PreK teachers and the Common Core:
Preparing Young Children for Success
in Kindergarten and Beyond
Dr. Lisa S. Goldstein
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
lsgoldstein@scu.edu
Common Core State Standards?
Big questions about the CCSS
What are they, actually?
 Why do we need them?
 How are they different from the
HCPSIII?
 Are they developmentally appropriate
for young learners?
 How can we prepare our kids to be
successful in CCSS kindergartens?

Getting to know the CCSS

Common Core State Standards
– English Language Arts (& Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and
Technical Subjects)
– Mathematics

Common Core State Standards
– Adopted by 45.5 states

Common Core State Standards
– Meant to comprise 85% of the curriculum
CCSS Adopters
PLUS: District of Columbia, Guam,
Puerto Rico, American Samoa,
Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin
Islands, Dept of Defense schools
Why did we need the CCSS?
Establish and maintain greater
consistency and continuity across states
 Clear goal: all students will graduate
from HS college and career ready
 Benchmarked against the curricula of
countries that have highest rates of
literacy and numeracy
 Increased rigor

How are the CCSS different
from the HCPSIII?
Fewer
 Higher
 Clearer

Are the CCSS good for young
learners?
Yes! And no…
 It depends on

– How the CCSS are
framed and
interpreted in
grades K-2
– How K-2 teachers
are required to
implement the
CCSS
Good for young learners!

Implementation of the CCSS should not
create a rush for “academic shovedown”
– No long lists of content and skills to teach
– No emphasis on testing testing testing

The CCSS are compatible with DAP
– The implementation of the CCSS in K-12
education might protect DAP in preK
classrooms
No way! Really?

Yes, really!

The CCSS reflect respect for the
developmental realities and needs of
young learners
CCSS-DAP Alignment Areas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Explicit attention to role of development in
learning
Holistic perspective
Support children’s language development
Focus on children’s thinking
See children as capable, active learners
Teaching as guidance, not telling
Instructional decisions belong to teachersuse DAP to enhance learning
1. Explicit attention to the role
development plays in learning

CCSS- Mathematics
 Young kids need more
• Repeated exposure to new concepts
• Focus on the most powerful knowledge
1. Explicit attention to the role
development plays in learning
CCSS-English
Language Arts
 Certain anchor
standards
aren’t on the
kindergarten list
because they’re
not age
appropriate for
kinders

2. Holistic, integrated perspective

Integration across academic disciplines
is expected
– CCSS- English Language Arts (and
Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,
and Technical Subjects)
Give children flexibility and choices in
showing what they know and can do
 Similar habits of mind are presented in
the CCSS-ELA and the CCSS- Math

• Leads to more coherent learning experiences
3. Emphasis on
English language development

Support English language development
for all children in all content areas
– Expressing ideas and opinions
– Presenting evidence to support ideas
– Communicating clearly
– Using rich and precise language
– Developing academic vocabulary

Deliberate English language
development is not reserved for ELLs
4. Focus on student thinking
and metacognition

Students are guided toward deep
understanding of concepts
• Not just mastery of procedures or memorization
of information
Emphasis on critical thinking
 Explicit efforts to develop students’
awareness of themselves as learners,
thinkers, and problem solvers

5. See young children as capable,
active, sense-making learners

Student-directed investigations and
presentation of findings begin in
kindergarten
– Provide evidence to support statements
– Discuss rationale and reasoning

Standards require higher order thinking
– Students pose questions, solve problems
6. Understanding of teaching

Teaching should involve
– More asking, listening, observing, reflecting
• Less telling and talking
– Giving students opportunities to develop
confidence in their own capabilities
– Fostering independence, perseverance
– Guiding students as needed

Use lots of engaging, age-appropriate
strategies to build students’ connections
with the content
7. Acknowledge teachers’
specialized expertise

Teachers are the only professionals
who have the knowledge and skills to
make principled, informed, intentional
instructional decisions
– CCSS specify what students should learn,
but not how it should be taught
– CCSS was designed to be 85% of the
curriculum in a given grade- room for
additions and customization
– Teacher discretion is expected
An example from the CCSS-ELA

“The use of play with young children is
not specified by the standards, but it is
welcome as a valuable activity it its
own right and as a way to help
students meet the expectations in
this document.” (p.9)
Questions?
“Elbow partner” discussion
1.
2.
3.
How much did you know about the
CCSS before today?
What did you think about the CCSS
before today?
How have your knowledge and/or your
feelings changed?
Small group discussion debrief

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?
How to teach the CCSS
content to young learners?

You don’t need to teach the CCSS
– You need to build a foundation that will
prepare young kids for success in
kindergarten and beyond
– A strong foundation will make it easier for
students to be highly successful in grades
K-12

But you do need to know what will be
expected of kids who enter kindergarten
Best preparation for kindergarten?

Spending every day in a
– stable,
– developmentally appropriate,
– play-based,
– language-rich,
– interesting,
– nurturing learning environment

Resist pressure to turn preK into K
PreK and the whole child

Strong social-emotional skills and
productive approaches to learning are
more important than academic skills for
success in kindergarten

This has become even more true as
kindergarten has become more
academic and structured
Protect the PreK learning space

Academic activities become top priority
as early as kindergarten

PreK is truly the last child-centered
learning environment in the U.S.

Getting ready for K-12 academic
success is critically important
Preparing kids for kindergarten


Kindergarten CCSS-Math standards
What do five-year-olds need to know and be
able to do before they can learn this
academic content?
 What kinds of educational activities can you
do with your kids next week that will prepare
them to learn this mathematics successfully
when they start kindergarten?
Activity #1: CCSS-Math

Develop answers to the two questions
on the previous slide
– What do kids need to know and be able to
do BEFORE they can learn kindergarten
math content?
– What NEW experiences can you provide
next week that will help prepare your kids
for successful math learning in
kindergarten?
Work in small groups of your choice
 We will reconvene and debrief at____.

Activity #1 Debrief

What do kids need to know and be able
to do BEFORE they can learn
kindergarten math content?

What NEW experiences can you
provide next week that will help prepare
your kids for successful math learning in
kindergarten?
Activity #2: CCSS-ELA
What do kids need to know and be able
to do BEFORE they can learn kinder
speaking, listening, & language skills?
 What NEW experiences can you
provide next week that will help prepare
your kids for successful English
Language Arts learning in kindergarten?
 Work in small groups of your choice
 We will reconvene and debrief at____.

Activity #2 Debrief

What do kids need to know and be able
to do BEFORE they can learn
kindergarten listening, speaking, and
language skills?

What NEW experiences can you
provide next week that will help prepare
your kids for successful LA learning in
kindergarten?
Concluding Q&A
Q: Are the Common Core State
Standards great? Are they “meh?” Are
they awful?
A: It doesn’t matter. The CCSS are
already here (in 45.5 states).
Our most pressing task?

Preparing PreK students for success in
CCSS kindergartens by helping them
develop strong social-emotional skills
and productive approaches to learning
in a developmentally appropriate
classroom environment.
Mahalo!

Contact me at
– lsgoldstein@scu.edu