Specifying what children are expected to know and do is widely recognized as a critical component of an effective educational system. Equally important is that these expectations form an aligned learning progression from one year to the next, including the age span from birth to kindergarten. Connecticut commissioned a study to examine the content and alignment of several of the state's standards for young children. The study looked at the alignment between the Preschool Curriculum Framework, the Kindergarten Science Curriculum Standards, and the Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum Framework and standards for younger children. To examine the content and alignment of the various sets of standards, 28 knowledgeable early childhood and kindergarten professionals from around the state met for 2 days. After being trained in the rating system, the participants coded the grade-level appropriateness and the content of the most specific statements of expectations in the standards document. The study referred to these as "objectives." For each objective, participants identified whether there was a corresponding objective in the standards for younger children, and, if so, rated the nature, relative difficulty, and clarity of the linkage. The review of standards was conducted first by pairs and then in teams of five or six. The teams were given the results of the pair work for use in their decision-making. Findings were based on team ratings with the exception of the content analysis findings, which were based on the work of the pairs. (author abstract)