Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dixon USD 170 approves transitional kindergarten program for 2025-26 to support kindergarten readiness
Summary
The board approved a transitional kindergarten (TK) program for 2025-26 aimed at students who are academically or socially not yet ready for traditional kindergarten; administrators said TK will be full day with busing, lunch, PE and a 25-minute rest period and will cap around 15 students.
The Dixon USD 170 Board of Education voted June 25 to add a transitional kindergarten (TK) program for the 2025-26 school year intended to serve students who need additional kindergarten-readiness support.
Kelly, a building-level educator who led the planning, told the board TK is designed for younger or less developmentally ready children so they can gain social-emotional and early academic skills before entering a traditional kindergarten classroom. "We're hoping that they'll get through, like, first, maybe half of kindergarten at the most," Kelly said, describing an initial focus on play-based centers paired with must-do tasks and a later shift toward letter names and sounds.
Administrators said the district will limit TK class size to no more than 15 students and hopes to start the year with 10 to 12 to allow openings for students who move into the district or who show need after school starts. The program will be full day and include busing, lunch, physical education and a scheduled rest time of about 25 minutes. Kelly said one current kindergarten teacher volunteered to teach the TK class.
District staff emphasized that TK is not intended to serve students with existing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). "There will not be students at TK who have IEPs; if they have IEPs already, then they'll be in a traditional class with the supports that they need there," Kelly said. The administration said MTSS and other supports remain available and that students showing significant behavior or developmental needs will continue to be evaluated through the district's regular special-education processes.
Kelly also described screeners used to identify candidates for TK this year: local kindergarten screening, the DECA social-emotional screener and teacher recommendations from preschool programs and daycares. The board approved the program following discussion and clarification about enrollment caps, parent consent and transition rules back into regular kindergarten when students meet benchmarks.
Board members and administrators said they would inform parents with an overview and follow up conversations; placement will require parent agreement and the district intends to be flexible about midyear transitions into or out of TK based on student progress.
