30 Jun 2017
Video

Transitional Kindergarten: Growing Children’s Early Academic Skills

Transitional kindergarten is a universal, age-based early childhood program in California that is intended to prepare five-year-olds for kindergarten. Karen Manship explains how student outcomes compare between those who attend transitional kindergarten and those who do not and how the program helps ensure children receive a strong start to their educational careers. The findings come from an AIR study, which was funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and First 5 California.

Transitional Kindergarten: Growing Children’s Early Academic Skills from American Institutes for Research on Vimeo.

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

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.
28 Jun 2017
Spotlight

How Transitional Kindergarten Helps Younger Children Prepare for School

Created in 2010 by the Kindergarten Readiness Act, transitional kindergarten offers younger children in California additional time to prepare for school. Transitional kindergarten provides an additional year of early education to approximately 120,000 children each year, with the goal of promoting their school readiness. Explore resources that show what we’ve learned about transitional kindergarten so far.
Topic: 
Social and Emotional Learning, P-12 Education and Social Development, Early Childhood

Further Reading