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Maintaining Validity in School Readiness Evaluation: A Multi-dimensional Approach in Methodology
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| Presenter(s):
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| Summerlynn Anderson, Walter R McDonald and Associates Inc, sanderson@wrma.com
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| Gary Resnick, Harder+Company, gresnick@harderco.com
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| Fred Molitor, Walter R McDonald and Associates Inc, fmolitor@wrma.com
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| Julie Field, First 5 Sacramento, fieldj@saccounty.net
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| Abstract:
“School readiness” programs aim to prepare children for kindergarten. The School Readiness program funded with tobacco taxes by First 5 Sacramento includes a broad range of services for school staff, parents, and children. The evaluation of these services requires a complex methodology and multiple instruments. Evaluators coordinate and monitor data collection activities through school staff, who had direct access to the target populations. During the school year, 82,050 services were provided to 2,894 families. Changes in parenting practices (e.g., reading to children) were assessed by a pre/post survey of randomly-selected parents. A standardized, cognitive assessment was administered to children by school staff; and school staff assessed children’s social-emotional development. A fourth instrument was completed by teachers and providers to assess activities and curricula. The evaluator required comprehensive training of school staff and weekly site visits to review recruitment. Services were found related to outcomes after controlling for family characteristics.
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Getting Ready for School: Monitoring a User Productivity Kit (UPK) Pilot Program in an Urban Setting
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| Presenter(s):
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| Rob Fischer, Case Western Reserve University, fischer@case.edu
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| Lance Peterson, Case Western Reserve University, lance.peterson@case.edu
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| Nina Lalich, Case Western Reserve University, nina.lalich@case.edu
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| Claudia Coulton, Case Western Reserve University, claudia.coulton@case.edu
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| Abstract:
This paper reports on a study of children in a pilot universal prekindergarten program in 24 sites in the Cleveland, OH area. Observational and parent survey data were collected on a sample of 204 children selected from a sample of early care classrooms for 3-to-5 year olds. Data were collected by trained observers using two standardized instruments – the Woodcock Johnson Letter-Word and Applied Problems subtests, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Data were collected across three time points and linked to school readiness ratings provided by kindergarten teachers in public school settings. The findings speak to the developmental trajectory of children as they approach kindergarten and how that pattern may be impacted by the quality of the early care setting from which they emerge. The paper also addresses how to use quality data to inform practice and policy.
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Crossing Borders: Evaluation of a Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural and Bi-national Kindergarten Readiness Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Sharon DeJoy, State University of New York College at Potsdam, dejoysl@potsdam.edu
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| Tina Runkles, State University of New York College at Potsdam, runkletm190@potsdam.edu
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| Stephanie Hawkins, State University of New York College at Potsdam, hawkin78@potsdam.edu
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| Abstract:
Families Can is a three-year home visiting pilot project conducted by the Tri-County Literacy Council in Cornwall, Ontario, with support from the Ontario Ministry of Health. The project uses the Parents as Teachers model to improve health and school readiness for at-risk children. The project area incorporates a three-county area around Cornwall, as well as the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation, spanning Canadian and American (New York) territory.
In the last year of the project, Families Can conducted an evaluation of school readiness among preschoolers served by the program. Three year old program participants and a comparison group, matched for age, race, income and school of attendance, were evaluating using the BRIGANCE Preschool Screening tool.
Not only does the paper present the findings of the evaluation, it identifies lessons learned from conducting an evaluation with bi-lingual (French and English) white and indigenous families on both sides of the US/Canadian border.
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Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact of Early Childhood Professional Development Programs on K-3 Success
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| Presenter(s):
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| Raymond Hart, Georgia State University, rhart@gsu.edu
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| Gary Bingham, Georgia State University, gbingham@gsu.edu
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| Nicole Patton-Terry, Georgia State University, npterry@gsu.edu
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| Abstract:
Studies show that children entering kindergarten or first grade with early literacy deficits are at risk for academic difficulties (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998; Juel, 1988; Scarborough, 2001). To ensure school success, children with limited emerging literacy skills must be provided with intense and appropriate early literacy instruction (Bowman, Donovan, & Burns, 2001; Simmons et al., 2003; Snow, et al., 1998). Few studies to date examine the longitudinal benefits of preschool programs on children’s language skills after the completion of such programs. The findings from this study demonstrate that children participating in three different preschool teacher professional development intervention projects across the country obtained significant increases in their language and literacy knowledge and significantly closed the achievement gap present at the beginning of preschool. Implications for evaluators studying the long term effects of preschool education and methods for evaluating students learning, teacher professional development, and long term school success are discussed.
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