DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 302 333 PS 017 712

AUTHOR Ham, Dorothy; Perry, JanetTITLE Continuity of Learning for Children Ages 4, 5, and 6

in South Carolina Public Schools.INSTITUTION South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia.PUB DATE 88

NOTE 21p.

PUB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055)

EDRS PRICE_ MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Definitions; *Developmental Continuity; *Early

Childhood Education; *Educational Policy;*Educational Practices; Grade 1; Guidelines;Kindergarten; Preschool Education; Public Schools;State Programs; Teacher Responsibility

IDENTIFIERS *Program Characteristics; *South Carolina

ABSTRACTIntended for use in in-service instruction for

preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade teachers, this putdicationaddresses major issues related to student transition between grades.Contents reflect the practices, strategies, and ideas of discussants,who included princiF ls, teachers and administrators who were membersof a task force convened in South Carolina. Part I explores theorigins of program differences. Part II focuses on terminologyrelated to program continuity. Part III addresses policies thataffect the progression of young children in school. Part IV providesstrategies and practices that promote continuous learning. (RH)

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Cover Photograph: Erin Donovan, Bryan Ham, and Eli Perry by Mitchell'sPhotography, Orangeburg, SC

Continuity of Learningfor Children Ages 4, 5, and 6

in South Carolina Public Schools

Developed ByEarly Childhood Education Consultants

Dorothy HamJanet Perry

Basic Skills SectionRhonda M. Corley, Chief Supervisor

Office of General EducationJoel Taylor, Director

Division of InstructionSidney B. Cooper, Deputy Superintendent

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION v

PART I: Origins of Program Differences 1

PART II: Terminology Related to Program Continuity 3

PART III: Impact of Policy 5

PART IV: Strategies and Practices 9

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 13

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 15

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con-ti-nu-i-ty (k6n'te-nere-t -nyTof) n., pl. -ties. 1. The state or quality of beingcontinuous. 2. An uninterrupted succession; unbroken course.

American Heritage DictatialiO

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INTRODUCTION

There is considerable controversyover the progr i likenesses and dif-ferences between preschool and kin-dergarten and kindergarten and firstgrade classrooms. The purpose of thispublication is to address the majorcontroversial issues. It is suggested thatthis publication be used as a focalpoint for inservice sessions or jointmeetings of teachers working in pre-school, kindergarten and first grades.An instructional television program ofthe same title is also available to beused in conjunction with this publi-cation.

What provides a continuous learn-ing progression for young children?Teachers and parents agree on the factthat this should occur between pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade.They cannot always agree on whatconstitutes continuity. Is continuitythe uninterrupted succession of chil-

dren in grades or the ur,broken courseof curriculum in a non-graded system?For the purpose of this publication, thedefinition must be the progression ofchildren in a graded system; this is thesystem of public education in SouthCarolina.

A task force of principals, teachers,and administrators was convened todiscuss the issues surrounding thesmooth transiticn of children in theearly years. This publication reflectsthe practices, strategies, and ideas dis-cussed by this giJup. Part I discussesthe origins of program differences andPart II focuses on terminology relatedto program continuity. Part III ad-dresses the policies which impact onthe progression of young children inschool while Part IV of the bookletprovides strategies and practiceswhich promote the continuous learn-ing process.

PART I

Origins of Program Differences

The first pub..c school kindergartenopen 2c1 by Dr. William Harris, superin-tendent of the St. Louis public schools,was directed by Susan Blow. At h.sresignation in 1880, Ms. Blow and herfollowers resigned their positions be-cause the school board placed kinder-garten under the elementary gradesupervisors. They feared the formalinfluence of elementary education onkindergarten!

The age-old, 19th century argumentof why or should kindergarten lookdifferent from first grade still exists inthe most sophisticated schools. Thenational movement to provide uni-versal kindergarten, full-day kinder-garten, or preschool has heightenedthe concern over the differences innot just kindergarten and first gradebut between preschool and kinder-garten. This is especially true in stateswith long-standing kindergartenswhich have begun to look like firstgrade. For example, in Nebraska a longhistory of kindergarten is supportedthrough the constitution and state lawwhich affirms the entitlement of allfive-year-olds to free public educa-tion. However, the Board of Educationproduced a "Kindergarten PositionStatement" in 1984 because "a numberof conflicting societal pressures andattitudes have caused changes in thefocus of kindergarten programs."

Discussion in professional literaturehas also addressed the differences.Dr. David Elkind argues:

Early childhood educationmust be taken on its own terms.We do not teach the high schoolcurriculum at the junior high

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level or the junior high curric-ulum at the elementary schoollevel, so why in the world shouldwe teach the elementary curric-ulum at the preschool level?

... Early childhood education hasits owr curriculum, its own pro-grams of teacher training, its ownmethods of evaluation and class-room management. These over-lap curriculum, teacher training,evaluation, and classroom man-agement at upper levels ofschooling, but they are far frombeing identical.

Professional organizations have re-sponded to the need for more pro-gram information for teachers andparents by producing position state-ments on appropriate practices. TheNational Association for the Educationof Young Children position statementpresents appropriate and inappro-priate practices on thirteen programcomponents including curriculumgoals, teaching strategies, assessment,and parent-teacher relations. TheSouthern Association on ChildrenUnder Six, the International ReadingAssociation, and the National ArtEducation Association also formulatedstatements on appropriate practices.

In South Carolina, the discussion ofappropriate practices and program dif-ferences began with the plannin:, ofstate pilot kindergarten programs in1968 and continued with kindergartenexpansion statewide. The discussionhas been renewed with the passage ofthe Education Improvement Act of1984 which provided for the phase-inof a statewide program for "at-risk"

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four-year-olds. Through the process ofclarifying curriculum likenesses anddifferences in classrooms for four-year-olds, five-year-olds, and six-year-olds for teachers, administrators,

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and parents, the need has arisen toreexamine and make recommenda-tions for reinforcing sound practicesfor young children.

PART II

Terminology Related to Program Continuity

"Taking early childhood on its ownterms" as suggested by Dr. DavidElkind means respecting the discipline,understanding terminology, and usingappropriate terms in context; other-wise, the result is confusion and mis-understanding.

For instance, the catch-phrase,getting chlidren ready for school, isoften attributed to kindergarten as itssingular purpose. With little under-standing of what kindergarten canoffer, this catch-phrase is interpretedto mean teaching children to sit down,to raise their hands to speak, and towork alone at desks. This is notlearning - -these are organizational pro-cedures. It is not appropriate to expectkindergarten teachers to have chil-dren learn procedures for their nextyear's teacher. All teachers orient anew class annually to routines andprocedures.

Getting ready for school is also usedto set prerequisite skills children mustlearn for entry into first gradn, such asnaming letters and numerals and cor-rect copying of names or words. Goodpreschools and kindergarten class-rooms offer opportunities, criater-ds,and support for learning these andmany more skills as a result of thechild's own motivation and interest.Instructional strategies based on nar-rowly focused curriculum goals thatrequire rote learning, drill, and forcedrepetition to satisfy entry require-ments do not constitute sound teach-ing practices. It is possible for childrento parrot correct responses withoutunderstanding the underlying con-cepts. Good teachers, whether pre-

school, kindergarten, or first grade,adapt the curriculum to make schoolready for each child's uniquenessrather than pressure children to be-come ready foi- school.

The use of the terms formal, struc-tured, end academic to describe theacceleration of curriculum beyond theplay-oriented atmosphere of kinder-garten is a misnomer. Many experi-ential, play-oriented preschools, kin-dergartens, and first grades are highlystructured and academic. The practiceof placing children in private schoolkindergarten or first grade and laterenrolling them in public school a yearahead of their peers is an example offalse accei ?ration. The connotation ofacceleration in terms like "abovegrade level" and "skipping grades" isrooted in traditional elementaryschool and should not be applied toearly learning classrooms.

By the same token, borrowing thepractice of using basal mathematicsand reading workbooks in kinder-garten does not accelerate childrentoward the first grade curriculum.Some experiential activities fromteacher resource books do assist kin-dergarten teachers in matching thein',erest and ability of individual chil-dren or groups of children with chal-lenging activities. rirst grade teacherswho value a hands-on, child-initiatedapproach to learning, supported bythe use of commercially produced orteacher-made print materials useworkbooks prudently.

Another assumption expressed byteachers about curriculum that truly

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prohibits a continuous learning pro-cess is the nerd to cover :he curricu-lum. This implies separate content orknowledge to be learned by childrenat age four, at ape five, and at age six.The misconceptions surrounding thisexpression far exceed its valid use.What is valid is the certainty withwhich children's interests and abilitiesoccur in a predictable sequence.

The sequence occurs so predictablythat the majority of children in an agegroup have certain abilities. Most five-year-olds have not attained the cogni-tive ability to conserve matter, butmany six-year-olds have this ability.Most six-year-olds understand thesymbolic representations of print in ameaningful context and begin to read.A set of basic skills in re ding, writing,and matnematics needed to expandthese abilities have I.,- en defined inSout:i Carolina, and the use of all skillsarr important to a balanced instruc-tional approach. Using the entire set ofskills is a valid use of the term, coveringthe curriculum. Having all six-year-olds read every story in every bookfrom preprimer on or work everymathematics problem in a district-adopted text misrepresents coveringthe curriculum.

The same field trips, units, or themesmay be utilized in classrooms withchildren of different ages. The learning

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processes emphasized vary becausechildren's interests and abilities aredifferent. Duplication does not andwill not occur if teachers understandand use the principles of child growthand development to select teachingstrategies.

The duplication of curriculum orcurriculum coverage is of gr..at con-cern to parents whose children haveattended preschool. Teachers shouldreassure parents that the curriculumchanges as child-en change. Theteacher should predict for parents thekinds of expanded challenging activi-ties children are likely to be engagedi -1 next year.

Early childhood professionals repeatthe expression learning throug'- playto describe the natural learning pro-cess of children. To many parents andteachers, the phrase connotes a

chaotic, non-instructional classroom.Clifford Alper clarifies the purpose ofplay by stating: "Only adults make thedifferentiation between work andplay. Since play is children's work, theymake no such differentiation, andneither should their teachers." Theinstructional benefits of play-styledactivities in preschool, kindergart 'n,and first grade ould be a topic an-nually discussed in parent meetingsand teacher inservice workshops.

PART III

Impact of Policy

The challenge facing teachers ofyoung children is to provide an eA-periential learning environment for aroup of children with highly variedptitudes, interests, and backgrounds.arly childhood classrooms are de-igned to empower teachers to meethat challenge. Thus, a child of anybility can progress in a graded systemhrough his early years of schooling inclassroom of children the same age.

Ibis is learning continuity. Ironically,policies dealing with issues such as

accreditation, class size, grouping, test-ing, and retention may appear to beroadblocks in the continuous learningprocess. A closer look at these issuesmay dispell those perceptions.

In the past, it was common to inter-pret the Defined Minimum Programfor South Carolina School Districts(DMP) to mean teaching subject mat-ter in isolation. The DMP outlines thenumber of minutes subjects shouldbe taught. Unfortunately this has fre-quently come to mean isolated teach-ing of subject matter, which was not itsintent. Accreditation standards shouldlee interpreted to allow integratedaching of subject matter in mean -

jngful whole units. This is especiallytrue for young children.

Updating the continuous a,sess-rnent process in a management systemand using test results to improve in-struction should compliment goodteaching strategies. These measuresshould not be interpreted as a direc-tive to teach isolated skills, rather toguide teachers in planned observa-tions of children at work throughwhich acquisition of specific skills is

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noted. This is in keeping with theintent of the Basic Skills AssessmentProgram and the position of theNational Association of Education forYoung ChiPren on standardized test-ing as stated, in part:

. . . tests should be used onlywhen it is clear that their userepresents a meaningful contri-bution to the improvement ofinstructior for children and onlyas one of many sources of infor-mation. . . . The potential formisdiagnosing or mislabeling isparticularly great with youngchildren where there is widevariation in what may be con-sidered normal behavior.

Within the half-day, double-sessionprogram, a kindergarten teacher mayhave as many as sixty children and sixtysets of parents with whim to com-municate each year. The class sizes forfour-year-olds and compensatory firstgrades of fewer than twenty childrenare more manageable. Many agreethat a reduction of kindergarten classsize would enhance the quality ofkindergarten; but this is not yet areality. Kindergarten teachers muststreamline strategies used to com-municate with parents, manage chil-dren's daily classroom activities, keeprecords, and make daily lesson planswhich will strengthen their programswithin existing class-size standards. Forexample, teachers should initiate oneparent orientation meeting and oneconference per child per year, thoughtwo or more are generally preferred.Progress reports, if necessary, shouldonly be used in conjunction with the

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parent conference. Monthly news-letters are an efficient method ofcommunicating classroom news andspecial events to all parents.

Time consuming practices such asclassroom management systems re-cr.'iring constant monitoring during"center time," assessment techniquesrequiring a check off of every child'severy activity, or constructi, ,n of deco-rative displays (i.e., bulletin boards)which do not require involvement ofchildren should be elimineed. , hesepractices do not allow a teaching teamthe time and flexibility necessary tofacilitate an integrated experientialcurriculum.

Some grouping practices, such asextra-year readiness or developmentalclasses and retention in the early years,are in conflict with the definition of thecontinuity of learning as previouslystated. In a graded system, children ofany ability progress through the earlyyears in a clic,sroom with children thesame age. Children tracked into extra-year readiness classes or retained ingrade are placed in age-different class-rooms the following year with childrenof a younger age. Current researchsuggests such traditional practicesneed reevaluation.

A rationale for heterogeneous group-ing and the elimination of extra-yearprograms (sometimes referred to astransitional first grade) is presented ina position statement by the NationalAssociation of Early ChildhoodSpecialists in State Departments ofEducation This rationale is based onthe woe,. of Bredekamp (1987),Good lad and Anderson (1987),Gredler (1984) and Stavin (1986).

The dramatic growth of extra-year programs represents an at-

tempt by the educational systemto cope with an escalating kin-dergarten curriculum and thevaried backgrounds of enteringchildren. However, these pro-grams often increase the rid( offailure for children who come toschool with the educational oddsagainst them. Selection andplacement in "transitional,""developmental," or "readi-ness" -lasses often brand thechildren as failures in their owneyes and those of parents, peers,and teachers.... Heterogeneousclass groupings are more likely toencourage growth for lower-functioning children than arehomogeneous ones. Experienceswithin the regular classroomshould be organized so that dif-ferences among children arevalued rather than being viewedas a barrier to effective instrt --tion.

Additional evidence contradictingcurrent policies is summarized in theconclusions of Shepard and Smith onthe effects of kindergarten and firstgrade retention:

... By the time they complete firstgrade, ch ildre., who have re-peated kindergarten do not out-perform comparison students;they do, however, have slightlymore negative feelings aboutschool. There is no achievementbenefit in retaining a child inkindergarten or first grade and,regardless of hciw well the extrayear is presented to the child, thechild still pays an emotional cost.

The aforementioned findings werecarefully selected to te.,resent a grow-ing body of research predicated onsound educational theory and prac-

tice. lf, indeed, policies affecting pro-grams for young children conflict withthese findings, Midi Then? 11-- ques-tion of conflict is not settled so easily.Many educators are skeptical abouthe findings of Shepard and Smith

because past researc! and experiencepromoted the value of retention.Shepard and Smith disagree with thepremise of past research that childrenachieve better when retained.

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The question "What then?" is askednot to suggest policy changes but toencourage discussion on how policiesare developed and what can be doneto bring about change. There is noguarantee that if all policies supportedcontinuity that continuity would exist.There are many opportunities to pro-mote the continuous learning processwithin each classroom and in eachschool. Policies cannot be ignored norused as excuses.

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PART IV

Strategies and Practices

In the teaching profession, class-room practices must be congruentwith an agreed-upon set of premisesabout how children learn; in otherwords, a teaching philosophy. Pro-grams for children ages four, five, andsix should have similarities based on asound early childhood philosophy toinsure program continuity. Teachersmust be knowledgeable of appro-priate practices and able to articulatethe reasons why they do what they do.Premises for the following practicesand strategies are bolded and pre-sented in an effort to provide a com-mon framework for child develop-ment, kindergarten, and first gradeteachers.

Children are un!que, whole humanbeings who need to see themselves ascompetent and responsible individ-ualsable to make choices and havecontrol over situations in which theyare involved. Young children are be-ginners and must be allowed to con-struct their own knowledge fromexperience.

Adopt a "Come As You Are" phi-losophy in programs for four-, five-,and six-year-olds in which eachcnild is accepted for what he can do.Avoid judging each child'sworth based on rigid expectations ortest scores.Re-think the use of discipline sys-tems which include a multitude ofrules to enforce with accompanyingpunishments.Enhance children's natural curiosityand encourage self-control by set-ting up activities which they caninitiate on their own in meaningfulways.

Acknowledge children's apprehen-sion about moving from one pro-gram into another, and scheduletime for them to visit in classroomswhere they will be working in thefuture.

The learning environment, inside theclassroom and the world beyond, mustbe utilized by teachers to achievecurriculum goals. It must be organizedto include a multitude of concretematerials that are accessible to chil-dren.

Select reusable and child-madematerials (i.e., books) as well ascommercial materials. Share mate-rials with preschool, kindergarten,aj first grade classrooms.Use furnishings and space arrange-ments that offer opportunities forlarge group, small group, and in-dividual learning situations. Tablesmight be substituted for individualdesks.Reevaluate the use of abstract cur-riculum materials such as v. rk-books, ditto sheets, flashcards, etc.These should be avoided with four-and five-year-olds and used in firstgrade to reinforce meaningful ex-periences.

The process of achieving all curricu-lum goals is predicated on the activeinvolvement of children in daily activi-ties. Children learn from whole events,whole situations, and whole experi-ences.

Provide a balance of child-initiatedand teacher-initiated instructionoccurring in the classroom on apredictable daily hasis.

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Avoid a curriculum full of cne-right-answer activities. Plan oven -endedactivities and questions which allowfor various solutions and answers.Study the skids presented in the earlylevels of the basal p ograms anddevise appropriate experience-based strategies to accomplish thesegoals. Activities suggested for en-richment and expansion are appro-priate.

In language development and be-ginning reading:

Read aloud every day and en-courage interaction and discus-sion between children and adults.

- Present printed words withii thecontext of meaningful experi-ences so that young children candevelop the notion that "wordsare talk written down." Thelanguage-experience approachprovides such opportunities.

- Incorporate phonics in a variety oflanguage-oriented activities, butbe cautious not to overemphasizeisolated phonics instruction.

- Allow children to begin writingthrough unevaluated experi-mentationdrawing, copying,and invented spelling. Requiringcorrrect formation of letters on aprinted line should he delayeduntil first grade.Avoid using basal texts as the onlyresource for the first grade lan-guage arts program.

In physical development:

- Emphasize appropriate time andspace requirerrwnts for small andlarge muscle development.

- Underscore the importance ofmovement and action as opposedto winning or finishing first.

- Eliminate the use of pre-drawn

pictures for children to color as abasis for hand-eye coordination.

In developing mathematical con-cepts and scientific inquiry:

Discuss the development ofmathematics concepts rather thanfocusing on just arithmetical oper-ations.Depend on hands-on activities toprovide the basic for later paper-and- pencil arithmetical oper-ations and to provide a back-ground for development ofscience concepts and processes.Utilize a variety of materials forchi'dren to gain understanding ofvolume, weight, time, space, andnumber.Select materials that cause chil-dren to want to make compari-sons, classify, order, count, sort,and match.

In aesthetic development:

- Integrate art-type materials intothe classroom to be used as ave-nues for children to express ideasand concepts through projects asopposed to replicating models.

Utilize Basic Skills Assessment Pro-gram objectives as the core forteaching reading, writing, mathe-matics, and science in the first gradecurriculum, which also includessocial studies, art, music, physicaleducation, and health.

Continuous assessment is the processof monitoring a child's developmentspecific to curriculum goal areasthroughout the school year and pro-viding the next year's teacher with thisinformation for the purpose of cur-riculum planning.

Discuss the similarities of the keyexperiences of the curriculum forfour-year-olds and the kindergartencurriculum objectives. They do notneed to be formally correlated asthey each have a natural correlationto child growth and development.Employ observations of children'sinteractions and responses as well asparental input to assess develop-mental levels. Singling out childrenon a one-to-one basis in a test-likesituation is not necessary to assesstheir progress.Understand that psychometric (i.e.,achievement) tests provide limitedinformation for developmentalassessment. Teachers and parentshave proven track records for pre-dicting children's abilities, accom-plishments, and behavior.Document children's progress byusing classroom observation to com-plete forms that have been adoptedand are utilized throughout theschr-31 and/or district. Review andutilize information gained from theprevious teacher's assessment.

The degree or credential provides afoundation of knowledge for teachers.Professionalism develops for teacherson individual and group-level basesthrough seminars, course work, inser-vice training, and the like with a directinfluence on classroom practices.

Stress participation in preserviceworkshops to fulfill the requirementfor teachers and aides implementingthe child development program.Similar planned preservice orienta-tion should also be provided for newkindergarten teachers, first gradeteachers, and all instructional aides.

Encourage teachers to actively sup-port and participate in professionalgroups to increase their knowledgeof state-of-the-art instructional prac-tices. Strive to increase teachers',administrators', and parents' under-standings of child growth anddevelopment.Promote opportunities for teachersand instructional aides to observe inother classrooms across age levels.Plan meetings and training sessionsin which teachers of four-, five-, andsix-year-olds can meet jointly. Usethis support group to discuss specificcurriculum topics selected bygroups. Include instructional aidesin discussions.

The teacher/parent team snares in-formation through open communica-tion related to the individual child'sgrowth and development.

Realize that time spent in educatingparents about the value of play(children's work) in the classroom istime well spent.Report to parents through face-to-face conferences. Two parent con-ferences and two home visits arerequired in the half-day child devel-opment program. Parent con-ferences are encouraged in bothkindergarten and first grade.Discuss the uniqueness of each childwith his parents. (Avoid "top-group,slow-group" references and othercomparisons.) Describe what theirchild can do and predict what he willlearn next.Provide parent workshops, take-home activities, and newsletterswhich reinforce the classroom pro-gram and meet the needs of in-dividual children.

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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alper, Clifford D. "Early Childhood Music Education," in The Early ChildhoodCurriculum: A Review of Current Research. pp. 211-236, edited by Carol Seefeldt. NY: Teachers College Press, 1987.

The American Heritage Dictionary. 2nd college ed Boston, MA: Houghton MifflinCompany, 1985.

Basic Skills Assessment Program. 1978 Act No. 631 of the South Carolina CeneralAssembly As Amended. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department or Educa-tion, 1981.

Bredekamp, Sue, ed. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early ChildhoodPrograms Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children, 1987.

.. DeVries, Rheta, and Kohlberg, Lawrence. Programs of Early EducationThe...

Constructivist View. Longman, Inc.: White Plains, NY, 1987.

Defined Minimum Program for South Carolina School Districts. Columbia,SC: South Carolina Department of Education, 1986.

Hohmann, Mary; Banet, Bernard; and Weikart, David P. Young Children in Action.Ypsilanti, MI: The High/Scope Press, 1979.

Elkind, David. "Educating the Very Young: A Call for Clear Thinking." NEA Today 6(Janu .y 1988).

"Literacy Development and Pre-First Grade." Newark, DE: International ReadingAssociation, 1985.

"NAEYC Position Statement on Standardized Testing of Young Children 3 Through8 Years of Age." Young Children 43 (March 1988): 42-47.

National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments ofEducation, "Unacceptable Trends in Kindergarten Entry and Placement." 1987.

Osborne, D. Keith. Early Childhood Education in Historical Perspective. EducationAssociates: Athens, GA, 1980, pp. 75-76.

"Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Educational Experiences forKindergarten." Little Rock, AR: Southern Association on Children Under Six,1984."

"Position Statement on Kindergarten," Lincoln, NE: Nebraska State Board ofEducation, 1984.

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"Purposes, Principles and Standards for School Art Programs." Reston, VA:National Art Education Association.

Shepard, Lorrie A., and Smith, Mary 1.ee. "Synthesis of Research on SchoolReadiness and Kindergarten Retention." Educational Leadership 44 (3): 78-86.

South Carolina Department of Education. The Kangaroo BookDevelopmentalActivities Related to the Kindergarten Objectives. Columbia, SC: SC Depart-ment of Education, Early Childhood Fducation, 1982._ PocketsA Unit Approach to Planning Instrue.ion Related to the StateKindergarten Objectives. Columbia, SC: SC Department of Education, EarlyChildhood Education, 1985.

South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984, as Amended in 1985,1986,and 1987. Columbia, SC: SC Department of Education, Division of PublicAccountability, September 1987.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Appreciation is expressed to members of the task force for their reactions andsuggestions:

Gloria Beatson First Grade Teacher, Brook land-Cayce No. 1Elementary School, Lexington School District Two

Sandy Cromer Preschool Teacher, Hyatt Park Elementary School,Richland School District One

Harriett Easter Kindergarten Teacher, Lexington Elementary School,Lexington School District One

Mary Espeig Anderson/Oconee Head Start

Peggy Franklin First Grade Teacher, Flowertown Elementary School,Dorchester School District Two

Arminta Owens Principal Apprentice, Guinyard Elementary School,Ca 'howl County School District

Carole Pascua Horry County School District Staff

Lydia Patterson Kindergarten Teacher, Westview Elementary School,Spartanburg School District Six

Dr. Sandra Robinson Professor, College of Education,University of South Carolina

Gerald Runager Principal, Marshall Elementary School,Orangeburg School District Five

Lane Trant ham South Carolina Dep-tment of Education

Jan Welsh Principal, Travelers Rest Elementary SchoolGreenville County School District

Thanks are also expressed to staff members in both the Basic Skills Section andCurriculum Development Section for their professional expertise in developing thecontents of this booklet.

Piaget's research showed that the mind of the child is qualitativelydifferent from that of older children and adults. This fact led him toargue that the aim of education should be not only to instruct but toprovide a formative milieu for the child's indissociable intellectual,moral, and affective developmentnot just to furnish the mind, but tohelp form its reasoning power.

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Rheta De Vries and Lawrence Kohlberg

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