Full-day kindergarten gets passing grades
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

McKenna Rakaczewski reads to kindergarten teacher Rachel Olson in one of two pilot classrooms of full-day kindergarten in the Greencastle-Antrim School District this year.

The mid-year assessment of the experimental full-day kindergarten in Greencastle receives passing grades, as far as promoters Molly Moran, Director of Federal and Special Programs, and Mary Frey, Acting Director of Elementary Education, are concerned.

The teachers like it too.

This year Rachel Olson and Kirsten Brewer are providing all-day classes for 18 and 17 students, respectively. Both had previously taught two half-day sessions. They cite the benefits of knowing the students better, having fewer students to prepare materials for, being able to complete lessons in one day and fostering a stronger home/school connection as the greatest benefits.

From the students' perspective, they say the youngsters receive more individual instruction, participate in more independent activities, have more time available for writing and feel more ownership of the classroom, since no one else uses the room when they are gone.

The administrators crunched the data and think their four years of preparation are paying off.

Student academic achievement for full-day kindergarten (FDK) was compared to the eight half-day (HDK) classes at Greencastle-Antrim Primary School.

FDK classes allot 150 to 170 minutes per day for Language Arts, compared to 70 to 90 minutes in HDK. Students in FDK study math for 75 minutes ver- sus 20 minutes for HDK.

When students were tested the FDK identified letters 86 percent of the time, compare to 81 percent for HDK. On a developmental writing scale FDK was at level six and seven while HDK was at five. In reading 66 percent of FDK scored above the expected level. In HDK the number was 23 percent.

Moran was quick to assure that both types of classes are effective.

"This is no reflection on the half-day kindergarten teachers. I told them it will look like our full-day kindergarten students are doing better. Our half-day kids are doing great."

Nevertheless, she is pleased with the results. And the question now is where to place the students in first grade, said Frey.

Getting started

"The program is close to my heart," said Moran.

She and Frey began the groundwork in 2003, which included research, attending seminars and preparing staff. The program is funded by the Pennsylvania Accountability Block Grant and Full Day Kindergarten Supplement.

They sent the teachers to a conference in Pittsburgh to learn about the alternative to education.

"We needed teachers to fully commit to this, a shift in thinking," explained Moran.

She said kindergarten is no longer an introduction to school and playtime, but a foundation for learning. It uses Handwriting Without Tears, a program designed to develop legible and fluent handwriting for all students, and guided reading.

Last spring parents were asked if they were interested in the program. Fifty-eight percent said yes, and their children were selected on a lottery basis. They comprise 20 percent of the kindergarten enrollment. The longterm benefit of the all-day program is still mixed. Data doesn't indicate that the half-day children won't eventually catch up with the experimental classroom children. Moran said studies she has read vary depending on the demographics of the school districts.

The option is available again next year as Moran expects the grant to continue. Parents will receive information at kindergarten registration in April.