The Quest for Kindergarten Readiness: A Study of One District’s Early Implementation of the Pyramid Model For Promoting Social-Emotional Competence

Participation in high-quality preschool programs can help prepare young children for Kindergarten, and children demonstrating Kindergarten readiness are more likely to achieve positive outcomes later in life. With this in mind, Oakwood School District (OSD) set a strategic goal to improve the Kindergarten readiness levels of students participating in its 4K programs from 18% in 2021 to 70% by 2025. With research suggesting that school readiness outcomes are dependent on preschool program quality variables such as student-teacher relationships and emotional competencies, the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social-Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children was implemented in OSD’s 4K program sites during the 2022-2023 school year. With the use of improvement science tools, this study sought to examine the potential impact of Pyramid Model practices on Kindergarten readiness in a group of 245 students. Classroom observations were conducted using the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool to reflect the level of Pyramid Model practices demonstrated in the 4K setting in the Spring of the 2022-2023 school year. These scores were compared to students’ subsequent performance on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. While KRA scores of students participating in the district’s 4K programs did improve overall from 30.3% to 45.5%, this study found no significant relationship between the level of Pyramid Model practices in the 4K classroom and KRA test performance. While these initial findings were not significant, it is important to note that Pyramid Model implementation is a multi-year process. This study included a review of implementation artifacts that identified logistical planning and the need for practice-based coaching as recommendations for OSD and other districts seeking to utilize the Pyramid Model framework. Educational entities are encouraged to continue to explore ways to improve preschool program quality, increase Kindergarten readiness, and utilize improvement science tools to solve problems of practice similar to those in this study.