First Evaluation of New Mexico Kindergarten-Plus Program Released
Assessments show higher social maturity skills, greater parental involvement, and preliteracy gains

Washington, D.C. – The first evaluation of the only Kindergarten-Plus program in the nation demonstrated that the extra school time the program provides helps children flourish both socially and academically and also increases parental involvement in their children’s education.

"Study after study shows that many low-income students start school at a disadvantage to their peers,” said Antonia Cortese, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, the organization that developed the Kindergarten-Plus concept. “This report is the first step in providing proof that Kindergarten-Plus can be an effective way to close the achievement gap."

Kindergarten-Plus is based on an idea put forth by AFT President Sandra Feldman to extend the school year by adding instructional days in the summers before and after the regular kindergarten year. States including Connecticut, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia are considering Kindergarten-Plus programs. 

"We hope those states will look closely at the data in this report, and create well-conceived Kindergarten-Plus programs of their own – taking into account the recommendations, lessons learned and places for improvement in the New Mexico program," said Cortese.

The New Mexico Kindergarten-Plus program began in 2003 as a three-year pilot program administered in four school districts: Albuquerque, Gadsden, Gallup-McKinley and Las Cruces.  During the 2003-04 school year, 260 students participated across all four districts and in 11 high poverty schools.  The pilot project has been funded with $100,000 in state general funds and an additional $300,000 in federal Reading First funding per year.  Each district was awarded $100,000 to operate the project.

"New Mexico saw Kindergarten-Plus as a golden opportunity to provide low-income children more time in school to catch up and close the achievement gap," said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, whose office spearheads many of the New Mexico’s early childhood education efforts. 

The New Mexico Office of Education Accountability’s report found that the Kindergarten-Plus programs were implemented in a variety of ways, from scheduling the extra days differently to filling classrooms with an assortment of Kindergarten-Plus students and later transfers or registrations. One district even used Kindergarten-Plus funds to run universal prekindergarten for 4-year-olds. Despite wide variances in programs and results, a number of positive outcomes were observed, including:

• Positive assessment trends on the DIBELS –  Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills – particularly in letter naming and word sound fluency;
• Decreases in students classified with delayed skills in the prekindergarten project in Gadsden School District;
• Strengthened social maturity and greater parental involvement.

"Kindergarten-Plus in New Mexico has proven to be an extremely effective way to give young children a jump start toward academic success," said state Rep. Mimi Stewart, the New Mexico legislator who introduced Kindergarten-Plus legislation and assisted in its implementation. "Students who were in Kindergarten-Plus classrooms are now well on their way to closing the achievement gap between themselves and their more advantaged peers.  Kindergarten-Plus is well worth the investment."

The state report also suggested several improvements that could make the program even more effective, including: greater support for transportation, better strategies for student recruitment, increased flexibility in arranging the extra program days, and additional support for curriculum development.

"New Mexico is the first state to try Kindergarten-Plus on an extensive basis,” said Peter Winograd, director of the New Mexico Office of Education Accountability.   “The results of this report show that providing this kind of extra structure and attention to young children pays dividends now and in the future."

"Kindergarten-Plus shows that when teachers and administrators work together, we can create positive programs and learning environments to help all students succeed," said Christine Trujillo, president of the New Mexico Federation of Educational Employees.

To view the complete "Kindergarten-Plus Pilot Program: Initial Findings and Recommendations," go to:

http://www.state.nm.us/clients/dfa/Files/OEA/Kindergarten%20Plus%20Year%20One%20Report.pdf.

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