Full Day Kindergarten in Woodland School District

50: Strategic Plan InvestigationJune 24, 2014

Full-Day Kindergarten Feasibility Team Members

• Hannah Brignon, 1st Grade East Teacher• Ashley Brooks, 1st Grade East Teacher• David Brown, Elementary West Principal• Kenneth Hyllberg, Elementary East Principal• Katie Jones, Kindergarten Teacher• Erin Landmeier, Primary Literacy Specialist• Robert Leonard, Associate Superintendent • Michele Melvin, LCPC Area Manager - Champions• Marianne Porreca, Routing Coordinator• Allison Schmitt, East Structured Learning Teacher• Don Selzer, Director of Operations and Facilities• Tiffany Soler, Primary Parent • Julie Venus, Kindergarten Teacher

Co-Chairs• Stacey Anderson, Primary Principal• Steve Thomas, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning

Woodland Strategic PlanStudent Learning – Goal 3 Full Day Kindergarten Investigation

• Action 1 - Establish a Full Day Kindergarten Committee which represents core classroom teachers, school administration and parents

• Action 2 - Investigate Full Day Kindergarten systems used in local districts and national models

• Action 3 - Create a range of options and identify strengths and costs for best models

• Action 4 - Present the range of options and strengths and costs to staff, parents, and students and evaluate feedback

• Action 5 - Present the range of options with strengths, costs and recommendations to the Board of Education

• Action 6 – Implement accordingly

Timeline

• December, 2012 – Woodland Strategic Plan

• Spring, 2013 – Co-Chairs assigned for Full Day Kindergarten Feasibility Team

• September, 2013 - Full Day Kindergarten Feasibility Team is formed and website developed to communicate progress

• November, 2013 through June, 2014 - Full Day Kindergarten Feasibility Team meets monthly to complete the action plan for Full Day Kindergarten implementation

• February 4, 2014 - Initial presentation to the Board of Education

• April 1, 2014 – Second presentation to the Board of Education

• June 3, 2014 – Third presentation to the Board of Education

• June 24, 2014 – Final Presentation with recommendations to the Board of Education

Kindergarten Programs Background Information

Full Day Kindergarten Research Findings

• Research has found that children who attended Full Day Kindergarten scored higher on standardized test and had fewer grade retentions

• At-risk students who received Full Day Kindergarten through the Kindergarten Initiative in Montgomery County, Maryland made significantly greater progress in language proficiency than comparable children in Half-Day Kindergarten.

• A study of 17,600 Philadelphia children found that Full Day Kindergarten helps children from low-income families perform better and saves the school district millions of dollars through significantly reduced grade retention in the first through third grades.

• Research also supports the greater social growth and interactive skills of children in Full Day Kindergarten programs.

Full Day Kindergarten Research Findings

• Research from Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the average entering Kindergartener was already 22 months below grade level, showed that children in the school’s Half-Day Kindergarten made an average gain of 5.4 months during a 9 month period, while children in the full day classes made a 16 month gain.

• Studies of Minneapolis Public Schools showed that minority children in Full Day Kindergarten gained literacy skills at a faster pace than peers in half-day classes.

• There is some debate as to the longitudinal benefits of Full Day Kindergarten over Half-Day Kindergarten. Many findings see statistically significant academic performance in 1st grade and in some findings through 3rd grade. Only one researcher found significantly better academic performance through 8th grade when compared to half-day students.

Practical Benefits of Full Day Kindergarten

• Children who attend Full Day Kindergarten learn more in reading and math over the Kindergarten year than those in half-day programs.

• Offers more time to progress through a curriculum that has changed and increased as evidenced by mandates such as the Common Core State Standards.

• Children in Full Day Kindergarten programs receive more academic and social instruction than children enrolled in Half-Day Kindergarten programs.

• More instructional time in Full Day Kindergarten allows for increased learning activities and strategies such as: group read-aloud, peer tutoring, mixed-ability grouping, and child-initiated activities.

Practical Benefits of Full Day Kindergarten

• Children who attend Full Day Kindergarten spend 30% more time on reading and literacy instruction and 46% more time on mathematics than children in half-day programs.

• Full Day Kindergarten offers teachers more time to assess students’ learning needs and strengths and to implement interventions and extensions to meet individual student learning goals.

• Full Day Kindergarten offers social, emotional and intellectual benefits to youngest students. Students have more time to focus on learning, to reflect on their learning, and to transition between learning tasks.

Full Day Kindergarten in Illinois

• 76.2% of FY13 Illinois Kindergarten students attended full day programs – Illinois State Board of Education

• 71.8% of Illinois schools have only Full Day Kindergarten. 17.9% percent of schools offer both half and full day options. 10% of schools offer Half-Day Kindergarten only.

• Illinois allows School Boards to establish Kindergarten and it may be half day or full day. If Woodland establishes a full day program it must still allow parents to choose a half day option. (Illinois School Code105 ILCS 5/10 - 22.18)

• Woodland does offer both full day (Dual Language, ESL, Extended K and Special Ed) and half day programs. Two-thirds of Woodland Kindergarten students attend Half-Day.

Full Day Kindergarten in Lake County

• Data from Lake County Kindergarten programs indicate:– 67% will offer Full Day Kindergarten in FY15– 6 of the 22 districts offering Full Day

Kindergarten will charge families• Fees ranges from $3300 to $4800 annually

per student• Districts charging fees typically are from

homogenously high socio-economic communities

• Two districts have added Full Day Kindergarten for all students at no fee.– Millburn – fall 2014– Hawthorn – fall 2015

Results from the Community Survey

• Over 89% of the 410 total survey respondents believe Woodland “should” or “probably should” offer Full Day Kindergarten

• The three most desirable areas of additional education are– More reading and literacy instruction– More mathematics instruction– More time for social skills development

• 43% of respondents do not think there should be a charge for Full Day Kindergarten

• Specific fee questions:– 94% of parents “would” or “might” send their

child if there is “No” added fee– 77% of parents “would” or “might” send their

child if there is a $500 fee

Woodland Full Day Kindergarten OptionsAfter Board discussion at previous presentations the

range of options were reduced to three:

•Option 1 - Maintain Current Half Day Program•Option 2 - Full Day for All Students

•Option 3 - Full Day for 4 sections (100 Students)

What Could a Woodland Full Day Program Look

Like?

Current Half Day Kindergarten Schedule(Times can vary due to lunch breaks, specials and other factors)

Possible Full Day Kindergarten Schedule(Times can vary due to lunch breaks, specials and other factors)

What A Woodland Full Day Kindergarten Would Provide?

Return on Community Investment

• Based upon the survey results, team discussion and Board feedback, a Full Day Program would add these elements which are not fully supported.– Additional Reading instruction

– Additional Writing instruction

– Additional Math instruction

– Direct Social Emotional Learning Standards instruction

– Additional Social Studies and Science instruction

– Additional ROAR and Citizenship instruction

– Recess

– Dramatic Play, Technology and Enrichment Choices

Half-Day Option

• As required by Illinois law, Woodland would need to offer parents the option of a half day program.

• Based upon survey results of 6% (@24 students) not interested in Full Day Kindergarten would be integrated into full day classrooms

• The half-day program would be held in the AM (assuming limited enrollment).

• There would be transportation home at the end of the half-day program.

• The half-day program implementation will be annual driven by enrollment.

• Most districts that do not charge a tuition for Full Day Kindergarten have nearly 100% participation.

Financial Elements

Total Costs

Option 1: Maintain Half-Day - No additional costs

Option 2: Full Day Kindergarten for All Students

– 1st year: $578,618

– Subsequent Annual Cost: $473,343

Option 3: Full Day Kindergarten for 4 Sections (100 students)

– 1st year: $198,408

– Subsequent Annual Cost: $177,133

Fee Options

• There are three options for assessing fees for the full day program. Woodland’s current Kindergarten registration fee is $100.

– No Additional Fee

– Doubling the Fee to $200

– Charging $500 for Full Day Kindergarten

• Dual Language, since it is Full Day, would also charge the same fee.

• It is assumed that 33% of the Kindergarten enrollment would qualify for a fee waiver.

• The greatest concern with charging a fee is the number of students that will not participate in Full Day Kindergarten because of a fee.

Private Kindergarten Comparison

• The Feasibility Team investigated local private Kindergarten programs.

• Class sizes for these programs range from 10:1 through 20:1. Staffing is based upon a class size ratio of 22:1.

• Costs for private Kindergarten programs range from $7,248 per student annually to $11,250. As presented, Woodland might charge up to $500 per student annually. All fees are for school hours only, no before or after care is included.

Recommendations

Based upon the research, the Lake County Kindergarten data, the community survey data and the options developed, the Full Day Exploration Team believes Option 2, Full Day Kindergarten for All Students, best fits the needs of Woodland students.

The Team desires to have all students participate in a Full Day Kindergarten program. The most likely way to achieve that goal is by not charging an additional fee. The data is present for the Board to consider an additional registration fee should budgetary needs require it.

Timeline Toward August 2015

• July 29, 2014 Full Day Kindergarten will be an action item on the governing meeting agenda.

• If the Board approves a Full Day Kindergarten option:

– The Full Day Kindergarten Feasibility Team will continue to meet to break down tasks to implement for the 2015 - 2016 school year.

– Monthly curriculum planning sessions will begin at the Primary school

Timeline Toward August 2015

• If the Board approves a Full Day Kindergarten option:

– Parent information meetings will be held in the fall of 2014 and the winter of 2015 before registration

– The purpose of parent information meetings is to inform parents of Woodland’s Full Day Kindergarten programming plans.

– The information meetings would also communicate the half-day option.