Section 7-7-IV - Curriculum, Materials, and AssessmentA.Curriculum1.Instructional Day: The instructional day shall include large and small group activities, learning center activities, and individual instructional activities. Subjects for kindergarten shall be integrated through a unit/thematic format. The curriculum shall include integrated language arts (reading, listening, thinking, speaking, writing, and viewing), music, art, math, social studies, science, dramatic play, and physical activities.2.Curriculum Standards: Teachers shall use, at minimum, the state-adopted kindergarten standards to guide instruction. Evidence-based resources for curriculum planning may be added as desired by each school district.3.Learning Centersa.Daily Use: Instructional delivery shall be organized primarily using learning centers. A minimum of 3 containing books, manipulatives, and creative art materials shall be organized, arranged, and labeled so that they are accessible to children. All centers should include non-fiction and fiction books, writing materials, and creative arts materials that are appropriate to children's developmental states. Learning centers shall be in simultaneous use during each designated learning center time, with children rotating through learning centers as the primary method of learning. The centers should integrate thematic unit concepts with the content of the competency areas as indicated below. The following are examples:
* Reading Center
* Creative Arts Center
* Science Center
* Math Center
* Language Arts Center
* Cooking Center
* Blocks, Wheel Toys, and Construction Center
* Sand and/or Water Center
* Woodworking Center
* Music Center
* Library Cente
* Listening Center
* Dramatic Play
* Creative Writing Center
* Social Studies Center
* Technology Center
* Motor Development Center
b.Space Limitations: If space is very limited, some centers may be combined.c.Time Constraints: Every child enrolled in a kindergarten program should be engaged in learning center activities for the purpose of learning and mastery of performance standards for a minimum of 120 minutes per day.d.Technology Use: Students should have access to technology in the classroom on a regular basis. B.Educational Materials1.Required Cost for New Classrooms: The initial expenditure for any new classroom for equipment, instructional materials and consumable supplies shall be adequate to equip a classroom of 20 children or the number being served if more than 20 - a minimum of $4,000 per classroom.2.Required Cost for Existing Instructional and Consumable Materials: The district shall spend a minimum of $1,000 per classroom per year on instructional materials and consumable supplies. This money is in addition to the Educational Enhancement Fund monies allocated to each teacher. Educational materials shall reflect the instructional needs and implementation of learning activities described for kindergarten. It is recommended that teachers be able to indicate the needs for classroom educational materials. Students should have access to technology in the classroom on a regular basis.3.Recommended Cost for New Classrooms: It is recommended that the initial expenditure for any new classroom for equipment, furniture, instructional materials, and consumable supplies should be a minimum of $10,000 per classroom. Students should have access to technology in the classroom on a regular basis.C.Assessment1.Individualized Screening Assessments: Schools must conduct vision and hearing screenings for all kindergarten students within the first 30 days of enrollment. By fall of 2018, a comprehensive health screening, approved by the Mississippi Department of Education, and referrals are required for all kindergarten students.2.Standardized Testing: All kindergarten students are required to participate in the state-approved kindergarten readiness assessment. Paper and pencil standardized tests, completed by students, are not developmentally appropriate and shall not be used in entirety. However, standardized test sections that assess developmentally appropriate writing skills (e.g., sentence structure, writing form) are permissible and may be used.3.Needs Assessments: A continuous evaluation through use of a variety of techniques, procedures, and tools shall be used to determine individual students' social, emotional, and academic enrichment needs. The evaluation shall be based on the learning outcomes in the required curriculum standards.4.Documentation: It is recommended that assessment of kindergarten skills be documented through use of a variety of techniques and procedures to include: checklists, performance scales, portfolios of children's work, anecdotal records, observational reports, video and audio tape recordings, experience charts, photographs, and informal tests.