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Kindergarten Readiness is defined by the Louisiana Department of Education.
To ensure that all Louisiana’s children enter kindergarten ready to learn, this definition focuses on “readiness in the child” across the domains of child development as identified in the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children.
At the beginning of Kindergarten, it is expected that children will demonstrate:
- Cognitive abilities, which include knowledge and skills in:
- early literacy such as phonological awareness, print concepts, alphabetic understanding, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and emergent writing
- basic numeracy concepts such as rote counting and number awareness, sorting, classifying, comparing, patterning, and spatial relationships
- Basic science concepts such as making observations, exploring the world using their senses, and using appropriate scientific vocabulary related to topics.
- Basic social studies concepts such as self-awareness and their relationship to family and community, and an awareness of money and time.
- Response to and participation in music, movement, visual and dramatic arts experiences and activities.
- Abilities, either assisted or unassisted, that show an awareness of health, hygiene, and environmental hazards, in addition to gross and fine motor skills.
- Social and emotional competencies including self-regulation, self-identity, self-reliance, respect for others, and interpersonal skills.
- Approaches to learning such as reasoning and problem-solving, engagement, persistence, and eagerness to learn.
Note: For the purpose of measuring the Louisiana Department of Education’s Critical Goal One, knowledge and skills and in 1) early literacy and 2) basic numeracy concepts described above will be assessed with a standardized instrument administered by the child’s kindergarten teacher. All other components will be assessed and documented through classroom observation.
