For the first time
in Nevada's history, content standards have been developed to describe
appropriate outcomes for children at the end of their preschool experience
and entering kindergarten. The standards have been developed based on
the research that supports the significance of the early years in future
student achievement and can be used by all early childhood education
programs in Nevada as a guide for child outcomes for preschool. The standards are a published list of descriptions of what most children should know and be able to do before they enter kindergarten. The standards are focused on the following six areas: |
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1) Creative Arts (visual arts, creative thinking, music and movement and dramatic play) |
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2) Language/Literacy; |
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3) Math; |
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4) Physical Development/Health; |
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5) Science; |
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6) Social Studies/Social Emotional |
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Nevada’s Pre-K Content Standards are a joint effort
supported by the Nevada Department of Education’s
Office of Special Education, Elementary and
Secondary Education, and School Improvement
Programs, as well as the State of Nevada,
Department of Health and Human Resources,
Welfare Division, Office of Early Care and Education
and it’s contractors. These agencies were
challenged by the Federal Good Start, Grow Smart initiative to work together to develop standards to be
used by all Early Childhood Education programs in
Nevada as a guide for child outcomes for preschool.
The Pre-K Content Standards are guidelines for
teachers to use when developing learning
experiences for young children that are grounded in
the following guiding principles: |
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Children are active learners |
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Development and learning are inter-related |
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Growth and learning are sequential |
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Each child is an individual learner |
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Development and learning are embedded in
culture |
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Family involvement is necessary |
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Children’s learning can be clarified, enriched,
and extended |
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The standards have been carefully designed considering the typical development of preschool children ages 3-5. All children develop at their own pace and not meeting these standards does not mean a child will be unsuccessful or ineligible for kindergarten. The standards are simply a tool teachers can use to strengthen their already quality and developmentally appropriate preschool environments. For more
information about the Standards, contact Tina Springmeyer at: (775) 448-5273
or tspringmeyer@washoe.k12.nv.us |
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Five sections of the professional development training and corresponding materials have been completed. Teacher and Family Guidebooks on Language and Literacy, Math, Social Studies/Social Emotional, Music and Creative Arts describe the standards and offer suggestions for helping prepare preschoolers for kindergarten are now available. Five content standard trainings have also been developed to train Early Childhood teachers and others in the field of Early Childhood Development. These trainings help empower teachers to further understand and use the standards within preschool environments. |
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| Follow these links to download the guidebooks for the Pre-K Standards: |
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| CREATIVE ARTS |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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Family Guidebook |
| LANGUAGE AND LITERACY |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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Family Guidebook |
| MATHEMATICS |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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Family Guidebook |
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Estándares de
Pre-Kindergarten en Nevada Guía para Familias - Matemáticas |
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| SOCIAL STUDIES/SOCIAL EMOTIONAL |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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Family Guidebook |
| MUSIC AND MOVEMENT |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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Family Guidebook |
| SCIENCE |
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Teacher Guidebook |
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| Connecting the Pre-K Standards to Core Competencies |
Knowledge of the Pre-K Standards is embedded
within Nevada's Core Knowledge Areas and Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals. While the Pre-K
standards act as a guide for child outcomes, the
core competencies focus on the preferred outcomes
for the adults who care for young children. It is
believed that early childhood teachers who provide
quality learning environments and experiences for
young children will help those children meet the
goals set forth in the Pre-K Standards. |
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