Transition to school or readiness for school what’s the ... · “school readiness does not...

Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning & Education

Transition to school or readiness for

school – what’s the difference and why

does it matter?

Sue Dockett August 4, 2016


Overview

• Thinking about readiness:

• Who needs to be ready?

• Ready for what?

• What does it mean to be ready?

• Transition

• Continuity and change

• Relationship building


Some questions to think about…

• Whose readiness is assessed?

• How do we assess readiness?

• Who performs well, and who performs poorly,

on measures of readiness?

• How does this affect our expectations around

transition?

• Are measures of readiness designed to promote

inclusion or exclusion?

• How does readiness contribute to experiences

of transition?


• School readiness incorporates several

major components:

• children’s readiness for school;

• schools’ readiness for children; and

• the capacity of families and communities to

provide the necessary opportunities,

conditions and supports to optimise children’s

development and learning.

School readiness


Children’s readiness for school

• Developmental domains

• ‘Essential learning skills’ – self-regulation,

dispositions

• EYLF outcomes

• School-entry assessments

• Increased focus on importance of children’s

skills – self-help skills, fine motor skills.


Challenges in assessing children's readiness

• Diversity of children as they start school

• One-off assessments or cumulative

assessments?

• Pre-school skills assessments – poor predictors

of children's school adjustment or achievement

(Pianta & LaParo, 2003).


Family readiness

• How does each family support children’s

learning?

• Home learning environment – not just resources

but also family habitus – approaches to

learning, encouragement, expectations…

• Recognition of the family as an educational

context

• How do families support children's health and

wellbeing – e.g. nutrition


Community readiness

• Resources available with communities

• Connections within communities

• Supports and services accessible for families

within communities

• Includes access to high-quality prior-to school

services

• Access to adequate health services

• Considers issues such as the safety and

stability of the community


Ready schools

• Provide a range of supports for children – e.g. transition

programs

• Are responsive to the children entering school

• Quality programs to support teaching and learning

• Support professional development for teachers

• Promote family engagement

• Are adaptable – have strong leadership that promotes

flexibility through recognition of the strengths/needs of their

school community

• Have high – but realistic – expectations for all

• Promote collaborative relationships – school, family,

community


What do we take from this? “school readiness does not reside solely in the child, but

reflects the environments in which children find

themselves” (Kagan & Rigby, 2003, p. 13)

Readiness is a “process that occurs over time and is not

complete by the first day of Kindergarten” (Meisels, 1999,

p. 62).

What happens at school has a major impact in

assessments of children’s readiness. Children may be

‘ready’ for one school, but not ‘ready’ for another.


Readiness is more than a checklist of skills and

contextually isolated knowledge and more than a

set of behaviours that enable a child to be

regarded as compliant in the classroom. Rather,

readiness must be conceptualised as a broad

construct that incorporates all aspects of a

child’s life that contribute directly to that child’s

ability to learn.

(Dockett & Perry, 2002)


Readiness is an interplay between children,

family, community and educational elements,

demonstrated in different ways in different

contexts.

Different elements of readiness contribute to

experiences of transition.


Transitions

Transitions are times when

individuals change their role

in a community.

In educational transitions,

we focus on times when

there is a change in roles

within educational

communities.


Transition to school

• Transition is embedded within social contexts

and enacted through relationships and

interactions

• Transition is a process – there is some lead-in; a

change; and a period of adjustment/

management

• Transition to school is a transition

for all – not just children


Ecological model of transition

A child’s transition to school is understood in terms of the influence of contexts (family, classroom, community) and the connections among these contexts (eg family-school relationships) at any given time and across time.

(Pianta, Rimm-Kaufman & Cox,1999, p. 4)


Some transition

resources

Continuity of learning:

A resource to support

effective transition to

school and

school age care

http://arts-

ed.csu.edu.au/education/t

ransitions/publications

http://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/education/transitions/publications





http://arts-

ed.csu.edu.au/education/transitions/pub

lications/Position-Statement.pdf

http://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/education/transitions/publications/Position-Statement.pdf








Transition to school: Position Statement

Transition to school is

characterised by:

• opportunities

• aspirations

• expectations

• entitlements


To think about:

• Opportunities – what opportunities by created by

transitions…

• Aspirations – what do people hope for, wish for,

desire...

• Expectations – what do people expect will

happen...

• Entitlements – what rights, provisions, power do

people have...


Opportunities for

• educators to build relationships with children,

families, other educators amid communities that

provide the basis for effective learning and

teaching interactions; and

• communities to recognise this as a significant

event in the lives of children and families.


Aspirations as

• children look forward to making friends and

learning at school;

• families look forward to positive educational

outcomes for their children – both social and

academic;

• educators work towards professional

partnerships that create strong and supportive

educational environments for all children;


Expectations as

• children start school expecting to learn and face

challenges; they expect to be with friends and to have

support from responsive adults;

• families expect their knowledge to be recognised and

respected; they expect to contribute to their children's

education and to work in partnership with educators;

• educators expect to have support and appropriate

professional recognition as they create positive learning

and teaching environments, partnerships with families,

other educators and professionals;


Entitlements as

• children access high quality education that

demonstrates respect for existing competencies,

cultural heritage and histories;

• families demonstrate confidence that their

children will have access to education that

promotes equity and excellence and that

attends to the wellbeing of all children;

• educators receive professional regard and

ongoing professional support;


Continuity and change

• Much focus is on promoting a ‘smooth’ transition

• What does this mean?

• Transition is a time of BOTH continuity and

change:

• Children feel a sense of mastery when they manage

the changes

• What re the implications of seeking to remove

change and challenge from transitions?


What continuity do we want to promote?

• Curriculum continuity?

• Pedagogical continuity?

• Philosophical continuity?

• Physical continuity?

• Organisational continuity?

• Administrative continuity?

• Continuity of professional relationships?

• Continuity of support?


Continuity of professional relationships

Based on:

• Collaboration

• Professional respect

• Creating a shared vision for supporting children and

families

• Generating new pedagogies and approaches

• Critical reflection

(Boyle & Petriwskyj, 2014; Moss, 2013)


References Dockett, S., & Einarsdottir, J. (2016). Continuity and change as children start school – the current state

of play. I In N. Ballam, B. Perry, & A. Garpelin (eds.), POET: Pedagogies of educational research.

European and antipodean research. Dordtrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2009). Readiness for school: A relational construct. Australasian Journal of

Early Childhood, 34(1), 20-26.

Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2002). Who’s ready for what? Young children starting school. Contemporary

Issues in Early Childhood, 3(1), 67-89.

Boyle, T., & Petriwskyj, A. (2014). Transitions to school: Reframing professional relationships. Early

Years, 34(4), 392-404. Doi: 10.1080/09575146.2014.953042

Kagan, S. L., & Rigby, D. E. (2003). Improving the readiness of children for school: Recommendations

for state policy. Washington, DC: Centre for the Study of Social Policy.

Meisels, S. J. (1999). Assessing readiness. In R. C. Pianta & M. Cox (Eds.), The transition to

kindergarten: Research, policy, training,and practice (pp. 39-66). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Moss, P. (ed.), Early childhood and compulsory education: Reconceptualising the relationship (pp, 2-

49). London: Routledge.

Pianta, R. C., & La Paro, K. M. (2003). Improving early school success. Educational Leadership, 60(7),

24–29.

Pianta, R C, Rimm-Kaufman, S., & Cox, M. (1999). Introduction: An ecological approach to

kindergarten transition. In R.C Pianta & M. J. Cox (Eds.), The transition to kindergarten (pp. 3-12).

Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

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