The Kindergarten Achievement Gap

Nationwide, 50% of children enter kindergarten with the skills of three- or four-year-olds. Thus, the achievement gap is full blown the first week of kindergarten, and research shows that those who start behind generally stay behind year after year. Students who score low on entering assessments are identified for remediation and thus the process of “catching up” begins. These interventions add approximately $3,000 per year per child to the cost of basic education.  This money is better spent supporting families preparing their child for a happy and successful start in school.  READY! narrows the “preparation gap” for young children.

Entering kindergarten students in Kennewick (WA) are given a simple assessment to determine their reading readiness. Administered one-on-one, children are asked to name letters and their sounds, recognize rhyming and alliteration, and print their first name. Those who score less than 30 points out of 100 are below the standard.  After three years of READY! in the Kennewick (WA) School District the number of students who met the “readiness standard” upon entering kindergarten increased by 10%. That's approximately 100 children who don't need catch-up instruction in their early grades. 78% of students whose parents attended READY! met the standard, while 39% of students without READY! scored below the standard. The percentage of students scoring in the lowest 10% decreased from 24% to 11% in three years. Kennewick estimates a savings of $300,000 each year for up to four years K-3. (K-3 total savings may be as much as $1.2 Million dollars each year). Kennewick spends $200,000 annually to offer READY!  Most educators and parents agree that the greatest value is in raising the self-esteem and attitude toward learning of young students.