January 7, 2016 (X) (X) Action Required Due date: April 15, 2016 Informational MEMORANDUM NO. 079-15M EARLY LEARNING TO: Educational Service District Superintendents School District Superintendents School District Early Learning Contacts Elementary School Principals Educational Service District Early Learning Coordinators Educational Service District Full-day Kindergarten Coordinators District Assessment Coordinators FROM: Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction RE: State-Funded Full-Day Kindergarten Eligibility CONTACT: Robert Butts, Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning 360-725-0420, Bob.Butts@k12.wa.us Agency TTY: 360-664-3631 Purpose This memorandum serves to notify school districts of the schools that are eligible to receive funding for voluntary, state-funded, full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2016–17 school year. The requirements for participation in state-funded full-day kindergarten are also provided. School districts with newly eligible schools must notify the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) through iGrants form package #765 by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2016, regarding whether or not the district will accept the funding. School districts are not required to complete the iGrant application for schools that received state funds for full-day kindergarten in the 2015–16 school year. Background On June 30, 2015, the Governor signed the 2015–17 state biennial operating budget that provides sufficient funding for 100 percent of kindergarten students in the state to receive fullday kindergarten beginning in the 2016–17 school year. However, school districts are not required to offer full-day kindergarten in eligible schools until the 2017–18 school year, at which time it is required by the Basic Education Act. Until then, school districts may decline to receive funding from the state. MEMORANDUM NO. 079-15M EL Page 2 January 7, 2016 Conditions for Receiving Funding To receive funding, school districts are required to agree to a number of conditions in RCW 28A.150.315, which include: 1. Provide at least a 180-day school year with 1,000 “instructional hours” (as defined in RCW 28A.150.205). However, up to three of these days at the beginning of the school year may be used for the WaKIDS “Family Connection” (see WaKIDS section below). 2. Provide a curriculum that offers a rich, varied set of experiences that assist students in: a) Developing initial skills in the academic areas of reading, mathematics, and writing. b) Developing a variety of communication skills. c) Having experiences in science, social studies, arts, health and physical education, and a world language other than English. d) Acquiring large and small motor skills. e) Acquiring social and emotional skills including successful participation in learning activities as an individual and as part of a group. f) Learning through hands-on experiences. 3. Establish learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and promote creativity. 4. Demonstrate strong connections and communication with early learning community providers. 5. Participate in kindergarten program readiness activities with early learning providers and parents. 6. Administer the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS). Notification to OSPI School districts with newly eligible schools that want to receive state funding for full-day kindergarten are required to notify OSPI through iGrants by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2016. The form package is titled: 765 Full-Day Kindergarten (2016–17 Newly Eligible Schools). The iGrants form package requires that the school district agrees to comply with the statefunded full-day kindergarten conditions listed above. School district representatives also must notify OSPI through iGrants form package 765 if they do not want to receive funding for the 2016–17 school year and to identify why they are declining the funding. Eligibility in Future Years If a school does not have adequate space for full-day kindergarten in the 2016–17 school year or chooses not to accept funding for other reasons, the school must implement full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2017–18 school year. “Voluntary” Kindergarten The statutory language regarding state-funded full-day kindergarten indicates that the program is to be “voluntary.” This has been interpreted to mean that school districts must provide MEMORANDUM NO. 079-15M EL Page 3 January 7, 2016 parents an option of part-day kindergarten. This can be implemented in a number of different ways, including having a separate part-day class or incorporating the part-day students in the full-day classroom. Whether the school district provides transportation for these children to and from school is a local school district decision. If a school district elects to provide mid-day transportation to accommodate parents accessing part-day classes, such costs will be allowable “to-from” transportation expenditures. Schools with limited additional classrooms In previous years, OSPI required that schools receiving state-funding offer full-day kindergarten for all kindergarten students in the school based on a requirement in the 2007 budget. A number of school districts expressed concerns about this requirement limiting the number of students they are able to provide full-day kindergarten. As a result of these concerns, OSPI has initiated the rulemaking process to remove the requirement. As a result, schools are no longer required to offer full-day kindergarten in every classroom if the school does not have capacity to do so. OSPI will provide funding for the students who are in full-day kindergarten classrooms and one-half day funding for those who are not. When selecting students for these full-day classrooms, school districts must prioritize students from low income families and consider other students who will likely receive the greatest benefits from full-day kindergarten. This will be applicable only for school year 2016–17, as all school districts will be required to offer full-day kindergarten for all incoming kindergartener students beginning school year 2017–18. Full-day Kindergarten Guide OSPI, in collaboration with the Bellingham and Sumner School Districts, has created a guide to provide information to school principals and teachers in how to implement developmentally appropriate, and academically rigorous kindergarten programs. The guide is intended to provide information on effective practices and encourage discussions among kindergarten teachers and administrators. It may be downloaded at http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/Resources.aspx. This website also includes other information that may be useful for school district staff in creating high quality kindergarten classrooms. Full-day Kindergarten Webinar A webinar will be conducted on January 28, 2016, from 3–4:30 p.m. to respond to questions and discuss how to design full-day kindergarten classrooms. One can register for the webinar at http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/default.aspx. The webinar will be recorded and available online two days after the webinar occurs. Full-day Kindergarten Professional Development Three professional development modules have been created for kindergarten teachers on Child Development, the Kindergarten Learning Environment, and Learning Centers. These MEMORANDUM NO. 079-15M EL Page 4 January 7, 2016 trainings are being offered in most Educational Service Districts (ESDs) and will be offered at the Starting Strong Institute in early August. Information about these modules can be obtained at http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/Resources.aspx. Educational Service District Full-day Kindergarten Support In addition, the nine ESDs have identified individuals who are available to provide assistance to school staff in implementing full-day kindergarten programs. A list of these contacts is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/pubdocs/FullDayKindergartenWaKIDSStateContacts.pdf. Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a kindergarten entry transition process that includes three components: building family connections, assessing students’ developmental levels, and collaborating with early learning providers. The objectives for WaKIDS align with the legislative goals for state-funded full-day kindergarten, as stated in RCW 28A.150.315. WaKIDS is required to be implemented in state-funded full-day kindergarten classrooms (RCW 28A.655.080). Districts are expected to: Provide opportunities for teachers to meet individually with families at the beginning of the school year. Assure that teachers attend WaKIDS 101 training. Assure that teachers individually assess all students in their class during the assessment window. Assure that administrative assessment procedures are addressed and followed. Encourage all teachers to complete inter-rater reliability certification. Determine ways to use WaKIDS data to inform instruction and planning, and provide feedback to families and early learning providers. Demonstrate strong connections and communication with early learning community providers. Participate in kindergarten program readiness activities with early learning providers and parents. A memorandum providing more detail about WaKIDS will be published in early spring 2016. Further Information For questions regarding the state-funded, full-day kindergarten content of this memorandum, please contact Robert Butts at Bob.Butts@k12.wa.us or 360-725-0420 or Mercedes Eckroth at Mercedes.Eckroth@k12.wa.us or 360-725-4952. The agency TTY number is 360-664-3631. MEMORANDUM NO. 079-15M EL Page 5 January 7, 2016 K–12 EDUCATION Gil Mendoza, Ed.D. Deputy Superintendent EARLY LEARNING Robert Butts Assistant Superintendent Attachment – State-Funded Full-Day Kindergarten School Eligibility list for 2016-17 School Year OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director at 360-7256162 or P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200.