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Making a Difference. 10 Essential Steps to Building a PreK-3 System Linda Sullivan-Dudzic (360) 394-4422 tdudzic@msn.com Donna Gearns (360) 536-6230 dgearns@gmail.com & Kelli Leavell leavell@wavecable.com.
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Making a Difference 10 Essential Steps to Building a PreK-3 System Linda Sullivan-Dudzic (360) 394-4422 tdudzic@msn.com Donna Gearns (360) 536-6230 dgearns@gmail.com & Kelli Leavell leavell@wavecable.com
Step 1: Establish Need and Common InterestWhere is your community?Do you have a shared passion, PreK-3?Do you celebrate your successes? Are you able to talk about the tough issues?
Step 1: Establish Need and Common Interest • In the world of Early Childhood are you Overwhelmed by the needs of families and children?
PreK • The opportunity to attend a quality PreK class makes a child 40 percent less likely to need special education, 40 percent less likely to repeat a grade, and twice as likely to attend college.” (Patrick, 2007)
K-12 System • “Our nation pays a significant price for inadequate education in terms of income, health car, crime, and dependence on public assistance (Levin & Belfield, 2007) • 2 out of every 5 students receiving special education in the U.S. were identified because of difficulties in learning to read (Ed Pubs 2002)
Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation. New York: The Annie E. Casey Foundation and The Center for Demographic Analysis, University of Albany, State University of New York.
Step 1: Work together to Establish Need and Common Interest • Prioritize your efforts! • Share your passion • What are you working on and why • Acknowledge that you are doing it all AND focus your efforts.!
Step 1: Your Turn What are your community Needs and commitment PreK-3? • What does your Trend data tell you? • Current Needs of your families? • Where do your families seek excellence for their children? • Where do families go for information? • Have you (together) defined excellence?
Step 2: Connect with Early Childhood Learning Environments and Step 3: Develop a Leadership Group
Think about what you are doing that is more than connecting and more than activities. * • Real Life stories to provide Encouragement and Hope to illustrate the first three steps . . .
More of this. . . Shared resources For staff and Families More options Quality education Strong foundation Within and outside the school
Common Goals • Shared Language • Common Curriculum
Together we defined what quality looks like. . . . Beyond the Rhetoric – Susan Neumann “Task predicts performance”- Elmore
More about the Leadership Group and Beyond Bremerton : Step 3
Step 3: Leadership Group: Roles and Responsibilities Build strong PreK-3 system of support Examine data, refine and adjust Alignment Instructional Practices Professional Development Shared resources Celebrations of success and PR Build capacity and sustainability
Step 3 Leadership Group . . . Who is leading PreK-3 in your District and Community? • Central Office? • Budget Department? • Personnel?
Your Turn using Step 2 and 3 Locate your Partners & who is on your PreK-3 Leadership Group * • Are you reaching all prior to kindergarten in your community? • Is your group a source of encouragement? • Professional Development? • Current research? • Are you on the same page and moving forward to help children and families?
Step 4: High Quality Professional Development Step 5: Connect and Align High Quality PreK to K Step 6: Maximize the Benefits of FDK
Step 4: Your Turn: where are you on Providing PreK-3 staff with the Tools they Want and Need ? • Conversation: How are you selecting Professional Development? • The dangers of “spraying” • How do you know if it’s working?
Connecting is more than transition Activities
Step 5: Connect and Align . . . • Key components • Assessment Loop • Strength Based • Respectful • Celebration • How many more can we reach?
Not every Teacher is an Early Childhood Teacher • Quality counts!
“Friendly Accountability “ • What the day looks like! Learning Walks
Step 6 Maximize learning in full-day kindergarten and beyond
Step 7: Align and Connect a Strong Full Day Kindergarten with Grades 1-3 • Connecting full day kindergarten to grades 1-3 • Align your K-3 standards • Align your assessment and information loop • Align curriculum and instructional practices • Tiered systems • Connect and align resources • AND Step 8: Conquer the Fade Out
How are you doing in your community? The important work of PreK, K and 1, 2 and 3 • Horizontal • Vertical • Temporal
Your Turn. . .Celebrate where you are at and make a plan for next steps*
Step 9: Create a Sustainable System of Instructional Support –the afternoon