Dive Brief:

• Some childhood development experts question whether the Common Core standards for reading in kindergarten are suitable for children that age.
• The standards require kindergarteners to read beginner texts in addition to understanding basic phonics and word recognition, but experts argue that students start that grade at varying developmental stages based on factors like preschool, home environment, and biology, KQED reports.
• Additionally, the increased focus on academics over play time for kindergarteners concerns experts, who cite research that shows greater gains from play-based programs for children at that age.

Dive Insight:

This isn't the first time standards for kingergarteners have been called into question. Exams given by some states to children at that age have also raised the ire of education pundits and experts alike. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an education professor at Lesley University who co-authored the study “Reading Instruction in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose,” told KQED that most five-year-olds aren't ready to read and that pressuring them with material they aren't ready for can have long-term negative impacts. Still, other experts argue that the material can be appropriate if implemented with the right approach. Regardless, educators would likely do well to, at the very least, take time to note how developmentally ready various students may be based on their background coming into kindergarten.