The advent of Common Core Standards in New York State has forced a revisitation of past practices. With a goal of ensuring that all students are college and career-ready by the end of high school these standards call for increased rigor and higher expectations at all grade levels. The purpose of this study was to analyze through collaborative inquiry/action research student writing in kindergarten classrooms across a school, to identify common challenges and to develop and implement strategies to lift the level of work being produced by kindergartners according to the common core standards.