District 46's 'Kindergarten Readiness' Rating: Report

GRAYSLAKE, IL -- Libertyville's District 70 students will be headed back to school this week. But an inaugural study spearheaded by the Illinois State Board of Education has found that most of them are not "kindergarten-ready." Data from the ISBE's Kindergarten Individual Development Survey found 37 percent of District 46 students surveyed last year had not reached kindergarten readiness in any of ISBE's specified development areas.

Meanwhile, 29 percent had reached readiness in the three key areas, which are: social and emotional development, language and literacy and math, according to a news release from the ISBE. That is above the state average of 24 percent.

• District 46 Offering Free Full-Day Kindergarten For All
  

"Opportunity gaps emerge well before kindergarten, and KIDS will help educators, communities, families and policymakers to identify the learning supports children need not just during kindergarten, but in the years before," according to a statement.

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In fall 2017, the Illinois State Board of Education began requiring all Illinois kindergarten teachers to observe and collect data for 14 required measures in the first 40 days of school as students went about their daily classroom routines. The 106,670 kindergarten students surveyed in Illinois, or 81 percent of total students, received the following ratings in the 14 required measures:

• 24 percent demonstrated readiness in all three developmental areas
• 18 percent reached readiness in two developmental areas
• 17 percent reached readiness in one developmental area
• 42 percent did not reach readiness in any developmental areas
• 49 percent of students demonstrated readiness in social and emotional development
• 44 percent of students demonstrated readiness in language and literacy
• 30 percent of students demonstrated readiness in math

In District 70, where 96 percent of its students were surveyed in 2017, 13 percent reached readiness in one development area while 21 percent demonstrated readiness in two areas, according to the data. The data also found 56 percent of students demonstrated readiness in social and emotional development, 46 percent had reached readiness in language and literacy and 40 percent showed readiness in math.

The data is meant to stress the importance of strong early childhood programs and the early grades in a child’s long-term success. The data, according to the press release, is meant to help:

• public policy makers and advocates in assessing the need for additional early childhood funding and allocate resources
• principals and administrators in improving curriculum and professional learning for teachers
• teachers in informing instructional practice
• early childhood providers in aligning programs to clear expectations around kindergarten readiness
• families in promoting more learning at home

The full report can be found on the Illinois State Board of Education's website.

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