Why Not Celebrate Kindergarten?

These days it's not uncommon to see the eye-rolls and criticism of kindergarten graduation ceremonies... you know, the ones with cap and gown along with diplomas. Some say we're devaluing true educational accomplishment since it's pretty much a “given” that everyone is moving on to first grade.

Well, apparently kindergarten is not what it used to be. Now, “Kindergarten is the new First Grade”. Consider this from “What Happened to Kindergarten?”

"Kindergarten is now first grade, and first grade is now second grade,” says Anne Stoudt, a kindergarten teacher in suburban New Jersey for 19 years. “It used to be normal for first graders to still be learning to read. Now, the handful of kindergartners who aren’t reading by the end of the year are considered behind.

Indeed, just a decade ago, only 15 percent of kindergartners were readers. If we go back 30 years, the number shrinks to only 5 percent. This year, in Maryland’s Montgomery County—which, like many districts, has mandatedfull-day attendance for fives—nearly 90 percent of kindergartners passed an end-of-year reading test.”

That's pretty amazing to me... all the more reason to celebrate this first step toward life-long learning.