Getting Ready for Kindergarten

1. Getting Ready for Kindergarten Annie Wheatcraft, WRE 2012

2. Registration • April 24 – after school • April 25 – after early release at 11:45 • April 16 – after school Preschool will transfer all records that are on file. Your child needs: birth certificate, immunization record, physical on KY form, eye exam on KY form, social security number, dental exam, proof of residence.

3. Social Skills • The number one skill area that kindergarten teachers are concerned about. • Follow directions • Work on a task for 15 minutes • Take care of personal belongings • Share materials and toys • Follow rules • Get along with others

4. Adaptive Skills • This is the second area that kindergarten teachers mention as important. • This area includes toileting, eating independently, dressing skills, and personal responsibility. • Children should be able to perform adaptive skills with a minimum amount of help.

5. Fine Motor Skills • Hold a pencil/crayon in correct grasp. • Draw pictures that represent objects. • Copy simple lines, letters, and shapes. • Put together small toys that require two hand coordination and hand strength. • Begin to manage clothing fasteners.

6. Skill Requirements • There are not “required” skills for kindergarten. • Although the program does not have requirements, exit criteria for kindergarten are high. • Students will be targeted for extra assistance and programming as early as one month into the school year if they have difficulty with: • Motor skills; particularly fine motor/writing • Attending to tasks; working independently • Visual discrimination; knowing own name in print, differentiating between shapes, colors, letters, numbers • REVIEW EXIT CRITERIA

7. Assessment in Kindergarten • Literacy testing – Done during JumpStart program and the first weeks of school. Places children into skill level groups for small group literacy lessons. (Includes letter/sound knowledge, word spree/writing words, concepts about print (top of book, bottom of book, how to turn pages…) • MAP – A computer assessment that tests your child’s literacy and math skills. Used to assess progress. Done three times a year. • End of unit assessments after each unit of study.

8. IEPs and kindergarten • Your child’s IEP is a legal document that is valid regardless of what grade your child is in or where you live. • You will be invited to a “transition” meeting where your child’s kindergarten program will be discussed. • At that meeting you will be part of a team that decides how, when and where your child’s IEP services will be implemented.

9. IEPs – What is the same? What is different? • The IEP document does not change. • Your child will have two teachers: a general education/kindergarten teacher and a special ed. teacher. • Support services will still be provided: speech, OT, PT, vision, hearing, etc. • Changes can be made at any time to meet your child’s needs. • Your child may participate in co-teaching: both teachers in the same classroom at the same time. • Your child may participate in resource instruction: lessons with the special ed. teacher in an alternate location

10. What are your questions?