Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Building Bridges to Kindergarten
Jason Downer, Ph.D. Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning University of Virginia Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Today ▬
What we know from research and practice about:
National landscape of children’s readiness skills
Children’s experiences during this transition
Best practices framework for effective transitions
Utilizing this framework to develop an action plan Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Defining “Ready Children”
VA Foundation Blocks for Early Learning Curry School of Education, University of Virginia How successfully are children entering kindergarten?
Difficult 16%
Some Problems 32% Successful 52% Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Teachers who say “half my class or more” exhibit these problems entering kindergarten
Difficulty following directions 46%
Lack of academic skills 36%
Difficulty working independently 35%
Difficulty working as part of a group 31%
Problems with social skills 21%
Difficulty communicating/ 14% language problems
0 10 20 30 40 50 Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Gaps in Reading & Math by K
Percent of Kindergarteners Passing Proficiency Levels in Fall 100 90 80 70 Maternal Education 60 Less than HS 50 HS 40 Some College 30 BA 20 10 0 Letter Beginning # & Shapes Relative Size Recognition Sounds (NCES, 2000) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Gaps in Social Development
Percent of Kindergarteners Who Often: 95 90 85 80 Maternal Education 75 Less than HS 70 HS Some College 65 BA 60 55 50 Make Friends Persist Are Eager to Learn (NCES, 2000) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Gaps in Reading Widen Over Time
(NCES, 2000) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Gaps in Math Widen Over Time
(NCES, 2000) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia What Contributes to Adjustment?
Continuity
Linkages/Connections Information Relationships Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Transitions Across the Lifespan Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Transition process: A relational view
Pre-K Kindergarten
Schools Peers Schools Peers
Child Child
Community Family Community Family Curry School of Education, University of Virginia VA School Readiness Definition
Ready children
Ready families
Ready schools
Ready communities Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Misalignments and shifts
Changes in academic demands / curricula
Quality of learning environment
Complex social environment (peers and adults)
Less family connection with school
Less time with teacher(s) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Family Experiences: Relationships
“His teacher called several days before school started; it was great and really made Nate feel great.”
“On a more personal level, my son spends eight hours a day with his teacher and his best friend. I want to know those people. I don’t want to be a once-every-three-months-for-report-card thing. I want to have more interaction.” Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Family Experiences: Information
“I’m not happy with it. . . I sent in notes but got no response from the teacher. . . The first day of school I sent him with a dollar for lunch but he didn’t eat all day . . . something got mixed up. I tried again with a dollar the next day . . . but he didn’t eat that day either. He wet his pants. The teacher is young and she’s not very organized. I’m anxious.”
“We weren’t sure about sending him, he may be young. His teacher called to say he’s way behind and should go back to preschool.” Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Common themes in parents’ views
Contact with school can help or it can hurt
Prefer starting to prepare early
Want teachers to get to know their child Curry School of Education, University of Virginia How are teachers helping children make the transition to kindergarten?
Three most common
A talk with the child’s parents 95% after school starts
A letter to the child’s parents 88% after school starts
An open house for parents and 81% students after school starts
0 20 40 60 80 100 Curry School of Education, University of Virginia How are teachers helping children make the transition to kindergarten?
Three least common
A visit to the child’s home 9% before school starts
A visit to the child’s home 12% after school starts
A call to the child 13% before school starts
0 20 40 60 80 100 Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Connecting schools with families
Generic contacts
After school starts
Always at school
Too little, too late, too impersonal Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Classroom Experiences
To what extent are children’s classroom experiences uniform from prek – 3rd grade?
National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) – Multi-state Pre-K classroom observations (n=238) NICHD Study of Early Child Care – 1st & 3rd grade (about 800 classrooms per year) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Time Spent in Literacy & Language Activities
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Pre-K 1st 3rd Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Time Spent in Routines
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Pre-K 1st 3rd Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Group Formats
60%
50%
40% Pre-K 30% 1st 3rd 20%
10%
0% Whole Group Curry School of Education, University of Virginia What is the consistency of experience across years?
In NCEDL study, from prek to K:
No relation between experiences from year to year
Highly uneven classroom experiences across and within grades, even when using the same curriculum Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Best Practices: Building Connections
Child-school
Family-school
School-school
Community-school Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Child-School Connections
Goal: To increase children’s familiarity with the classroom setting and those people within it
Increased comfort and decreased anxiety
Building teacher-child relationships
Exposure to new setting prior to school starting Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Teacher-Child Relationships
Early teacher-child relationships related to children doing better academically through lower elementary school and having fewer discipline infractions through middle school! Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Family-School Connections
Goal: To increase family collaboration and involvement with the school and the transition process
Convey new information
Partners in the process Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Getting Parents “Ready”
Information and guidance
Leadership opportunities
Patterns of practice
Trusting relationships
(Harvard Family Research Project, 2002) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Family Engagement Principles
Reach out
Reach backward in time
Reach with appropriate intensity and depth
(Harvard Family Research Project, 2002) Curry School of Education, University of Virginia School-School Connections
GOAL: To provide children with stable classroom experiences across time
Increase continuity for children
Frame children’s development on a continuum
Support teachers across settings Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Creating “Ready” Schools
Initiate policies that align experiences-
Share information across settings
Match early learning standards with curricula
Reach consensus on child assessments
Systematic assessments of classroom processes from pre-K to 3rd grade
On-going, practice-focused professional development for teachers Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Community-School Connections
Goal: To facilitate continuity in the transition process within the community
Getting the word out
Providing resources where they are needed
Presenting a combined front Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Transition plan: Connections & leadership
A process, not a program
Create and maintain an interagency, community-wide leadership team
Build connections across time and contexts Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Do Transition Activities Work?
214 pre-k classrooms across 6 states
722 children Transition Activities during PK % of Total PK children visit KG class 74 PK teacher visits KG class 78 KG teacher visits PK class 42 Spring orientation for PK children 62 Spring orientation for PK parents 65 School-wide activity for PK children 55 Individual meetings with parents 68 Written records shared with KG 79 Contact with KG teacher about 67 curriculum or specific children Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Transition Activities Matter (LoCasale-Crouch et al., 2006)
More activities were associated with: Greater social competence at the beginning of K
In particular, contact between a child’s pre-k and kindergarten teacher during the pre-k year was associated with: Greater social competence Fewer problem behaviors Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Transition Activities Matter
Transition activities initiated by pre-k teachers were most helpful for children from disadvantaged families.
4
Not Poor 3.5 Poor Social Competence 3 0-4 Activities 5-7 Activities 8-9 Activities Transition Activities Curry School of Education, University of Virginia Common denominators of best practices
Information
Social/Relationships
Continuity
Shared vision & leadership Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Focus on connections…
Information, relationships, and continuity
Teachers Peers Teachers Peers
Child Child
Community Family Community Family