1. Staff Development in a Pre-K Literacy Project Belinda Biscoe and Priscilla Griffith (Debra Corey, Susan Kimmel) University of Oklahoma bpbiscoe@ou.edu pgriffith@ou.edu Go Sooners!

2. United States Department of Education Early Literacy First Grant Focus: Pre-K 3 and 4 year olds Focus: Pre-K 3 and 4 year olds Purpose: Purpose: –Create early childhood centers of excellence –Prepare young children to enter kindergarten with necessary skills to ensure school success

3. GOALS Create language and literacy rich classroom environments Create language and literacy rich classroom environments Integrate curriculum, activities and materials into classrooms and family literacy practices Integrate curriculum, activities and materials into classrooms and family literacy practices Assess literacy learning Assess literacy learning Build partnerships to support the transition of all children into formal classroom instruction Build partnerships to support the transition of all children into formal classroom instruction Support family literacy Support family literacy Provide research-based sustained professional development Provide research-based sustained professional development

4. COMPONENTS Professional Development Professional Development –Instruction –Child Assessment/Progress Monitoring Literacy Mentors Literacy Mentors Assessment Coordinator (Year 3) Assessment Coordinator (Year 3) Family Literacy Component Family Literacy Component –Family Literacy Nights –Family Literacy Resources –Home Visits Project Evaluation Project Evaluation

5. Project Development Year One Year One –Physical transformation of classrooms –Initiate literacy classes –Learn to mentor Year Two Year Two –Implement spiral curriculum of literacy classes –Learn to develop portfolios Year Three Year Three –Focus on examining student work to plan instruction

6. Three C’s of Professional Development Community Community –Professional development classes –Examine student learning Curriculum Content: Assessment and Instruction of Oklahoma ERF Benchmarks Curriculum Content: Assessment and Instruction of Oklahoma ERF Benchmarks –Oral language –Phonological awareness –Print concepts –Alphabet knowledge and writing –Listening comprehension Coaching Coaching –Implementing instructional strategies

7. Structure of Professional Development Classes Two groups: certified and non-certified teachers Two groups: certified and non-certified teachers Classes off campus Classes off campus Classes two times each month for 3 hours Classes two times each month for 3 hours Literacy instructor Literacy instructor Literacy mentors attend Literacy mentors attend

8. Content of Professional Development Classes Portfolios and Assessment Portfolios and Assessment Observations and Anecdotal Notes Observations and Anecdotal Notes Oklahoma PRIDE Literacy Benchmarks Oklahoma PRIDE Literacy Benchmarks Oral Language Oral Language Phonological Awareness Phonological Awareness Environment/Classroom Management Environment/Classroom Management At-Risk Child Language Development At-Risk Child Language Development Alphabet Knowledge Alphabet Knowledge Comprehension Comprehension Concepts of Print Concepts of Print Teacher-Child Interactions Teacher-Child Interactions Home Visits Home Visits Family Literacy Nights Family Literacy Nights Doors to Discovery Curriculum Doors to Discovery Curriculum

9. OBSERVATION REFLECTION ASSESSMENT PLANNING INSTRUCTION STAFF DEVELOPMENT The Continuous, Recursive, and Interactive Process of Progress Monitoring

10. Data Collection SystematicObservationAssessmentTasks Work Samples Data Aggregation Planning and Reflection using Portfolios Instruction Oklahoma P.R.I.D.E. Progress-Monitoring Plan

11. Project Evaluation Classrooms Classrooms –Before and after photos Teachers Teachers –Concept Maps –ELLCO: Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation –Focus Groups Students Students –PALS: Phonological Assessment Literacy Screening

12. Changing the Physical Environment

13. Transforming a disorganized environment Transforming a disorganized environment

15. Setting up Centers Dramatic Play WritingLibrary

16. Concept Maps Early Literacy

17. Concept Maps Voltz, 2004 (Action in Teacher Education, v. 27 # 3) Voltz, 2004 (Action in Teacher Education, v. 27 # 3) Rated maps for variation and quantity Rated maps for variation and quantity –Variation = number of categories represented in the map –Quantity = total number of ideas

20. Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Literacy Environment Checklist Literacy Environment Checklist –Book Use and Availability - 20 points –Writing Materials and Display – 21 points Classroom Observation Protocol Classroom Observation Protocol –General Classroom Environment – 30 points –Language and Literacy Curriculum – 40 points Literacy Activity Rating Scale Literacy Activity Rating Scale –Book reading – 8 points –Writing – 5 points

21. ELLCO Literacy Environment Checklist Classroom Observation Protocol Literacy Activity Rating Scale Book UseWriting Materials Classroom Environ CurriculumBook Reading Writing Baseline February 04 12.308.3017.8022.704.202.20 End of Year 2 May 05 19.2018.2023.3031.506.703.80 End of Year 3 May 06 20.00 24.8334.336.833.17

22. Focus Groups Accomplishments – Year 2 Accomplishments – Year 2 –Professional growth –Focus of the program on their roles as professionals – before the program Pre-K teachers were “considered by some to be babysitters but now they were using research- based teaching principles that can be measured and validated” –Provided roadmap for meeting state standards

23. Accomplishments – Year 3 Accomplishments – Year 3 –Increased familiarity with the curriculum enhanced implementation of the program because teachers are now comfortable using the curriculum and modifying it to suit their classroom needs. –Increased knowledge of literacy principles and application. –Teaching methods have been strengthened, and the program curriculum provided “a wonderful foundation to build upon.” –Family Literacy Night was an important component of the program. It was an avenue for reaching families.

24. Benefits Benefits –Access to resources/research-based, developmentally appropriate instructional strategies –Mentor support –Professional development classes –Progress of children –Credit towards CDA –Interact with other teachers –Peer support –Opportunity to attend professional conferences

25. Challenges/Concerns Challenges/Concerns –Letting go of old curriculum and ways –Over-emphasizing literacy –Leaving their assistant alone with their class in order to attend professional development classes –Having resources to sustain parent activity component after the ERF grant ends –More modeling of different types of classroom instruction by their mentor

26. PALS/AMIGOS Rhyme Awareness Rhyme Awareness Beginning Sound Beginning Sound Upper-Case Alphabet Upper-Case Alphabet Lower-Case Alphabet Lower-Case Alphabet Verbal memory Verbal memory Print Knowledge Print Knowledge Concept of Word Concept of Word Name Writing Name Writing

27. Child Data Outcomes Cohort 2 (Year 2 of the Project) Significant differences between treatment and comparison Significant differences between treatment and comparison  Rhyme Awareness Cohort 3 (Year 3 of the Project) Significant differences between treatment and comparison Significant differences between treatment and comparison  Rhyme Awareness  Beginning Sounds  Upper-Case Alphabet  Lower-Case Alphabet

28. What Have We Learned Childcare research is very messy. Childcare research is very messy. It has taken three years to see differences in child outcomes. It has taken three years to see differences in child outcomes. Mentoring has to be learned. Mentoring has to be learned. Early childhood educators with a strong literacy background are difficult to find. Early childhood educators with a strong literacy background are difficult to find. There is a tension among early childhood and literacy educators over DAP and purposeful instruction. There is a tension among early childhood and literacy educators over DAP and purposeful instruction.