WASHINGTON, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Educational Testing Service (ETS) will release and discuss a new report “Exploring Pre-K Age 4 Learning Standards and Their Role in Early Childhood Education: Research and Policy Implications.” Authors Andrea DeBruin-Parecki and Carly Slutzky will offer updates and new insights about current pre-K learning standards. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion.

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Ensuring a strong start for our earliest learners is at the forefront of many policymakers’ minds, but how do states define what young children need to learn before kindergarten? Currently in the United States, 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia have established prekindergarten (pre-K) age 4 learning standards that are intended to outline skills and knowledge that set children on a path to success in kindergarten and later on. These standards are a centralizing force in early childhood education, providing a bridge between preschool and the elementary grades. 

The report reviews the development and history of pre-K standards, differences across state standards, alignment of standards, impact of standards on teachers, and consideration of national pre-K learning standards.

WHO: 

• Andrea DeBruin-Parecki, Principal Research Project Manager, ETS Early Childhood Research and Assessment Center.
• Carly Slutzky, Senior Research Associate, ETS Early Childhood Research and Assessment Center.
• Steven Hicks, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
• Judith Walker, the Early Learning Branch Chief for the Division of Early Childhood Development at the ‎Maryland State Department of Education.
• Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, President of the National Alliance for Hispanic Families.

When: Thursday, May 12
11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (lunch provided)

Where: ETS
1800 K Street NW, Ninth Floor
Washington, DC 20006

About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL^® and TOEIC^® tests, the GRE^® tests and The Praxis Series^® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org