Sharing What Works in WaKIDS Winter-Spring 2015 Kathe Taylor, Director of Early Learning Assessment Gretchen Stahr Breunig, Professional Development Coordinator.
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Sharing What Works in WaKIDS Winter-Spring 2015 Kathe Taylor, Director of Early Learning Assessment Gretchen Stahr Breunig, Professional Development Coordinator Districts discover how to implement WaKIDS effectively The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided $100,000 of one-time funding for districts to deepen their involvement in WaKIDS by piloting new strategies. Nine districts were awarded grants. WaKIDS Competitive Grants test ideas from districts of all sizes In September 2013, the WaKIDS Work Team reviewed applications from 48 districts with over $600,000 in requests. 9 districts received grants. 3 large districts (serving more than 250 kindergartners)-- up to $20,000 3 medium districts (serving 51 to 250 kindergartners)-- up to $10,000 3 small districts (serving up to 50 kindergartners)-- up to $5,000 ESDs convene districts to share ideas In all 9 Educational Service Districts, school and district leaders gather to share what works: Enhance connections of WaKIDS classrooms, families, and early learning partners Plan and share results of effective strategies Hopes for our time today Recognize strategies to implement each component of WaKIDS Help leaders from districts of all sizes understand what makes WaKIDS work Inspire YOU to try new approaches with WaKIDS to: Engage families Inform instruction Document student growth and outcomes Address the opportunity gap Create a smooth continuum of Prenatal to 3rd grade school-family- community partnerships What Works with Family Engagement? Home visits for Family Connection Family Nights for kindergarten families Parent survey and Family Engagement Community Board Lopez Riverside Quincy Parent outreach and Parent evenings with preschool families Carbonado Lopez Riverside White Pass Preschoolers visit kindergarten on the school bus Lopez Parent education and resources Quincy Carbonado Let’s take a look at a deeper approach with families of kindergartners Lopez Island kindergarten teacher, Becca Hamilton, conducted home visits for her Family Connection conferences. Grant paid for: Certificated salary of kindergarten teacher to visit families, develop new report card, and create resources Instructional supplies Riverside built relationships with families of kindergartners Riverside School District Hosted family evenings, each planned by the kindergarten teachers using the Pete the Cat books Provided dinner free of charge for families and teachers to get to know each other Shared classroom curriculum and provided take-home activity kits, including one of the Pete the Cat books Teachers helped families understand kindergarten Grant to Riverside School District paid for Supplies for the take-home kits to support classroom curriculum. Staff time for kindergarten teachers to plan the four evenings and take-home activities Reading Math Writing Transition to K/ 1st grade Two rural districts reached out to families with children younger than five The Carbonado School District Invited families to use district early learning resources Built an early learning web page Welcomed families into the school before their children entered kindergarten Grant paid for: Staff time Substitutes to release kindergarten teacher Administrative Assistant time to phone families Two rural districts reached out to families with children younger than five Quincy School District Conducted a family survey Established a Parent and Family Community Engagement Board Provided READY! for Kindergarten for parents of four to five-year-olds Offered Love & Logic classes Classes offered free of charge in English and Spanish. Quincy matched WaKIDS grant with other resources Grant paid for staff coordinator time and funding to host family events LAP funds paid for READY! for Kindergarten and Love & Logic curriculum and instructors Guiding Questions for Family Engagement What key activities build on Family Connection and engage families all year? What can schools do to help families build their kindergartners’ strengths at home? How can kindergarten teachers and schools deepen their understanding of their families’ needs? What can schools do to support families with children younger than five? What can schools do to sustain family connections as students enter first grade? What Works with the Whole Child Assessment? Alignment and analysis of WaKIDS scores and other assessments Use of WaKIDS data for high-quality Response to Intervention Use of WaKIDS data to monitor student growth in an aligned report card Professional learning circles Coaching kindergarten teachers in observational assessment Collaboration of rural districts Spokane Lopez Quincy Bellingham Bellingham Lopez White Pass Lopez Bellingham White Pass White Pass Spokane studied student growth toward end-of-year standards The Spokane Public Schools Analyzed the fall checkpoint scores on GOLD™ language and literacy items in correlation with grade level reading scores at the end of kindergarten on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) Shared findings and follow-up research questions with district and early learning leaders Bellingham specialists used WaKIDS data to individualize instruction Bellingham School District Coached each group of specialists Used the WaKIDS GOLD™ data to redesign kindergarten PE curriculum Individualized their instruction with high-quality Response to Intervention Grant provided time for teams to learn together and individualize instruction Specialists and kindergarten teachers convened to determine ways to use WaKIDS assessment results : PE teachers Music teachers School psychologists Resource room teachers (special education) Occupational and Physical Therapists Speech and Language therapists and teachers Specialists working with English Language Learners Title One teachers WaKIDS teachers in rural districts collaborated in Professional Learning Circle With only one kindergarten teacher, White Pass needed ideas and support from WaKIDS teachers in neighboring rural districts: Mossyrock, Morton, and Onalaska. Created Professional Learning Circle (PLC) of WaKIDS teachers and elementary principals, facilitated by the ESD WaKIDS Trainer PLC helped teachers understand what works in WaKIDS Professional Learning Circle Shared instructional ideas Analyzed classroom data Created WaKIDS Facebook page Grant paid for: Substitutes for kindergarten teachers Facilitator from ESD 113 Guiding Questions for Whole Child Assessment How can districts support teachers to use WaKIDS data to inform instruction? WaKIDS provides a common language about students’ strengths and areas of challenge. What can districts do to encourage specialists to use WaKIDS data? What would districts need to consider in order to use GOLD™ reports for family conferences in lieu of report cards? What kindergarten assessments: complement the WaKIDSWhole Child Assessment? duplicate WaKIDS Whole Child Assessment? What Works with Early Learning Collaboration? Cross-site visits ReviewingWaKIDS data in team meetings Shared professional development Carbonado Lopez Rochester White Pass Lopez Rochester Spokane Quincy WaKIDS teachers built understanding of early learning programs Carbonado School District team Visited early learning programs in neighboring communities Shared successful instructional approaches Invited early learning teachers to attend “Come and See” kindergarten transition night WaKIDS teachers built understanding of early learning programs The Quincy School District Enlisted help from the local Child Care Aware Created partnerships to support early learning initiatives Offered READY! for Kindergarten (for children ages 2-5) Grant provided compensation for a parent/family & community engagement coordinator, kindergarten teachers, and early learning providers to attend READY! for Kindergarten WaKIDS teachers built understanding of early learning programs Rochester School District Built relationships between kindergarten teachers and early learning teachers Learned about child development from birth through kindergarten Observed instruction in early learning classrooms Reviewed WaKIDS data Discussed trends of characteristics of entering kindergartners Guiding Questions about Early Learning Collaboration How does your district plan for developmentally appropriate learning environments that support growth for all entering kindergartners? What strategies enable kindergarten teachers to understand more about instructional environments for children younger than five, and vice versa? What approaches could foster relationships among early learning teachers/ providers and kindergarten teachers in your neighborhoods? How can schools and early learning programs work together to align educational opportunities in classrooms, community-based organizations, and homes? It’s your turn! What are your thoughts and ideas? Using these guiding questions, talk about what ideas you have for your school or district. What ideas would work for your students and families? What ideas could your district share with other WaKIDS districts? Conclusion Like WaKIDS students, the WaKIDS system is evolving developmentally. YOU, your students, your teachers, and your families are partners in this work! Contact Information Director of Early Learning Assessment, Kathe Taylor, [email protected] Professional Development Coordinator, Gretchen Stahr Breunig, [email protected] Administrative Assistant, Susan Swanberg, [email protected]