The kindergarten goals here are more advanced. My nephew's class is already reading sight words, spelling, and dictating stories that they then copy. Our state is not highly ranked either, but I'm surprised that they haven't started the sounds. Sounds are typically done in preschool around here, and started again in the first week of kindergarten.
The skill that is often a challenge for a young K child, or a skipped K child that has mastered the academic portion, is the motor and/or fine motor skills. A child may be able to even write short stories, but their printing lags. They hold their pencil heavier or press too hard or have the wrong grip; some draw letters instead of forming them in the proper order which slows them down even more. (It can be hard to break habits when you have a kid that loves to write.) Come first grade they need to write fast enough to pass the timed drills.
For this reason sometimes it is better to skip first than K. But some HG kids, and especially PG kids may never have a good fit due to asynchrony.
