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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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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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!