(Mis)Alignment of instructional policy supports in Pre-K and kindergarten: Evidence from rural districts in North Carolina

Abstract

Over the past few decades, instructional policy supports — encompassing standards, curricula, and assessments — have featured centrally in the education reform movement. So, too, have efforts to align them. In this article, we conduct interviews with local educators with responsibility for early education about the alignment of instructional supports in Pre-K and kindergarten. Perceptions among study participants indicate that the degree of alignment among standards, curricula, and assessments is stronger within Pre-K and kindergarten than it is between them. Reported reasons for weak alignment between Pre-K and kindergarten include a debate over the purposes of early childhood education, institutional silos, and procedures that disrupt data sharing and transition practices. We consider what participants identify as the barriers to alignment mean for the development of policies aimed at lifting them.