The Progress Report
The progress report is intended to complement existing parent conferences and to provide you with additional information about your child’s progress towards kindergarten learning expectations. It reflects the district’s belief that students should be engaged in challenging academics in conjunction with social emotional learning experiences that are grounded in developmentally appropriate practice.

This report is designed to communicate your child’s progress in a way that descriptively reflects what they know and are able to do in relation to the state curriculum standards. This brochure outlines categories that are included in the report for key areas of the curriculum and provides a description of skills in those areas. Please note that:

● Kindergarten is a time for children to develop confidence, practice new skills and develop
   friendships.
● Students learn to negotiate conflicts and solve problems, while taking risks and developing
   their self-concept. They build their independence while learning how a classroom works,
   how to work with peers and how to get their needs met.
● Students develop skills in early math, early literacy and writing, science and engineering and
   social studies through an integrated curriculum that provides concrete, hands-on
   experiences.
● Each child’s learning journey is unique. Teachers use observations and student work
   throughout the year to inform instructional practices that meet the needs of each student.
● The progress report reflects end of kindergarten expectations.

Please keep in mind that this report represents a snapshot of your child’s progress at a particular point in time. This information, in conjunction with parent conferences and ongoing communication about your child’s learning, provides a comprehensive picture of your child’s progress.

The start of your child’s academic journey may be in kindergarten but children come through our doors with a unique set of experiences, strengths and personalities. Our work is to expand their worlds and provide rich, responsive learning experiences that build the skills necessary to continue to grow and succeed. All of the staff in the Needham Public Schools are committed to working in partnership with you to provide meaningful learning and growth experiences for your child. It is an honor to work with your child.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attributes, and skill necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Our kindergarten curriculum provides children with experiences to build their self-concept, independence and agency, recognize and manage emotions, create friendships and negotiate conflict, and build community. They learn how a classroom works and how to play and work with peers. Kindergarteners build the capacity to understand their feelings and how others feel (empathy). They become curious learners and take initiative to construct their knowledge. Throughout the year they build their capacity to focus and persist in their tasks. They finish kindergarten as confident, eager learners.

Language & Literacy
Foundational Skills
Learning to read takes years. Children are not expected to be readers in kindergarten. Rather, they are building foundational skills necessary to understand the connections between letters and sounds. By the end of kindergarten children can recognize upper and lowercase letters. They know what sounds letters and different letter combinations make. They enjoy making rhymes and begin to recognize simple words like of, the, is, to, do, and does.

Engaging with Literature & Informational Text
In kindergarten children are exposed to a wide array of high quality children’s literature and informational texts. They learn how books work and understand stories. They discuss characters and their actions, settings and major events. They build their capacity to retell familiar stories. Children also engage with informational text as they explore concepts of community, animals and their needs, construction and caretaking of Earth. They learn about a wide range of topics and have the opportunity to follow their interests and build their content knowledge. They understand the main ideas in text and can share facts that they have learned.

Writing & Language
In kindergarten children build a range of early writing skills. Through drawing, dictating and early mark making, they build their skills in self-expression and storytelling. They work on letter formation and by the end of kindergarten they are able to write upper and lowercase letters.

Speaking & Listening
In kindergarten children learn how to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. They participate in conversations and learn how to ask questions, take turns and listen to peers. Through practice with peers and adults they build their listening and turn-taking skills. They also build their capacity to follow multi-step directions.

Mathematical Thinking
In kindergarten children build skills in mathematical thinking. By the end of year they can count to 100. They recognize, name and write numerals (0-20). They understand that “teen” numbers (11-19) are made up of ten and some ones. They can use numbers to count and group objects and compare how many objects are in different groups. They are able to identify when groups of objects are more, less or the same. They also begin to add (put together) and subtract (take apart). At this stage, they learn through using materials and objects to represent their thinking. Finally, they build an understanding of 2D and 3D shapes and their characteristics. They can describe and compare shapes like circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders and spheres. They can describe and compare objects by measuring their length, weight or capacity (how much they hold). As they build these skills, kindergarteners engage in Math Practices. They make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. They know how to select and use appropriate tools to solve problems. They communicate clearly about their mathematical ideas. They listen to and make connections to the ideas of others.

Science & Engineering
The science curriculum in kindergarten is woven into Centers where children explore and practice scientific and engineering process skills. Students observe, make predictions, reflect, discuss, sketch and write their observations. Across the year, kindergarteners investigate concepts in physical science, life science and engineering. They build an understanding of properties of matter and can explain the differences between liquids and solids. Through the study of animals they develop an understanding of how animals get their needs met where they live and in winter. Through investigations and design challenges, kindergarteners identify factors that influence whether things stand or fall. They build an understanding of motion and the effects of pushes and pulls. They work collaboratively using the design process to solve problems. They also learn about what plants need to live and grow and how they can be good caretakers of the earth by using fewer natural resources. By the end of kindergarten, children develop science practices that carry forward across the elementary years. They leave knowing how to carry out investigations, how to use observations to craft explanations and design solutions, and they can participate in scientific discussions with peers.

Spanish
Using practiced and memorized words and phrases, and with the help of gestures or visuals, students will be able to greet others, and introduce themselves and their family members. Students will learn numbers 0-10, basic colors, and fruits. Students will be able to understand a few memorized or familiar words, phrases and questions in conversations. They will also begin to demonstrate some awareness, curiosity and appreciation for Spanish-speaking cultures. Instruction addresses the Massachusetts K-12 World Languages Curriculum Framework and develops students’ communicative proficiency in the novice range.

Progress Report Key
B Beginning – needs significant support
Your child is at the beginning of learning this skill or concept. They consistently need the teacher’s encouragement and/or support.

D Developing – demonstrates growth
Your child is showing progress. Your child is starting to do this on their own and occasionally needs teacher encouragement and/or support.

E Established – demonstrates independence and confidence
Your child is just where we expect them to be. They approach this task with a sense of self confidence and rarely need teacher encouragement and/or support. They ask classmates or teachers for help as needed.

NY Not Yet Observed – has not yet demonstrated evidence
Your child has not yet been observed doing this task or demonstrating this skill.

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