Better Schools for a Better Minnesota

Pre-K to Grade 3Systems for Success

Why PreK to Grade 3?

• Research Preschool-to-third grade programs and practices:

A review of research. Children and Youth Services Review, August 2010, Arthur Reynolds

Increased attention to the question: What are the most effective educational programs for young children?Evidence has increased that successful programs:

1. Are comprehensive2. Span multiple years3. Target key transition points

What is PreK to Grade 3?

• PK-3 Programs– “planned interventions that begin during any year

of a child’s life before kindergarten and which continue up to third grade” - Arthur Reynolds• May include center-based instruction, instructional supports, family

services, and community outreach.

• PK-3 Practices– “specific elements or components of extended early childhood programs that are hypothesized to be associated with children’s outcomes”

• Includes preschool, full-day kindergarten, reduced class sizes, teaching practices, parent involvement, alignment of curriculum, and transitions.

What is PreK to Grade 3? cont.• Public responsibility for full-school-day education at age

three– Voluntary, Full-Day PreK for three-year-olds– Voluntary, Full-Day PreK for four-year-olds– Required, Full-School-Day Kindergarten

• Aligned educational strategies and resources within and across grades– Aligned standards, sequenced curriculum, instruction,

assessments– Well-rounded and coherent curriculum, including arts, physical

education, social and emotional learning, science, and history– Joint planning and professional development among all PreK,

Kindergarten, and Grades 1-3 teachers and staff from the Foundation for Child Development

What is PreK to Grade 3? cont.

• Principal leadership to support joint professional development around curriculum and instruction

• Family engagement focused on supporting learning and instruction

• PreK-3rd teachers with the same qualifications and compensation as all teachers– Lead teachers qualified to teach any grade from

PreK through Third Grade– Teaching assistants with A.A. degrees.

from the Foundation for Child Development

Five Core ComponentsAlignment• Standards, curricula, and assessments are connected across grades from

PreK through Third Grade.• Standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment focus on both social

competence and self-discipline as well as academic skills. School Organization• Voluntary full-school-day PreK is provided for all three- and four-year old

children.• Full-school-day Kindergarten that builds on PreK experiences is required for

all children.• School districts provide principals and teachers with on-going professional

development and planning time to ensure alignment.• Principals foster teamwork among PreK-3rd teachers that strengthens

alignment.• Principals connect elementary schools with families and all early childhood

programs in their communities.

Five Core Components cont.

Qualified Teachers• All teachers have at least a Bachelor's Degree with relevant specialized training.• Preparation and certification enable teachers to teach at any grade level from

PreK to Third Grade.• Teachers are capable of assessing students' achievement and assisting each

student to make progress based on regular assessments that inform instruction.Classrooms as Learning Environments• Instruction balances child-centered approaches with teacher-directed

approaches.• Classes are staffed by a well-qualified teacher and assistant teacher.• Student-teacher ratios allow each child to receive individual attention and foster

strong relationships with adults in the school. Accountability to Parents and Communities• Teachers and families work to set educational goals for children.• Schools are responsible for reporting students' progress to families, communities,

the school district, and the state.

What is PreK-3 Reform?• A strategy– Not just a batch of grade levels

• A set of interlocking pieces– Alignment and interconnection

• Between and across grades• Between and across standards• Between and across assessment tools

• Access and Quality– Access to high-quality full-day pre-k– Full-day kindergarten– Rich, aligned instruction, grade by grade: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd

• from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

Why undertake PreK-3rd reform?

• To leverage pre-k gains, render ‘fade-out’ defunct• To close achievement gaps• To eliminate fragmentation– Creating a continuous, unbroken path for children’s

learning, building from one grade to another• To improve how teachers interact with young

children– Building high-quality classroom interactions – DAP,

playful learning approaches & social-emotional learning coupled with cognitive development

• from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

Alignment

“Refers to the continuous interrelated nature of education programs and practices across early learning and the early grades. It increases the consistency of children’s experiences across and within grades in order to create a continuum of learning. It leads to learning that progressively builds from one year to the next.”

- Education Commission of the States

More on Alignment

• PreK-3rd Implementation and Evaluation Framework (to come)– by Kristie Kauerz, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and

Julia Coffman, Center for Evaluation Innovation• Kauerz’s “pop-beads” analogy• Vertical and horizontal alignment within and outside

grades• Aligning governance structures, teaching and leadership

practices, instructional tools, teaching and learning culture, mechanisms to engage families, etc.

from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

Key Elements of Alignment

• Formal partnerships or governance structures• Access to quality early education• School quality and organization• Alignment of standards, curricula, teaching

practices, and assessments• Communication and data sharing

from the National League of Cities

Transition

“Transition refers to the totality of experiences and opportunities a child encounters in moving from one program or setting to another. Opportunities and experiences that familiarize children and families with new settings, expectations and relationships can help make connections that ease adjustment and increase the likelihood that families will stay engaged in their children’s learning. Effective activities are varied, occur over time, and are intentionally planned.”

- Education Commission of the States

More on Transition

Examples of child and family-level strategies include:• Child visits to the kindergarten classroom• Teacher visits to the preschool classroom• Teacher home visits• Workshops and networking for parents of young children• Attendance at school-wide events for families and

children • “Get ready for kindergarten” sessions before school

starts• Parent-child learning programs held in schools.

One more on Transition

Examples of program-level transition strategies include:• Use of common transition forms across multiple

programs and schools• Creation of transition teams and transition liaisons in

districts and schools• Joint professional development for early education and

early grades teachers• Shared data and common data points across systems• Transition planning as part of the school improvement

process.

Five hypotheses for explaining effects of early childhood intervention

Fighting Fade-Out ThroughPreK-3rd Reform

• Video from NewAmericaFoundation

• Pre-Kindergarten – 3rd

Grade: A new beginning for American education

Glimpses of PreK-3rd reform in progress…

• Red Bank, Elizabeth & Union City, NJ• Montgomery County, Md• Tulsa, OK• Seattle & Bremerton, WA• San Antonio, TX• Richmond, VA• Arlington and Alexandria, VA• Chicago, IL• Many others coming along…• All at various stages: nobody has it all figured out…

from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

Systemic Reform Will Include…

• Parent groups• Community providers• School principals and teachers• School districts• State agencies• Federal agenciesEach holds essential pieces of the puzzle

from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

Education Reform Starts Early: Lessons from New Jersey’s PreK-3rd Reform Efforts, December 2009

In Elizabeth, NJ …

• ⅔ are Latino, ¼ are African American, 1/10 are Asian or White• 75 percent are poor (FRPL)• Reading and math achievement was low

But after 3 years of PreK-3rd approaches:

• 80 percent reading at grade level– on NJASK in 4th Grade

• 88 percent, if you look at those who started with pre-k– Better than statewide average– Closing achievement gap

from Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

What did Elizabeth do right?

• High-quality pre-k for all– Not just an add-on– Includes 9 community-based providers– Pre-k teachers receive early literacy training

• Early elementary teachers received 60 hours of PD on early literacy in the first year - trained in needs of bilingual students and special-needs students

• ‘Intensive Early Literacy’ program in partnership with state

Montgomery County Public Schools

103% - the number of English Language Learners since 1998

44% - the number of children receiving free or reduced lunch since 1998144,064 students in 200 schoolsStudents from 164 countries speaking

184 languages 37.2% White, 23.4% African American, 23.4% Hispanic, 15.7% Asian American 0.3% American Indian

After integrating high-quality early learning across the system

• Almost 90 percent of kindergarteners enter first grade with essential early literacy skills

• Nearly 88 percent of third graders read proficiently• Achievement gaps between different racial and

ethnic groups across all grade levels declined by double digits

• About 90 percent of 12th graders graduate from high school

• About 77 percent of graduating seniors enroll in college.

“Once we fixed the system, the kids were suddenly okay. Same kids, just a different system. And we started at the beginning of the education value-chain – early learning.”

- Superintendent, Dr. Jerry Weast

Five Key Lessons fromMontgomery County

1. Establish a clear and compelling district-wide goal that maps back to early learning.

2. Craft integrated district-wide early-learning strategies to meet the clear and compelling goal.

3. Align early learning programs and services with the integrated K-12 strategies.

4. Balance teacher support and accountability to ensure effective and consistent implementation.

5. Innovate and monitor for continuous improvement.

10 Steps - Bremerton, WA

1. Establish need & common interest– Where are we?– Where do we need to go?

2. Locate and connect with your early childhood learning environments– Where are we?– Where do we need to go?

3. Develop a leadership group

10 Steps cont4. High-quality professional development5. Connect and align quality PreK to kindergarten6. Maximize the benefits of full day kindergarten7. Align and connect a strong full-day

kindergarten to grade 1-38. Conquer the fade-out9. Create a sustainable system of support10. Review, revise and extend

Lessons Learned from National League of Cities

• Strong buy-in from the mayor and superintendent is critical

• There are significant data tracking challenges• Important to have horizontal and vertical coordination• Must identify where all the children are• Must address funding and turf issues• Building relationships and gaining community buy-in

are key• Be very clear about what is being aligned• Create structures early on where partnerships can

flourish

Resources

• Foundation for Child Development• New America Foundation• http://mnprek-3.wikidot.com