A new study by the Minnesota Department of Education shows that 72 percent of kindergartners were deemed ready for school in fall 2012, up from 60 percent in 2010.
Each year the department assesses school readiness of students during the first eight weeks of kindergarten. The areas of child development examined are physical development, the arts, personal and social development, language and literacy, and mathematical thinking. A student who is considered ready for kindergarten is expected to meet academic targets on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments.
State education officials said the results indicate that kindergarten students are benefiting from recent efforts to improve preschool programs in Minnesota.
"Students who have access to high-quality early learning are more likely to start fully prepared and then stay on track academically," said Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. "Our focus has been on widening access to high-quality early learning for all kids and aligning those programs with schools. Today's announcement shows that more students are benefiting — and will continue to benefit — from our approach and the investments we are making."
Of the areas tested, students scored the highest in physical development — 73 percent — and lowest in mathematical thinking at 57 percent.
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to be fully prepared for kindergarten than their peers, according to the Minnesota School Readiness Study.
This year, the Legislature approved $40 million in scholarships for low-income families to access high-quality early learning programs. Scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded to families and distributed on a priority basis over the next two years.
The scholarships are expected to cover costs for about 9 percent of eligible families.
