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Highlands Today

Kindergarteners Show Growth In Early Learning

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: December 28, 2008

SEBRING - The number of Florida's kindergarteners showing early literacy skills reached its highest point to date and Highlands County scores improved on all three screening tests administered to kindergarteners.

The Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) measures each kindergartener's readiness in seven areas, including: language and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, social and personal skills, physical health and fitness and the creative arts.

The screening is administered within the first 30 days of kindergarten

Park Elementary Principal Brenda Longshore said the school just recently received the screening test results.

They are useful, along with other assessments, in providing information about the children starting kindergarten and to direct teacher instruction, she said.

"Our teachers are beginning to have so much information and have become such experts in analyzing data that they truly know where their kids are and what instruction they need to move them forward," Longshore said.
Highlands County kindergarten student scores improved the most in one year on the Letter Naming screening test. The percentage of students considered "above average" increased from 64 percent to 72.8 percent (8.8 percentage point increase). The state average is 76.63 percent.

There was a slight increase in the percentage of Highlands County kindergarteners who showed "emerging progress" on the Early Childhood Observation System, but the 91 percent demonstrating emerging progress in Highlands County surpassed the state average of 87.9.

The Initial Sound Fluency screening test measures a student's ability to recognize the beginning sound(s) in a spoken word. Of the 172,976 students screened statewide in 2008, 67.9 percent were above average/low risk - an increase of more than 3 percentage points compared to last year.

In a prepared statement, Education Commissioner Eric Smith commented on the statewide results.

"These are outstanding results and I am thrilled to see that our youngest students are more prepared than ever before to tackle the work that is ahead of them," he said "You can never start the learning process too early and I am proud of our parents and teachers for ensuring that our children hit the ground running."

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 863-386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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