1. Kindergarten Readiness:
Using New Tools to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes
Welcome
Recognize pilot and nonpilot programs

2. Objectives Participants will:
Be knowledgeable about new tools for improving teacher practice resulting in children’s readiness for Kindergarten
Recognize how these tools can improve early childhood practice
Understand the role of leaders in improving early childhood programs
Our session today is designed to provide you with information on the tools being utilized for the purposes of improving teacher practice with the goal of promoting readiness for kindergarten.
As a result of today’s session, our objectives are for you to be knowledgeable about: read the rest of the slide

3. Act 3 – Lever for Change Support Teachers and Providers
A unified birth to five early childhood system organized around local networks and focused on improvement.
More children enter kindergarten with the persistence and curiosity to develop:
language and communication skills • motor skills
letter and number recognition • social-emotional skills
High-Quality Teaching
Workforce Support and Development
Support Teachers and Providers 
Early Childhood Report Cards for Providers
Measure and Recognize Progress
Funding, Enrollment and Seat Allocations
Fund High-Quality Providers
Locally-Driven Common Enrollment System
Provide Clear Information and High- Quality Choices
Leadership of Local Networks
Unify Expectations
Better outcomes for
Young children
Act 3 is the driver for helping Louisiana achieve the vision of: ensuring all at-risk children have access to high-quality options so that they are prepared to enter kindergarten
Using a pilot approach, the work around Act 3 brings together all publicly-funded providers in a community including public and nonpublic schools, Head Start/Early Head Start and child care centers who serve children funded through Child Care Assistance Program or CCAP funds. In a nutshell, it creates a birth to five (or Kindergarten) early childhood network.
The foundation for this work is built around:
Supporting teachers
Measuring and recognizing progress
Funding quality programs
Providing information to families on quality programs they can access
Unifying expectations for all programs
All of this for the purposes of achieving better outcomes for young children

4. Why This Matters If early childhood teachers:
Set expectations based on common standards for what children should know and be able to do
Create a positive learning environment through warm interactions with children
Organize instruction to support children’s individualized learning with a specific emphasis on language development
Use ongoing evaluation to better customize instruction and engage families
Then children will enter kindergarten with the critical skills necessary for success
Why these tools matter:
High Standards – meet the whole child; what the child will know and be able to do across all programs
Developmentally appropriate assessments tied to the standards
High quality interactions
All children enter kindergarten with the persistence and curiosity to develop:
language and communication skills • motor skills
letter and number recognition • social-emotional skills

5. Common Standards for All Children

6. Louisiana’s Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)
Act 3 of the 2012 Legislature helped serve as the driving force for developing a comprehensive set of Standards that represented age ranges from birth up to age five or the Kindergarten entry age.
The Standards were the culmination of a year-long effort. A variety of early childhood leaders, national consultants and experts, parents, university and public policy groups were involved in the process. Stakeholders represented all types of programs including child care, Head Start and public and nonpublic schools.
They were approved by BESE in April, 2013 and posted in the Louisiana Register for additional review and comment.

7. How the Standards are Organized
The Standards are divided into five age levels showing a continuum of development
Standards aligned to Kindergarten Common Core
Infant
Young Toddlers
Older Toddlers
Three-year-olds
Four-year-olds
Birth to 11 months
9 to 18 months
16 to 36 months
36 to 48 months
48 to 60 months
The Continuum of the Standards is divided into five age levels:
infants (birth to 11 months),
young toddlers (9 to 18 months),
older toddlers (16 to 36 months),
three-year-olds (36 to 48 months), and
four-year-olds (48 to 60 months).
These age levels were selected because they represent developmentally significant periods in a young child’s life. It is important to remember that young children’s development is often uneven and progresses at different rates.
Children may change dramatically in one area, while development progresses more slowly in another area. Children with disabilities or those learning English may demonstrate even greater variation in their abilities to progress and reach developmental milestones.
Because children develop at different rates, there is overlap at the youngest age levels.
Notice that there is an overlap that reflects the fact that it is normal for children this age to vary significantly in the ages at which they demonstrate the skills and behaviors described in the indicators for infants and toddlers.
When you examine the English Language Arts and Math Standards, you will also notice that there is an additional column showing how our Standards are aligned to the Kindergarten Common Core Standards

8. How the Standards are Organized
The Standards represent ALL areas of development
Approaches to Learning
Cognitive Development and General Knowledge
Language and Literacy Development
Physical Well-Being and Motor Development
Social-Emotional Development
Creative Thinking and Expression
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
The Standards are divided into domains of development shown here.
Approaches to Learning are relatively new types of Standards and refers to behaviors and attitudes that show how children approach tasks and activities. Approaches to Learning include such characteristics as curiosity, problem-solving, maintaining attention and persistence.
Cognitive development is the processes by which knowledge is acquired. Simply put, it is the development of a child’s ability to think and understand things in their world, to remember, and make to decisions. Although technically, Language and literacy development are part of a child’s cognitive development, it is separated out into its own domain due to the importance of the development of language and later literacy skills. Included in this domain are Creative Thinking and Expression, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Physical well-being and motor development standards are related to the physical fitness and motor (or movement) skills. This domain includes both fine motor or small muscle movement skills and gross motor or large muscle movement skills. This domain also covers good health and safety practices children need to know.
Social-emotional development is critical for children’s readiness for Kindergarten and beyond. This domain addresses early relationships with their friends and adults. It also covers a child’s self-concept or how they feel about themselves and see their own sense of worth.

9. Training on the Standards
Free online course
Access through LDE Early Childhood Library
CONNECT: Standards, Instruction and Assessment
As part of a cadre of teacher support tools, the LDE developed the CONNECT course which uses an on-line format for training teachers on the standards and provides an overview of the connection between the standards, instruction and assessment. This slide represents the “face” of the four-hour course that is available to teachers through the LDE website by going to the Early Childhood link.

10. High-Quality Interactions and Organized Instruction

11. Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
Valid and reliable observation tool to measure program quality that correlates with improved child outcomes
Focuses on classroom interactions
Covers ages:
Infant
Toddler
PreK ages
High-Quality Interactions =
Greater gains in Literacy and Language
More positive social development
Greater gains in Math
The second resource being utilized by pilot programs is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, or CLASS.
The CLASS tool was developed by the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education which studied thousands of classrooms nationwide.
It is a valid and reliable observation tool that can be used to measure the quality of a program.
The CLASS dimensions are based on the developmental theory and research that suggests that interactions between children and adults are the primary mechanism of children’s learning and development. Research shows that children in classrooms that score higher on the CLASS tool make greater gains in language, math, and early literacy development and show more positive social development than their peers in lower-scoring classrooms.
The dimensions are based solely on interactions and does not evaluate the presence of materials, physical environment or safety or a specific curriculum. It is not that these things are critical, but it is what is already prevalent in high-quality programs. The scale is based on what teachers do with the materials, the environment, schedules, classroom management strategies, etc. that they do have.
Currently, there are CLASS tools for classes serving Infants, Toddlers, PreK, k-3, upper elementary and secondary levels through 12th grade

12. Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
Domains
Indicators of High-Quality Interactions
Emotional Support
Happy, engaged children
Teachers aware and responsive to children’s needs
Children’s interests and points of view are recognized
Classroom Organization
Clear expectations for behavior
Well-managed instructional time
Teachers maximize children’s interest and engagement
Instructional Support
Instructional discussions and activities that promote higher-order thinking skills
Focus on children’s understanding rather than rote instruction
Positive feedback that expands learning
Language stimulation and facilitation
The chart outlines the structure of the CLASS tool for the PreK age level.
Notice that the assessment tool is divided into three domains – emotional support, classroom organization and instructional support
Within each of the domains are subsets of the tool known as dimensions.
You will notice that the remainder of the chart shows an alignment between the Danielson rubric used for Compass teacher evaluations. Many of the discreet skills and behaviors of effective teacher practice mirror those assessed using Compass. The LDE is currently working to determine the feasibility of allowing the pilot programs to select CLASS as its teacher evaluation tool due to its appropriateness for classrooms serving young children.
Implementing CLASS as a tool for teacher support is a three-fold process.
Teachers in pilot toddler and Prek programs have had access to two courses on the CLASS tool. The first is a two-hour introduction to the tool followed by a fifteen hour course Looking at CLASSrooms. The introduction provides a brief overview of each of the CLASS domains, and Looking at CLASSrooms is broken down into the 10 dimensions of the tool. Looking at CLASSrooms affords teachers access to a 6-month subscription to a video library with exemplars of effective practice in each of the dimensions of the tool.
In addition to training on the CLASS tool, pilot programs secure CLASS-reliable observers from their communities who conduct observations using the tool. The gold standard for these observations include a baseline observation, followed by feedback and ongoing support followed by a final observation to determine effectiveness of support and improvement in teacher behaviors.
As part of the work to help the state make decisions for the creation of the Early Childhood accountability system required by Act 3, the LDE has contracted with ULL to conduct third-party visits by CLASS-reliable observers.

13. CLASS – The Process Training CLASS Observations Support
Feedback/Support
Training
CLASS Observations
Support
Online Courses
Introduction to CLASS
Looking at CLASSrooms
Internal Assessments
Conducted by local/community CLASS-reliable observers
Purpose – Provide feedback and support for improvement
Third Party Assessments
Conducted by CLASS-reliable third-party observers
Purpose – Guide decisions for creation of the Early Childhood accountability system
Coaching
Mentor teachers
Peer support/team teaching
Professional Learning Communities
Videotaping
Retrain/review training
A system providing observation and feedback similar to COMPASS

14. CLASS – Data Supports Teacher Improvement
Seven point scale
Low (1-2), Middle (3-5), High (6-7) Ranges
Composite Score for each domain
Instructional Support Domain is typically lowest
Teacher PC NC TS
RSP
Emotional Support Total BM PD
ILF
Classroom Organization Total CD QF LM
Instructional Support
Total
Mary L. Lamb 6 1
5.5
4.75
5.81
4.25
5.08
3.25
2.5
2.75
2.83
The CLASS tool is designed to provide information on classroom interactions using a seven point scale.
The ranges of scores on the scale include Low (1-2 point range), Middle (3-5 point range) and High (6-7 point range)
Each pilot program submits reports from their internal CLASS observations to the LDE. The third party evaluators also submit scores which are forwarded to pilot leadership teams. The slide shows a lift from one such report (name of teacher is changed).
In this slide, you can see a representation of scores from one teacher – her emotional support and classroom organization scores fall between the middle and high ranges. Note, however, the score for Instructional support – a 2.83 which falls between the low and middle range of scores. Scores from the Instructional Support domain typically range much lower than those in the other two domains.
The LDE does a roll-up of both internal and third-party evaluations each month showing the ranges and average scores of all of the visits conducted in each pilot.
The results of these reports highlight the domains of CLASS that programs should focus on providing support for teacher improvement. As you see in the report above, the Instructional Support domain scored lower both at the teacher and district level indicating that the support for teachers would center around that domain.
Prek CLASS Scores for All Programs
Emotional Support
Classroom Organization
Instructional Support
Range of Scores
Average Score
5.70
5.06
3.30

15. Appropriate Assessment

16. Teaching Strategies GOLD®
Best practice for assessing young children is to capture what they know and can do by observing them in the context of their every day experiences and by documenting how these observations relate to the objectives for learning and development or the standards.
Teaching Strategies GOLD was selected as the state’s Birth to K entry assessment through a rigorous RFP process that included a third-party alignment study with the Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards – The strong alignment between the assessment tool and the standards enables teachers to plan lessons, assess and evaluate children’s growth seamlessly in a way that supports readiness for kindergarten.
Teaching Strategies GOLD® is grounded in 38 research-based objectives for development and learning that are predictive of school success. In addition to the Louisiana Early Learning and Development Standards, GOLD objectives are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework. Using an on-line process, teachers establish child-level portfolios that allows them to upload assessment information on each child in their class. The GOLD system allows teachers enter assessment artifacts on multiple Objectives for development and learning on multiple children making for a more efficient and less time consuming process.
The objectives are organized into nine areas of development and learning for all children: social–emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, and the arts. A tenth area—English language acquisition—measures receptive and expressive skills in English for children who are English- or dual-language learners.
Teachers use these objectives to focus their observations as they gather information to make classroom decisions regarding planning for instruction and providing additional support for children when needed.

17. Progressions of Development and Learning
Birth to 1 year
1 to 2 years
2 to 3 years
Preschool 3
Pre-K 4
Kindergarten

18. Teaching Strategies GOLD®– The Process
Ongoing, systematic data collection
3 “Checkpoint” periods
Analyze and Respond
Observe and Collect Facts
Summarize, Plan, and Communicate
Teachers in pilot programs have received training on the GOLD either through face-to-face delivery mechanisms or through the GOLD online Basic Courses. Training on GOLD goes well beyond training on a tool but includes support for teachers to learn how to implement on a “system of assessment”.
We use the term assessment system because the components of Teaching Strategies GOLD® are used together during an ongoing cycle. Teachers seek answers to different questions during each step of the assessment cycle:
Observe and Collect Facts: What are children doing and saying in relation to the objectives and dimensions? How can I record, store, and organize this information?
Analyze and Respond: How do these observations relate to the objectives for development and learning? How can I scaffold children’s learning in the moment?
Evaluate: What levels describe this child’s knowledge, skills, and behaviors in relation to each objective and dimension? How do the child’s knowledge, skills, and behaviors compare to widely held expectations for most children in this group? The widely held expectations are aligned to the Louisiana Early Learning and Development Standards
Summarize, Plan, and Communicate: Now that I have all of this information, how do I share it with others? How can I use it as I plan meaningful learning experiences?
Evaluate

19. GOLD® Data Supports Kindergarten Readiness
Report
Purpose
Documentation report
Shows number of documentation artifacts within each objective
Child-level reports
Shows children’s progress based on widely-held expectations
Snapshot reports
Shows level of growth based on widely-held expectations for an entire class, school or district/system
Growth Reports
Looks at change over time to see if progress has been made during the year
Parent Reports
Two-way communication tools which provide updates on children’s progress, suggestions for activities to be done at home, important classroom events
A wide range of data and reports is available to both teachers and administrators through the GOLD
The slide shows a few of the reports that can be utilized for the purpose of improving children’s readiness for Kindergarten.
There is a parent portal is a two-way communication tool which provides updates on children’s progress, suggestions for activities that can be done at home, important classroom events, etc.
Read slide

20. GOLD® Documentation Report
Class/Children
Number of Documentation Artifacts
Social-Emotional
Physical
Language
Cognitive
Literacy
Mathematics
Science and Technology
Social Studies
The Arts
Child 1 51 9 8 3 5 7
Child 2 50 4 6
Child 3
Child 4 49
The documentation report is important as it guides teachers and administrators to understand gaps in collection of assessment information across each of the areas of development.

21. GOLD® Child-level Reports
Language
Any Child
Objectives/Dimensions
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8a. Comprehends language
Winter (February) 2013/2014
8b. Follows directions
9a. Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary
9b. Speaks clearly
This slide provides an example of a child level reports
As teachers are finalizing their checkpoint periods they assign a rating for each of the objectives for learning and development
The slide shows some of the objectives in the language domain
Note that the blue bands indicate the range of performance and growth for a child who would be in a four-year-old program.
The child in this example at the winter checkpoint period is functioning at the level expected for that of a four-year-old.
Blue band - Pre-K 4

22. GOLD® Snapshot Report and Growth Report
Language
Any parish
Ms. Mary L. Lamb’s Class
Below Expectations
Meeting Expectations
Exceeding Expectations
Child Count %  5
 25 13
65%  2
 10%
Growth by Area of Development - Language
Child
Starting Score
Ending Score
Average/Actual Amount of Growth
Growth Range
Type of Growth
0% to 24%
25% to 49%
50% to 74%
75% to 100%
Any child
43.8
48.2
4.4
1 through 12
Meeting x
Any Child 46 53 7 50 51 1 39
The snapshot report provides an overview of a class in relationship to whether or not the children are below expectations, meeting expectations or exceeding expectations.
The Growh report

23. What are District Leaders Expected to Do?

24. ? Q & A For more information: Ivy.Starns@la.gov
Kindergarten Readiness: Using New Tools to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes ?
Q & A
For more information: