Role of Administrators

The Role of School Boards

To support this curriculum initiative, school boards could:

• establish a resource selection policy which reflects Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment initiatives and guidelines;
• support the provision of quality equipment and materials for an activity-centred program;
• support professional development for teachers and administrators;
• develop an evaluation policy to guide teachers and administrators in evaluating and reporting student progress; and,
• carefully consider adult/student ratios in classrooms.

The Role of Principals

Implementation of the Kindergarten curriculum will be enhanced if school administrators:

• create an environment of trust and support to facilitate the risk-king that is necessary for change to occur;
• support the provision of quality equipment and resources for an activity-centred program;
• ensure that the Kindergarten room(s) is/are adequate physically;
• facilitate adjustments to space, and acquisition of materials and equipment for children with special needs;
• recognize that Kindergarten budget needs may differ from other classroom budget needs;
• develop an understanding of the curriculum by reading and reflecting upon this bulletin and attending inservice and awareness sessions related to this initiative, as well as by visiting the Kindergarten classroom(s) regularly;
• support professional development related to early childhood education for teachers of Kindergarten to Grade 3;
• provide support for and encourage Kindergarten teachers to attend elementary level inservice for the Required Areas of Study and department initiatives;
• provide awareness sessions for parents/ caregivers and interested community members to explain this curriculum;
• are sensitive to the unique needs of young children, ea., talk to teachers about special scheduling needs; and,
• carefully consider many factors before determining an appropriate adult/student ratio for each individual class.

Maintenance

It is important that classroom resources be updated on a regular basis. The lists of suggested bare basics, catalogues, professional resources included in this document and the Kindergarten and elementary level bibliographies are intended to assist sch ool divisions with their purchasing decisions. Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment will periodically update resource lists. Teachers are encouraged to review new materials from publishers and to select additional resources they feel are approp riate for use with their students. They should refer to their resource material selection policy when making these choices.

Schools and school divisions are responsible the development of their own plans to support staff needs in refining methods of instruction and evaluation, and continuing communication with parents/caregivers and others. Questions to consider regarding m aintenance follow:

• To what extent are teachers familiar with the actual curriculum guide, its philosophy, goals, activities and methods (the intended curriculum)?
• To what extent do the actual experiences which teachers provide (the taught curriculum) match the intended curriculum?
• How are teachers structuring their observations of students to ensure that the foundational objectives of the Kindergarten program are being met?
• Are all students progressing as a result of the experiences teachers provide?
• Do teachers have an effective system for communicating with parentslcaregivers?
• Are parents/caregivers included as valuable partners in learning
• Are teachers adapting materials, methods, or settings when necessary to meet individual student needs?
• To what extent do teachers understand the relationships between the Common Essential Learnings and the Kindergarten program?
• Are teachers attending to the incorporation of the Common Essential Learnings in their theme planning process?
• Are department initiatives being implemented i.e., gender equity, Indian and Metis perspectives, resource-based learning?
• What instructional approaches and methods are used? Are they appropriate? Are they consistent with what the curriculum recommends?
• To what extent do teachers appear to be enthusiastic about the Kindergarten program?
• Has an in-school or school division network been established to support delivery of this program through idea exchanges and peer coaching?
• What other provisions are made for staff development? Are Key appropriate and Efficient?
• What human and material resources are used?
• To what extent are community resources and programs used to enrich the program?
• Are sufficient resources available to teach the program as intended?
• Are equipment and facilities adequate to enhance the achievement of program objectives?
• Are equipment and materials well utilized?
• Are the financial resources clotted sufficient to support the achievement of program objectives?
• Are there creative ways to free up funding to further support the program?

Curriculum Evaluation

The Kindergarten curriculum is scheduled to be implemented province wide by September, 1996. Commencing in the 1997-98 school year, the Evaluation Unit of Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment plans to begin evaluating this curriculum at vari ous intervals.

References Cited

Dockendorf, Maureen and Susan Close, Our Primary Program: Taking the Pulse, Part I, A Journey Through the Classrooms. Educational Innovation (A Division of the B.C. Ministry of Education), 1990.

National Association for the Education of Young Children, "Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs &rving Children From Birth Through Age 8," Young Children, Vol. 41, No. 6 , September 1986, pp. 66-80.

Seefeldt, Carol, "How Good Is Your Kindergarten Curriculum?" Principal, Vol. 68, No. 5, May 1989, pp. 11-15.