reconsidering readiness in rhode island: a new look for a new time early childhood: collaborating...
TRANSCRIPT
Reconsidering Readiness in Rhode Island: A New Look for A New Time
Early Childhood: Collaborating for School Success
February 9, 2007
Sharon Lynn Kagan, Ed.D.National Center for Children & FamiliesTeachers College, Columbia University
Presentation Outline
Part I Times, They are a-Changing!!Part II Readiness PastPart III Readiness Present Part IV Ready ChildrenPart V Ready SchoolsPart VI Ready TeachersPart VII Ready ClassroomsPart VIII Ready Families and CommunitiesPart IX Ready Early Childhood System
Part I
Times, They are a-Changing!!
Times: They are a-Changing!! Early Childhood: The Old Image
• Part-day programs• Kids “play” all day• Little linkages with health, education,
or social services• Staff didn’t need special training• Nice, but not really necessary
Times: They are a-Changing!!More and More Diverse Programs
• Some ECE programs took place in child care, where services were full day, and usually not considered “educational.”
• Still others took place in Head Start Programs that offered comprehensive services for primarily low-income children.
• And still others took place in private, for-profit centers and family child care homes.
Times: They are a-Changing!! Early Childhood: The Old Image
Result was a great deal of confusion about the Purposes, Places, and Possibilities
of
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Times: They are a-Changing!! New Support for Early Childhood
• ECE is now part of every major report on American education (e.g., Tough Choices or Tough Times).
• Early childhood is on the agenda of governors, policymakers, police chiefs, and parents.
• Pre-k programs and state investments in pre-k have expanded dramatically; as of 2004-2005, 38 states invested a total of $2.8 billion in preschool education programs.
• Program efficacy has been codified in quality rating systems in 14 states and early learning standards in over 40 states.
Times: They are a-Changing!!With Support Comes Greater Demand
• For programs to show effectiveness and child outcomes
• For programs to prepare children for school
• For programs to link with schools and other community services
• For professionalized staff
Times: They are a-Changing!!And Demand is Now Far-Reaching
• Early childhood programs are supposed to: Reduce poverty Reduce teen pregnancy Reduce welfare dependency Meet children’s health needs Help children be better community citizens Educate parents Prepare parents for the workplace Increase parental literacy
Part II
Readiness Past
Readiness Past
• The first time the idea of readiness was seriously discussed was in the late 1800s.
• In 1893, Pestalozzi described readiness as reading readiness and linked the construct to development.
• May and Campbell (1981) suggest that, despite these discussions, readiness was not given serious consideration until the 1920s.
Readiness Past
• In 1927, Margaret Holmes wrote the first article about readiness, entitled: “Investigations of Reading Readiness of
First Grade Entrants”
• Around this time, the International Kindergarten Union named its first committee on “reading readiness.”
Readiness Past
• Two similar, but very different constructs gained momentum worldwide, and vied for attention: Readiness for learning Readiness for school
Readiness Past
READINESS FOR LEARNING
Advanced by child development and learning theorists (e.g., Gagne, Piaget, Bruner)
Defined as the level of development at which an individual has the capacity to undertake the learning of specific material
Usually the age at which the average group has developed the capacity
Readiness Past
READINESS FOR SCHOOL
Historically, equated with reading readiness, as we saw from the “founding” definitions
Also manifest in curricular domains (arithmetic readiness, handwriting readiness)
Much research on readiness for school Been equated with family size, absent fathers,
desirability of children’s names and bioplasmic forces.
Readiness Past
READINESS FOR SCHOOL
Readiness for school believes in fixed
standards of intellectual, physical, and social development sufficient to enable the child to
fulfill school requirements and to assimilate
the curriculum content.
Readiness Past
Readiness to Learn All ages Readiness fostered Content is fluid and
evolving Gate opener
Readiness for School Young children Readiness expected Content is fixed
and static Gate keeper
Readiness Past
• Led to very practical debates When should children start school? What is readiness, anyway? Who is responsible for getting kids
“ready”? Is “readiness” really a viable construct?
• Led to much confusion in the late 80s-early 90s
Part III
Readiness Present
Readiness Present
• Late 1990s, Presidents Clinton and Bush formed the National Education Goals Panel
• After some debate, decided that Goal 1 would be “to have all children ready for school by the year 2000” Not at all likely to be achieved, but Very likely to inspire debate and work
Readiness Present
• National Education Goals Panel Established the first major national task
force on readiness Established a Technical Work Group made
up of scholars in the field as well as politicians
Worked for three years REACHED A NEW CONSENSUS ON
READINESS!!!!
National Education Goals Panel
School Readiness =
Ready Children
Ready Programs and Schools
Ready Communities
+
+
Contemporary Ideas Go Even Further
• Ready Children• Ready Schools• Ready Teachers• Ready Classrooms• Ready Families and Communities• Ready Early Childhood System
Readiness Present
• It acknowledges that readiness to learn is different from readiness for school.
• It says that environment matters for young children’s development.
• It acknowledges that readiness is a condition of the child, the school, the teachers, the classroom, the family and community, and the ready ECE system.
Part IV
Ready Children
Readiness of the Child
Five Dimensions of Development
1. Physical Health, Well-Being, & Motor Development
2. Social Emotional Development
3. Approaches Toward Learning
4. Language and Literacy
5. Cognition and General Knowledge
Physical Health & Well-Being Daily Living Skills: personal care, hygiene, Nutrition: eating habits Physical Fitness: stamina, energy, strength, and flexibility Safety: safe practices; rules & regulations
Motor Development Gross Motor Skills: walking, running, jumping, climbing Fine Motor Skills: cutting with scissors, fastening buttons Sensorimotor Skills: vision, hearing, touching, kinesthesis
(e.g., kicking a ball rolling in the child’s direction)
Physical Health, Well-Being, & Motor Development
Readiness of the Child
Social Development Relationships with Adults: forming and sustaining Relationships with Peers: cooperation Appreciating Diversity: respect similarities and differences Adaptive Social Behavior: participate in group empathy for
others and natural world
Emotional Development Self Concept: developing knowledge of abilities,
characteristics, and preferences Self-efficacy: belief in self-abilities Self Control: following rules, impulse control Emotional Expressiveness: appropriately expressing feelings
Social & Emotional Development
Readiness of the Child
Approaches Toward Learning Curiosity & Interest in New Tasks and Challenges:
approaching learning with inquisitiveness or passivity characterizes a child’s style of learning
Task Persistence & Attentiveness: enables children to develop and follow through on plans and tasks
Reflection & Interpretation: includes the capacity to seek models, absorb information, and work through alternate possibilities
Imagination & Invention: associated with the ability to form images of what is not actually present and to extend conventional thinking
Initiative: associated with decision making, taking risks in learning
Approaches Toward Learning
Readiness of the Child
Language Vocabulary Grammar & Syntax Meaning & Comprehension
Literacy Reading: phonological awareness; print awareness;
functionality, enjoyment, and appreciation Writing: alphabet knowledge, writing conventions,
functionality
Communication Listening: to understand language Oral and Written Communication: to communicate
effectively Social Conventions of Communication
Language, Literacy & Communication
Readiness of the Child
Logic & ReasoningCause and effectCritical thinking
Mathematical & Numerical KnowledgeNumerical operationsMeasurement
Social-Conventional KnowledgeScienceSocial studies
Knowledge of the Family, Community & CultureCharacteristics of the family and family functionsCommunity roles and responsibilities
Creative ArtsExpressionRepresentationAppreciation and understanding
Cognition & General Knowledge
Readiness of the Child
Part V
Ready Schools
Ready Schools1. Smooth the transition between home and school.
2. Strive for continuity between early care and education programs and elementary schools.
3. Help children learn and make sense of their complex and exciting world.
4. Are committed to the success of every child.
5. Are committed to the success of every teacher and every adult who interacts with children during the school day.
6. Introduce or expand approaches that have been shown to raise achievement.
7. Are learning organizations that alter practices and programs if they do not benefit children.
8. Serve children in communities.
9. Take responsibility for results.
10. Have strong leadership.
Part VI
Ready Teachers
Ready Teachers
• Must be: Diverse as the children they serve Well trained Compensated at levels that assure job stability and
professional development without job stagnation Confident in uniform early learning standards Knowledgeable about certification, professional
ethics, and well charted career paths Able to access high-quality education and training Entitled to scholarship, financial, and career
supports Based in inspiring work environments that
encourage communities of practice, reflection, mentorship, and professional growth
Part VII
Ready Classrooms
Ready Classrooms
What makes classrooms ready for children?
We used to think the nature of teacher child interaction was the #1 quality ingredient.
The research still supports that, but to make that interaction most potent, we’ve developed a new think.
New think is…
Alignment of
Standards + Curriculum + Assessment
Leads to Quality Pedagogy and a Ready Classroom
What Do We Mean By Alignment?
1. Horizontal alignment: Synchronization among standards, assessments, and curricula within a given age level (e.g., Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten).
2. Vertical alignment: Synchronization among standards, assessments, and curricula between given age levels (e.g., Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten).
Background and Rationale
Why alignment is crucial:• Without such alignment, it is impossible to gauge;
If that which we want young children to know and be able to do relates to what is being taught (the alignment of standards and curriculum).
If that which is being assessed relates to either to what children should know (the standards) or what is being taught (the curriculum).
• Without such an analysis of alignment, assessments remain inaccurate (not to mention costly) indicators of often irrelevant information.
Standards Curriculum Assessment
Greenpoint PAF CC PAF
Morning Side HS CC CC
Westville PAF ***** DD ***** PAF
Wood Hill PAF CC PAF
Note: ***** denotes lack of alignment denotes alignment
CTBFR = CT Blueprint for Readiness; DRA = Developmental Reading Assessment; DD = District Developed; F&P = Fountas & Pinell; PAF = Pre-kindergarten Assessment Framework; HS = Head Start Child Outcomes Framework; CC = Creative Curriculum; NA = Not Applicable.
Alignment at Pre-Kindergarten
Standards Curriculum Assessment
Greenpoint Marie Clay ***** F&P, D ***** Marie Clay/Math
Morning Side CTBFR ***** DD ***** DRA
Westville DD DD ***** DRA
Wood Hill DD DD NA
Note: ***** denotes lack of alignment denotes alignment
CTBFR = CT Blueprint for Readiness; DRA = Developmental Reading Assessment; DD = District Developed; F&P = Fountas & Pinell; PAF = Pre-kindergarten Assessment Framework; HS = Head Start Child Outcomes Framework; CC = Creative Curriculum; NA = Not Applicable.
Alignment at Kindergarten
5.5
12.3
9.1
30.8
83.6
32.3
0
10.8
1.8
13.8
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
K
Pre-K
Percent of Items
Approaches to Learning CognitionLanguage Development Physical/Motor
Socioemotional
10.9
18
66.7
26
18.8
26
0
16
3.6
14
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
K
Pre-K
Percent of Items
25
18
12.5
26
55.6 0
16
0
26 14
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
K
Pre-K
Percent of Items
Ass
essm
ent
Cu
rric
ulu
mSt
anda
rds
Mor
nin
gsid
e
• Stronger focus on developing the “whole child” (fostering cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth) in the pre-kindergarten documents than the kindergarten documents.
• Stronger focus on developing language and cognitive development and virtually no emphasis on physical and motor development in the kindergarten documents.
• There was virtually no vertical alignment of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs’ standards, curricula, or assessments.
Results: Unready Classrooms
Part VIII
Ready Families and Communities
Ready Families and Communities
• Families need the knowledge that the early years really matter.
• Families need the support to enable them to make the early years matter (e.g., family leave, family support and parenting education, health and mental health supports).
• Communities need to understand the importance of the early years.
• Families and communities need funding to support comprehensive optimal development.
Part IX
Ready Early Childhood System
Early Childhood Education
HS
FPCC
PKCC
Programs
Infrastructure
FS/FL
Programs + Infrastructure = System
HQHS
HQFPCC
HQPKHQ
CC
Programs
Infrastructure
HQFS/FL
Source: Kagan, S. L., & Cohen, N. E. (1997). Not by chance: Creating an early care and education system. New Haven, CT: Yale University Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.
Gears: Need to work in all areas to move the infrastructure
Regulation
Informed Families, Informed Public
Standards, Assessment, and Accountability
Personnel & Professional Development
ECE/K-12 Linkages
Financing
Governance
What is an Early Childhood System?
8 – 1 = 0
Gear 1: Quality Programs
• What are quality programs? Provide rich and varied learning opportunities Are bathed in language Actively engage children Provide activities that address children’s
individual differences (strengths and weaknesses) Are characterized by inquiry, reflection, and
curiosity Produce productive outcomes for children And these are measured by regulation and
enforcement, incentives for quality, and facilities and capital
Gear 1: Quality Programs
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100.00
Regulations & Enforcement Incentives for Quality Facilities and Capital
• Quality Rating System Initiated by United Way of Rhode Island and Rhode
Island Kids Count (with consulting help from Anne Mitchell and Erin Oldham) in November, 2005
Currently have draft standards and are still in design phase, working toward a pilot program projected for fall, 2007
Statewide implementation of the QRS in 2008 • Licensing requirements
Day care homes Group day homes Child day care centers
Rhode Island’s Quality Programs
Gear 2: Regulation
• In general, more stringent regulations yield higher quality of service, but regulations vary widely.
• Major problems are: large number of legal exemptions permitted limited number of licensing specialists poor enforcement strategies
• Regulations are a powerful but underutilized tool.
Gear 3: Workforce & Professional Development
• The quality of any institution is predicated on the quality of its staff.
• Yet,There are uneven requirements to teach young children across the states and within states.No single standards to teach (as in K-12) exists in ECE. The field’s current hot debate is over the actual requirements (AA or BA) necessary to teach.
• Turnover of personnel is rampant.
• And these are measured by qualified ECE professionals, adequate compensation, and training system.
Gear 3: Workforce & Professional Development
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Qualified ECE Professionals Adequate Compensation Training System
Rhode Island’s Workforce & Professional Development
• Disparate teaching requirements between RIDE Standards for Approval of Educational Programs for Very Young Children and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ Regulations for Licensure
• Proposed RI Quality Rating System aims to enhance access to formal education and training for all ECE teachers: RIDE and DCYF have begun discussions about how to coordinate
their processes and standards. HOPE (Harbor of Opportunities for Professional Excellence),
RI’s Career Development System for Early Care and Education, has developed core competencies and career lattice levels.
Professional development in the RI Early Learning Standards has been provided to more than 600 practitioners and administrators (147 college credits have been awarded) since 2002.
• Low salaries: Average income for full-time, year-round child care
provider: $20,210
• But innovative benefits programs: Starting RIght Health Care Insurance Assistance Program
and Child Care Provider RIte Care provide health insurance to many center-based and FCC caregivers
Rhode Island’s Workforce & Professional Development
Source: NACCRRA and Options for Working Parents. (2006). 2006 Child care in the state of: Rhode Island. Retrieved January 26, 2007 from http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/RI.pdf.
Gear 4: Informed Families, Informed Public
• Major commitment to family engagement in Programs
Decisions
Governance
• Helps keep programs responsive to parental needs
• Could build an advocacy base for social change
• Problem is that families “outgrow” ECE and there is no broad constituency for public support – key benefit of universal preschool
• And these are measured by family education and support, family information and involvement, and public relations.
Gear 4: Informed Families, Informed Public
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Family Education & Support Family Information &Involvement
Public Relations
• Successful Start Systems Initiative (coordinated by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT and the Rhode Island Department of Health): Long term goal of creating sustained political and public
will around early childhood programs. Recognizes parent education and family support as the
first component of a successful start. Provides services that are individualized to meet child and
family needs and build on family strengths. Supports all families, while still addressing the needs of
children and families at high risk. Moves forward with program development based on
parent focus groups conducted in multiple languages, and involves parents in the design, delivery, and evaluation of services.
Informed Families, Informed Public in Rhode Island
Source: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT & Rhode Island Department of Health. (2005). Successful start: Rhode Island’s early childhood systems plan. Providence: Author.
Gear 5: Financing
• Long-term fiscal planning is almost non-existent.
• Revenue generation strategies are multiple, but not systematically planned.
• ECE is funded by Tax Strategies, Sin Taxes, Tax Credits, Lotteries, K-12 Funding.
• Financing schemes tend to focus on quantity, not quality.
• And these are measured by state funded programs, subsidy policies, CC tax provisions, family leave, and revenue generation.
Gear 5: Financing
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100.00
State FundedPrograms
Subsidy Policies CC Tax Provisions Family Leave RevenueGeneration
• Head Start allocations (2005): $21,956,386 ($6,970/child)
• CCDF State Expenditure (matching): $9,894,525• TANF (2004): $13,087,316• School district funding for at-risk and low-income
children: Early Childhood Investment Fund Targeted School Aid
• But no formal state pre-kindergarten program
• Long-term goal of the Successful Start Systems Initiative: universally affordable, high-quality programming
Rhode Island Child Care Financing
Source: NCCIC. (n.d.) State profiles: Rhode Island: Demographic information. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.nccic.org/statedata/statepro/display.cfm?state=Rhode%20Island#demographic.
Gear 6: Governance and Coordination
• Huge debate about who should govern ECE
• Seven different models of governance exist throughout the U.S.
• All are evolving, with changes being made to fine-tune the structures constantly From establishing State Department of ECE (MA & GA) To coordinating council with oversight for a single program
• Surging awakening to this issue
• And these are measured by kindergarten, teachers certificate, class size, and learning standards.
Gear 6: Governance and Coordination
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Governance Entities Family & CommunityInvolvement
ECE Planning Alignment with OtherSystems
• The Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet Created in 1991 by state law Serves as forum for information exchange among state
departments, private service agencies, and the public Clearly defined goals, e.g., all children will enter school ready
to learn• The Successful Start Systems Initiative aims to:
Streamline and coordinate a high-quality early childhood system, including parent education and family support, early care and education, medical homes, and a strong focus on the social-emotional development of all children.
Provide comprehensive services, including parenting and family support programs and children’s health care
The RI Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Successful Start recently began work on implementing key, cross-departmental systems issues outlined in the Successful Start Plan
Governance in Rhode Island
Source: NACCRRA and Options for Working Parents. (2006). 2006 Child care in the state of: Rhode Island. Retrieved January 26, 2007 from http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/RI.pdf.
Gear 7: Standards, Assessment, & Accountability
• Most confused domain Confusion about standards
─ Early learning standards, program standards, etc. Confusion about program assessment vs. child
assessment─ Program assessment common in ECE; perceived as
sufficient Confusion about different kinds and purposes of child
assessment
• Most controversial domain Associated with high-stakes testing High-stakes testing particularly detrimental to young
children Perceived as antithetical to good ECE pedagogy Requires mind shift and fear decontamination
Gear 7: Standards, Assessment, & Accountability
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Instructional Assessment Program Accountability Data on ECE System
• Early learning standards adopted in 2003: Approaches to learning Social and emotional development Language development Literacy Mathematics Science Creativity Physical health and development
• Successful Start Systems Initiative: Targets outcomes for children, families, and systems and
tracks progress over time. Outlines specific quality standards and performance
measures for the state’s new early childhood system.
Rhode Island’s Standards, Assessment, & Accountability
Source: NACCRRA and Options for Working Parents. (2006). 2006 Child care in the state of: Rhode Island. Retrieved January 26, 2007 from http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/RI.pdf.
Gear 8: ECE/K-12 Linkages
• For decades, research has indicated that it is critical for preschools to be linked to schools in order to promote continuity for children.
• Transition activities have focused on: Preschool visiting days to kindergarten for
children and parents Exchange of records from pre-K to K Joint training for pre-K and K teachers Visits by K teachers to pre-K
• Limited link in looking at how standards, curriculum, and assessments are aligned
Sources: Kagan, S. L., & Neuman, M. J. (1998). Three decades of transition research: What does it tell us? Elementary School Journal, 98(4), 365-380.; Love, J., Logue, M. E., Trudeau, J., Thayer, K. (1992). Transitions to kindergarten in American schools: Final report of the National Transition Study. Portsmouth, NH: US Department of Education.
Gear 8: ECE/K-12 Linkages
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Kindergarten Teacher Certification Class Size Learning Standards
State early learning standards are aligned with elementary grade academic standards.
Licensing requirements cover centers and homes that serve both pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged young children.
BA requirement for lead teachers in center-based setting goes part of the way toward teacher certification parity.
ECE/K-12 Linkages in Rhode Island
Source: NCCIC. (n.d.) State profiles: Rhode Island: Demographic information. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.nccic.org/statedata/statepro/display.cfm?state=Rhode%20Island#demographic. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. (2005). Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_245_A_PageName_E_childrenscabinet.
Reaching ReadinessReady Children Ready Schools
Ready TeachersReady Families and Communities
Ready ClassroomsReady Early Childhood System
Happy, healthy Rhode Island kids!