March 14, 2024 | New America
California’s PreK program is defined as the first year of a two-year kindergarten. As a result, some four-year-olds are taking English language proficiency exams meant for older kids. Proposed legislation urges alternative options.
In this New America article by Sarah Jackson, our Director of Dual Language Learner (DLL) Programs Carolyne Crolotte shares about the importance of properly assessing four-year-olds, including DLLs, in Transitional Kindergarten (TK).
“It’s important to have information about children so we can better support them,” said Carolyne Crolotte, the director of dual language learner programs for Early Edge California. “We need to make the necessary investments, supporting professional development programs, bilingual development, family outreach and engagement. But when it’s to label children inadequate in their English proficiency when we don’t have the full information about their language development, then that’s a problem.”