What’s the Harm in Common Core Kindergarten Literacy Standards?īoth the Washington Post report and the research report, which was issued jointly by the Defending the Early Years and the Alliance for Childhood organizations, call for the kindergarten Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to be withdrawn. While well intended, both the media report and the recommendations of the early childhood experts lead us down the wrong path. The position paper, written by early childhood experts, states that many kindergartners aren’t developmentally ready to read. Here’s how the literacy standards can be interpreted to support reading and writing in kindergarten without harming any child.Ī recent report by early childhood experts amplified by the Washington Post says that “requiring kindergartners to read-as Common Core does”-may harm children. If interpreted correctly, the Common Core standards for literacy enable us to help enhance the kindergarten experience for all kindergarten children-from the underprepared to the most gifted and advanced. There is much wrong with American kindergartens-but the Common Core State Standards are not to blame.

This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at Psychology Today.

Kindergarten jump start ri