Incoming Cincinnati Public Schools’ kindergarten students are doing better than students from one year ago. Overall, 57 percent of children scored a 19 or higher on the statewide assessment, a 7.5 percent increase compared to 53 percent last year, and up from 44 percent in 2006, when the assessment was first introduced. The average score of 19.3 on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment – Literacy is an increase from an average of 18.9 last year, and is the first year that the average score exceeded the community benchmark of 19. The KRAL is required by the Ohio Department of Education for children entering public school kindergarten.

The KRA-L was given to 2,919 kindergarten students attending one of 42 schools across the Cincinnati Public Schools District. Children were assessed on activities including sentence repetition, letter identification and rhyming words. The assessment has 29 points. Based on the community benchmark established by United Way Success By 6, a score of 19 or higher means a kindergartener is on track in reading readiness and early language development skills.

These figures are despite the high number of children and families (76 percent) who are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty guideline (less than $34,280 annually for a family of three).

"The troubling economy of the past couple years has taken a toll on local families," says Robert C. Reifsnyder, president, United Way of Greater Cincinnati. "Cincinnati's kindergarteners are performing at higher levels, despite facing bigger challenges at home. We need to make sure there continue to be enough resources to help these children succeed in kindergarten and establish a good educational foundation before they join the workforce."

Several trends from previous years continue in the current data: Children who were enrolled in CPS preschool did better than their peers who did not attend CPS preschool; girls outperform boys in pre-reading and language development; and the number of schools with children arriving in kindergarten with better pre- reading skills continues to increase.

According to Mary Ronan, superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, “The research is clear in showing that preschool makes a difference in getting children ready for kindergarten. These data have been consistent in the last six years in showing that preschool has contributed to higher early reading and language development skills for our youngest students. The trend of girls outperforming boys in this area continues and we have implemented strategies aimed at narrowing the gap,” says Ronan.

The KRA-L is one of several areas that will be addressed through the State’s $70 million Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant. It is anticipated that the assessment will be enhanced to include more indicators of school readiness and early child development.

“These are welcome changes as we know that reading is a significant driver of school readiness, but not the only driver,” Stephanie Byrd, executive director of United Way Success By 6.