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12 May 2017
Brief

The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on English Learner Students

California’s Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 revised the cutoff date by which children must turn five for kindergarten entry in that year and established transitional kindergarten (TK), defined as the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for all students affected by the birthdate eligibility change. Since it has been implemented across the state, TK has been shown to significantly improve kindergarten readiness for California’s students. But what benefits do students who might need a little extra support—such as English learner (EL) students—experience? Understanding the impact of TK on the 33 percent of California kindergartners who do not speak, read, write, or understand English well as a result of English not being their home language is critical to evaluating the success of the program.

This brief, the fifth in a series highlighting findings from the Study of California’s Transitional Kindergarten Program, summarizes what we have learned about the impact of TK on EL students’ school readiness skills, including mathematics skills, language and literacy skills, and English proficiency.

Results demonstrated that TK has an impact on EL students’ mathematics skills, language and literacy skills, and English proficiency. EL students who attend TK enjoy a particularly strong advantage over their non-TK EL peers on English proficiency. Because of this, TK may play an important role in improving academic outcomes for English learners, as students who start school with stronger academic skills tend to do better over time.

Still, further examination of the potential advantages of TK participation on academic and social-emotional skills as well as English proficiency in later academic years—and the context for supporting continued growth—is needed.

PDF icon The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on English Learner Students (PDF)

Related Projects

tk image.jpg

Happy young students
Project

Study of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program

California's Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is intended to provide an additional year of early education for younger 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

11 May 2017
News Release

AIR Study Finds California’s Transitional Kindergarten Gives English Learner Students Advantage for Kindergarten

English learner students who attend California’s transitional kindergarten program enter kindergarten with stronger English language, mathematics and literacy skills than English learners who did not attend transitional kindergarten, according to a new study released today by AIR. The study is based on AIR’s multi-year study of transitional kindergarten in California, a state where one-third of kindergartners are classified as English learners.
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

  • The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on California Students
  • AIR Study Finds California’s Transitional Kindergarten Gives English Learner Students Advantage for Kindergarten
  • How Transitional Kindergarten Helps Younger Children Prepare for School
  • Impact of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program, 2013-14
  • The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on Kindergarten Readiness
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Karen Manship

Karen Manship

Principal Researcher

Heather Quick

Managing Researcher

Topic

Education
English Learners
Early Childhood and Child Development

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