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Mississippi Head Start Association

Mississippi Head Start Association. 2013 Summer Convention Literacy and Early Childhood Update July 22, 2013 Nathan Oakley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Robin Lemonis , Director of Literacy, Early Childhood, and Dyslexia. Agenda.

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Mississippi Head Start Association

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  1. Mississippi Head Start Association 2013 Summer Convention Literacy and Early Childhood Update July 22, 2013 Nathan Oakley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Robin Lemonis, Director of Literacy, Early Childhood, and Dyslexia

  2. Agenda • Early Childhood Initiative (Senate Bill 2395) • Literacy-Based Promotion Act (Senate Bill 2347) • Dyslexia Therapy Statute (HB 1031) Requirements (2012 Legislation) 2

  3. Early Learning Collaborative Act Statute Overview: Senate Bill 2395 3

  4. Early Childhood Initiative • Early Learning Collaborative Act (Senate Bill 2395) Overview • Tentative Timeline • Early Childhood Education Listserv • Dedicated email address for submitting suggestions, questions, and/or concerns 4 SB 2395

  5. 2013 Legislation – Senate Bill 2395 “Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013” • Authorizes and directs the State Department of Education to implement a pre-kindergarten program in the State of Mississippi on a phased-in basis • Amends codes to transfer duties and responsibilities of the Department of Human Services relative to the “Early Learning Collaborative Act” to the State Department of Education • Prescribes responsibilities of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC) to assist the State Department of Education in implementing statute • Provides qualifications for state or federally funded early childhood education program personnel • Provides for a state income tax credit for contributions to qualified pre-kindergarten programs This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2013. 5 SB 2395

  6. Terms in Senate Bill 2395 • Preschool or Pre-kindergarten • 4 years of age on or before September 1 of a school year • Pre-kindergarten provider • Public, private, or parochial school, licensed child care center, or Head Start center that serves pre-kindergarten children and participates in the voluntary pre-kindergarten program 6 SB 2395

  7. Terms in Senate Bill 2395 • Early Learning Collaborative (Collaborative) • District or county-wide council that writes and submits an application to participate in a voluntary pre-kindergarten program • Comprised, at minimum, of a public school district and/or a local Head Start affiliate (if available), private or parochial schools, or one or more licensed child care centers • May also include agencies or organizations working with young children and their families to provide resources and coordination even if they are not pre-kindergarten providers 7 SB 2395

  8. Terms in Senate Bill 2395 • Lead Partner • Public school district or other non-profit entity with the instructional expertise to manage the Collaborative’s pre-kindergarten program as described in the application • Serves as the fiscal agent and disburses awarded amounts according to the Collaborative’sapplication for the pre-kindergarten program in the geographic area • Facilitates professional learning community for teachers in the pre-kindergarten program • Leads the Collaborative • Ensures that the Collaborative implements learning standards adopted by the State Board of Education • Guarantees curriculum and assessments used are aligned with the Early Learning Standards 8 SB 2395

  9. Implementation by MDE • Effective 2013 -2014 school year, MDE will: • Administer the implementation of the voluntary pre-kindergarten program • Establish a rigorous transparent application process for awarding the funds • Provide technical assistance to improve the quality of approved Collaborative pre-kindergarten programs • Evaluate the effectiveness of each Collaborative • Adopt a minimum rate of readiness that each pre-kindergarten provider must meet to remain eligible for funding • Establish monitoring policies and procedures, including at least one site visit per year 9 SB 2395

  10. Pre-K Collaborative Criteria 10 SB 2395

  11. Allowable Expenses • Eligible applicants may use funds to: • Defray the cost of additional and/or more qualified teaching staff or educational materials and equipment to improve the quality of educational experiences for four-year-old children • Extend developmentally appropriate education services with programs currently serving four-year-old-children to include practices of high quality instruction • Monitor and evaluate the programs • Defray the cost of professional development and age appropriate child assessments 11 SB 2395

  12. Funding • $3M was appropriated for FY 2014. • Funding shall be provided to early learning collaboratives on the basis of $2,150 per student in a full-day program and $1,075 per student in a half-day program proposed in the collaborative’s approved application. 12 SB 2395

  13. Matching State Funds • Early learning collaboratives shall match state funds on a 1:1 basis. • Local matching funds may include local tax dollars, federal dollars as allowed, parent tuition, philanthropic contributions, or in-kind donations of facilities, equipment and services required as part of the program such as food service or health screenings. 13 SB 2395

  14. Mississippi Early Learning Standards • Early Learning Standards for classrooms serving 3-and 4-year old children have been developed to include English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Approaches to Learning, Social& Emotional Development, Physical Development, and Creative Expression. • The Early Learning Standards were approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) in June 2013. 14 SB 2395

  15. Role of SECAC • Post information about Pre-K curriculum and assessment reviews to the SECAC website. • Assist with communication to interested stakeholders. • Serve as a sounding board as needed by the MDE. • Advise the MDE on the implementation effortsof the Collaboratives. 15 SB 2395

  16. Early Childhood Education Efforts Tentative Timeline 16 SB 2395

  17. April - May 17 SB 2395

  18. June - August 18 SB 2395

  19. August - October 19 SB 2395

  20. November - December 20 SB 2395

  21. January - May 21 SB 2395

  22. Listserv • MDE has established a listserv for early childhood to provide consistent communication to early childhood education stakeholders. • Anyone may join the listserv by visiting MDE’s website at www.mde.k12.ms.us/ec. Look under “What’s New” to subscribe to listserv. • Email Robin Lemonis at rlemonis@mde.k12.ms.us to post information to the listserv. 22 SB 2395

  23. Questions and Answers Will funds be awarded to Early Learning Collaboratives in a lump sum or monthly payments? It is anticipated that the funds will be awarded in quarterly installments. 23 SB 2395

  24. Questions and Answers Will public school Pre-K programs participating in a collaborative be required to meet the child care facility licensure requirements? No. Only participating child care centers shall meet state child care facility licensure requirements. 24 SB 2395

  25. Questions and Answers Will public school Pre-K programs be required to meet the child care requirements for classroom space? No. Only participating child care centers shall meet state child care facility licensure requirements. 25 SB 2395

  26. Questions and Answers Will the requirements include current collaboration with Building Blocks or other initiatives or will past collaboration be included? In accordance with Lines 288-291 of the statute, to determine capacity, commitment and need, the State Department of Education shall require evidence of existing strong local collaborations of early education stakeholders. Existing collaboration does not necessarily have to be through a named program, but it does have to be current in nature. Past collaborations that have ended are not eligible. 26 SB 2395

  27. Questions and Answers Will a start date for classes in the Early Learning Collaboratives be given once awards have been made? Early Learning Collaboratives will establish their own schedules. 27 SB 2395

  28. Questions and Answers Will measures of classroom quality be required of all settings defined in the legislation including preschool classrooms housed on public school property? No. In accordance with Lines 174-180 of the statute, only participating child care centers shall select a nationally recognized assessment tool approved by the State Department of Education designed to document classroom quality. 28 SB 2395

  29. Questions and Answers In the webinar it was mentioned that a curriculum crosswalk with assessments may be posted on the SECAC website. Will that crosswalk be approved by MDE for use in the proposal as the curriculum and assessment tools that could be used? What about the Pre-K curriculum listed on the MDE website? Are both allowed as reimbursable expenditures in developing the budget? Selection of curriculum and assessment tools is a local collaborative decision. In accordance with Lines 151-156 of the statute, collaboratives must use research-based curriculum that is designed to prepare students to be ready for Kindergarten, with emphasis in early literacy, and aligned with the comprehensive early learning standards. Collaborativesmust also use age-appropriate assessments aligned to the comprehensive early learning standards. The Pre-K curriculum materials listed on the MDE website are not aligned to the newly adopted Early Learning Standards. The MDE has not approved the curriculum crosswalk with assessments that was established by the Mississippi Learning Lab. Through the Early Learning Collaborative competitive grant application process, collaboratives will provide a correlation to evidence alignment of selected curriculum and assessment tools to the comprehensive early learning standards. 29 SB 2395

  30. More Information Questions regarding the Early Learning Collaborative Act should be sent to MDE’s dedicated email address at earlychildhood@mde.k12.ms.us. Visit www.mde.k12.ms.us/ec for links to a webinar and the statute language. 30 SB 2395

  31. Literacy Based Promotion Act Statute Overview: Senate Bill 2347 31

  32. Requirements for Public Schools • Inform parents or legal guardians of the student’s academic progress • Provide intensive reading instruction and immediate intervention to each K - 3 student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading at any time, as demonstrated by performance on an MDE-approved reading screener or locally determined assessments and teacher observations 32 SB 2347

  33. Parent Notification Requirements If a K - 3 student has been identified with a substantial deficit in reading, the teacher will immediately, and with each quarterly progress report, notify parents or legal guardians of the following in writing: • Determination of a substantial deficit in reading • Description of student services and supports presently provided • Description of proposed supplemental instruction and support to remediate the student’s deficit areas • Strategies for parents to use to help students at home • Notification that student will not be promoted to 4th grade if reading deficiency can not be remediated by the end of 3rdgrade 33 SB 2347

  34. Mississippi Reading Panel MDE has established a Mississippi Reading Panel to collaborate with the department on: • Recommending appropriate comparable alternate assessments • Establishing cut scores to determine promotion to 4th grade • Establishing a make-up opportunity for those who were unable to take the assessment due to unforeseen circumstances or for those needing to retest 34 SB 2347

  35. Mississippi Reading Panel Members • State Superintendent of Education or designee • Chair of the House of Education Committee or designee • Chair of the Senate Education Committee or designee • Member appointed by the Governor • Two additional members appointed by the State Superintendent of Education 35 SB 2347

  36. Social Promotion and Third Grade Gateway • A student may not be assigned a grade level based solely on age or any other factor that constitutes social promotion. • Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, a student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the established state assessment for 3rd grade will not be promoted to 4th grade. • A 3rd grade student who fails to meet the academic requirements for promotion to the 4th grade may be promoted for good cause. 36 SB 2347

  37. Good Cause Exemptions • Limited English Proficient students with less than two (2) years of instruction in English Language Learner program • Students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicates that participation in the statewide accountability assessment program is not appropriate, as authorized under state law 37 SB 2347

  38. Good Cause Exemptions • Students with a disability who participate in the accountability assessment and who have an IEP or Section 504 plan that reflects that the student has received intense remediation in reading for two (2) years but still demonstrates a deficiency and was previously retained 38 SB 2347

  39. Good Cause Exemptions • Students who demonstrate an acceptable level of reading proficiency on an alternative assessment approved by the State Board of Education • Students who receive intensive intervention for two or more years but still demonstrate deficiency in reading, and who previously were retained for two (2) years in any grade Kindergarten through 3rd grade 39 SB 2347

  40. Interventions for Students with Good Cause Exemptions Students promoted to 4th grade based on good cause exemptions shall be provided intensive reading instruction and intervention informed by data and delivered through specific strategies in order to meet the students’ needs. 40 SB 2347

  41. Key Reporting Requirements of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act The school board of each school district must publish, in a newspaper that has general circulation within the school district, and report to the State Board of Education and the Mississippi Reading Panel the following information: • The number and percentage of students given an approved alternate standardized reading assessment and the percentage of these students performing at each competency level of the alternate standardized assessment • By grade, the number and percentage of all students retained in K-8 • Information on the total number and percentage of students who were promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause 41 SB 2347

  42. Funding for K-3 Literacy and Third Grade Gateway The $9.5 M appropriation from the 2013 legislative session may be used for the following: • Training all K - 3 teachers (~ 9,900 participants) • Training all K - 3 principals (~ 500 participants) • Training school- or district-based literacy coaches • Employing and training literacy coaches and regional literacy coordinators • Employing state literacy director • Training IHL faculty 42 SB 2347

  43. Literacy Personnel The MDE has been actively screening applications and interviewing individuals to work as literacy coaches. • 560 completed applications • 251 telephone interviews • 107 face-to-face interviews A list of FAQs is available online. Please visit http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/curriculum-and-instruction/literacy-coach-positions for details. 43 SB 2347

  44. Literacy Efforts Tentative Timeline 44 SB 2347

  45. July - August 45 SB 2347

  46. October - April 46 SB 2347

  47. May – June 47 SB 2347

  48. Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship Statute Overview: House Bill 1031 48

  49. Requirements for Public Schools • Adopt a local board policy about screening students for dyslexia • Screen all students during the 2nd semester of Kindergarten andduring the 1st semester of First Grade 49 HB 1031

  50. Requirements for Public Schools • Ensure that the screener addresses the following components: • Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness • Sound symbol recognition • Alphabet knowledge • Decoding skills • Encoding skills • Rapid naming 50 HB 1031

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