Kindergarten Goal:
By May of 2021, 85% of Kindergarten students will score above the 25th percentile -- according to MN Norms -- on the FastBridge Letter Naming Assessment, indicating students are on track to meet grade-level standards in MN.
Data Used to Develop Goals:
Letter Naming Assessment
Benchmark Proficiency = On track to at least meet grade-level standards in Minnesota
- All Students: 93% scored above the 25th percentile, indicating students are on track to meet grade-level standards in MN.
Current Practices:
All-Day Every-Day Kindergarten
Kindergarten teachers are following the whole-group lesson plans in the core reading series (SUPERKIDS by the Rowland Foundation) and then differentiate instruction and interventions based on student need. The SUPERKIDS series aligns to most Minnesota Kindergarten Standards, and teachers address any gaps in alignment with appropriate supplemental material.
ADSIS, Title I, ELL and Special Education programs serve kindergarten students, both by coming in to the classroom and by bringing students to the various resource rooms for small-group or individual instruction.
Concerns:
With the state standards expecting more and more from younger and younger students, preschool attendance plays an even greater role in preparing students for Kindergarten. Using recent statistics, 85%-90% of Kindergarten students attending P-E-M each fall will have attended some form of a preschool program, which is a great springboard for their success.
We are addressing the gap in benchmark proficiency between our students enrolled in a Free/Reduced Lunch program and those not enrolled. In the upcoming school year, we will be identifying struggling students as early as possible and setting up more intense and specific interventions. This will give the necessary support to those students who need it the most.
The FastBridge assessment, when looked at in isolation, is not a precise measurement when predicting a student's success in school. To account for this, the Kindergarten team utilizes various formative and summative assessments to measure a student's academic progress.
Hypotheses:
With a more defined screening process and a specific series of interventions in place, we will be able to identify struggling students sooner and help them grow when the impact is the greatest.
With more students attending preschool than ever before, students will be more prepared for the rigorous Kindergarten curriculum.
Action Plan:
Assess all kindergarten students in age-appropriate phonological awareness skills three times yearly (Fall, Winter, Spring).
Concept of a spoken word
Rhyme recognition
Rhyme completion
Rhyme production
Syllable blending
Syllable segmentation
Syllable deletion
Phoneme Isolation of initial sound
Analyze data in a timely fashion utilizing our Professional Learning Community structure to address student needs using best practices.
Perfect a Kindergarten Sight Word assessment
Increase small group instruction opportunities with continued support from ADSIS, Title I, and EL and increased assistance from Special Education to address phonological skill, letter sound and sight word skill based on assessments.
Increase knowledge about kindergarten readiness among parents and caregivers by:
Providing a "Readiness for Kindergarten" checklist to the community and to parents during spring Kindergarten Welcome
Providing a list of resources, games, and activities for use at home
Continue to work with Community Education in carrying on the strong preschool program options we have available in our district.
Ensure that Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are standards-based.
Ensure that all teachers, both in the classroom and in resource rooms, are using materials that are aligned to the district's core curriculum and to ELL standards.