HD20 - The Efficacy and Appropriateness of the Commonwealth's Present Entrance Age Requirements for Kindergarten Attendance
Executive Summary: The entrance age to kindergarten in Virginia has been addressed four times in the last 17 years. Prior to 1973 children could enter school if they reached their fifth birthday on or before September 30. Then, in order to make Virginia law conform to that in neighboring states and to provide rich experiences for children at an earlier age, the law was changed to allow children who were five by December 31 to enter school. Decision makers in 1972 were responding to research showing that children learned more easily and quickly in the early years than at any other time of life. Allowing children to come to school three months earlier was an attempt to provide rich educational experiences for them as early as possible. In 1978 a joint subcommittee of the General Assembly studies several aspects of kindergarten, including entrance age. This subcommittee recommended that no change be made in the entrance age at that time. Increasing demands for educational reform which included more attention to basic skills, the mainstreaming of handicapped children into regular classrooms, and the downward thrust of the first-grade curriculum caused many teachers and other school division personnel to support an increase in the kindergarten entrance age. Children who had traditionally done well in kindergarten programs that allowed them to explore their environment, interact with materials and people, and progress at their own rate were no longer succeeding with the curriculum. Kindergarten teachers who had previously believed that their programs should be child-centered began to feel that they must have all children complete the readiness material traditionally reserved for the beginning of the first grade by the end of the kindergarten year. The dichotomy between what teachers believed was good for children and what they felt compelled to teach put a strain on both teachers and children. To protect children from academic failure and early burn-out resulting from an inappropriate academic curriculum, teachers and school administrators believed that raising the entrance age for children who were not ready for school academically or developmentally would solve the problem. In 1985, entrance age was rolled back to September 30 effective in 1988 in response to the concerns of educators; however, parents of children born after September 30 and on or before December 31 could petition the division superintendent for enrollment in kindergarten. |
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