California has made a significant investment in early childhood education, most prominently by expanding transitional kindergarten (TK) to all four year olds, but also by increasing support for preschool. The goal is to create a strong foundation for learning for all children. Research on the effects of preschool, however, has shown that investments in early childhood education do not always yield long-term benefits. Studies have shown that the advantages of preschool attendance sometimes diminish or even disappear over the first few years of elementary school – referred to as “fade out.” Advocates of greater P-3 continuity propose that fade-out is to some degree a consequence of elementary schools’ failure to build on the benefits of high-quality preschool/TK.
To ensure the sustained benefits of preschool/TK, the investment in early childhood education (ECE) needs to be accompanied by an equal investment in creating continuity between instruction in preschool and the early elementary grades – a central element of what many refer to as “P-3 continuity.” P-3 continuity means that children have a seamless educational experience as they move from preschool through the early elementary grades. Instruction in each grade begins where instruction from the previous grade left off, adjusted to individual children’s developmental and skill levels. Assessments are continuous, to reflect children’s progress from preschool through grade three and parents are similarly engaged.
In addition to helping sustain the benefits of preschool, P-3 alignment improves children’s learning outcomes overall. Children learn best when the content of instruction is aimed just beyond what they already know. If children repeat what they learned in the previous grade, they do not make progress. Similarly, if instruction requires skills children have not developed, they will not benefit from the instruction. Research indicates that kindergarten teachers frequently teach skills that children mastered in preschool, and the more the overlap the less children gain in kindergarten. Maximum learning occurs when instruction is continuous -- builds on and extends previous learning.
P-3 alignment also requires continuity in instruction, teachers using similar pedagogical practices across these grades, adjusted only as needed for the content. With P-3 continuity in instruction, teachers do not need to waste time teaching children completely different ways of engaging in school tasks. Similar teaching approaches across grades also give children a sense of familiarity and self-confidence, and reduces the time it takes to re-socialize children to a different way of learning. Moreover, high-impact, research-based instructional practices do not change fundamentally with grade, although they may look slightly different when applied to more or less advanced content. Effective instruction in TK has a great deal in common with effective instruction in third grade. In brief P-3 instructional continuity means that each grade builds on what was learned in the previous grade using similar, effective instructional strategies as children move from preschool through the early elementary grades -- continuity as well as consistent quality.
Providing children in their classrooms with a seamless, continuous, and consistent educational experience has important implications for policies and practices at the state, district, and school levels. We discuss these implications below. Specifically, we address the following questions:
- What state policies affect P-3 continuity?
- What district and school policies affect P-3 continuity?
- What is California’s P-3 initiative?
