An Investigation of Kindergarten Readiness Based on Early Literacy Inventory Scores

The term “kindergarten readiness” lacks a formal definition. The need for a single, widely accepted definition for this term is necessary for teachers and educational leaders to prepare children and their families for the start of formal education. This study was conducted to understand the perceptions of preschool and kindergarten teachers concerning typically developing students on day 60 of kindergarten in the state of North Carolina. Focus groups were used to determine particular skills that a kindergartener should exhibit by that point in school in order to be successful during that year. Both groups of teachers were knowledgeable about the developmental continuum kindergartners should follow in order to achieve needed skills according to the North Carolina Early Learning Inventory. A second finding was that kindergarten teachers scored students lower than preschool teachers on the anticipated ability of their students to achieve a skill. All teachers considered some skills were introduced in the inventory prematurely. Participants within this study perceived school readiness as skills that students should exhibit on day 60 of kindergarten that would allow for them to have a successful kindergarten year. Some skills that would be typical on day 60 of kindergarten are that students are: able to control their emotions and understand the emotions of others, understand how to behave in familiar environments when routines and procedures do not change, and are able to discriminate the sound that an alliteration and rhyme make but may not be able to explain the reason for the alliteration or rhyme.