what the school readiness data mean for Maryland’s children March 2008

Maryland Model for School Readiness Maryland Demographics Source: Maryland State Department of Education Census Data Children < 5 (ages 0-4) Estimated 4-Year Olds 365,545 73,109 Kindergarten Enrollment School Year 2007/08 Kindergarten Students Ethnicity American Indian0.4% Asian5.9% African American35.4% White (not of Hispanic origin)46.5% Hispanic11.7% Kindergarten Students Receiving Services Special Education8.1% English Language Learners11.0% Free/Reduced Priced Meals38.6% Prior Care Enrollment School Year 2006/07 Pre-K Students25,674 Full-Day Program26.3% Half-Day Program73.7% Percent of 4-Year Olds35.1% Judy Center Students8,590 Head Start Students10,929

Maryland Model for School Readiness Impressive progress. 68% of Maryland kindergartners are fully ready for school, a 19-point statewide increase in school readiness since 2001/02 and a 1-point increase since 2006/07. Significant gains for those most in need. 4% of Maryland children need considerable support to do kindergarten work, a 3-point reduction in the past 7 years. Summary of Results, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Improvements across all Domains of Learning. Maryland’s children are well-rounded, showing improvements in all seven Domains of Learning. Kindergartners demonstrate strongest readiness in the areas of: Physical Development (79%) The Arts (71%) Social & Personal Development (68%) Mathematical Thinking (63%) By Domains of Learning, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Early literacy focus results in gains. The statewide and jurisdictional efforts that focused on early language and literacy yielded large gains in the Language & Literacy Domain of Learning. 58% of Maryland’s kindergartners are fully ready for school, up from 36% in 2001/02. By Language & Literacy, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Children require the most support in the area of Scientific Thinking. 47% of Maryland kindergartners are fully ready in the science domain, up from 24% in 2001/02. Despite the 23-point gain, over 30,000 children need targeted or considerable support in this area to do kindergarten work. By Scientific Thinking, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Achievement Gaps for Low Income Children for 3 rd Grade MSA Results Improved MSA results suggest that improved school readiness results contributed to the narrowing of the achievement gap. Achievement Gaps for Low Income Children for Third Grade MSA Results Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness In the last 7 years, males and females experienced a 20-point gain in readiness. 74% of female kindergartners are fully ready for school. While only 63% of males are assessed as fully ready for school, they are within 5 points of the statewide composite. By Gender, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Significant gains made by children from all ethnic backgrounds. The most progress was made by African American children: 62% are now fully ready for school, up from 37% in 2001/02. These gains narrowed the disparity between African American children and their white peers from 19 points in 2001/02 to 13 points in 2007/08. By Ethnicity, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness English language learners improve. English language learners (ELL—children whose first language is not English) experienced a 6-point increase from last year and a 20-point increase in the past 7 years. ELL also improved in the Language & Literacy domain by 5 points. Despite these gains, ELL children are less likely to be fully ready than English- proficient children: 55% of ELL children were fully ready for school, compared with 70% of their English-proficient peers. By English Proficiency, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Low-income children make gains. 59% of low-income children are fully ready (as indicated by Free and Reduced Price Meal status), up from 34% in 2001/02. These gains narrowed the disparity between low-income and mid- to high- income children: an 18-point difference in 2001/02 narrowed to a 15-point difference in 2007/08. By Income, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness By Special Education Services, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education Children receiving special education services improve. 43% of children receiving Special Education Services were fully ready for school in 2007/08, a 13-point increase from 2001/02. Children receiving special education services did not improve at the same rate as their peers. The gap widened, growing from an 18- point difference in 2001/02 to a 28- point difference in 2007/08.

Maryland Model for School Readiness High-quality early learning opportunities promote school readiness. Children who were enrolled in pre-K programs (70%), child care centers (72%) and non-public nursery schools (83%) the year prior to kindergarten exhibited higher school readiness levels than those who were at home or in informal care settings (58%) the year prior to kindergarten. By Prior Care, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness Majority of Jurisdictions Gained Ground. 22 jurisdictions improved their school readiness percentages from 2001/ jurisdictions experienced 20-point or higher improvements in full readiness in the past seven years, greater than the statewide gain of 19 points. 11 jurisdictions—Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, and Worcester—met or exceeded the state goal of 75 percent fully ready for school by 2007/08. 3 jurisdictions—Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Montgomery Counties—are within 5 points of the statewide goal of 75 percent fully ready for school by 2007/08. The largest seven-year gains were made by Baltimore County (41%) and Caroline (37%). By Jurisdiction, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Model for School Readiness By Jurisdiction, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08

Maryland Model for School Readiness By Jurisdiction, School Years 2001/02 to 2007/08 Majority of jurisdictions gain ground. Over the last seven years, 10 jurisdictions experienced 20-point or higher improvements in full readiness, greater than the statewide gain of 19 points. Source: Maryland State Department of Education