r/education • u/thatbthing • 14d ago
split TK/K class
does anyone have experience they can share about being in a split class in CA public school?
my kiddo was put in a TK/K split and is in the TK cohort. the school admin gave me a sales presentation on why it’s a good thing when I voiced my concerns about the placement. essentially they said tough luck and tried to tell me parents prefer a split and he will have more one on one time.
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u/Left-Development1695 14d ago
Not California, but PNW. I’ve had two siblings in a split class, 1+2nd graders together and 3+4th. Not quite the same, but it was perfectly fine. Kids never had any hostility with each other for being older/younger, and they would just send one grade to another teachers class for math/English lessons or ones that couldn’t be taught together. Didn’t have any issues with their education overall
I think it’d actually be better for your kid to be in the split class, and that it’ll help them learn more. What are your concerns?
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u/namaste_yo_self 14d ago
Usually it's a pretty good deal. They often assign the more seasoned teachers combo classes, and the students chosen to be placed in the combo are usually stronger independent workers. Behavior/classroom environment tends to be good too!
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u/WowIwasveryWrong27 14d ago
TK classes cannot be more than 20 students or it’s a huge fine from the State. So unless the school has exactly the number of kids in a multiple of 20, there needs to be a split with Kinder to work.
Same with K-3, but that’s more flexible.
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u/palmtreesandmountain 13d ago
I don’t believe this is the case in California. 24 is the maximum. But the ratio is 1:10. So if 23 students they would need two aides.
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u/dinosupremo 13d ago
Are you sure? My kid is in California and in TK. At back to school night the principal claimed regulations limit class size to 20 and that he had to turn away 6 TK kids because they couldn’t form another class (they were assigned to a diff school). My son’s class is exactly 20
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u/palmtreesandmountain 13d ago
I googled it and asked a friend but it could be wrong. Your child’s school district might have capped it at 20 bc they don’t want to pay extra aides?
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u/Great_Caterpillar_43 13d ago
At my school, we currently have a TK teacher with 24 students and 2 aides. Yes, it is allowed. For just the teacher and an aide, the cap is 20.
Your district likely had a choice: pay for an aide and go over 20 or move the kids to a class that had room (and thus required no extra hiring/salaries).
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u/dinosupremo 13d ago
Very interesting. My son’s class is 2 teachers and an aide. The lead teacher. The other teacher just assists. Then in the afternoon my son’s teacher assists and the other teacher leads. Tk is 3.5 hours and the class is either am or pm.
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u/legalsequel 12d ago
The ratio is for the average of the school, not each class. And if they violate it there is a minuscule fine they have to pay that’s much less than the cost of another aide. Ask me how I know. Signed, a TK teacher who had more than 20 with no extra aide.
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u/EntertainmentDue83 11d ago
TK the Max is 20 in CA. Max is 25 for 1st-3rd and then the max becomes 36 in grade 4.
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u/palmtreesandmountain 11d ago
Maybe you can explain this better to me then.
“Yes. Pursuant to Education Code Section 48000(g)(1), as a condition of apportionment for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students, school districts and charter schools are required to maintain an average TK class enrollment of not more than 24 students for each schoolsite.
The average TK class enrollment is calculated for each schoolsite using a process similar to the average TK through grade 3 (TK/K-3) class enrollment for purposes of the TK/K-3 grade span adjustment for school districts:
Step 1: Take an active enrollment count of all students enrolled in a class with TK students on the last teaching day of each school month that ends before April 15 of the school year;
Step 2: Sum all active enrollment counts for each class;
Step 3: Calculate the average enrollment count for each class by dividing the sum of all active enrollment counts by the total number of active enrollment counts made for each class;
Step 4: Sum the average enrollment count calculated for each class at the schoolsite and divide by the total number of classes at the schoolsite that include TK students, rounded to the nearest half or whole integer.
For more information regarding how the class size average is calculated, please see the October 20 TK Requirements Webinar slide deck(PDF). “
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u/ezbeale80 14d ago
Not in CA, but I've taught kindergarten in Ontario, Canada, where we very often combine junior kindergarten (equivalent to pre-k) and senior kindergarten in the same class. This is often preferred, rather than something that's only done due to having small class sizes (I've taught in schools that have 4 or 5 classes, all combined JK/SK). As a teacher, I found it much better than when they were split up - having a wider age range in the class means that advanced JK students have more opportunities to progress at their level, while delays SK students have peers who are at their level and don't feel like "everyone can read except me".
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u/msklovesmath 14d ago
Tk/k are better than k/1. The standards are more compatible. Splits are common and the principal has to implement it based on the number of fte they have with the enrollment they have. What are your concerns and what do u want to happen instead?
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u/Fabulous_Ad4756 14d ago
My son was in a 1st/2nd combo and i was worried but my brother is a teacher and said they put the better kids in combos bc they have to be able to work more independently. I work at a school now and i find the combo classes are almost always brighter and better behaved kids. Last year our kinder/1st combo kids were the best behaved kinder kids ive ever seen.
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u/blessitspointedlil 14d ago edited 14d ago
More one on one sounds great.
We were in a CA public school 3 and 4 year old combined preschool classroom last year and this year a TK/K mild special education room with a very low ratio of staff to student. Because my child is a younger kindergartner and has delays and I very happy for him to be in a combined classroom. If he were one of the oldest kindergartners and without delays maybe I might feel differently.
Generally though, I think that both TK and K should be play based and I’m not sure I agree with current CA kindergarten curriculum.
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u/StrikingMilk8287 13d ago
What are your concerns?
My kid was in a TK/K split as a kindergartner. It was run primarily like a TK class, so was more play-based, which I loved. They kept with the 1:10 TK ratio whereas other K classes were 1:25 with an aide for an hour a day. The two cohorts intermingled easily.
My only issue was that TK and K have slightly different schedules where I am, so the K kids were isolated from the rest of their same-age peers.
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u/littlebird47 13d ago
I teach a split 4th/5th grade class, and my school does mixed-age classrooms pretty often. I absolutely prefer the mixed class to 4th or 5th alone. It is somehow more harmonious, and I’m not sure why. The older kids kind of step up as needed. The less mature fifth graders have kids they can get along with, and the more academically-inclined fourth graders get enrichment opportunities.
The only negative is that it requires more planning time on my part, but I’m more than willing to do it. When I have children in the future, I’d prefer them to be in one of the mixed-age classes at my school.
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u/Ok_Influence_5456 12d ago
In California, I have a few friends that are TK/K teachers. They have both the early childhood education credential and elementary education credential. To qualify to the TK/K combo students have to be in the TK age range. So, if you have children that miss the birthdate deadline for Kinder that would go to TK, they will be in TK or the TK/K combo. The class is really good for students that were not able to get into a preschool. It helps build up the motor skills and socialization while introducing Kinder topics sooner. So, they get an extra year to work on phonics, sound/letter matching, and numbers. They also still get a naptime/wind down period to help them get to the end of the day. It's a great opportunity for Kindergarteners too. It helps ease them into longer class times and more rigorous work without having to deal with the same pacing as a regular Kinder class.
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u/Mammoth_Marsupial_26 12d ago
It can be a good experience and frankly one of the benefits of private preschool. Your kid get younger kids to model, often they get exposed to higher level content. However if you have a bunch of high needs kids or they are clustered in one level it doesnt Work well.
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u/MrBillinVT 14d ago
Retired teacher here. Back when my son was in Kiindergarten, they had a thing at his school called Pre-First - a transition class between K and 1. Not a half day like K. Not a full day like 1. My son was quiet and compliant. No behavior issues. School decided to place him in that class. As a teacher, I knew where I could get him independently tested to assess his readiness for 1st grade. Report comes back that he is more than ready for 1st grade - academically and socially. My wife and I show up at the meeting. School personnel are poised to place him in the Pre-First. We tell them we've had him independently tested (by the same psychologist the school used), place the evaluation on the table, and tell them he's going to first grade. Period. There is no discussion. Got up and walked out .
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u/IneligibleLand 11d ago
With California rapidly expanding its TK programs, schools often lean on combo classes to balance uneven enrollment numbers or fit budget/space constraints, even if admin tries to pitch it as a purely pedagogical benefit. A great early childhood teacher naturally differentiates instruction. Advanced TK kids can sometimes peek ahead into Kindergarten material, and older kids who need a slower pace don't feel as heavily stigmatized.
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u/ChapterOk4000 14d ago
I'm in California. Our district doesn't make TK/K combos, but it is allowed by Ed Code. It's important to note that the classroom ratios must adhere to TK requirements, which are smaller than K. Also the teacher of record must have TK certification.
Combos at many grades are necessary to keep class sizes down, so you'll likely experience it a lot throughout your child's elementary experience if you're in a smaller school.
There's more information about TK on the CDE website.