Submission Type: Research-Based
Final Rating: Promising Research
Date Submitted: Fall 2023
Focus Area: Child Development
Focus Population: Children, Teachers, Caregivers, Administrators
Contact Information:
Center for Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD)
(405) 799-6383
1801 N. Moore Ave., Moore, OK 73160
Goals and Outcomes:
The goal of ELQA: Starting Right is to improve access to and use of high-quality early literacy and numeracy measurements and scientifically based strategies for differentiated instruction in preschools and childcare centers. Regular use of valid, reliable, yet quickly administered measures can help identify children at-risk, organize groups for most appropriate learning activities, and monitor ongoing progress effectively. Consistent implementation of proven instructional strategies has been shown to close achievement gaps and support a diverse population of learners.
ELQA: Starting Right proposes to increase:
• the number of children in preschool who are accurately identified as being “at-risk” for academic difficulties,
• the academic content to which preschool children are exposed,
• the time spent in instructional domains of literacy/language and numeracy, and
• the number of teacher professional development opportunities that focus on literacy and numeracy strategies for young children (ages 3-5).
According to Joyce and Showers (2002), effective professional development must include four components:
initial instruction, 2) demonstration, 3) practice and feedback, and 4) coaching and follow-up.
ELQA: Starting Right will provide:
• effective teacher professional development in assessment implementation and research-based teaching strategies to ensure children are learning necessary cognitive skills,
• ongoing expert instructional coaching (on-site and virtual),
• support for children and teachers/caregivers during the transition to kindergarten, and
• communities of practice for participating teachers/caregivers to share ideas and reflect on early learning best practices to ensure the sustainability of the initial project.
CHILD OUTCOMES
Children will develop important literacy/numeracy prerequisite skills and understandings including: Early literacy concepts
• oral language (vocabulary development, expressive language, and listening)
• phonological awareness
• concepts about print
• alphabetic knowledge
Early numeracy concepts
• number recognition
• numbers and operations
• displaying and analyzing data
• geometry
• algebraic thinking
By learning these concepts, children will enter kindergarten with the prerequisite literacy/numeracy skills to be successful throughout their educational careers.
TEACHER OUTCOMES
Classroom teachers, teacher assistants, and administrators will:
• increase their knowledge of children’s literacy and numeracy development, assessment and instructional planning, and children’s diverse literacy/numeracy needs;
• deliver appropriate early literacy/numeracy instruction in oral language, phonological awareness, concepts about print, and alphabetic principle, number recognition, numbers and operations, displaying and analyzing data, geometry, algebraic thinking, and measurement and data;
• administer appropriate literacy/numeracy assessments, interpret assessment results, use assessment results to identify children at risk for reading failure, and use assessment results to plan instruction for all children to meet pre-K literacy/numeracy standards.
Brief Summary:
ELQA: Starting Right proposes to implement the ELQA and professional support in at least 20 classrooms in ten rural Oklahoma public elementary schools and selected childcare centers, Head Starts, and public preschool/pre-k programs that feed into each school. The children, teachers, and ECE professionals in the selected rural schools are the focus for implementation of the ELQA measurement and professional development related to increasing early literacy and numeracy skills. In rural Oklahoma, high-quality early education and childcare is more difficult to find for many economically disadvantaged families.
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