Preliminary data: 1 in 4 ready for kindergarten

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Just one in four children in the state is prepared for kindergarten, according to preliminary data presented to the Kentucky Board of Education on Tuesday.

"That's big, guys," education commissioner Terry Holliday said during a meeting in Frankfort broadcast on the Web. "What we're telling you is that only about a quarter of the students coming to kindergarten are ready for kindergarten."

The preliminary data is showing that 24 percent to 28 percent of children are considered prepared for kindergarten, said Karen Dodd, director of strategic planning for the education department.

The data is from preliminary results of kindergarten readiness tests taken by 34,500 children in more than 100 school districts, officials said. Next year, all 174 districts will be required to use the assessments, developed with a company called Brigance.

Holliday told the board he was alarmed by those results when he first saw them, but he is confident there will be swift improvement, partially because he expects the numbers to go up when all school districts use the tests next year.

He said between 50,000 and 55,000 kindergartners enroll in public schools in Kentucky every year.