October 2012
What's Happening in the States
Parent Involvement
The Arkansas Department of Education recently released a K-8 Refrigerator Curriculum that contains grade-specific concepts and skills parents can use to support student learning at home. The grade-level lists are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks.
Pre-K Curriculum and Assessment
Florida’s State Board of Education has adopted a new strategic plan for pre-K through postsecondary students from 2012-18. Included in the plan is a goal that 91% of Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) students will score “ready” on both state kindergarten readiness assessments. In this vein, Florida has passed regulations outlining the specifications, policies, and procedures for the Voluntary Prekindergarten curriculum approval process and regulations to standardize screenings in the school readiness program.
Early Literacy
Massachusetts legislation enacted last month establishes an Early Literacy Expert Panel to develop recommendations to have all students reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. The bill directs the panel to make recommendations on the alignment, coordination, and implementation of six critical issues, including comprehensive P-3 curricula on language and literacy development, effective instructional practices, and developmentally appropriate screening and assessment.
ECS State Policy Database
Click here to check out recent state policy changes regarding preschool.
Literacy Assessments
The Language Diversity and Literacy Development Research Group at Harvard University is continuing its Lead for Literacy series with their latest memo Comprehensive Assessment: Making Sense of Test Type and Purpose. The series of memos, including three on assessment issues, provides guidance for leaders dedicated to children's literacy development, from birth to age 9.
Literacy
The Brookings Institution and Princeton University have released their latest volume of the Future of Children, "Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-First Century." The new volume discusses ways policymakers and practitioners can help to improve student literacy, including pieces from authors such as Jane Waldfogel, Richard J. Murnane, and Nell Duke. The groups simultaneously released a policy brief that examines the ability of standards to boost literacy and close the achievement gap.
Early Interventions
New essays from early childhood advocates including Nobel laureate James Heckman are featured in the September/October 2012 issue of Boston Review, which focuses on early interventions. Harlem Children Zone’s Geoffrey Canada responds to Heckman, along with other esteemed educators and researchers.
Statistics
The U.S. Census Bureau has released infographics representing the "Educational Path of our Nation," which include trends in student enrollment, costs, and educational outcomes. Some of the differences are striking, including the percentage of children ages 3-5 who enrolled in school: 27% in 1970, versus 60% in 2010.
Education Nation
The 2012 Education Nation Summit, which took place September 23-25, included discussions surrounding early literacy and the Educare model of early childhood education. For additional resources, including videos and interactive case studies, visit their website.
Boosting Student Achievement
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $52 Million in Grants to 22 Comprehensive Centers to Advance Reform Goals and Student Achievement. Fifteen regional centers and seven content standards will increase the capacity of states to help low-performing schools and districts close the achievement gap. The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) was among the grantees, and will establish a Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) to increase the number of children from birth to 3rd grade who are prepared to succeed in school. Parents as Teachers was also awarded a grant, and will use the money to improve literacy outcomes for 2,000 families with young children.
Upcoming Meetings and Webinars
P-3 Teacher Effectiveness
The PreK-3rd Grade National Work Group is hosting a webinar titled Looking Inside Classrooms: Teacher Effectiveness on Wednesday, October 24 from 3-4pm EST. The webinar will explore the use of observational measures to assess and inform teacher effectiveness in a PreK-3rd grade context.
Early Literacy
The latest Education Watch Podcast from the New America Foundation discusses states that have enacted literacy laws that include a requirement to retain 3rd graders who do not demonstrate reading proficiency. Read the accompanying blog post, which draws heavily from Third Grade Reading Policies, published by ECS.
Early Childhood Professionals
Parents as Teachers is hosting their 2012 Conference for Early Childhood Professionals, November 7-9 in St. Louis, Missouri. Participants can choose from six learning tracks, including leadership and supervision, and program effectiveness to personalize their experience.
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