what the 2007-2008 school readiness data mean for Montgomery County’s children

1. March 2008 what the 2007-2008 school readiness data mean for Montgomery County’s children

2. Maryland Model for School Readiness: Montgomery County Demographics Source: Maryland State Department of Education

3. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, Summary of Results, School Years 2001/02 to 2006/07 • More children are entering school fully prepared for kindergarten work. • 70% of the County’s kindergarteners are now “fully ready” for school, up from 61% in 2001/02. • 68% of Maryland kindergartners are fully ready for school, up from 49% in 2001/02. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

4. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, Summary of Results, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Impressive progress. • The County experienced a 2-point increase in school readiness from last year and a 9-point increase in the past 7 years. • Good gains for those most in need. • 4% of the County’s children need considerable support to do kindergarten work, a 2-point reduction since 2002/03. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

5. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Domains of Learning, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Improvements across all Domains of Learning. • The County’s children are well-rounded, showing improvements in all seven Domains of Learning. • Kindergartners demonstrate strongest readiness in the areas of: • Physical Development (81%) • The Arts (71%) • Social & Personal Development (71%) Source: Maryland State Department of Education

6. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Language & Literacy, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Early literacy focus results in gains. • The statewide and jurisdictional efforts that focusedon early language and literacy yielded large gains in the Language & Literacy Domain of Learning. • 61% of the County’s kindergartners are fully ready for school in this domain, up from 47% in 2001/02. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

7. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Scientific Thinking, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Children require the most support in the area of Scientific Thinking. • 43% of the County’s kindergartners are fully ready in the science domain, up from 32% in 2001/02. • Despite the 11-point gain, over 5,000 children need targeted or considerable support in this area to do kindergarten work. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

8. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Gender, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • In the past 7 years, males and females experienced gains in readiness. • 76% of female kindergartners are fully ready for school. • While fewer males (65%) are assessed as fully ready for school, they are within 5 points of the composite. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

9. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Ethnicity, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Significant gains made by children from all ethnic backgrounds. • African American children made good progress: 67% are now fully ready for school, up from 51% in 2003/04. • These gains narrowed the disparity between African American children and white children from 18 points in 2003/04 to 12 points in 2007/08. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

10. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By English Proficiency, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • English language learners improve. • English language learners (ELL—children whose first language is not English) experienced a 5-point increase from last year. • Despite these gains, ELL children are less likely to be fully ready than English-proficient children: 55% of ELL children are fully ready for school, compared with 77% of their English-proficient peers. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

11. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Income, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Low-income children make gains. • 59% of low-income children are fully ready (as indicated by Free and Reduced Price Meal status), up from 46% in 2001/02. • Despite these gains, low-income children are less likely to be fully ready than mid- to high-income children. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

12. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Special Education Services, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • Children receiving special education services improve. • 43% of children receiving Special Education Services are fully ready for school, a 19-point increase since 2001/02. • These gains narrowed the disparity between children receiving special education services and their peers from 37 points in 2001/02 to 30 points in 2007/08. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

13. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County, By Prior Care, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 • High-quality early learning opportunities promote school readiness. • For example, children who are enrolled in pre-K programs (70%) the year prior to kindergarten exhibit higher school readiness levels than those who are at home or in informal care settings (60%) the year prior to kindergarten. Source: Maryland State Department of Education

14. Maryland Model for School Readiness Montgomery County: Using the MMSR data • Improvements are the result of jurisdictional and community efforts. • The latest data are a tribute to all that is being done in the County to promote the school readiness of young children. • If all partners–including public schools, parents, early education professionals, libraries, county government, local management boards, and child-serving organizations–continue to explore ways to make additional gains, the County’s school readiness successes can only grow. • The new MMSR data can help define priorities, shape decisions, and formulate planning. Source: Maryland State Department of Education