Charleston district reports modest gains in kindergarten readiness

Miss Roberts, a district early-learning presenter, told the board that districtwide results from the Fall 2025 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) show measurable improvement: “District wide, 54.2 percent of our students are entering kindergarten ready,” she said, noting that figure was up 0.7 percentage points from the previous year.

The presentation, introduced by Dr. Clamp, reported that 26.6% of students are "approaching" readiness (up 1.4 points) and that the share classified as "emerging" fell to 19.1% (down 2.2 points). Miss Roberts said the gains were broad-based across literacy, mathematics, motor development and social foundations, and argued the pattern indicates systemic progress rather than isolated gains.

District presenters also compared outcomes for children who participated in CCSD pre‑K programs against peers who did not. The presenters said 52% of CCSD pre‑K participants entered kindergarten ready, versus the district average, and that pre‑K attendance was associated with higher readiness and fewer students in the 'emerging' category among pupils in poverty and multilingual learners.

A district presenter noted that students with disabilities who attend pre‑K can show lower readiness scores because pre‑K sometimes leads to earlier identification of learning needs, not because pre‑K is less effective for those students. "Pre‑K's primary goal for our students with disabilities is early identification and access to services, not immediate readiness scores," she said.

Trustees asked for multi‑year trend data and more detail on transitions from Head Start and three‑year assessments. Presenters explained the district uses a different screening tool for 3‑year‑olds (Gold) and provides transition forms so results and family engagement notes move with the child when they enroll in school. The presenters said they can provide additional historical data on request.

Next steps noted to the board: staff will provide additional multi‑year KRA comparisons on request and continue outreach to community child‑care providers to boost consistent readiness across providers and the district.

The presentation concluded with the district saying the KRA results show "positive momentum toward equitable early learning outcomes" and that pre‑K expansion could improve readiness rates further as more children are served.