Getting Ready for the DC-CAS (in pre-k)!

This week, third through fifth grade students at my school are taking the District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS).  The results of this standardized test, which is administered every April, will be used to determine whether our school meets the goals set forth by No Child Left Behind.  The stakes are high, and the focus on the test is mounting.  From staff meetings and professional development to homework packets and parent meetings, it seems that DC-CAS is high on everyone's radar.

As a pre-k teacher, I sometimes find myself tempted to tune out all the hype about the test.  It can be hard to see the connection between what happens in my classroom on a daily basis -- students working in centers, collaborating with peers, solving problems, etc. -- and a standardized test that my students will take in five years.  However, when I stop to think about it, I realize that I am teaching many of the foundational skills that will help my students excel throughout their education, including on the DC-CAS.  Here are just a few examples:

• Throughout the year I intentionally incorporate nonfiction, fiction, and poetry books into each of our thematic units.  Before I read these books aloud to my students, I tell them a little bit about the genre and why we are reading each book.  While I don't expect my students to master the concepts of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry in pre-k, many of them are catching on to the vocabulary and concepts associated with each genre of literature.  As they do so, my students are developing the knowledge that people write and read for a variety of purposes, and each of those purposes has a specific name. 
• Every Monday we make a class bar graph.  The topic of the graph can be anything from "How old are you?" to "Which book do you like the most?" or "Have you been to the zoo?"  Students answer the question in a complete sentence and then put a square on the graph under the appropriate column.  As students answer the question, I ask them questions such as "How many other people chose the same answer as you?"  or "Which column has the most votes?"  By creating and interpreting our class graph, students are developing foundational skills related to data analysis and statistics, both of which are covered on the DC-CAS. 
• Our classroom culture is focused around the idea that hard work will lead to success.  I set goals with each of my students and we talk explicitly about how they can work to achieve their goals.  I constantly reinforce my students' hard work by commenting on what they have done (e.g. "I can tell that you're working so hard on that writing because you're taking time to stretch out the words and make your letters.") and provide encouragement when they are frustrated (e.g. Help a child calm down and then say, "You wrote the curved part of your 'J,' now all it needs is a line across the top!  I saw you draw a line on your paper this morning, let's see if you can do it again.") My students have learned to identify hard work in themselves and in their peers, and often provide support and encouragement to one another!  With this, they are developing the mindset that they can see success through hard work. 

Given all of this, it is not surprising to find that students who attend pre-k score better on standardized tests in fourth grade!

How Much is a Field Trip Worth?

There were some trees for shade,and some sunny areas for warmth. There were wildflowers blooming and a small creek for wading. A picnic table was all set up. Mr. and Mrs. Berry unpacked the picnic lunch,and everyone sat down to enjoy it. “I think we should do this all the time,” said Henry, happily munching on a pickle. Jenny, running off with her kite held high, added,“I agree!”

“Best of all,” said Mr. Berry, “we won’t have far to walk home since we’re in our own backyard!"

The paragraph above is a released test item from a standardized 3rd grade test. Granted it is a fairly old test, but it isn't atypical. The family in this story decides to have a picnic in their backyard with a creek and a picnic table. The backyard is big enough to fly a kite in. Depending on your prior experiences, you can to a greater or lesser degree imagine this story. What are those prior experiences that you would need? You might need to see and play around trees in an open space on a warm day. You might need to know what a wildflower is, as opposed to a regular flower, and what it looks like when it blooms. You would need to know what a creek is. You would need to have had a picnic lunch, and understand why Jenny is running with her kite, instead of just standing still like in story books. You would have to know what wading means as opposed to swimming. All of these things are fairly normal activities, if you are not from where my students live.

My students live in 2 bedroom box houses. The only trees are on the edges of the apartment complexes. There is no grass to speak of and definitely not enough room to fly a kite. You could get to be 10 years old and never see a creek or have a picnic... unless you went on a field trip. And there it is. Schools function differently for under privileged kids than middle or upper class kids. We were planning to go on that field trip, the creek field trip, on Tuesday. That field trip was canceled. It is for reasons that have nothing to do with kids and are not important. The consequences are the same: without a field trip my students will never see a creek. Ever.

In a middle-income school, field trips are enrichment. They offer opportunities outside of the regular school experience with the support of a teacher, but not necessarily an experience a middle-income student would never have.  In first grade through fifth grade, kids in my school go on one or two field trips per year. Students in kindergarten usually go on two or three. In preschool we usually go on 5 - 9 field trips per year. We go to the zoo, several parks, a children's museum, the ballet, sometimes an art museum, and a botanical garden. I believe it is these field trips that make the difference between passing a third grade test or failing life. Field trips are about possibility, knowing what is beyond that cracker box house and chain link fence. Field trips are about experiencing the wider world. I hope that in these tough economic times that schools don't decide to cut back on field trips because they are an easy way to save money. The cost to students would be too high.

If you agree please visit the No Child Left Inside website or Richard Louv's website: http://www.childrenandnature.org/ and find out how you can get involved in supporting children's understanding of nature. If you live anywhere near Richmond Virginia consider attending a two day symposium on the topic at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden April 28th and 29th, 2009.

Image:  This is a picture of a tree in the actual park our class was supposed to visit tomorrow.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/4H/remarkabletree/images/Maymont/maymont1.jpg

Criss Cross Applesauce

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If you teach preschool, you have most likely heard this before: "My Mom told me, if somebody hits you, hit them back."
As a teacher, my first response is, "We are at school and we have to follow school rules." This will work most of the time, but this has not helped the student who did the hitting learn not to hit. So we conference and usually work it out, at least for that day.

Then, I ask myself, "Who are these rules serving?" They arn't serving the parent. What if the student is repeatedly hit and the teacher doesn't address the issue with the the hitter? Is the rule then serving the child who hits instead of the one who gets hit? We hope our class rules are serving the students, but what if they are really serving the teacher?

This example won't fit into that framework, but let's try another example.

When I start teaching on the carpet I use the "Criss Cross" song to get the class focused on learning and in their personal space. "Criss Cross, Applesauce, Hands in your lap!" Then within the first 30 seconds after I start, a kid or two will flop out on the floor, but they are still attending. Then a student who is not listening flops down on the floor. What do I do? Well the norm in this situation is reinforced by the question, "How do we sit on our shapes?" The class answers, "Criss Cross Applesauce. Hands in your laps!" Order is reestablished by the repetition of the "classroom norm." The class readjusts, the learning continues (for a while). However, it is actually okay to lay out on the floor as long as you are learning in my class. What isn't okay is distracting others or not attending yourself. So who is the "Criss Cross" rule really serving? I think it is serving me. Does that make it wrong to have this as one of the stated norms of my classroom? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe the rule should be, "Criss Cross or not, Look like you're learning a lot!" So how and why, as educators, do we establish our classroom norms? When are they for us and when are they for the kids?

I posted a blog a week ago about classroom discipline. So far, we have had 21 respondents. As of today, 57% have stated they use Time Out in their school or home, and 43% don't. Definitely not a statistically representative sample, but a great start. I am not trying to make this any easier though. I am convinced that there is more than one right answer to any question about a classroom practice especially when it comes to discipline. I haven't found my answer yet. Often, how right an answer is can be influenced by outside factors, like a student or teacher's home culture. What might be the most important question we should ask ourselves is, "Whom is a classroom rule or consequence serving?" Should the teacher's norms be the most important norms in the classroom or should the culture of students guide classroom norms? And what makes a consequence effective? Is it the managing or extinguishing of undesirable behaviors? All behavior is communication. If a student wants attention and expresses that in an inappropriate way, is redirection the best way to extinguish that attention getting behavior? Needless to say, please let us know how you feel and leave us a comment and participate in our poll.

Coping with Stress

Sometimes, within the walls of my school, it is easy to forget about the stress and chaos in which some of my students live.  In our classroom, everybody knows our routines and procedures, functions with (relative) independence, interacts peacefully, and has access to the same experiences. At home, however, many of my students face extremely challenging circumstances; they witness abuse, sleep on the floor, move between homes and shelters, and are cold in the winter. When I step back and think about it, I am truly impressed by their resilience and ability to make tremendous progress in school.

 

Earlier this week, I read an article in the Washington Post that explained the correlation between poverty, stress, and working memory in children.  The article was based on research done by Gary W. Evans, a professor at Cornell University; Evans found that the longer a child lived in poverty, the higher their allostatic load (a measure of stress), and the lower their working-memory at age 17.  I was particulary drawn to this article for two reasons.  First, I was a research assistant for this study for two years while at Cornell.  I collected information from particpants, helped analize several rounds of data, and worked closely with Gary. Needless to say, I have a very personal connection to these findings! Second, I was drawn to the article because of my role as a teacher in a high-need school. At first glance, the findings seem disparaging. Many of my students live in stressful situations, and there is not much that I can do to change that. Upon deeper reflection I realized there is a lot that I can do to tailor my classroom to meet the needs of my students and to help them cope with that stress.  Specifically, I can:

 

• Teach my students how to identify and appropriately respond to their emotions, especially those of stress and anxiety.
• Maintain consistent routines, expectations, and interactions at school. School should always be a safe and predictable environment, regardless of what is happening at home. 
• Listen to my students and validate their emotions. This may mean joining in a dramatic play episode or having a quiet conversation with a student; the ultimate goal is to let my students express themselves and then respond to their needs.

 

While these tactics will not change the circumstances in which many of my students live, they may be able to reduce some of the stress that my students feel. By reducing stress, we may be able to break the connection between poverty and low academic achievement, which will ultimately bring us one step closer to closing the achievement gap and improving the life trajecotories of students in poverty. 

Taking Action

Last May, the District of Columbia City Council unanimously passed the Pre-K Enhancment and Expansion Act of 2008, which laid the foundation for a voluntary, high-quality pre-k program that would make pre-k available to every child in the District.  The legislation included provisions for professional development, quality improvement, and diverse delivery systems (pre-k would be enhanced in community, public school, and public charter school settings), and it was designed for both three- and four-year-old children.  If fully implemented, this legislation would put DC at the forefront of education policy nationwide.

 

Unfortunately, this year's budget reccomendation does not include sufficient funding for full implementation of the legislation.  The City Council is in the process of holding hearings about the budget, and I was fortunate to be able to testify at a hearing earlier this week.  Below is the testimony that I presented to the Council:

 

Good afternoon, my name is Jennifer Rosenbaum and I am a preschool teacher in the District. I would like to speak to you today regarding the proposed appropriations for the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008.

Over my past two years as a preschool teacher, I have witnessed amazing progress in all of my students. They have developed the social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills necessary to succeed in pre-k, kindergarten, and beyond. One of my students, Liliana, is an extremely observant, detail-oriented four-year-old who began school speaking only Spanish. She loved to tell stories and read books in Spanish, but was shy about speaking in English. I observed Liliana’s behavior carefully and devised individualized goals and instructional plans for home and school to help her build her language skills in both English and Spanish. Now, in April, Liliana is able to narrate complex stories, describe her emotions, and negotiate with her peers in both Spanish and English.

Another one of my students, Aaliyah, entered my class as an extremely energetic, outgoing three-year-old. She did not have many academic skills, but her interpersonal skills were strong and she was a keen observer of the world around her. Aaliyah quickly developed a love for reading (her favorite book is When Sophie Gets Angry...Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang), and could soon retell and sequence story events, make predictions about books, and track the print as we read. Not long after school started, Aaliyah’s family lost their home. Her life became extremely chaotic, but school remained constant. Aaliyah thrived on our classroom routine and took pride in the fact that she knew and understood our daily schedule. I maintained high expectations – both academic and behavioral – for Aaliyah, and put in place some individualized support systems to help her succeed in school. Ultimately, she continued to learn at an astonishingly fast pace – she now knows 85% of letter names and 46% of letter sounds, and she can rhyme, segment syllables, read sight words, read and interpret bar graphs, use nonstandard units of measurement, and recognize patterns.

Both Liliana and Aaliyah would have been at high risk for failure in kindergarten, but because they had the opportunity to attend a high-quality preschool program, they will enter school prepared to succeed. Their stories are not unique. Throughout the District, young children who have access to high-quality early care and education programs are developing the social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills that will prepare them for success in kindergarten and beyond. Investing in high-quality early care and education programs is the first, and most critical, step to reforming the District’s K-12 education system.

Last year, the Council took the first step toward a unified, high-quality early care and education system by passing the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008. This ground breaking legislation has the potential to put DC at the forefront of early education policy nationwide. Unfortunately, next year’s proposed budget lacks critical investments in that would allow the full implementation of the legislation to begin. If the Council approves the current budget, the District will lack the funds necessary to develop a high-quality early care and education system that will prepare children for success in school and life. Specifically, next year’s budget does not allow for:

• Coordinated pre-k program expansion in community-based centers, public schools, and public charter schools as required under the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008.
• Quality improvement grant programs as required under the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008.
• Workforce development scholarships or grants as required under the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008.
• Child Care Subsidy Rate Increase as recommended by the Market Rate Survey.

Without these appropriations, the quality of, and access to, early care and education in the District will remain stagnant. Children just like Liliana and Aaliyah will be denied access to a high-quality early education and will be at greater risk for failure in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

I urge you to fully fund the pre-k legislation in the amount of $14.1 million (as estimated by the Chief Financial Officer’s May 2008 Fiscal Impact Statement). By fully funding legislative implementation, the DC Council will be maintaining its commitment to early childhood, as exemplified in the unanimous passage of the legislation last year. The DC Council will therefore also be supporting the President’s focus on early childhood education as a key component of the nation’s economic recovery plan.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration of this critical issue. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

For more information about the legislation and its implementation, your can visit www.prekforalldc.org.  I will write another post later this spring to update you about the final budget appropriations! 

Where we need to move...NOW!

I just finished reading an article from the latest edition of American Educator, a journal primarily focused on educational research and ideas.  I was pleased to see an article devoted to prekindergarten.  Tanya S. Wright and Susan B. Neuman co-authored the article, “Purposeful, Playful Pre-K: Building on Children’s Natural Proclivity to Learn Language, Literacy, Mathematics and Science.”  As you read through the article, there is evidence of great research and thought.  The article is broken down into sections that highlight what the National Research Council deems, “privileged domains” – or “domains in which children have a natural proclivity to learn, experiment and explore.” 

 

The content throughout the rest of the article is helpful and informative.  It gives current pre-k teachers ideas and methods for creating the best possible learning environment.  Educators or older grades are able to understand why these domains are crucial to the lifelong learning of a child. 

 

Even so, I am frustrated after reading this article.  The reason is simple: you don’t have to tell me twice why pre-k opportunities are necessary.  We know quality, researched based pre-k experiences provide the best foundations for our young learners.  

 

That is why I would like to see more articles devoted to the HOW to make this an opportunity for all children.  The article states, “One estimate suggests that children from typical middle-class families experience 1,000 hours of book reading before entering first grade, while children from low-income families may only experience 25 hours.”  I hope this is unacceptable to anyone who reads it.  What is tricky is HOW to get the programmatic support to utilize the information from this article.  I currently have two full classes both with waiting lists.  I know a dozen more families who would love to be involved with our classes but struggle to pay the fees, provide the transportation or have to work full time to support their family. 

 

With the overwhelming research, what else can we do to persuade lawmakers, investors and even our own communities to commit to the cause?  

Collaborating with Friends

"I want to make a flower, but I don't know how." Suniah lamented during morning choice time. "Liliana, can you help me?"

"Uh huh." Liliana replied with a smile.

"Here, use the pink marker." Suniah offered. Liliana reached over to Suniah's paper and started drawing a flower with the pink marker. As she was working, Aaliyah came over and sat across from Suniah. She observed quietly as Liliana continued drawing and Suniah watched with rapt attention. When Liliana finished, Suniah proudly presented her paper to me.

"What did you do?" I asked, having observed the situation but curious to see how Suniah would explain it.

"I wanted to make a flower, but I didn't know how. So I asked my friend for help!" Suniah exclaimed, "Now I need to write the words!"

Aaliyah perked up and asked, "Can I do it?"

"Sure!" Suniah replied. "Write 'I.'" Suniah waited patiently as Aaliyah wrote "I" on the paper. "/m/...M!" Aaliyah dutifully wrote an "M." "Ms. Rosenbaum, what comes next?" Suniah asked.

"I don't know," I replied, "because I don't know what you're trying to write. What's the sentence that you want to write?"

"I made a flower." Suniah explained. And without missing a beat, Suniah continued, "/m/ /a/...A!" Aaliyah wrote the "A." "/m/ /a/ /d/....D!" And Aaliyah wrote the "D."

This process continued for the remainder of the sentence, with the letters "I mad a flwr" eventually written to represent the illustration. When the girls were done, they proudly showed their work to their friends and explained how they worked together. 

This seemingly simple anecdote not only reveals a great deal about my students' development, but also illustrates the profound learning that can occur when children are given the opportunity to direct their own learning.  I was truly impressed to see the leadership role that Suniah played throughout this entire anecdote.  She understood her own limitations (drawing is not her forte), and knew who to ask for help (Liliana is our resident expert artist, and she particularly loves to draw flowers).  Additionally, she voluntarily relinquished her coveted pink marker to Liliana, which showed a great deal of maturity. 

 

When Aaliyah asked to help, I was worried that Suniah might say no; she typically likes to be independent and can be picky about how she lets other people help her.  Suniah, however, devised a system in which Aaliyah was able to help but Suniah remained in charge by dictating the letters.  Impressive problem solving for a four-year-old! 

 

In addition to these social/emotional benefits, the literacy development that occurred during this episode was wonderful.  Suniah naturally executed the "Journal Writing Process" which I taught my students at the beginning of the year:

1. Think about what you want to say

2. Draw a picture

3. Write the words

 

Her spelling was strong, and hearing her sound out the words helped reinforce the process of "stretching out" words, as well as basic letter-sound connections, for her peers. 

 

This anecdote is a wonderful illustration of the progress that Suniah has made in the past year and a half of school.  The combination of teacher-led and child-led learning experiences has allowed her to both acquire new skills and apply them in meaningful contexts.  Ultimately, Suniah was able to draw upon her ability to problem solve, negotiate, take the perspective of others, and sound out words to create a detailed piece of work with her friends!