Christina Morrissey

>
>This was sent to me through our Washington state homeschool email list. I
>thought it might be of some interest. It's a hoot! Christina in Seattle
>----- Original Message -----
>Subject: [HSA-Pierce] NEWS RELEASE: Gov.Gary Locke, OSPI Unveil First-ever
>Statewide Kindergarten Readiness Guidelines
>
>
>Here is the result of that first closed meeting First Lady Mona Locke, et
>al, had with business people a few years ago at a Sea-Tac hotel paving the
>way to include pre-school children, when they are 2 and 3 on up, to join in
>with the education reform public school system.
>
>Please note that this is "voluntary" at first. The plans are to make it
>mandatory.



>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Kim-Williams, Anna" <Anna.Kim-Williams@...>
>To: <GOVERNOR-LOCKE-NEWS@...>
>Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 10:15 AM
>Subject: NEWS RELEASE: Gov. Gary Locke, Superintendent of Public Instruction
>Unveil First-ever Statewide Kindergarten Readiness Guidelines
>
>
> > Office of the Governor
> >
> > Media contacts:
> > Kirsten Kendrick, Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136;
> > Shirley Skidmore, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction,
> > 360-725-6014
> >
> >
> > Gov. Gary Locke, Superintendent of Public Instruction Unveil
> > First-ever Statewide Kindergarten Readiness Guidelines
> >
> > SEATTLE - Oct. 19, 2004 - Gov. Gary Locke and Superintendent of Public
> > Instruction Terry Bergeson today unveiled the first-ever statewide
> > guidelines for kindergarten readiness to successfully prepare children for
> > kindergarten and beyond. Locke and Bergeson outlined the Washington State
> > Early Learning and Development Benchmarks during a news conference at the
> > Tiny Tots Development Center in Seattle.
> >
> > The goal of the voluntary guidelines is to give parents, preschool
> > teachers
> > and child care providers a common set of expectations of what children
> > need
> > to know before they enter kindergarten to ensure that they are adequately
> > prepared for school.
> >
> > "We want all Washington children ready and eager to learn when they enter
> > school," Locke said. "It's vital that our kids have the proper knowledge
> > and skills they need to succeed. If children aren't adequately prepared
> > for
> > kindergarten, they often fall behind and run the risk of never catching
> > up."
> >
> >
> > Bergeson said, "One of my long-term goals has been to create a more
> > seamless
> > transition for students through our education system, so that one step
> > clearly leads to the next. The new early learning benchmarks make it very
> > clear how we can best prepare our young children to succeed in
> > kindergarten
> > and beyond. This is an exciting step forward in working together for the
> > benefit of our kids."
> >
> > Locke and Bergeson stressed that learning must begin at
> home,frombirth.BR > Research from organizations like the Governor's
> Commission on Early
> > Learning, co-chaired by First Lady Mona Locke and Melinda Gates, shows
> > that
> > what children learn from birth to age five is extremely important to their
> > academic, social and physical development.
> >
> > The kindergarten readiness guidelines describe what children need to know
> > and be able to do when they enter school. They cover the five primary
> > domains of learning for young children:
> > * Physical health, well being and motor development;
> > * Social and emotional development;
> > * Approaches toward learning;
> > * Cognition and general knowledge; and
> > * Language and communication.
> >
> > The benchmarks outline goals under each of these categories and provide
> > examples of indicators of progress and strategies that adults can use to
> > support development.
> >
> > For example, one goal is that children understand the relationship between
> > cause and effect. Under Cognition and General Knowledge - Logic and
> > Reasoning, the benchmarks state that:
> >
> > From birth to 18 months, children should be able to:
> > * Use sounds, gestures and movements to communicate with
> > adults.
> > * Repeat actions many times to cause the desired effect.
> > * Act on an object making a pleasing sight, sound or motion.
> > * Look for dropped objects.
> > Adults are encouraged to:
> > * Demonstrate and explain the relationships between things -
> > like showing children that "When you pull the drain plug, the water goes
> > away" or "When you turn the crank, the jack pops out of the box."
> > * Provide children with experiences and materials that
> > demonstrate cause and effect relationships.
> >
> > From 18 months to 36 months, children should be able to:
> > * Experiment with the effect of their own actions on objects.
> > * Observe others' actions to see the effect they will have on
> > objects.
> > * Express an understanding of cause and effect. For example,
> > they should understand "It's quiet because you turned off the radio."
> > Adults are encouraged to:
> > * Play with different materials so children can see the
> > changes. For example, demonstrate how flour and water make dough.
> > * Describe how objects change when acted upon. For example,
> > explain that "the batter turns into cake" or "the water turns into ice."
> >
> > From 36 months to 60 months, children should be able to:
> > * Identify objects that influence or affect other objects.
> > For example, "The sun makes the ice melt."
> > * Ask "why" questions to show effort at understanding cause
> > and effect.
> > * Predict the effect that an action will have on objects.
> > For
> > example, "It will be dark when you turn off the light."
> > Adults are encouraged to:
> > * Encourage children to play independently, discovering cause
> > and effect relationships on their own.
> > * Engage children in activities that demonstrate cause and
> > effect, like cooking projects or planting seeds.
> > * Ask children about cause and effect relationships like
> > "What
> > does it take to make flowers grow?"
> >
> > From 60 months to kindergarten entry, children should be able to:
> > * Structure experiments to see how changes in one factor
> > influence changes in others. For example, mixing paint to create new
> > colors.
> > * Predict how things will change, given changes in
> > circumstances.
> > * Recognize which element of an object causes the effect.
> > For
> > example, "The beads inside the box make the noise."
> > Adults are encouraged to:
> > * Provide children with multiple materials to create
> > experiments.
> > * Talk with children about the steps taken to cause an
> > outcome. For example, explore the steps needed to cook a meal.
> >
> > "We have taken another step forward in further improving education in our
> > state," Locke said. "These guidelines will give children a better
> > opportunity to succeed in school by giving parents, child care providers
> > and
> > preschool teachers a better understanding of what our kids should know and
> > when."
> >
> > The development of the Washington State Early Learning and Development
> > Benchmarks was a partnership between the Governor's Office, the Office of
> > Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the state Benchmark
> > Advisory
> > Panel, with grants from the Head Start-State Collaboration Office and
> > OSPI.
> >
> >
> > The state also enlisted the help of renowned early learning expert Dr.
> > Lynn
> > Kagan and a team of experts from the National Center for Children and
> > Families at Columbia University to draft the readiness guidelines.
> >
> > The guidelines are preliminary, and will be reviewed and vetted through
> > early learning stakeholder groups during the next several months. After
> > Nov. 8, more information about the guidelines will be available at:
> > www.governor.wa.gov/earlylearning/
> >
> <<http://www.governor.wa.gov/earlylearning/>http://www.governor.wa.gov/earlylearning/>.
> >
> > # # #
> >
> > Editor's Note: An overview of the Washington State Early Learning and
> > Development Benchmarks is attached.
> >
> > Related Links: www.governor.wa.gov
> <<http://www.governor.wa.gov>http://www.governor.wa.gov>;
> > www.k12.wa.us <<http://www.k12.wa.us>http://www.k12.wa.us>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Washington State's Early Learning and Development Benchmarks
> > DOmain Framework
> >
> > Domain I: Physical Well-being, Health, and Motor Development
> > A. Motor Development
> > 1. Gross Motor Skills
> > * Children demonstrate strength and coordination of
> > large muscles.
> > 2. Fine Motor Skills
> > * Children demonstrate strength and coordination of
> > small muscles.
> > 3. Sensorimotor Skills
> > * Children use their senses (sight, hearing, smell,
> > taste, touch) to guide motions.
> > B. Physical Development
> > 1. Physical Fitness
> > * Children demonstrate the stamina and energy to
> > participate in daily activities.
> > * Children readily engage in a variety of physical
> > activities.
> > C. Health and Personal Care
> > 1. Daily Living Skills
> > * Children practice basic personal care
> > routines.
> > * Children demonstrate personal health and
> > hygiene skills.
> > 2. Nutrition
> > * Children demonstrate knowledge of and make
> > nutritious food choices.
> > D. Safety
> > 1. Safe Practices
> > * Children demonstrate knowledge of and avoid harmful
> > objects and situations.
> > 2. Rules and Regulation
> > * Children demonstrate awareness and understanding of
> > safety rules.
> >
> > Domain II: Social and Emotional Development
> > A. Emotional Development
> > 1. Self-Concept
> > * Children perceive themselves as separate from
> > others.
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of their abilities,
> > characteristics, and preferences.
> > 2. Self-Efficacy
> > * Children demonstrate belief in their abilities and
> > are proud of their accomplishments.
> > 3. Self-Control
> > * Children understand and follow rules and routines.
> > * Children regulate their feelings and impulses.
> > 4. Emotional Expression
> > * Children express a range of feelings appropriately.
> > B. Social Development
> > 1. Interactions with Adults
> > * Children trust and interact easily with familiar
> > adults.
> > * Children seek assistance from adults when needed.
> > 2. Interactions with Peers
> > * Children develop friendships with peers.
> > * Children cooperate with peers.
> > * Children demonstrate positive negotiation skills.
> > 3. Adaptive Social Behavior
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of behavior and its
> > effects.
> > * Children participate positively in group
> > activities.
> > * Children adapt to diverse settings.
> > * Children demonstrate empathy for self, others, and
> > the natural world.
> > 4. Appreciating Diversity
> > * Children recognize, appreciate, and respect
> > similarities and differences in people.
> >
> > Domain III: Approaches Toward Learning
> > A. Learning Approaches
> > 1. Curiosity and Interest
> > * Children are curious about and interested in
> > learning new things and having new experiences.
> > 2. Initiative
> > * Children demonstrate initiative.
> > 3. Persistence and Attentiveness
> > * Children sustain attention to tasks and persist
> > when
> > facing challenges.
> > 4. Creativity and Inventiveness
> > * Children approach daily activities with creativity
> > and inventiveness.
> > 5. Reflection and Interpretation
> > * Children learn from their experiences.
> >
> > Domain IV: Cognition and General Knowledge
> > A. Logic and Reasoning
> > 1. Causation
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of cause and effect.
> > 2. Critical and Analytic Thinking
> > * Children compare, contrast, examine, and evaluate
> > experiences, tasks, and events.
> > * Children use past knowledge to build new knowledge.
> > 3. Problem Solving
> > * Children find multiple solutions to questions,
> > tasks, problems, and challenges.
> > 4. Representational Thought
> > * Children use symbols to represent objects.
> > * Children distinguish between fantasy and reality.
> > B. Mathematics and Numeracy
> > 1. Numbers and Operations
> > * Children demonstrate knowledge of numbers and
> > counting.
> > 2. Measurement
> > * Children demonstrate knowledge of size, volume,
> > height, weight, and length.
> > 3. Properties of Ordering
> > * Children identify and label shapes.
> > * Children sort, classify, and organize objects.
> > C. Science
> > 1. Scientific Thinking
> > * Children collect information through observation
> > and
> > manipulation.
> > * Children engage in scientific inquiry; make a
> > hypothesis, test hypothesis, form conclusions, and make predictions.
> > 2. Scientific Knowledge
> > * Children observe and describe characteristics of
> > living things.
> > * Children observe and describe characteristics of
> > the
> > earth.
> >
> > D. Social Studies
> > 1. History
> > * Children differentiate between events that happen
> > in
> > the past, present, and future.
> > 2. Geography
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of location and
> > spatial relationships.
> > * Children demonstrate knowledge of the relationship
> > between people, places, and regions.
> > 3. Economics
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of economic
> > concepts.
> > 4. Ecology
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of the relationship
> > between humans and the environment.
> > 5. Technology
> > * Children use technology appropriately.
> > E. Family, Community, and Culture
> > 1. Family
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of family
> > characteristics and functions.
> > 2. Community
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of their community,
> > human interdependence, and social roles.
> > * Children demonstrate civic responsibility.
> > 3. Culture
> > * Children demonstrate awareness and appreciation of
> > their own and others' culture.
> > F. Creative Arts
> > 1. Expression and Representation
> > * Children use creative arts to express and represent
> > what they know, think, believe, or feel.
> > 2. Understanding and Appreciation
> > * Children demonstrate understanding and appreciation
> > of creative arts.
> >
> > Domain V: Language, Communication, and Literacy
> > A. Language
> > 1. Vocabulary
> > * Children demonstrate use of receptive vocabulary.
> > * Children demonstrate use of expressive vocabulary.
> > 2. Grammar and Syntax
> > * Children demonstrate progression in grammar and
> > syntax.
> > 3. Comprehension
> > * Children demonstrate comprehension and meaning in
> > language.
> > 4. Oral Language
> > * Children use oral language for a variety of
> > purposes
> > B. Communication
> > 1. Listening
> > * Children listen to and understand language.
> > 2. Oral and Written Communication
> > * Children are able to communicate effectively.
> > 3. Conventions of Social Communication
> > * Children understand and use the conventions of
> > social communication.
> >
> > C. Literacy
> > 1. Reading
> > * Children demonstrate phonological awareness.
> > * Children demonstrate awareness of print concepts.
> > * Children demonstrate comprehension of printed
> > material.
> > * Children demonstrate awareness that written
> > materials can be used for a variety of purposes.
> > * Children demonstrate an appreciation and enjoyment
> > for reading.
> > 2. Writing
> > * Children demonstrate alphabet knowledge.
> > * Children demonstrate use of writing skills and
> > knowledge of writing conventions.
> > * Children use writing for a variety of purposes.
End of email..............................

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