Louisiana students entering kindergarten next year will be expected to possess certain skills before they even attend their first day of school. The expectations are part of the state's implementation of new common core state standards, an initiative that aims to provide educators and parents with an understanding of what students are expected to learn and know at each grade level.

The new curriculum, which includes changes at all grade levels, will be phased in through 12th grade by 2015, with full implementation beginning in kindergarten and first grade for the upcoming school year.

"This is the first time, to my knowledge, that the state has come out with these expectations," said Rachel Allemand, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment for St. Charles Parish schools.

That has officials in St. Charles trying to get the word out to parents and day-care centers about what the state expects children to know before they enter the public school system.

"In order to be successful in kindergarten with these new state standards, they expect students coming into kindergarten to know these skills," Allemand said.

The skills range from knowing at least 26 upper case and lower case letters of the alphabet to counting to 20 to a student being able to write his or her name.

Allemand said testing done by the St. Charles school district both before students enter kindergarten and within three weeks of them beginning school have indicated that about 60 percent of incoming students were academically ready for kindergarten at the start of the 2011-12 school year.

"Obviously, if a child comes to school without these skills we will have to teach them," Allemand said.

But the goal of the standards is to have students prepared to tackle a tougher kindergarten curriculum that will eventually carry through to all grade levels.

The current standards expect children to be able to count to 100 in first grade, Allemand said, but the new common core state standards will expect them to be able to count to 100 by ones and 10s by the end of kindergarten.

In reading, students will be expected to read common high-frequency words -- the, of, to, you, my, is, are, do and does -- by sight by the end of kindergarten instead of in first grade as is currently expected.

Allemand said the district is bringing up the topic of the new common core state standards at preschool gatherings and has been sending out information to day cares.

"There really is a need for us to inform parents and day cares," she said. "I'm not sure how much the general public knows that these exist."

St. John the Baptist Parish schools Superintendent Courtney Millet said administrators have been working with principals to make them aware of the new standards. She said the implementation this year of a universal pre-kindergarten program is making the process smoother than it would have been in years past.

"I think that put us in a better position to put the new standards in place," she said.

Parents can learn more about the new common core state standards on the Louisiana Department of Education's website at www.doe.state.la.us/topics/common_core.html.

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Jennifer Boquet can be reached at jboqueor 985.652.0952.