1 Dec 2015
Report

Impact of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program, 2013-14

Heather Quick, Karen Manship, Aleksandra Holod, Nicholas Mills, Burhan Ogut, Jodi Jacobson Chernoff, Jennifer Anthony, Alison Hauser, Shannon Keuter, Jarah Blum, and Raquel González

Transitional kindergarten—the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for California children born between September 2 and December 2—is intended to better prepare young five-year-olds for kindergarten and ensure a strong start to their educational career. The goal of this study was to measure the success of the program by determining the impact of transitional kindergarten on students’ readiness for kindergarten in several areas. AIR researchers compared language, literacy, mathematics, executive functioning, and social-emotional skills at kindergarten entry for students who attended transitional kindergarten and for those who did not. 

Key Findings from Impact of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program, 2013-14

  • Transitional kindergarten improves preliteracy and literacy skills.
  • Transitional kindergarten improves students' mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills.
  • Transitional kindergarten supports children’s behavioral self-regulation, but there is no detectable impact on social-emotional skills.

Next Steps

This unique approach to early education in California—which serves children in a narrow age range on elementary school campuses, with credentialed teachers holding bachelor’s degrees and a curriculum aligned with kindergarten—appears to better prepare students for kindergarten than what they might have received in the absence of the program. Future analyses will investigate the extent to which the transitional kindergarten advantage is sustained through the end of kindergarten, for which groups of students transitional kindergarten is most beneficial, and which transitional kindergarten program characteristics are most supportive of student learning.

Related Projects

Project

Study of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program

With the 2012-2013 school year, California established a new grade level called Transitional Kindergarten (TK), the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience for students who turn five between September 2 and December 2. When fully implemented, TK is intended to provide an additional year of early education for these children, with the goal of promoting their success in school. The Heising-Simons Foundation and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation are partnering with AIR to study the impact of TK on children’s academic and social-emotional skills in kindergarten, and how these impacts are related to program quality characteristics.

Related Work

1 Dec 2015
News Release

Transitional Kindergarten Students Have Edge in Math and Literacy, New AIR Study Finds

California students who had attended Transitional Kindergarten were more advanced than their peers in language, literacy, mathematics and executive function, early results of a study by AIR show. The differences amount to as much as a five-month head start in kindergarten. Transitional Kindergarten grew out of California’s Kindergarten Readiness Act, passed in 2010. Historically, the state required children to be 5 by Dec. 2 to enroll for kindergarten. When the new law moved the cut-off to Sept. 1, Transitional Kindergarten was created to serve those who turned 5 between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2.
1 Dec 2015
Brief

The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on Kindergarten Readiness

Transitional kindergarten—the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for California children born between September 2 and December 2—is intended to better prepare young five-year-olds for kindergarten and ensure a strong start to their educational career. The goal of this study was to measure the success of the program by determining the impact of transitional kindergarten on students’ readiness for kindergarten in several areas. This brief outlines the results of the study, Impact of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program, 2013-14, and suggests next steps for further research.
Topic: 
Reading and Literacy, Education, Mathematics Education
11 Mar 2015
Brief

Transitional Kindergarten in California: Early Outreach, Enrollment, and Parent Perspectives

With the 2012-2013 school year, California established a new grade level—Transitional Kindergarten (TK), the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience for students who turn five between September 2 and December 2. When TK began, there were many questions from parents and other stakeholders. This is the third in a series of briefs investigating TK implementation in Year 1, and focuses on district outreach efforts, parent perceptions of TK, and TK student demographics.
Topic: 
Early Childhood and Child Development, Education
21 Oct 2014
Brief

Transitional Kindergarten in California: Comparing Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Classrooms

The rollout of California's Kindergarten Readiness Act has given rise to questions about how transitional kindergarten is being implemented in districts throughout California. This second research brief in a series highlighting findings from the study focuses on characteristics of transitional kindergarten classrooms compared with those of kindergarten classrooms.
Topic: 
Early Childhood and Child Development, Education
23 Apr 2014
Report

Study of California’s Transitional Kindergarten Program: Report on the First Year of Implementation

A study looking at the first year of transitional kindergarten in California finds that most districts implemented the new grade level, and that approaches varied widely. Overall, transitional kindergarten appears to provide a different experience than traditional kindergarten. The results are shared in AIR's "Study of California’s Transitional Kindergarten Program: Report on the First Year of Implementation."
Topic: 
Education, Early Childhood and Child Development
11 Jun 2013
Brief

Transitional Kindergarten in California: A Review of the First Year

Transitional kindergarten aims to provide an additional year of early education to California’s youngest students to ensure that they obtain the necessary preparation to succeed in school. This research brief provides an initial glimpse of transitional kindergarten in its first year of statewide implementation.

Topic: 
Early Childhood and Child Development, Education

Further Reading