindergarten Assessment .. 84. Response to Instruction and Intervention in the Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 90. Using Evidence from Assessment to Di erentiate Instruction .. 94. Communicating with Families About Student Learning .. 98. Chapter 7: Involving Families and Community Partners in a Transitional Kindergarten Program .. 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.

8 105. Engagement of Community Partners .. 105. Summary .. 106. Chapter 8: Supporting Transitional Kindergarten IMPLEMENTATION .. 107. Teacher Quali cations and Early Education Experiences .. 108. Sta ng 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 .

9 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 rst chapter of the GUIDE focuses on considerations for the structure and design of TK programs .

10 Chapters 2 8 provide a more in-depth discussion of e ective 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 . 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.