Kindergarten still is voluntary in California, and legislative efforts to make kindergarten mandatory are regularly defeated by home-schooling families and some religious groups. But for the overwhelming majority of children who attend kindergarten, the California Department of Education has clearly defined “academic content standards” that spell out exactly what children should know by the end of their first year of formal schooling.

The expectations are far more rigorous than the kindergarten of a generation ago. Among the skills students must master: counting to 30, writing words and brief sentences that are legible, understanding simple addition and subtraction, telling a story and distinguishing letters from words.

“We never expected students to read in kindergarten, and we used to think that they couldn’t write,” said Sharon Weight, who was instrumental in creating full-day kindergarten in the Campbell Union School District in 2000. “But it’s not true. Kids love to write. There needs to be direct teaching, and then plenty of time for them to apply what they are learning. With a half day, there was too much pressure. You don’t want to lose the songs and the music and the playtime.” …

In California, with many educators emphasizing the importance of preschool and students taking standardized tests by second grade, some teachers stress how crucial it is to make kindergarten a positive experience that sets the stage for a lifetime love of learning.

“You have to respect a child’s wonder in the world,” said Dr. Jerlean Daniel of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. “There’s a lot of fear that the uniqueness of kindergarten is getting lost because of the pressure of No Child Left Behind and the renewed interest in preschool. So how do you make sure that kindergarten is a high-quality experience? For some people, the answer is a longer day, but it’s important to look at how the time is being spent.” …

Source: San Jose Mercury News, USA
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_7023974?nclick_check=1