ERIC Number: ED496872
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Mar
Pages: 23
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Action Plan: Assessing School Readiness in Ventura County
Thompson, Lisa; Halfon, Neal; Franke, Todd
UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities
The purpose of this report is to provide the Center for Excellence (CfE) in Early Childhood Development with a set of recommendations regarding how to measure school readiness in Ventura County. This report defines school readiness according to the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) which identified the following three important components of school readiness: (1) children are ready for school; (2) schools' readiness for children; and (3) family and community supports and services that contribute to children's readiness. Although this report primarily focuses on measures for assessing the first component of the NEGP definition, "Children are Ready for School," the second two components are also essential for measuring the school readiness of a community and therefore will be addressed later in the report. The authors of this report take the position that it is an extremely worthwhile endeavor for CfE to pursue developing a school readiness assessment system for Ventura County because it could potentially help: (1) parents learn about their child's optimal physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development; (2) teachers get to know their children, plan activities, and adjust curriculum; (3) school districts determine patterns, identify areas of high need, guide curriculum development, and improve educational programs; (4) service providers for young children assess how well early childhood services perform in raising the developmental level of young children prior to entry into school; and (5) Center for Excellence evaluate the First 5 Ventura County initiative and inform strategic planning, training and technical assistance activities, and quality improvement efforts of the First 5 Initiative. Appended are: (1) School Readiness Assessment Task Force Members; (2) School Readiness Assessment Tool Inventory; (3) Survey of Ventura County School Districts; and (4) Kindergarten Teacher Focus Groups. (Contains 5 tables.) [This project was made possiblethrough generous funding and support from the Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Development and First 5 Ventura County.]
Descriptors: Federal Programs, State Programs, Program Development, Child Welfare, State Agencies, Public Policy, Agency Cooperation, Child Development, Health Programs, School Surveys, Focus Groups, Measures (Individuals), Curriculum Development, Young Children, Technical Assistance, Strategic Planning, School Readiness, Preschool Teachers, Child Health, Delivery Systems, Accountability, Early Childhood Education
UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. 1100 Glendon Avenue Suite 860, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Tel: 310-794-2583; Fax: 310-794-2728; e-mail: chcfc@ucla.edu; Web site: http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: University of California at Los Angeles, Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A