Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1103796
but I'm really glad they did," says Bremner. "Kindergarten teachers are really seeing a difference in terms of child readiness." Ready for kindergarten " There's definitely a difference s i n c e T K , a n d i t 's b e e n v e r y p o sitive," say s Cath erin e Sul- livan , a kindergar t en t each er for 19 years in San Francisco. "Students coming from TK know how to hol d a p enci l c orre ctly, wait th eir turn, and ask for help. They know how a school works and are ready to be part of it. When kids come in knowing that stuff, I can go right to academics. TK has definitely made my job easier." (For research on TK success, see page 34.) Having younger kindergartners wasn't problematic until NCLB, she recalls, when expectations were bumped up. "Suddenly there were more abstract things to teach that some students couldn't grasp." Since TK was implemented, fewer stu- dents are repeating kindergarten in her school, says Sullivan, noting that before TK, younger students were disproportion- ately recommended for a second year of kindergarten. Studies show that children w ho repeat a grade w hile their peers advance to the next grade level have more behavior problems and struggle with self-esteem. The state does not collect data regarding kindergarten retention changes since TK implementation. Does TK need separate standards? Elaine Merriweather, a preschool teacher, literary coach and workshop presenter for 25 years in San Francisco Unified School District, was among those who fought to make TK available in Califor- nia. e early childhood education expert wa s e c st ati c w h en G o v. Jerr y Brow n signed legislation requiring districts to do so. She believes TK helps level the playing field between students who are poor and those who are not. (According to the CDE, half of TK stu- dents receive free or reduced-price lunch. Approximately 57 percent of TK students are Hispanic, 21 percent white, 8 percent Asian, and 5 percent African American; 9 percent of TK students receive special education services.) Merriweather, executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), served as a National Early Child- hood Cadre member for the American Federation of Teachers. She was also on the CDE's Early Learning Division of Stakeholders, where she reviewed and shared input on TK curriculum mod- ules, which were later made available to educators so they could see what age-ap- propriate instruction for TK looks like. TK has no specific standards, so TK teach ers combin e th e Common Core State Standards for kindergarten and the state's Preschool Learning Foundation Standards to create lessons. " TK really should have its own stan- dard s," says Merriweath er. "It can be confusing, because TK is not preschool and it's not kindergarten; it's somewhere in the middle." Because there has been confusion sur- rounding TK, some administrators in her Leo Rodriguez reads with Richard Mendez and Brianna Ponce at Mark Keppel Elementary School in Paramount. 36 cta.org special report