May 2012
New from ECS
Common Core Website
ECS has launched Core Commons, a new website devoted to issues surrounding the Common Core State Standards. Read the latest blog post , Common Core & Early Reading.
What's Happening in the States
Pre-K Standards and Assessments
Louisiana S.B. 581, enacted in April, directs the state board to create a comprehensive and integrated network to oversee all state and federally funded programs providing early childhood care or education. The legislation calls for a uniform assessment and accountability system for publicly funded early childhood education programs, performance targets for children under the age of 3, and academic standards for kindergarten readiness for 3- and 4-year olds.
P-3 Response to Intervention
Kentucky H.B 69, signed by Governor Beshear last month, will provide for the use of a response-to-intervention (RTI) system for all students in kindergarten through 3rd grade in the subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, or behavior. The RTI system will include a tiered continuum of interventions with varying levels of intensity and duration and will connect general, compensatory, and special education programs.
Pre-K Assessments
Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed H.B. 5101, which requires public and private schools participating in the voluntary pre-kindergarten program to administer an evidence-based pre- and post-assessment to measure student progress in literacy, numeracy, and language.
Third Grade Reading
Oklahoma governor Brad Henry signed H.B. 2516 this month. This revised policy requires that kindergarten students be assessed at the beginning of the school year for reading skills (adding to existing beginning of year assessments in grades 1-3). The bill also modified the provision that promotion to 4th grade be contingent upon completion of an intervention program so that a teacher may recommend that promotion of a student be contingent upon intervention.
Talk of the Town
Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have announced that $133 million from the 2012 Race to the Top fund will be made available for a second round of the Early Learning Challenge to help states strengthen their early childhood education systems. The Departments invited five states to apply: Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
Good Reads
Special Education Referrals
A new report commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) found that the number of low-income students being placed in special education “exceed[s] what most experts would consider appropriate.” The authors suggest a more focused effort on early reading to promote literacy and reduce inappropriate referrals to special education.
Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
This six-part blog series from the New America Foundation examines the nine winning states in the 2011 Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) and their plans to improve the quality and coordination of early childhood programs.
Early Literacy
Colorado Reads: The Early Literacy Initiative outlines the current state of early literacy in Colorado, the barriers and challenges to improving school readiness, and how school districts, communities, organizations, educators, and other have and can continue to work together to work toward the goal of having all children in Colorado reading at grade level.
P-3: Teacher Licensing and Preparation
This report from the New America Foundation highlights nationwide problems with the licensing and preparation of teachers who work with young children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-grade classrooms. The author asserts that teachers at all grade levels must be equipped with knowledge and skills that show a deep understanding of how children develop, but this is especially critical for PreK-3rd teachers.
Upcoming Meetings and Webinars
2012 ECS National Forum
Registration is now open for the 2012 ECS National Forum, Innovation and Opportunity: Moving the Needle on Student Success. Along with keynote speakers such as former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, you won’t want to miss our early learning-focused sessions including: Closing Achievement Gaps Using a P-3 Approach (Kristie Kauerz); What Should Early Literacy Policy Look Like if the Goal is Proficiency for All? (Lexie Domaradzki, Gary Whiteley); Crossing Boundaries and Building Bridges: Innovations, Opportunities and Lessons Learned Across Education Sectors (Valora Washington). The forum will take place in Atlanta, Georgia July 9-11. Visit the Forum website or download the Forum brochure.
ECE Leadership and Professional Development
The Children’s Defense Fund is hosting a national conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 22-25 designed to bring outstanding educators along with leaders in the health, social sciences, and in the field of civil rights to share insights and challenge participants to act on behalf of children. For more information and to register, please visit their website.
ECE Leadership and Professional Development
NAEYC’s National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development will be hosting a 2012 Institute titled Leadership Throughout the Early Childhood Profession: Research, Policy, and Practice from June 10-13 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The institute is designed for teacher educators, program administrators, and others who provide professional preparation and ongoing professional development experiences for the early childhood workforce.
ECE Professional Development – Oral Language Development
The Albert Shanker Institute and the University of Michigan’s Ready to Learn Program have joined together to offer a Summer Institute for Teacher Trainers at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on June 28-29 and again on August 1-2. The Institute will provide participants with an overview of the research surrounding the importance of oral language development, and outline how teachers can organize successful language instruction for their students.
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