Investing in preschool: evidence continues to indicate the powerful effects of high quality preschool programs on children's later academic success

Leadership, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Tina Johns

The overall intent is to have professional development that is high quality, ongoing, intensive and classroom-focused in order to have a lasting impact on classroom instruction and teacher performance.

Finally, as for all district elementary and middle school teachers, regular re lease time is provided to preschool teachers so that they--along with coaches and administrators--have ample opportunity to analyze both formal and informal assessment data as a means of tailoring instruction to meet the needs of every student.

Standards and assessments

Preschool is not exempt from standards, assessment and accountability. The standards movement that made changes to K-12 education is now transforming preschool education. The volume of scientific evidence indicating the powerful effects of high quality early childhood programs on children's later academic success continues to grow.

Further, important summaries of research-based outcomes that successful learners are likely to exhibit during the preschool years are serving as impetus for striking a balance in preschool programs between pre-academic skill-building and child development principles.

Merced City's preschool teachers are using standards in their classrooms, applying appropriate early literacy and numeracy instructional strategies and assessing student learning and development. They have created environments that refuse literacy throughout the classroom and across the curriculum, and they provide opportunities for dramatic play, physical activity, nutrition education, interaction with technology and exploration of mathematics and scientific concepts, all in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Teachers engage in guided, direct instruction in both large- and small-group settings, while also allowing students to explore, interact and grow at an individualized pace.

Communicating results

Merced City's preschool and kindergarten teachers have created a pre-kindergarten assessment that assigns a point value of 100 for such concepts as letter recognition, concepts about print, writing of own name, rote count and knowledge of numerical concepts, shapes, patterns, colors and body parts.

The pre-test mean of 500 4-year-olds for the 2003-2004 school year was 30, while the post-test mean was 71. Letter identification, a strong predictor of reading success, jumped from a mean of 6 to 32. When the same instrument was used to assess all incoming kindergartners, the children who attended formal preschool scored at twice the rate as those who had no preschool experience.

An observation tool required by the state, the Desired Results Developmental Profile, which determines growth in multiple domains, is also administered. Desired Results provides important information to both staff and parents on ways they can support children's social, cognitive and physical development.

Communicating results and comparative data to a variety of stakeholders is a powerful and persuasive tool as decisions are made to fired Preschool for All.