Proposed Kindergarten Readiness Expectations

Robbinsdale Area Schools is committed to supporting all students to graduate career and college ready. The
goal of RAS Pre-K programs serve as a first step in supporting children and families in engaging in learning
that is engaging and rewarding. Through directed play and learning activities, children become ready for
kindergarten. Ready for kindergarten means that children consistently demonstrate a mastery or proficiency in
skills, behaviors, and attitudes that promote successful transition to kindergarten and are predictive of optimal
learning and achievement.

Areas of development and learning are:

Social-Emotional Development
Mathematics

Language

Literacy

Physical

The Minnesota Department of Education has conducted a review of the various assessment tools used in
Pre-K programs and is recommending districts use one of the following: Work Sampling System-Minnesota
version, Teaching Strategies (TS) Gold, or Desired Results Developmental Profile-School Readiness.
Beginning in the fall of 2015, RAS Pre-K programs will implement TS Gold to best support and measure
teaching and learning.

Domains

Social-Emotional Development
1. Regulates own emotions and behaviors
a. Manages feelings
1. Is able to look at a situation differently or delay gratification
b. Follows limits and expectations
1. Manages classroom rules, routines, and transitions with occasional reminders
c. Takes care of own needs appropriately
1. Demonstrates confidence in meeting own needs
2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships
a. Forms relationships with adults
1. Manages separations without distress and engages with trusting adults
b. Responds to emotional cues
1. Identifies basic emotional reactions of others and their causes accurately
c. Interacts with peers
1. Initiates, joins is positive interactions with a small group of two to three children
d. Makes friends
1. Establishes a special friendship with one other child, but the friendship might only last a
short while
3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations
 a. Balances needs and rights of self and others
1. Initiates the sharing of materials in the classroom and outdoors
b. Solves social problems
1. Suggests solutions to social problems

Mathematical Thinking
1. Uses number concepts and operations
a. Counts
1. Verbally counts to 20 accurately
2. Counts 10 - 20 objects accurately
3. Knows the last number states, how many in all
4. Tells what number comes next in order by counting
b. Quantifies
1. Recognizes and names the number of items in a small set (up to 5) instantly
2. Combines and separates up to five objects
a. Describes the parts
3. Makes sets of 6-10 objects and then describes the parts
a. Identifies which part has more, less, or the same (equal)
b. Counts all or counts on to find out how many
c. Connects numerals with their quantities
1. Identifies numerals up to 5 - 10 by name and connects each to counted objects

2. Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes

a. Understands spatial relationships
1. Uses and responds appropriately to positional words indicating location, direction, and
distance
b. Understands shapes
1. Describes basic two- and three-dimensional shapes by using their own words
2. Recognizes basic shapes when they are presented in a new orientation

3. Compares and measures

a. Compares
1. Compares and orders a small set of objects as appropriate according to size, length,
weight, area, or volume
2. Knows usual sequence of daily events
3. Knows a few ordinal numbers (first, second, third)
b. Measures
1. Uses multiples of the same unit to measure
2. Uses numbers to compare (height, length, width, weight, etc.)
3. Knows the purpose of standard measuring tools

4. Demonstrates knowledge of patterns

a. Copies simple repeating patterns
b. Extends and creates simple repeating patterns

Language
1. Listens to and understands increasingly complex language
a. Comprehends language
1. Responds appropriately to specific vocabulary and simple statements, questions, and
 stories
b. Follows directions
1. Follows directions of two or more steps that relate to familiar experiences

2. Uses language to express thoughts and needs

a. Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary
1. Describes and tells the use of many familiar items
b. Speaks clearly
1. Is understood by most people; may mispronounce new, long, or unusual words
c. Uses conventional grammar
1. Uses complete, four- to six-word sentences
d. Tells about another time or place
1. Tells stories about other times and places that have a logical order and that include
major
details.
2. Tells elaborate stories that refer to other times and places

3. Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills

a. Engages in conversations
1. Engages in conversations of at least three exchanges
b. Uses social rules of language
1. Uses acceptable language and social rules while communicating with others; may need
reminders
.

Literacy
1. Demonstrates phonological awareness
a. Notices and discriminates rhyme
1. Fills in the missing rhyming word; generates rhyming words spontaneously
2. Decides whether two words rhyme
b. Notices and discriminates alliteration
1. Shows awareness that some words begin the same way
2. Matches beginning sounds of some words
c. Notices and discriminates smaller and smaller units of sound
1. Hears and shows awareness of separate words in sentences
2. Hears and shows awareness of separate syllables in words
2. Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
a. Identifies and names letters
1. Recognizes and names a few letters in own name
2. Recognizes and names as many as 10 letters, especially those in own name
b. Uses letter-sound knowledge
1. Identifies the sounds of a few letters
2. Produces the correct sounds for 10-20 letters
3. Shows understanding that a sequence of letters represents a sequence of
spoken sounds
3. Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
a. Uses and appreciate books
1. Orients book correctly: turns pages from the front of the book to the back;
 recognizes familiar books by their covers
2. Knows some features of a book (title, author, illustrator); connects specific books
to authors
b. Uses print concepts
1. Indicates where to start reading and the direction to follow
2. Shows awareness of various features of print: letters, words, spaces, upper- and
lowercase letters, some punctuation
4. Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
a. Interacts during read-alouds and book conversations
1. Asks and answers questions about the text; refers to pictures
2. Identifies story-related problems, events, and resolutions during conversations
with an adult
b. Uses emergent reading skills
1. Pretends to read, using some of the language from the text; describes the action
across pages, using pictures to order the events; may need prompts from adult
2. Pretends to read, reciting language that closely matches the text on each page
and using reading-like intonation
c. Retells stories
1. Retells some events from a familiar story with close adult prompting
2. Retells familiar stories using pictures or props as prompts
3. Retells a familiar story in proper sequence, including major events and
characters
5. Demonstrates emergent writing skills
a. Writes to convey meaning
1. Mock letters or letter-like forms
2. Letter strings
3. Early invented spelling

Physical Development
1. Demonstrates traveling skills
a. Runs without running into people or obstacles
b. Walks up and down stairs alternating feet
c. Climbs up and down
d. Rides using pedals
e. Gallops

2. Demonstrates balancing skills

a. Walks forward along edge
b. Jumps landing on two feet
c. Jumps over small objects

3. Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills

a. Manipulates balls or similar objects with flexible body movements

4. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination

a. Uses fingers and hands
b. Uses writing and drawing tools