What happens to the transitional Kindergarteners the following year? Do they go to regular Kindergarten where then they become the older kids, or do they go to first grade,where it seems they are still an age/developmental step behind?

sounds like a plan not fully thought out.... Idea probably hatched by Educational Researchers and pushed by Teacher's union.... My extended family (cousins) were all born in Jan/feb or Nov/Dec... Both ends of the spectrum...We went to school based on calendar are (before Dec 2 cut offs). We all turned out well.....

Transitional Kindergarten = wasted money in Calif....

They go to regular Kindergarten. Overall, Transitional Kindergarten is an additional year of school.

Let's call it "pre-K" then. In that case it sounds unfair - some kids will get state-sponsored pre-K while others do not.

PS - I was a Fall baby who struggled in the early years learning to read, but I eventually caught up. Somewhere in junior high school (as it was called back then) I hit my stride and ended up in the top half of the class. I think middle school is a more problematic area where more money could be spent keeping kids from giving up too soon and going down paths towards risky behavior.

The new law makes perfect sense. Read on~
Web Link

It is the uncertainty of state funding that puts the school districts in a limbo. For now, all school districts do what's best for them financially and logistically.

My twins went to a transitional kindergarten in Los Altos for the 1980-81 school year. I consider it to this day as the greatest gift I could have given them. They were born "premies" and transitional kindergarten gave them a year to catch up. They were then able to easily keep up with the class when they entered first grade in 1982. They were accepted by every college to which they applied, including Stanford, CalTech and UC Berkeley. Today, one is a chemical engineer/environmental lawyer and the other is an artichtect.

I'm still not sure how this saves money.

At least the following is included in the bill which gives parents a leg to stand on if they feel/can demonstrate their child is ready;

A child born after September 1st may still be admitted to kindergarten on a case-by-case basis, if the parent or guardian applies for early admission and the school district agrees that it would be in the best interest of the child.

What is the purpose of "transitional kindergarten"? Kindergarten is just preschool, nothing else. Why would anybody give a child two years of preschool?
It is not as if they are actually learning any academic skills.

California State standards for kindergarten have increased dramatically over the past 15 years. Much of what was expected in first grade then is now expected in kindergarten. For example, in language arts students need to be able to sound out single syllable words with short vowels, read 20 high frequency words and, write 3 simple sentences on topic independently, in addition to knowing all the letter names and sounds. In math kindergarten students need to identify and recreate patterns, name all numbers from 0-30 out of order, count to 30, create and read simple graphs and, add and subtract numbers to 10.

Academic content and skills abound in kindergarten. Younger less social and emotional mature students benefit from the second year transitional kindergarten provides.

Lisa:

Big deal. California is ranked 47th nationwide. One in four students never graduates high school. I guess that's what happens when state standards "increased dramatically".

I love this associate superintendent. She doesn't say, "Hold kids back because of some random bureaucratic whim? What a stupid idea!" No: instead, she says, "We have a transitional kindergarten specially designed for these younger children. It will be in the same classroom with the same teacher as the regular kindergarten." Brilliant! In fact, exactly like this year's kindergarten class.