Nearly half of California's UPK classrooms were stand-alone TK classes, but small LEAs were far less able to offer stand-alone TK than medium and large LEAs¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2027: local conditions change quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Of California's 15,425 UPK classrooms in 2022–23, 46% were TK stand-alone, 33% were stand-alone CSPP/Head Start/other early learning classes, 18% were TK–kindergarten combination classes, and 2% were TK combinations with CSPP or locally funded preschool. → Wang 2024 q2 i? Almost all medium-sized LEAs (96%) and all large LEAs offered TK stand-alone classes, compared to 66% of small LEAs. → Wang 2024 (2)

Evidence¶

Wang 2024¶

Wang, V., Leung-Gagné, M., Melnick, H., & Wechsler, M. E. (2024). Universal prekindergarten expansion in California: Progress and opportunities. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/597.103

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Descriptive survey results on classroom models (Figure 1). The report states 33% of UPK classrooms were stand-alone non-TK programs such as CSPP or Head Start, 18% were TK–kindergarten combination classes, and 2% combined TK with CSPP or locally funded preschool.

"In the 2022–23 school year, almost half (46%) of the state's 15,425 UPk classrooms were Tk stand-alone classrooms."

Wang 2024 (2)¶

Wang, V., Leung-Gagné, M., Melnick, H., & Wechsler, M. E. (2024). Universal prekindergarten expansion in California: Progress and opportunities. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/597.103

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Survey finding on LEA size as a moderator of classroom model. The report attributes the gap to small LEAs having "fewer Tk students and resources, which makes offering a stand-alone Tk classroom difficult," quoting a rural district whose TK sits in a K–2 self-contained classroom.

"Almost all medium-sized LEAs (96%) and all large LEAs offered Tk stand-alone classes in 2022–23, compared to 66% of small LEAs."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• There was no common model for how LEAs planned to structure TK classes, with many planning stand-alone classes and many others combination classes — related
• More than a quarter of California LEAs offered no classroom language model for multilingual TK students, and 38% of those LEAs serve populations where a third or more students are English learners — related
• Stand-alone TK classrooms increased to 77% of TK classrooms in 2023–24 while TK–kindergarten combination classes fell to 20% — related
• Most California LEAs offered full-day TK, but large LEAs were less likely to offer only full-day options while more likely to combine TK with on-site expanded learning programs — related