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More than Half of Kentucky Kindergartners Were Unprepared to Learn Reading, Math Skills

A new statewide reading survey shows roughly half of Kentucky’s kindergartners entered school this year unprepared to learn the reading and math skills that are expected of them.

The survey shows 51-percent of Kentucky kindergartners who began school last fall were described as “not ready” to learn the basic reading and math skills expected of them. That means those students lacked basic literacy, match, or cognitive skills, such as knowing letters and numbers. The social and physical readiness of the students were also taken into account.

You can read more about the survey results here.

Governor Steve Beshear, who has proposed expanding early childhood initiatives in the state, said the report showed how some students are at a disadvantage “from day one.”

In a statement, the Governor said too often those students who begin school academically behind their peers never catch up, and face poor grades and negative school experiences that “usually only end when they drop out or graduate from high school unprepared for college or career.”

The award-winning news team at WKU Public Radio consists of Dan Modlin, Kevin Willis, Lisa Autry, and Joe Corcoran.
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