Visit the new site for new information. Inez Tenenbaum announces 1999 First Grade Readiness Scores along with Gov. Jim Hodges, who pledged to continue to support strong educational development programs for the state's children. State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum announced at a Columbia news conference today that just as in previous years, the biggest improvements were made by minority students and students from low-income families. Tenenbaum said the steady improvement of first-grade readiness scores over the past four years should erase any lingering doubts about the value of early childhood education. The remarkable increases in CSAB scores reflect a lot of dedication and hard work, but we can't be satisfied with 83.9 percent scoring ready.
More improvements are ahead.
Governor Jim Hodges joined Tenenbaum for today's news conference. This is no time for the General Assembly to back off its commitment to our children. We must build on the success of full-day kindergarten with full funding for First Steps to School Readiness . We cannot rest until every child in every county is able to begin the first grade healthy and ready to learn. First Steps uses public and private funds to develop county partnerships that support high-quality early childhood development and education services for children.