Transcript Strengthening Birth to PK-3 Partnerships EEC Advisory Council June 7, 2011

Strengthening Birth to PK-3 Partnerships
Approaches to Linking PK-3 in Massachusetts:
Activities to Support Continuity for Children and
Families Across Early Learning and Elementary
Grades
EEC Advisory Council
June 7, 2011
Including Data from the Office
Of Head Start Summit, “On the
Road to School Readiness”
presented by Catherine Scott-Little
on February 15-17, 2011
Baltimore, MD
Overview of Presentation
Content:
•
PK-3 Alignment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
On the Road to School Readiness
•
•
Aligning State Standards, the Head Start Child Development Early
Learning Frameworks & Our Work with Children
Head Start & Public Schools Memorandum of Agreement
•
•
•
•
2
Mission Statements Support Alignment
What Science and Research Tell us
Key PK-3 Principles and Elements
Examples of current and future activities
Other Initiatives -Birth to age 8
Infrastructure and Accountability
Looking Ahead
State-wide meetings with Head Start, Public Schools, Early
Intervention and CFCE Grantees.
Purpose of MOU
10 Federally Mandated Activities
Feedback to date from participants
Mission Statements to Support
PK-3 Alignments
3
Mission Statements Support Alignment
Department of Early Education and Care
provide the foundation that supports all children in their development as
lifelong learners and contributing members of the community, and
supports families in their essential work as parents and caregivers.

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

strengthen the Commonwealth’s public education system so that every
student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, compete
in the global economy, and understand the rights and
responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all
proficiency gaps.
Head Start
Improve Children’s school readiness outcomes and promote changes that
integrate children into a continuum of high-quality early care and
education spanning from birth to age eight.
Boston Public Schools
4
As the birthplace of public education in this nation, the Boston Public
Schools is committed to transforming the lives of all children through
exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming
schools. We partner with the community, families and students to
develop within every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in
college, career, and life.
Our unified
vision is...
…Proficiency on Grade 3 Statewide
Literacy and Mathematics Assessments
5
What Science and Research
Tell Us About Child Development
6
What the Science Tells Us About
Child Development
7

The brain’s architecture is being built
from the bottom up

Early experiences literally shape the
developing brain—for good or ill
How the Science Guides Policy
Shonkoff, Jack P., MD: Leveraging an Integrated Science of Early Childhood Development to Strengthen the Foundations of
Health, Learning, and Behavior. Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. Presentation to the EEC 2010 Early
Childhood Information Systems Strategic Planning Institute - Cambridge, MA | November 18, 2010
8
What We Know from
Experience and Research
Children enter school with vastly different skills. Research shows that gaps
in learning exist by 18 months of age.
High quality preschool supports children to develop age appropriate skills
and be ready to succeed in kindergarten.
Children’s overall healthy development is critical to learning. Social and
emotional competencies as well as physical health are tied to academic
success.
The support and involvement of families in their child’s education and
development is necessary for successful learning.
9
National Center for Children in Poverty
Access Related Data (2009)
There are 459,330 children in
MA under age six, 29% live in
low income
10
Children Experiencing Multiple Risks in MA
11
Policies to Consider and Discuss
12

Universal Preschool

Mandated, Universal Full-Day Kindergarten
(Offering and Attendance)

Class Size and/or Ratio Regulations in PK-3

Shift in access eligibility from family
income to child need
PK-3 Alignments:
Key Principles and Elements
13
Key Principles in the PK-3 Alignment
1. Horizontal alignment
2. Vertical alignment
3. Temporal alignment
14
Principle 1: Horizontal Alignment
 Horizontal
alignment
15

Vertical
alignment

Temporal
alignment
Horizontal alignment
is created by using
consistent learning
approaches within an
age range or grade.
Principle 2: Vertical Alignment



Horizontal
alignment
Vertical
alignment
Temporal
alignment
3rd grade
2nd
grade
1st grade
K
Pre-K
16
Vertical alignment
is created by using
consistent learning
approaches across
ages or grades.
Principle 3: Temporal Alignment
17

Horizontal
alignment

Vertical
alignment

Temporal
alignment
Temporal alignment
is created by using
consistent learning
approaches across a
child’s day.
What does Pk-3 look like
in Massachusetts?
A coordinated and
collaborative approach
18
Instructional
Tools and
Practices
Mechanisms for
Cross-Sector
Alignment
Teacher Quality &
Capacity
Data and
Assessment
Cross Agency
Collaboration
on P-3
Transitions and
Pathways
Instructional
Environment
(school and
Classroom)
Engaged Families
Administrators &
Leadership
Quality
19
PK-3 Elements
1
Mechanisms for cross-sector alignment
(Governance, strategic plans)
Administrators and Leadership Quality
(Leadership is inclusive/facilitative and focused on instruction)
Teacher Quality and Capacity
(Focus on credentials and professional development; professional dispositions;
professional community)
Instructional Tools and Practices
(Curriculum content; alignment of standards and curricula; pedagogical methods)
Instructional Environment
(Student-centered learning culture (classroom and school))
Data and Assessments
(Data and assessment used to improve instruction)
Engaged Families
(Families and communities engaged in student learning)
Transitions and Pathways
(Focus on children’s movement through the continuum)
1
Kauerz, Kristie (2011). Sustaining Your Work: PreK-3rd Implementation and Evaluation Framework; a
presentation to ESE PK-3 grantees. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA.
Examples of PK-3 Elements:
Current & Future
Activities
21
Mechanisms for Cross-Sector Alignment
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3
initiative)

Executive Office of Education Inter-agency
Taskforce focused on PK-3 Literacy

Support the Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between EEC and Springfield PS to develop
a PK-3 infrastructure

Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)

Support collaborative efforts between early
education and care providers and the public schools
(e.g., joint professional development)

Co-sponsor an Institute on Literacy and
Mathematics, weaving the social-emotional and
family engagement frameworks into the content
Administrators and Leadership
Quality
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3
initiatives)

Support the CAYL Institute and Principal
Leadership forums

Create a survey course for Literacy PK-3 in
collaboration with University of Massachusetts
Boston

Link the STEM work with the professional
development priorities around literacy and
mathematics in early education

Support principals to develop early education
and early elementary expertise
23
Teacher Quality and Capacity
(Examples of current and future activities to support
PK-3 initiative)

EEC Licensing requirements and ESE Teacher
certification requirements

Administer the Early Literacy Grant and the Early
Childhood Special Education Grants

Create opportunities for collaborative team planning
between general and special education

Create common planning time for school staff across
and between grade levels

Coordinate across program types to support children
with disabilities
24
Instructional Tools and Practices
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3
initiative)
Standards:
 Roll-out the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for
English Language Arts and Literacy and the Massachusetts
Curriculum Framework for Mathematics
Curriculum:
 Align the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and
Kindergarten Learning Experiences with the new frameworks
 Integrate content areas and create interdisciplinary
curriculum
 Develop a birth to literacy curriculum for educators
Instruction:
 Ensure developmentally appropriate practice in PK-3
classrooms
 Provide knowledge of child development to teachers,
administrators and assistants
 Differentiate instruction
 Implement tiered systems of support
 Enrich learning experiences for children
PK-3
 Focus on the whole child
 Use play effectively to promote learning
25
Instructional Environments
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Administer the PK-3 Curriculum, Instruction,
and Assessment Alignment Project

Administer the Universal Preschool Grant

Administer the Quality Full-Day Kindergarten
Grant

Quality Rating and Improvement System
(QRIS)

Create small class sizes and appropriate adult:
student ratios

Alignment of schools and after-school and
out-of-school time programs related to
curriculum, instructional strategies, and
professional development
26
Data and Assessments

(Examples of current and future activities to
support PK-3 initiative)
Develop and use data systems to address PK-3 issues

Implement comprehensive assessment approaches by
using formative assessment, progress monitoring, and
summative student data

Replicate the Chicago Study focused on
Literacy/Mathematics and social-emotional competencies

Use Classroom Assessment Scoring System instrument
in Head Start programs, as an option in QRIS and in some
Quality Full-Day Kindergarten grant classrooms.

Implement Quality Rating and Improvement System
requirements for evidence-based formative
assessments in early education and care programs
(infant, toddler, and preschool) and after-school and out27
of-school time programs
Engaged Families
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Administer the Coordinated Family and Community
Engagement Grants (EEC)

Create opportunities for staff from EEC and ESE to
jointly develop a family and community engagement
framework

Support the work of the Wraparound Services
model and School Turnaround work, including
engagement of families

Conduct home visits and other non-traditional
strategies (e.g., parent groups, resource rooms)

Build partnerships among families, schools, and
community-based organizations

Access behavioral health services and other
supports (e.g., mental health)
EEC Family and Community Engagement Networks
FY12 CFCE
Grant Awards
Total :107
29
Transitions and Pathways
(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Support student transitions within and across
grades

Create and use common transition forms
between public and community-based preschool
programs to share data with kindergarten teachers

Provide opportunities for preschool children to
visit kindergarten classrooms and kindergarten
teachers to visit children in their preschool program

Develop a common understanding about student
expectations and share that understanding among
birth to five providers and PK-3 staff
30
Other Related
PreK- Grade 3/ Birth- Grade 3
Initiatives
31
Springfield Public Schools Partnership

32
EEC and the Springfield Public Schools entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) to:

Encourage use of (EEC) Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and
ESE Guide to Kindergarten Learning Experiences in order to align learning
experiences across multiple settings before children enter Kindergarten.

Track outcomes with regard to the progress of children, family mobility and
workforce participation and development.

Develop a plan to share information, to the extent permitted by law, regarding
professional development and/or training opportunities for early educators.

Share information, to the extent permitted by law, regarding comprehensive
developmental and health teams for children in all settings.

Coordinate better transitions and connections between Pre-K programs and
school programs.

Promote better coordination and connections between public schools and
School-Age programs.

Promote mentoring/coaching between public and private entities to better
influence instructional learning practices.

Work on best practices for family engagement.

Develop a shared practice and effort around the development of early literacy
skills from Pre-k through 3rd grade.

Develop methods to support children and families to manage transitions.
Out-of-School/District Partnership (Worcester)
33

EEC identified a great need for out-of-school-time care at two
underperforming elementary schools in Worcester.

These schools have been designated by the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education as “Level 4” for having scored
poorly on the MCAS in both Math and English Language Arts over a
four-year span with no signs of “substantial improvement.”

In an effort to assist these schools in their redesign and turnaround
efforts, EEC sought a program to implement out-of-school-time
services on-site at one or both of these schools.

Through quality programming, primarily offered after-school, children
can receive assistance in completing their homework, preparing for
MCAS examinations, and reinforcing lessons and skills taught during
the school day.

EEC sought to award up to forty (40) out-of-school-time slots (up to
twenty (20) per school) to an existing income eligible provider for
out-of-school-time care to be provided at one or both of these
underperforming schools starting on or before February 28, 2011.

EEC received one application from the Guild of St. Agnes to provide
services. The Guild was awarded 40 school age slots amended to
their income eligible contract to provide out-of-school time programs
at the “Level 4” Union and Chandler Schools in Worcester. The
programs will open on February 29, 2011.
Pre-Kindergarten Quality Improvement and
Partnership Grant (Lowell Public Schools)
34

In an effort to assist children, schools, and communities, EEC
is seeking to implement quality improvement services which
will be supported by community partnerships between the
pre-kindergarten program and the local public school.

Through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP), EEC has
awarded grants in the amount of $50,000 to Community
Teamwork Inc. to partner with Lowell Public Schools and to
Associated Day Care, Inc to partner with Lee Academy (pilot
program in Boston Public Schools). Both grant recipients are
contracted with EEC to provide preschool child care.

The grantees will collaborate public schools awarded contracts
through the 2009 Income Eligible Child Care Financial
Assistance Program Demonstration Project for Public and
Private Schools in order to improve program quality, increase
available community and staff resources, and expand support
for children with special needs.
Birth to Eight Leadership Institute
35

In partnership with ESE, EEC is sponsoring a Birth the 8
Leadership Fellowship Institute focused on three areas of
importance:
 child growth and development;
 literacy, and
 dual language learners.

Educators are eligible for the Fellowship if they are:
 An elementary school principal; or
 A director of a program such as Head Start, center-based and
out-of-school time care programs, and FCC systems

The Institute includes three in-depth meetings with national
experts and state leaders on March 26, April 30, and June 4, 2011.

Meetings target leaders throughout Massachusetts, with priority
for principals of Level 4 Elementary Schools, and include
proportionate numbers of representatives from Head Start, family
child care, center-based care and other programs.

Cities/towns represented by multiple participants:
Boston Fitchburg Lawrence
Salem
Springfield
Chelsea Holyoke New Bedford Southbridge Worcester
SAC Goal 3 – B-8 Community Planning and
PK-3 Partnerships
Co-Investment Funding Partnership Contracts with
the Philanthropic Sector
 Support for community birth through age 8 (B-8)
strategic plans, anchored in local data on:
 Child/family needs, and
 The quality/effectiveness of PK through Grade 3
aligned systems linking local schools, local
providers, and families through grants to
communities.
 Development of tools and assessments which are
aligned based on child development including
standards, to be used locally between the early
education and public schools

SAC Goal 3 Related Updates:
1. ESE/ EEC PK – 3 Partnership
2. Head Start and the Public Schools
36
Proposal: Grants to Support Birth to 8
Community Planning in Rural Communities

In response to feedback provided by the SAC suggesting that
resources be targeted to rural communities, EEC proposes
awarding grants to rural communities to support birth to 8
community planning.

Grants relate to SAC Goal 3: Birth to 8 Community Planning
and Pre-k to 3rd partnerships.
• EEC plans to allocate $95,000 of the ARRA SAC the
purpose of rural community planning grants.
• Grants will be approximately $5,000 each and will be
focused on supporting the needs of children and families
in rural communities through community planning.
• EEC has reviewed population per square foot and the
number of children ages 0-5 in communities to
determine which communities would be eligible to
apply for funds (see following data).
37
Out-of-School Time Literacy Initiative
Out-of-School Time (OST) Literacy and Learning
Promotion Initiative
38

Goal is to retain or increase students’ academic gains,
particularly in the area of literacy, by reinforcing their school day and
year learning through high-impact activities and effective curricula
during the summer months and throughout the school year.

Supports OST programs’ ability to implement high-impact
learning activities through partnerships with public school districts
for direct training, modeling of effective direct instructional practice
and coaching/feedback for program staff).

The United Way is partnering with BOSTnet, WestMOST, and
Boston DELTAS to support Out of School Time programs in
partnering with seven school districts (Boston, Lowell, Lawrence,
Lynn, Holyoke, Springfield, Worcester) designated “Commissioner’s
Districts” by ESE

United Way Mass Bay is also collaborating with United Way of
Central Massachusetts and United Way of Pioneer Valley to
provide a statewide learning community for participants in the
initiative.

Evaluation results show that 85% of all participants avoided
typical summer literacy loss; 68% showed gains in reading
Literacy Initiatives
39

Grants to the USDOE “Promise Neighborhoods” to support Early
literacy engagement with “hard to reach” families who currently are
not connected to any community agency in their area

Interactive training on assessment strategies for working with Second
Language Learners through the Umass Donohue Initiative;
participants receive an overview of the pre Language Assessment
Scales (preLAS) oral language and pre-literacy assessment for four,
five, and six year olds and strategies to use in the classroom and with
families to support second language acquisition.

The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) literacy trainings for family
child care providers (ARRA funded)

Introductory Presentations on the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum
Framework/PK-12 Common Core Standards for English Language
Arts and Math through the Regional Readiness Centers

Get Ready to Read! national initiative to build the early literacy skills
of preschool-age children provides an easy-to-administer, researchbased screening tool to early childhood educators, child care providers,
and parents in order to help them prepare all children to learn to read
and write

Forum on literacy professional development and community
engagement in partnership with Reach Out and Read
State Level Efforts on Early Childhood Assessment
40

EEC and ESE rolling out a PK-3 framework that looks at the alignment
of curriculum, instruction, and assessment from birth up through
grade 3 as well as elements such as leadership, professional
development, and family engagement.
 Critical to promoting and understanding young children’s
development and learning and, ultimately, will lead to their success
in school.
 Assessment of young children that is developmentally appropriate
is an important element of this framework.

Think about assessment within the context of the PK-3
framework, not just school readiness/kindergarten readiness.
 Look at children’s growth and progress in an ongoing way over time
to understand where they are in their learning trajectories and how
to best support them to optimize their development and learning.
 Assessment of children at a single point-in-time and in isolation of
ongoing assessment practices doesn’t provide us with the broader
picture of a child’s development and how to optimize their learning.

An early childhood assessment system must be comprehensive and
focus on the whole child; research on children and educational
outcomes has documented the importance of children’s physical and
social-emotional health on their availability and ability to learn.
State Level Efforts on Early Childhood Assessment

41
MA has taken a slow-and-steady approach to the
requirement to create a kindergarten readiness assessment
system for a number of reasons.
 There are many different curricula and assessment practices
being used and we want to make sure that we understand
those practices in order to best inform what our system
should look like.
 We want to be clear on the questions that a kindergarten
readiness assessment system should answer so that we can
ensure that we have the right tools to collect the necessary
data.
 We want to make sure that we have properly trained
the field on the importance of developmentally appropriate
assessment, how to do it, and how to use the data to inform
instruction and program improvements.
 We want to make sure that whatever we create for an early
childhood assessment system aligns with infant-toddler
growth and development as well as growth and development
of children in the PK-Grade 3 system.
Assessment: Kindergarten Readiness
42
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Model Design and Pilot
 EEC has selected New York University (NYU) Child and Family
Policy Center (CFPC) as the vendor for a the Kindergarten
Readiness Assessment Model Design and Pilot Project.
 CFPC will design a model of formative and/or summative
assessment that can be used in preschool and/or kindergarten in
the mixed system of early education and care programs as well as
public school programs to demonstrate children’s kindergarten
readiness level.
 The model will serve the following purposes:
 Provide child-level data to educators which can be used to
inform classroom practice and individualize instruction for
children;
 Provide data that can be aggregated at the program level for
site-based improvement and growth tracking;
 Provide sample or complete data sets that can be aggregated at
the state level to make statements about the school readiness
level of children in the Commonwealth and inform policymaker
decision making.
 CFPC will also develop a training module for teachers, select pilot
sites and work with educators to collect pre and post-test
assessments of teachers perceptions of the feasibility, acceptability
and educational benefit of the direct assessments being Piloted.
Potential Partners to Build PK-3

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
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Executive Office of Education
Department of Higher Education and Institutions of Higher Education
EEC (Policy, Professional Development, Early Childhood Information
System)
ESE (Title 1, Targeted Assistance, Special Education, Learning
Support Services, Curriculum and Instruction, English
Language Acquisition, Adult and Community Education) and
the regional DSACs
CAYL Institute
Readiness Centers
Davis Foundation
United Way
Resource and Referral Agencies
Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership
Strategies for Children
Head Start
Non-profit Community-based Organizations
Independent Family Child Care Providers
Massachusetts Administrators of Special Education
Massachusetts Elementary Principals Association
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
Massachusetts Association of School Committees 43
Questions/Feedback?
44
Setting School
Readiness Goals
and Aligning State
Standards, the Head
Start CDEL
Framework and Our
Work with Children
and Families
Data from the Office Of Head
Start Summit, “On the Road to
School Readiness”
presented by Catherine Scott-Little
on February 15-17, 2011
Baltimore, MD
11
Reason 1: Head Start Act
Requirement
HEAD START ACT as amended 2007 (42USC9801
et. Seq) promotes use of/
alignment with ELS in:
– Professional Development
– Qualified staff
– School readiness goals for children
– Curriculum
– Head Start Collaboration Directors’ responsibilities
12
Reason 2:
Our children deserve it
Common expectations
from ELS/ELGs help
make sure all children
starting from the same
place
13
Reason 3:
Alignment of goals and curricula
is
the “heart” of smooth transitions
14
15
Alignment is
• The proper
adjustment of the
components of an
electronic circuit,
machine, etc., for
coordinated
functioning
– Dictionary.com
16
Mis-alignment
means potential
for
1
8
Alignment means potential for
1
9
There’s more to
alignment than meets
the eye
2
0
Many alignment analyses are low
complexity matrices
Another Document
One Document
Draws pictures with
crayons
Aligned?
Develops fine motor
skills

Knows own name
Identifies words that
rhyme
Plays with words,
sounds, and rhymes
2
1
In Head Start alignment means
• Coordinated functioning of
– Head Start Child Development and Early Learning
Framework
– State Early Learning Standards/Early Learning
Guidelines
– Goals and objectives for individual children, for
classrooms, and for the program
– Curriculum used in teaching
– Assessment used in gauging children’s learning &
development
– Communication with parents and families
17
Need to evaluate alignment on
several parameters
Balance: the degree to which the two
documents address the same domains
Depth: the degree to which the two
documents address the same specific skills
and knowledge within a domain
Difficulty: the degree to which the
expectations within the two documents reflect
a similar level of difficulty or age-level
Kagan, Scott-Little, Reid & Greenburg, 2007
22
23
Balance
Pre-K
Standards
6
%
38
20%
Social and Emotional
Development
%
8%
15
%
38
%
6
%
Physical Development
and Motor Skills
Infanttoddler
Standards
38
Approaches to Play
and Learning
Language and
Communication
%
Cognitive Development
and General
Knowledge
30
%
Scott-Little, Kagan, Reid & Greenburg, 2008
Difficulty:
Difficulty:
Infant/Toddler vs. PreKindergarten Total
Pre-Kindergarten vs.
Kindergarten Total
Percentage of Standard Indicator Pairs
Percentage of Standard Indicator Pairs

3% (6)
10%
68
(4
9)
%

(7)
65
22
%
(1
%
(15
1)
32
%
(7
5)
Younger Age Group
More Difficult than
Older Age Group (-)
6)

Equal Difficulty (=)
Older Age Group
More Difficult than
Younger Age Group
*184 Unpaired Indicators
(+)

* 96 Unpaired Indicators
Scott-Little, Kagan, Reid & Greenburg, 2008
27
Balance
• Head Start Child
Development and Early
Learning Framework
– Physical Development & Health
- Social & Emotional Development
- Approaches to Learning
– Language Development
– Literacy Knowledge & Skills
– Mathematics Knowledge & Skills
– Science Knowledge & Skills
– Creative Arts Expression
– Logic and Reasoning
– Social Studies Knowledge & Skills
– English Language Development
• State ELS may
– Have a lower percentage of
physical and health
– Have lower percentage of socialemotional
– Have higher percentage of
cognitive development and general
knowledge but omit logic and
reasoning
– Omit English Language
Development
28
Depth: State ELS/ELGs may
Physical development
and health
– Emphasize health
knowledge and practice less
Social-emotional
Approaches to
learning
Language and
communication
Cognitive
development
– Address additional areas of
science and social studies
– Include some of the
approaches to learning
concepts in social- emotional
29
Difficulty
• State ELS/ELGs
may have standards
that are less difficult
than the Head Start
Child Development
and Early Learning
Framework
30
Special considerations for use of
standards with dual language children

Continued use of home language is very important
 Teachers should plan activities and interactions
that support their learning in all domain areas as
well as their ability to learn English
 DLL children can demonstrate competency in any
domain in either language
 Assessments should be culturally and linguistically
appropriate and should use the language or
languages that most accurately demonstrate the
child’s knowledge and abilities
31
Special considerations for children
with disabilities
Some additional alignment considerations
– ISFP/IEP
– OSEP Early Childhood Outcomes
Should be working toward the same knowledge
and skills described in the Head Start Framework
and state ELS/ELGs
May require more individualized/intense
instruction, accommodations, and/or assistive
technology
Look for small and incremental progress
32
“Take Away” From Framework/ELS
Alignment Considerations
The Head Start Framework and state ELS/ELGs
should be used together to set goals for children
and to make decisions about curricula and
assessments.
There may be some examples of miss-alignment
between the two documents.
Special consideration should be given to how
the Head Start Framework and ELS/ELGs are
used with Dual Language Learners and children
with disabilities.
33
A final thought
• Use of state’s ELS/ELGs
can be an important tool
to improve children’s
transitions to public
school
– Working toward same goals a
children in other programs
– Support for cohesive system of
school readiness goals, curriculum, and
communication with parents
36
Resources Related to ELS/ELGs

www.earlylearningguidelines-standards.org

http://nitcci.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/resources/EarlyLearningGuide.htm
37
Head Start and Public Schools
Strengthening Birth-to-Grade 3
Partnerships
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Head Start and Public School Partnerships
A series of 5 meetings between public preschool and Head Start
representatives with a focus on full implementation of the
activities of the federally required Head Start –LEA
Memorandum of Understanding. These meetings will offer:
 An overview of the MOU requirements;
 Discussion of effective strategies to support children’s school
readiness.
 Shared best practices in education, curricular objectives,
assessment, and instructions, joint staff training,
communication and parent outreach for smooth transition to
kindergarten
 Discussion of alignment of the Head Start frameworks,
preschool learning guidelines, and the Common Core standards.
Region
2 Done
71
Western MA
(Region 1)
Central MA
(Region 2 & 4)
Northeast
(Region 3)
Southeast and
Cape Region
(Region 5)
Metro Boston
(Region 6)
Scheduled Date
Scheduled Time
May 25, 2011
9:30 am -12:30 pm
June 1, 2011 to be
9:30 am-12:30 pm
June 15, 2011
9:30 am-12:30 pm
June 13, 2011
9:30 am -12:30 pm
June 7, 2011
1:30 am -4:30 pm
Location
Westfield Public School,
22 Ashley Street, Westfield, MA
S.M.O.C Head Start
300 Howard Street, Framingham 01720
Head Start Greater Lawrence Community Action Council
305 Essex Street Lawrence, MA
Self-Help Head Start
370 Howard Street, Brockton 02302
rd
ABCD South End Head Start 3 floor
112 Shawmut Avenue, Boston
Purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):
a.
Improve availability and the quality of services for children and their
families
b.
Support children’s optimal development & readiness for school entry
and success
c.
Address the unique strengths and needs of the local population,
such as homeless, migrant, or non-English speaking families
d.
Promote collaboration regarding shared use of transportation, facilities,
etc.
e.
Reduce duplication and enhance efficiency of services
f.
Define responsibilities toward coordination and greater collaboration;
enhance linkages and relationships; and exchange information on the
provision of educational and non-educational services
g.
Coordinate a comprehensive system of activities, policies, and
procedures that guide and support their delivery of services to children
and their families
Data from: OHS Model HSSCO MOU, 2009
MOU’s 10 Federally Mandated Activities:
1. Educational activities, curricular objectives, assessment, &
instruction
2. Public information dissemination & access to programs for families
contacting HS or any of the preschool programs
3. Selection priorities for eligible children to be served by programs
4. Definition of service areas
5. Opportunities for joint staff training on topics such as academic content
6. Program technical assistance
7. Provision of services to meet the needs of working parents
8. Communication & parent outreach for smooth transitions to
kindergarten
9. Provision and use of facilities, transportation, and other program elements
10. Other elements of activities mutually agreed to by the Head Start and
Public Schools
Group Discussions
3 Topics for Discussion:
1) Alignment of Curriculum and Assessment
2) Opportunities for Joint Professional Development
3)Supporting Seamless Transitions
Questions to Discuss:
•
What is working well, in particular related to the following sections of the
MOU that you would recommend as best practice for others across the
state (Include in the discussion services to children with disabilities?
•
What could be working better? What support from each other, EEC or
ESE is needed to improve outcomes? What type of technical assistance do
you need to support your work?
•
Are there collaborations outside of those required by the MOU that you
would like to highlight as examples of best practice?
Group Summary:
74
•Ideas/key lessons learned to share with the larger group.
General Themes Feedback From
Westfield and Framingham Meetings:
Curriculum and Assessment Comments and Ideas:

Establishing opportunity for Head Start and Public school to create the vision for
curriculum and assessment together

Supporting a continuum of curriculum and assessment within the district from the
early years up through grade 12

Top-down approach in prioritizing MOU activities: involve Superintendents/Principals
Professional Development Comments and Ideas:

Have the district commit to at least one joint professional day

Thinking outside of the box regarding
 When to have professional development opportunities (day/night/weekends)
 How to structure the PD event to support each program and their collaborative
work between Head Start and public schools
 Who is invited to attend PD opportunities ( i.e., E.I. personnel)
75
Transition Comments and Ideas:

Include personal connection between teachers when sharing paper forms of child
transition sheets (teacher meetings)

Public school staff taking time to visit children and families at their program early on
before transitioning

Utilizing Coordinated Family & Community Engagement grantees to support families
along the pathway