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Fielden, Frank, Ed.Of Primary Interest, 1994-1995.Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.1995-00-0020p.; For 1993-1994 issues, see ED 256 513.Colorado Department of Education, Early ChildhoodInitiatives, 201 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80203;phone: 303-866-6674; fax: 303-866-6662.Collected Works Serials (022)Of Primary Interest; v2 n1-4 Win 1994-Fall 1995MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.Educational Environment; Primary Education; *SchoolReadiness; *State Standards*Developmentally Appropriate Programs; Zone of ProximalDevelopment

These four newsletter issues provide information on currentresearch and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in theprimary grades in Colorado, focusing on readiness of schools for childrenentering the public school system. The Winter issue focuses on standards ofquality for primary programs, and includes discussion of developmentallyappropriate art instruction, readying schools for students, constructingcurriculum, and a child's readiness for school. The Spring issue focuses onthe Texas Education Agency's report "First Impressions," ("PrimerasImpresiones") a vision of Texas education in response to issues of diversity,retention, inappropriate curriculum and assessment, and the changing natureof education. This issue also discusses Colorado quality standards, andtransition-to-school activities planning in Oregon. The Summer issue focuseson "transitions," providing a historical perspective on what were formerlycalled "articulation" and "continuity." Also discussed is responding tomisinformation about developmentally appropriate practice. The Fall issuefocuses on Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and how the conceptcan be used to shape instruction in the classroom. (HTH)

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IltrAhf I MEN I Oh t1/1.A.,A I il/NOffice or Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

49(This document has been reproduced aseceived from the person or organization

originating it.

1:1 Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in this Of Primary Interestdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

Published co-operatively by the Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska Departments of Education

Winter 1994 Vol. 2 No. 1

NEBRASKA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Sybil S. Downing. Chairman

Member-at-Large Boulder

Patricia M. Hayes. Vice Chairman

6th Congressional District Engle, mod

Gladys S. Eddy

4th Congressional District Fort Collins

Royce D. Forsyth

1st Congressional District Denver

Thomas M. Howerlon

5th Congressional District Colorado Springs

Ed Lyell

2nd Congressional District Broomfield

Hazel F. Petrocco

3rd Congressional District Pueblo

ccleColorado Department of Education

201 E Colfax Avenue

Denver. Colorado 80203

Editor: Frank Fielden

Consultant. Early Childhood Collaboration

Technical Advisor: Denise A. Chelius

Staff Assistant. Early Childhood Initiatives

303- 866.6674

303- 866-6662 tan

Standards of Quality for Primary ProgramsThe Michigan State Board of Educationhas issued a document entitled EarlyChildhood Standards of Quality forPrekindergarten Through Second Grade.Its purpose is to provide assistance toadministrators, teachers, and parents asthey develop quality early childhood careand education programs for children agesfour through eight years old. Theconcepts presented are based on researchin the area of the individual needs ofyoung children of preschool and primaryage, children's developmental stages, andthe environments in which children learnbest.

Critical components of thedevelopmentally appropriate practiceswhich Michigan advocates include:philosophy, accountability,coordination/cooperation and programsupport, family and communitycollaboration, child development,curriculum, and assessment andevaluation. Each component is presentedas a distinct area for which standardshave been established, and is used todefine quality and to delineate expectedprogram outcomes. The Early ChildhoodStandards incorporate the licensingregulations for the care and protection ofchildren attending Michigan's child carecenters, public school sponsoredpreschools, and before- and after-school(school age) programs.

The document defines quality earlychildhood care and education programsas those which recognize each child as awhole person, whose growth occurs indevelopmental stages that are sequentialand continuous. Such programs"recognize and value families in theircultural, linguistic, and social diversity asactive partners within the schoolcommunity." According to the standards,any list of the benchmarks of qualityshould incorporate the following:

a qualified and nurturing staff,a warm, stimulating, and multi-sensoryenvironment,developmentally appropriate materials,a curriculum that supports children's

individual rates of development,teaching practices that reflectdevelopmentally appropriate practices,a continuous evaluation system thatregularly assesses and reviews programgoals and learner outcomes,a cooperative venture between home andschool,collaboration with the community, andcontinuous staff development.

The curriculum component consists offive standards, each of which iselaborated by a list of criteria, which arefurther described by specific qualityindicators. Standard F.5, for example,reads that "Curricular goals (scheduling,transitions, and grouping practices) arereflected in the management andorganization of the day." Criterion F.5.3elaborates the concept by stating that"Grouping practices are used tostrengthen children's learning." Sixquality indicators provide details of thesegrouping practices, the fifth onespecifically addressing class size andstudent/teacher ratios: "Minimumclassroom ratios are to be maintained asfollows: preschool children 8:1 (oneteacher, one paraprofessional); allkindergarten children 20:2 (one teacher,one paraprofessional); first grade children20:2 (one teacher, one paraprofessional);second grade children 25:2 (one teacher,one paraprofessional)."

Curriculum content areas are organizedin the cognitive, creative, language,physical, and social-emotional domains.Concrete indicators and illustrativeclassroom strategies accompany eachlearner outcome.

Copies of Michigan's Early ChildhoodStandards of Quality for PrekindergartenThrough Second Grade may be obtainedby contacting Michael C. McGraw,Education Consultant, MichiganDepartment of Education, EarlyChildhood Education/Parenting/Comprehensive School Health Unit, P. 0.Box 30008, Lansing, Michigan 48909.

BEST COPY MLAis)

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Developmentally Appropriate Art Instruction

A National Art Education Associationbriefing paper entitled DevelopmentallyAppropriate Practices for the VisualArts Education of Young Childrenhighlights practices that are bothdevelopmentally appropriate andinappropriate for children frompreschool through the primary grades.According to authors Cynthia Colbert ofthe University of South Carolina andMartha Taunton of the University ofMassachusetts, Amherst, quality arteducation is instructionally appropriateas well as developmentally appropriate:

"Developmentally appropriate practices inthe visual arts recognize children'schanging capacities to create, perceive, andappreciate the visual arts, whileaccommodating a variety of individualcharacteristics such as emotional,intellectual, physical, perceptual, social,aesthetic, and creative development.Instructionally appropriate art educationincorporates the best known practicesderived from research and from practicalexperiences (with children) to offerprograms that maximize opportunities forlearning and success for all children."

The authors state that quality artinstruction consists of the followingthree important themes:1. Children need many opportunities to

create art.2. Children need many opportunities to

look at and talk about art.3. Children need to become aware of art

in their everyday lives.These themes are addressed throughoutsix components of a quality programcurriculum, choice of art materials,correlation of arts concepts with otherareas of curriculum, creation of art,display of artwork, and responses toworks of art.

The report provides examples ofappropriate and inappropriate arteducation practices. The goals andobjectives of the curriculum should bebased on the interests and needs of thechildren, not on the teacher'spreferences. The curriculum shouldconsist of a balance of art, perceptualactivities, and responsive activities. Itshould not focus on the making ofcrafts, which necessitates childrenfollowing step-by-step instructions, orbe centered around pictures and objectsbased on holidays and seasons.

Materials, which may be used inexperimental ways, should be available

to children for self-initiated art activities.Children should be allowed to workindividually or in groups, as they createrelying on their imaginations,experiences, and subjects of importanceto them. They should not be hurried,but allowed to return to their work, asthe need arises, or even to complete itthe following day. The teacher shouldneither control the distribution ofmaterials nor take all of theresponsibility for clean up.

Art should not be taught as a separatearea of the curriculum. It should beintegrated throughout other areas, sincethe goals and objectives of a quality artprogram are, in fact, the goals of aquality early childhood program. Artexperiences should, for example,facilitate the development of language,increase visual and tactile perceptions,provide experiences with shapes, colors,and patterns, and re-enforceclassification efforts.

Children should be allowed to selectitems of their artwork to be displayed;teachers should display the art of allchildren, not merely the works whichthey personally like. Work should bedisplayed at children's eye level andshould be used to facilitate discussion.As part of the display, the thoughts ofthe teachers and children should beposted along with the goals andobjectives of the lesson.

Art works should reflect theindividuality of each of the young artistsand thus differ from child to child;products therefore should be unique,individual, not similar to each other.Rather than teachers' lecturing aboutreproductions of works of art, theyshould encourage children to describewhat they see and discuss how they feel.

Copies of the briefing paper may bepurchased from the National ArtEducation Association, PublicationSales, 1916 Association Drive, Reston,Virginia 22091-1590.

Readying Schools

for Students

The Southern Regional Education Boardhas issued a report focusing on thenational education goal of insuring thatall children will enter school ready tolearn. Entitled Getting Schools Readyfor Children: The Other Side of theReadiness Goal, the report indicates theprogress that preschool programs aremaking in applying current knowledgeto their programs about how childrenlearn. Many elementary schools,however, are using "outmoded"teaching methods which are"inappropriate for the developmentallevels of virtually all children in the five-to eight-year-old group." The readinessgoal will not be attained, the reportwarns, unless practices in the primarygrades change, because "the benefits ofhigh-quality preschool programs andother measures to improve children'sreadiness can be lost very quickly whenstudents enter schools that are not readyfor them."

The report recommends that primaryprograms be based on hands-onlearning and recognize and respectindividual developmental differences ofchildren. One of the obstaclesprofessionals face is that parents and the

public continue to exert pressure onteachers to "do inappropriate things"with their students. Although federalChapter 1 funds can be flexibly used tomake the primary grades moreresponsive to the needs of youngchildren, and to minimize the need forremediation when these students areolder, the changes which should bemade are at the state and local levels.

Other recommendations include:requiring teachers andadministrators to have training inchild development;adopting policies to improvecommunication among parents,teachers, and caregivers, and tosupport parents becoming involvedin their children's education;instituting transition procedures forchildren entering kindergarten frompreschool, and those going to firstgrade from kindergarten;eliminating practices which hinderchildren from entering kindergartenwhen they are legally able to attend;andprohibiting the use of standardizedtests to assess children's progress,instead using methods which includeobservation.

Copies of the report are available for $8each from the Southern RegionalEducation Board, 592 10th Street, NW,Atlanta, Georgia 30318.

Constructing Curriculum Transition to SchoolTeaching Strategies' ConstructingCurriculum for the Primary Grades waspublished at the end of September.Authored by Diane Trister Dodge, JudyR. Jab lon, and Toni S. Bickart, it providesa practical framework for makingcurriculum effective for children in theprimary grades. The book is written forclassroom teachers, but its user-friendlyformat and straight-to-the-point writingoffer insights to others (parents,administrators, and other educationprofessionals) about what createssuccessful classrooms.

Based on the assumption that teachers,with the input and involvement offamilies, are the ultimate decision-makers in their classrooms, the authorspropose a framework "which allowsteachers to construct and clarify theirown ideas and beliefs about the teachingpractices that work best for them andthe children they teach." Theirframework provides a practical way toorganize and implement curriculum inthe primary grades.

The framework is based on a knowledgeof child development (how childrengrow and develop emotionally, socially,cognitively, and physically); a respect forthe unique qualities of each child in thecontext of her/his family and culture;and an understanding of how childrenthink and learn.

The authors define curriculum as a planto achieve the fundamental goals ofeducation. These goals are in place toassist children to:

gain an increasing understanding ofthemselves and the world aroundthem;develop the dispositions to be alearner curiosity, independence,responsibility, initiative, creativity,willingness to take risks, to askquestions, and to persevere;acquire the skills they need to besuccessful learners language andliteracy, mathematical thinking,scientific thinking, social inquiry, andthe ability to express their ideasthrough the arts and technology; andfunction as contributing members ofa community by developing socialskills and by making choices that aregood for their own welfare andhelpful to society at large.

These goals of a developmentallyappropriate approach to curriculum aredesigned to answer the question: "Whatdo we want children to learn during theprimary grades that will help them tobecome successful learners, leadfulfilling lives, and contribute tosociety?"

Written by and with teachers,Constructing Curriculum provides aframework for making decisions aboutcurriculum. Six of its chapters provide afoundation for the implementation ofcurriculum: Knowing the Children YouTeach, Building a ClassroomCommunity Establishing a Structure forthe Classroom, Guiding Children'sLearning, Assessing Children'sLearning, and Building a Partnershipwith Families.

Five chapters discuss approaches tocontent areas: Language and LiteracyMathematical Thinking, Social Studies,Scientific Thinking, and the Arts andTechnology. Throughout theframework, assessment is considered anintegral part of curriculum. In fact, thereare close ties between ConstructingCurriculum and The Work SamplingSystem, the performance-basedassessment system developed bySamuel Meisels and his colleagues at theUniversity of Michigan. Dodge and herco-authors used Meisels' performanceindicators for each domain ofdevelopment to inform their thinkingabout skills and knowledge in thecontent chapters and about the role ofassessment in curriculum planning andimplementation.

Constructing Curriculum was piloted inelementary schools in the District ofColumbia and in Brattleboro, Vermont;it is credited with helping to improvethe learning environments in both urbanand rural schools. It is a practical guide,including past and current research,with many examples to support teachersin developing ongoing curriculum fortheir classrooms. The authors "hopethat this book will validate whatteachers already know, help themconstruct a clear philosophy forthemselves, and give them theconfidence to follow their own beliefs."

The 427 page paperback guide costs$39.95 and may be ordered fromTeaching Strategies, Inc., P. 0. Box 42243,Washington, DC 20015, 800-637-3652(phone), 202-364-7273 (fax).

4

In the November 1994 issue of PhiDelta Kappan, Sharon LandesmanRamey and Craig T. Ramey haveauthored an article entitled "TheTransition to School: Why the First FewYears Matter for A Lifetime." Lookingbeyond academic achievement, theRameys discuss eight signs whichindicate that children have made asuccessful transition to school and theformative primary grades:1. Children like school and look

forward to going to school regularly.2. Children will show steady growth in

academic skills.3. Parents will become actively

involved in their children'seducationat home, in school, andin the community.

4. Classroom environments will beemotionally positive ones for bothteachers and children.

5. Teachers and families will value eachother.

6. Schools will celebrate the culturaldiversity in their communities and inthe nation as a whole.

7. Developmentally appropriatepractices will be visible inclassrooms.

8. The community will show consistentinvestment in the education ofchildren and will strive to increasethe learning opportunities available.

As descriptors of the "emotionallypositive" classroom environmentswhich they prescribe, the authorshighlight some of the "adult/childtransactions that can promote cognitivedevelopment within environments thatare influenced by the child, areresponsive to the child, capture andhold the child's interest, and aretrustworthy and comprehensible to thechild." These "essential minimalelements" are necessary to promotecognitive development and goodattitudes toward learning:encouragement of exploration;mentoring in basic skills; celebration ofdevelopmental advances; guidedrehearsal and extension of new skills;protection from inappropriatedisapproval, teasing, or punishment;and a rich and responsive languageenvironment.

Copies of the article are available fromthe Director of Administrative Services,Phi Delta Kappan, P. O. Box 789,Bloomington, Indiana 47402 (812 -339-1156).

Perspectives on QualityLilian G. Katz has offered a new way ofaddressing the issue of quality in earlychildhood care and education programs,including primary-grade classrooms.Katz states that in current practice thedefinition of quality is related tovariables such as adult/child ratios,group size, and "a set of pedagogicalpractices subsumed under the rubric ofdevelopmentally appropriate practice."Such a conceptualization of quality istoo limiting, she argues.

Katz describes five perspectives onquality:

a top-down perspective, in which thequality of early childhood programsis assessed by examining selectedfeatures from the perspective of theprogram administrator and of thoseresponsible for the supervision andlicensing of the program;

a bottom-up perspective, in whichquality is assessed by attempting todetermine how the program isactually experienced by theparticipating children;

an outside/inside perspective, inwhich quality is determined byassessing how the program isexperienced by the families it serves;

Colorado Department of EducationEarly Childhood Initiatives201 E. Colfax AvenueDenver, Colorado 80203

an inside perspective, which takesinto account how the program isexperienced by staff membersresponsible for it; and

the ultimate perspective, whichconsiders how the community andthe larger society are served by theprogram.

Katz believes that each of the fiveperspectives contributes in an uniqueway to the determination of overallprogram quality, and that the expansionof early childhood programs in the lastdecade should make educators moreaware of the complexity of assessingprogram quality.

Her article, "Perspectives on the Qualityof Early Childhood Programs,"appeared in the November 1994 issue ofPhi Delta Kappan. Copies of the articleare available from the Director ofAdministrative Services, Phi DeltaKappan, P. O. Box 789, Bloomington,Indiana 47402 (812-339-1156).

5

WELCOMES ANDAPPRECIATIONS

An exciting collaboration marks thebeginning of the second year ofpublishing Of Primary Interest. TheIowa Department of Education andthe Nebraska Department ofEducation have joined with theColorado Department tocooperatively support this endeavoraimed at providing support,communication, and networking forthe parents and teachers of primary-level children. The Early ChildhoodInitiatives team at the ColoradoDepartment welcomes theopportunity of working togetherwith Susan Andersen (Iowa) andHarriet Egertson (Nebraska) andtheir colleagues.

The Colorado Department ofEducation wishes to again thank theNational Association for theEducation of Young Children(NAEYC) for the Membership ActionGroup Grant, which supported thecreation of Of Primary Interest lastyear, and the Colorado Associationfor the Education of Young Children(CAEYC) for the funding it providedfor the publication of the first year'sissues.

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Of Primary Interest

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Patricia M. Hayes. Chairman

Thomas M. Hotverton. Vice Chair

John Evans

Royce D. Forsyth

Go d

Patti Johnson

2nd Congress

Hazel F. Petrocco

3ro Coigr,sy-,311 s+,

:Tar Orr2,th CDr],,c, c '1 2 "

cdeColorado Department of Education

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Denver. Colorado 80203

Editor: Frank Fielden

Consultant Earl, Childhood Collaboration

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Published co-operatively by the Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska Departments of Education

Spring 1995 Vol. 2 No. 2

First Impressions / Primeras ImpresionesThe Texas Education Agency haspublished First Impressions / PrimerasImpresiones: Report of the Task Force onEarly Childhood and ElementaryEducation. In order to respond to theissues of diversity, retention,inappropriate curriculum andassessment, and the changing nature ofschooling, the Task Force has developeda vision of what early childhood andelementary education should look like inTexas.

The cornerstone of the Report is theimplementation of developmentallyappropriate educational practices. TheTask Force defines developmentallyappropriate early childhood and elementaryeducation as programs and practiceswhich: "(1) focus on the principles andstages of child development; (2) fosterindividual interests and understanding;(3) value cultural and linguistic diversity;and (4) recognize the social nature oflearning." Such programs and practicessacrifice neither "academic quality norintellectual rigor."

The Task Force's vision includes four keyelements:

A. Developmentally appropriatecurriculum which uses flexiblegrouping of students on acontinuous basis for active,participatory involvement andpresentation of knowledge throughinterdisciplinary themes and units.

B. School calendars which permitflexible and extended-year schedulesto accommodate each child's learningstyle and pace.

C. Abundant opportunities for eachchild to attain high standards ofachievement through accelerationand enrichment of all learningactivities on a continuous basis.

D. Performance-based assessments thatdemonstrate continuous studentprogress toward academic standard,and allow continuous movementthrough the system by the studentsupon attainment of benchmarkstandards.

The following strategies arerecommended as means through whichdevelopmentally appropriate earlychildhood and elementary programsmay be implemented in the state:

Nurture the full intellectual, physical,social, and emotional growth of eachchild. Recognize that each child'sgrowth occurs over developmentalstages, tempered by a learning styleand pace that is individually unique.Provide developmentallyappropriate curriculum that is age-appropriate, interdisciplinary,enriched to support each child'sacademic and personal growth, andconnected to clearly articulated stateand local educational goals.Support educational success with afirm foundation in reading. Assurethat reading instruction is age- andindividually-appropriate andsupports the complex interactionsbetween reader and text. Structurethe reading curriculum to provideexplicit and systematic integration ofphonemic awareness training andunderstanding of alphabeticprinciples within meaning-basedliterature- and language-richlearning environments.Group students flexibly to supportindividual learning needs. Do notuse past academic performance orperceived ability to track students.Eliminate retention. Employcurriculum, instructional practices,and schedules and calendars thatovercome the need to retain studentsin grade.Provide a flexible, seamless learningcontinuum from prekindergarten tograde 12.Implement performance-basedassessment strategies that adhere todevelopmentally appropriateprinciples of curriculum andinstruction.Prepare early childhood andelementary educators with programsthat integrate knowledge ofpedagogy and child development.

Continued on page 2

6

First Impressions / PrimerasImpresionesContinued from page 1

Support early childhood andelementary educators and studentswith student-staff ratios that arepredicated upon the developmentalneeds of children.Actively solicit meaningful parentand family participation in theeducation of their children.Coordinate early care programs,school- and community-based earlychildhood education programs, andelementary programs to assure aseamless transition betweenprograms and continuouseducational progress for each child.Establish partnerships with healthand human service agencies, childcare providers, communityorganizations, cultural institutions,and local businesses to meet a rangeof individual and communityeducational, health, and humanservice needs.

For more information, or to obtain acopy of First Impressions / PrimerasImpresiones, contact the TexasEducation Agency, PublicationsDistribution Office, 1701 North CongressAvenue, Austin, Texas 78701-1494, (512)-463 -9734, and refer to PublicationNumber GE4 170 04.

WEEK OF THEYOUNG CHILD

The 1995 Week of the Young Child isscheduled for April 23-29. The themeis EARLY YEARS ARE LEARNINGYEARS: MAKE THEM COUNT! Formore information contact NAEYC at1-800-424-2460.

"Programs for young childrenshould not be seen as either play-oriented or academic. Rather,developmentally appropriatepractice, whether in a preschool or aprimary classroom, should respondto the natural curiosity of youngchildren, reaffirm a sense of self,promote positive dispositionstowards learning, and help buildincreasingly complex skills in theuse of language, problem-solving,and cooperation."

Joan Lombardi

TEXAS' STRATEGIESTHE OLD SYSTEM THE NEW SYSTEM

Children adapt to a pre-organizedschool structure.

Schools are organized to accommodateactive student involvement in learning.

Learning occurs in distinct,nine-month intervals; students notmeeting expectations areremediated and/or retained.

A flexible calendar offers abundanttime for acceleration and enrichment;early prevention and interventionensure that children are not allowed tofall behind from the beginning.

Learning is organized and regulatedin terms of seat time.

Curriculum allows for continuousprogress; content meets rigorousstandards; it is relevant, engaging, andmeaningful to children.

Teachers impart knowledge throughlecture.

Educators facilitate learning, organizinglearning around student experiences,strengths, and educational goals.

Grouping is by ability or age. Flexible grouping occurs across age,ability and achievement levels; teachersreconfigure groups based on learningneeds.

Evaluation of student and schoolperformance are based solely onstandardized test results.

Evaluation is continuous, usingmultiple performance-basedassessments to inform instruction andevaluate programs.

Education system is separate fromother community systems and services.

Education system collaborates withother community systems and servicesto serve all children and their families.

TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Takes snapshot of the student'sperformance; highly susceptible today-to-day variations in behaviorand interest

Portfolios grow with the student;checklists show progress; presentlongitudinal picture

Isolated activity; disrupts instruction Ongoing process; not intrusive toinstruction

Age and grade are important variables Assessment organized aroundindividual student; indicates learningneeds

Limited ability to measure progressin all developmental domains

Checklists can include outcomes in allacademic, social, and physical domains

Test design provides limitedassessment of thinking andcommunication

Able to assess higher-order thinking,communication skills, and problem-solving

Drives local curriculum to takethe form of narrow, isolated tasks

Draws upon local curriculum objectivesand outcome standards

ERIC ° Clearinghouse on Elementary andEarly Childhood Education

University of Illinois 805 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Urbana, IL 61801-4897 RESOURCE LIST(217) 333-1386 (800) 583-4135 ericeece@ux 1. cso.uiuc.edu February 1995

Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Primary Education

ERIC Documents

Mallory, Bruce L.; New, Rebecca S., Eds. 1994. Diversity &Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Challenges forEarly Childhood Education. Available from Teachers CollegePress, 1234 Amsterdam, New York, NY 10027. ED365469;295p.

Current conceptualizations of what is appropriate in earlychildhood education are overly narrow in their interpretation ofthe role of the teacher and in their understanding of cultural anddevelopmental diversity. This book of readings discusses variousissues surrounding diversity, inclusion, and appropriate earlyeducation practices.

Barbour, Nita H.; Seefeldt, Carol. 1993. DevelopmentalContinuity across Preschool and Primary Grades:Implications for Teachers. Wheaton, MD: Association forChildhood Education International. Available from ACEIPublications, 11501 Georgia Avenue, Suite 315, Wheaton, MD20902; and from EDRS. ED360059; 97p.

Developmental continuity refers to designing early childhoodinstruction that provides learning experiences based on children'sprior knowledge, follows a natural progression across preschooland the early grades, and allows progress at each child's rateand style of learning. Common to the many ways of providingdevelopmental continuity is the idea that teachers, parents, andadministrators work together to provide a continuum ofdevelopmentally appropriate educational experiences for children.This book is a resource for teachers who wish to putdevelopmental continuity into practice in their classrooms.

Wood, Chip. 1994. Yardsticks: Children in the ClassroomAges 4-12. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children(NFC). Available from NFC, 71 Montague City Road,Greenfield, MA 01301; and from EDRS. ED368472; 174p.

Providing teachers and parents with a quick reference onimportant childhood developmental issues for ages 4 through 12,this book begins by discussing how developmental issues affectadministrative and classroom decisions regarding mixed-age andability grouping, retention, food, exercise, the structure of theschool day, and racial and cultural questions. Each of the ninechapters, one for each age, includes a narrative describinggeneral developmental characteristics relating to behavior,emotional needs, and social interactions, and concludes with setsof charts allowing readers to identify developmental "yardsticks"for a given age. A set of curriculum charts summarizing thedevelopmental continuum between ages 4 and 12 is included.

Sumner, Deborah, Ed. 1993. Whole Teaching: KeepingChildren in the Center of Curriculum and Instruction. SDESourcebook (6th Ed.). Peterborough, NH: Society for

Developmental Education. Available from SDE, Route 202,P.O. Box 577, Peterborough, NH 03458. ED367466; 354p.

This sourcebook contains articles, resources, and sampleteaching materials to assist practitioners implementing develop-mentally appropriate practices in the classroom. The sourcebookcontains reprints of more than 40 journal articles, topicalbibliographies and resource lists, and sample teaching materials.

Northeast Foundation for Children. 1993. A Notebook forTeachers: Making Changes in the Elementary Curriculum(Revised Edition). Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation forChildren. Available from NFE, 71 Montague City Road,Greenfield, MA 01301; and from EDRS. ED369532; 83p.

This guide for teachers and parents examines child developmentknowledge, the origins of developmental curriculum, andapproaches to implementing such a curriculum in elementaryschools, particularly in the primary grades.

Burruss, Bette; Fairchild, Nawanna. 1993. The PrimarySchool: A Resource Guide for Parents. Lexington, KY:Partnership for Kentucky School Reform and PrichardCommittee for Academic Excellence. Available from ThePrichard Committee, Book Order, P.O. Box 1658, Lexington,KY 40592-1658; and from EDRS. ED357886; 124p.

This guide provides information and strategies for Kentuckyparents to become better partners in the education of theirprimary school children. Included are an outline of a typicalprimary school student's day; explanations of how children learnand how instruction will change as schools move toward greateruse of developmentally appropriate practices; characteristics ofa quality primary school learning environment; lists of thelearning goals and outcomes used in Kentucky schools, includingassessment of students' abilities in core subjects; suggestions forparents to participate in their child's education; and a discussionof frequently asked questions about primary schools.

Addington, Brenda Burton; Hinton, Samuel. 1993.Developmentally Appropriate Practices in the PrimaryProgram: A Survey of Primary School Teachers. Paperpresented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South EducationalResearch Association (New Orleans, LA, November 10-12,1993). ED368494; 20p.

Under the Kentucky Education Reform Act, public schools inKentucky that once contained K-3 children at relatively the sameage have been replaced with groups of children of varied agesand abilities; sedentary seat work has been replaced by concretelearning activities and cooperative learning opportunities; reportcards have been replaced by narrative progress reports,portfolios, and more frequent teacher conferences with studentsand parents. This study assessed perceptions of 37 teachersfrom 27 schools about implementing DAP with multi-age and

multi-ability groups. Results showed that the majority of teachersthought the program provided an enjoyable atmosphere forteachers and students, where both were excited about learning;that teaching split grades was more difficult than teaching in atraditional classroom; and that the number of students was toohigh to successfully implement working with the students in smallgroups and in teaching to the whole group. Subjects were alsodivided on the use of computers and other technologies in theirclassrooms.

Franklin County School District. 1993. Effects That theDevelopmentally Appropriate Process Makes onCurriculum of a Rural Elementary School. Meadville, MS:Franklin County School District. ED360082; 28p.

Franklin Lower Elementary School in Meadville, Mississippi,began a process of restructuring to become a developmentallyappropriate school by using hands-on materials, focusing onwhole language and emphasizing the development of thinkingskills in 1988. Results of 1992 assessments (achievement tests,student behavior records, and attitude surveys of students,parents and teachers) indicated that: (1) for first graders,average achievement test scores were 84% for reading and 81%for math, both above the national average; (2) for secondgraders, average achievement test scores were 54% for readingand 78% for math, also above the national average; (3)absences at the school decreased each year since the 1988-89school year for students overall; (4) discipline referrals decreasedfrom 100 during the 1988-89 school year to just over 20 in 1992.

ERIC Journal Articles

Galen, Harlene. (1994). Developmentally AppropriatePractice: Myths and Facts. Principal 73(5, May): 20-22.EJ483345.

Describes developmental appropriateness as a philosophy, nota curriculum. Despite using alternative learning strategies suchas guided play, teachers are in control, facilitate real academiclearning, and build on what they already know. DAP can meetthe needs of children from varied backgrounds.

Stipek, Deborah, and others. (1994). Making Parents YourAllies. Young Children 49(3, Mar): 4-9. EJ479986.

Discusses ways in which teachers can educate parents about thenecessity for DAP at the preschool and primary levels despitewidespread parental preferences for an inappropriate, structuredacademic curriculum. Teachers can explain the purposes ofdevelopmentally appropriate curriculum to parents, provide themwith appropriate suggestions and materials, and invite them toschool programs.

Charlesworth, Rosalind, and others. (1993). Measuring theDevelopmental Appropriateness of Kindergarten Teachers'Beliefs and Practices. Early Childhood Research Quarterly8(3, Sep): 255-276. EJ474784.

A survey intended to measure kindergarten teachers' beliefsabout and practices related to developmentally appropriateeducation was administered to 204 teachers, and teachers in 20classrooms were observed. Relationships between scores onseveral factors and teachers' use of developmentally appropriateor inappropriate classroom practices were found.

Bullock, Janis R. (1993). Children's Temperament: How CanTeachers and Classrooms Be More Responsive? EarlyChild Development and Care 88: 53-59. EJ473187.

Arguing that knowing the temperamental differences of youngchildren can assist classroom teachers in being more responsiveto children's various needs and in providing developmentallyappropriate classrooms, this article recommends adaptations ofthe classroom environment to many interaction and learningstyles.

Katz, Lilian G. (1993). Child-Sensitive Curriculum andTeachers. Young Children 48(6, Sep): 2. EJ469387.

Proposes replacing the term "child-centered" with "child-sensitive" to indicate more accurately the major role of teachersin determining the curriculum and activities offered to youngchildren. In contrast to the laissez-faire, child-indulgent approachof many child-centered programs, a child-sensitive approachwould encourage teachers to capitalize on children's naturalimpulse to learn through investigation.

Mitchell, Anne L. (1993). Shouldn't Preschool PeopleAdvocate for Better Elementary Schools, Too? YoungChildren 48(5, Jul): 58-62. EJ465929.

Advocates the implementation, in elementary school programs,of the same developmentally appropriate principles and practicesthat govern good preschool programs. These practices involveunderstanding children and their levels of development, workingwith the whole child, fostering integrated learning, andencouraging parent participation.

Schweinhart, Lawrence J. (1993). Observing Young Childrenin Action: The Key to Early Childhood Assessment YoungChildren 48(5, Jul): 29-33. EJ465920.

Maintaining that new practices such as performance-basedassessment that are consistent with the early childhoodprofession's process goals need to be developed and that testingof young children that is not developmentally appropriateconstitutes misassessment, this article promotes observationalassessment that uses anecdotal notes and that complementsassessment by developmental scales of established reliabilityand validity.

Hills, Tynette W. (1993). Assessment in Context-Teachersand Children at Work. Young Children 48(5, Jul): 20-28.EJ465919.

Discusses the purposes of assessment in programs for youngchildren, concentrating on how observation-based assessmentcan be used as part of a developmentally appropriateassessment process serving children, parents, teachers, andadministrators.

References identified with an ED (ERIC document) or EJ (ERICjournal) number are cited in the ERIC database. Most documents areavailable in ERIC microfiche collections at more than 825 locationsworldwide, and can be ordered through EDRS: (800) 443-ERIC.Some ERIC documents are available from the original publisher, thisavailability is indicated in the reference. Journal articles are availablefrom the original journal, interlibrary loan services, or articlereproduction clearinghouses, such as: UMI (800) 732-0616; or ISI(800) 523-1850.

S

This publication was funded by the Office of EducationalResearch and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education,under contract no. DERR93002007. The opinions expresseddo not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI.

The Colorado Quality StandardsThe Colorado Department of Educationhas issued Quality Standards for EarlyChildhood Care and Education Services.The planning document has been inColorado communities for the last twoyears in the form of a working draftwhich has been "field tested," and forwhich comments have been sought.Based on the input received in thisprocess and on the contributions ofleading professionals in Colorado, thedraft version has been significantlyrevised.

These Quality Standards reflect thevalues of parents, educators, adminis-trators, and policymakers acrossColorado who are striving for the bestpossible education and care for youngchildren. They do not providemandates for the content of instruction,but rather offer guidelines for howinstruction should be implemented.They are a working document designedto guide early childhood care andeducation programs in their movementtoward quality services for all youngchildren. As a means of self-evaluation,the Quality Standards can helpprograms assess the goals they haveachieved and those which they areseeking to attain. This evaluation willalso provide information regardingtraining, technical assistance, and otherresource needs. As a part of theColorado Department of Education'sreview process, programs will beexpected to demonstrate that they areusing the document for program devel-opment and staff inservice planning.

Two years ago the working draftmerged the "best practices" for earlychildhood special education programsand the highly respected standardsdeveloped by NAEYC. The QualityStandards now incorporateenhancements in the areas of family-centered services, communitycollaboration to meet children's needs,diversity, transition, the roles andfunctions of the teaching team, andextensions of the standards into theprimary grades (K-3) for childrenthrough the age of eight. Theseenhancements and extensions weredeveloped by consulting with repre-sentatives from organizations such asthe American Montessori Society;Association Montessori Internationale;Colorado Association for the Educationof Young Children; ColoradoAssociation for Family Child Care;

Colorado Department of HumanServices; Colorado Department ofPublic Health and Environment;Community Development InstituteTechnical Assistance Support Center;Head Start Resource Access Project;High/Scope Educational ResearchFoundation; local child care centers,community colleges, private schools,school districts, and universities;National Association for the Educationof Young Children; Office of theGovernor; and other state departments

of education. These representativescollaboratively used documents fromtheir organizations, such as the ChildCare Professional Credential and theHead Start Performance Standards, inthe revision.

The Quality Standards for EarlyChildhood Care and Education Servicesare available for purchase by interestedparties outside of Colorado at a cost of$25.00. Inquiries may be directed to:Colorado Foundation for Families andChildren, 1580 Logan Street Suite 740,Denver, CO 80203, (303)-894-2149.

Transition Activities PlanningThe Oregon Department of Education,in conjunction with its Head Start StateCollaboration Project, has identified 12activities which might be incorporatedinto planning transitions for children asthey move from preschool tokindergarten and the primary grades.These activities are:

1. Fall Kindergarten Parent MeetingKindergarten staff welcome parentsinto their children's classrooms,share information, discuss parentconcerns, and promote parentinvolvement. Parents are alsoinformed about the KindergartenParent Packet Program, throughwhich information and learningactivities are supplied to parents onan ongoing basis throughout theschool year.

2. Shared/Cross TrainingNeighborhood and communityearly childhood professionals fromthe private and public sectors areinvited by kindergarten staff toparticipate in school staffdevelopment opportunities.Elementary school staff areencouraged to attend communityearly childhood trainings offered inthe private and public sectors. Jointplanning and programimplementation are encouraged.

3. School Liaison IdentificationA staff person at the elementaryschool is designated to be a liaisonbetween the school and private andpublic preschool programs andparents.

4. Buddy School SystemWorking partnerships are

I0

developed between elementaryschools and preschools in thecommunity. Activities are designedwhich encourage class to class, childto child, and/or teacher to teacherinteraction and communication.

5. Kindergarten Parent PacketProgramThis information and learningactivities distribution system isadopted by all elementary schools.Community preschools introducethe program to incomingkindergarten parents in the spring.

6. Parent Classes and ProgramsClasses and programs for parents,which are held in elementaryschools, are publicized and openedto parents of preschoolers.

7. Early Childhood TeamsThe elementary school earlychildhood teams (K-2) arebroadened to include program staffmembers of private and publicpreschools. The resultant teamsmeet three times a year to discussmutual interests and concerns.

8. Referral of Children With SpecialNeedsEarly contacts between elementaryschools and preschool children withspecial needs, and their families, areencouraged and supported.Preschools begin to refer children inJanuary.

9. Kindergarten RegistrationDates for kindergarten registrationare publicized throughout preschoolprograms.

Continued on page 4

Transition Activities PlanningContinued from page 3

10. Transfer of General InformationNeighborhood and communitypreschools share names andaddresses of preschool parents withelementary schools. The schoolscontact these prospectivekindergarten parents and issueinvitations to kindergartenorientation.

11. Kindergarten OrientationThe elementary schools provide anoverview of kindergarten forprospective families.

12. Transfer of Children's Files forIncoming KindergartnersPreschools physically transferstudent records to the receivingelementary schools.

For more information about Oregon'sEarly Childhood Transition Plan, contactDell Ford, Specialist with the OregonHead Start State Collaboration Project,at the Oregon Department of Education,700 Pringle Parkway, SE, Salem, Oregon97310-0290, (503)-378-5585.

The enclosed Re Source List forDevelopmentally AppropriatePractices in Primary Education wasdeveloped especially for Of Primary.Interest. Thanks go to Bernatd

rone, Diane Rothenberg, and their:Colleagues at ERIC

Colorado Department of EducationEarly Childhood Initiatives201 E. Colfax AvenueDenver, Colorado 80203

Readying Schools for Young ChildrenDialogue continues around the first ofthe national goals for education: by theyear 2000, all children will start schoolready to learn. One of the chiefproponents of schools being readied forchildren, rather than children beingreadied for schools, is Sharon LynnKagan, senior associate at the BushCenter in Child Development and SocialPolicy at Yale University. Kagan hasstated that in readying schools for youngchildren, parents and early childhoodcare and education professionals need tobe deliberate as they set priorities andimplement strategies.

Kagan offers two approaches to thisaspect of changing schools, the firstinvolving "think strategies, the mentalprecursors to action" and the secondfocusing on "action steps that can beundertaken in total or in part."

Think Strategies

1. Conceptualize ready schools withinthe context of broader school andsocial reform.

2. Recognize that the needs of youngchildren and their families will bediverse and may differ from those ofolder children and their families.

3. Recognize that ready schools need toexist within "ready communities."

11

Action Strategies

1. Create the most pedagogically robust,developmentally appropriateenvironments for learning that arefeasible.

2. Create and ensure ongoing linkageswith and supports to and fromfamilies.

3. Create linkages with communityservices.

4. Commit to community building.

According to Kagan, the early childhoodcare and education movement, like otherreform movements, cannot be successfulunless this nation accepts the socialresponsibility for its children, andcitizens refuse to tolerate ambiguityregarding the role of schools inAmerican society. Schools which areready to serve young children and theirfamilies, she says, are schools which are,in fact, ready to benefit the nation.

Her article, "Readying Schools for YoungChildren: Polemics and Priorities,"appeared in the November 1994 issue ofPhi Delta Kappan. Copies of the articleare available from the Director ofAdministrative Services, Phi DeltaKappan, P. O. Box 789, Bloomington,Indiana 47402, (812)-339-1156.

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Of Primary Interest

ALDEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Patricia h1 Hayes Chairman

Thomas 11 Hnerton Vice Char

John Evans

Royce I Forsyth

Patti Johnson

Hazel F Pe !moo°

Clair Orr

cdeEditor Frank Fielden

Technical Advisors: Denise A. Chelius

Kathy Werner

s'

303- 866-6674

303- 866-6662 fax

Published co-operatively by the Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska Departments of Education

Summer 1995 Vol. 2 No. 3

TRANSITIONS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Milly Cowles, Ph.D.

use of "transitions" as the word todescribe the schooling issues andproblems children and families face

in moving from location to location orlevel to level or curriculum to curriculumis relatively new. What are "transitions?"Why read or worry about them? Whatdifference does it make to know about them?

First, and very important, educators andparents have beenconcerned about the effect ofchange in the life of childrenthroughout this entirecentury, and a lot ofimportant information isavailable that was written along time ago (particularlyin the 30's, 40's, and 50's).Much of this wisdom islargely ignored by peoplewho are speaking andwriting about transitiontoday. Perhaps the reasonthat earlier information is not incorporatedinto current discussions is that wordsother than "transition" were used bywriters when discussing this topic.Current seers can even be quoted assaying that there has been little or noresearch or interest about this issue inthe past.

Primarily the two labels or handles thatpreviously described what is now calledtransition were "articulation" and"continuity." Articulation was used todescribe the events that occur as childrenmove from one level to another, such asfrom kindergarten to first grade.Continuity most often explained thelearning experiences of each child at eachlevel and the individual's moving upwardthrough educational levels in a smoothsequential manner within each part. Thesetwo terms were most often used together;statements such as "Children suffereducationally because of articulation andcontinuity problems that are not beingaddressed by the school personnel" werecommon in educational writing.Transitions, now in today's world, refersto both articulation and continuity issues,

and it is an important topic that calls forimmediate action and attention.

In the earlier years, there was a lot ofattention directed to problems learnersfaced as changes occurred in their schoollives. The Association for Supervisionand Curriculum Development (ASCD)published an informative, most significant,and fascinating yearbook that reported astudy involving 3,000 children in 11statesfrom Florida to California, from

Texas to Oregon, from NewYork to Minnesota. Theresearch was focused on whatchildren saw as having helpedor interfered in their progressin school. Interestingly, theywere encouraged to tell about'anything' that was significantto them.

Transitions, intoday's world, refersto both articulationand continuityissues. It is animportant topic thatcalls for immediateaction and attention.

The problem areas identifiedby 453 children in the primarygrades (K-3) were as follows:

moving to a new community(mentioned by 35.5% of thestudents),

moving to a new "school" level(mentioned by 4.0%),promotion/not getting promoted/evenjust worrying about it (4.4%),retention/being retained/worryingabout the possibility (5.0%),teacher behaviors (14.3%),curriculum (16.5%),rewards (1.4%),punishment (4.4%),evaluation (1.5%),illness (4.3%), andaccidents (2.7%).

More than one-third of the reported eventsthat children believed to have affectedthem had to do with moving, followed innumber by the areas of teacher behaviorsand curriculum. While it has long beennoted that children may not be able toexplain all of their feelings or reactions, itstill remains extremely important to findout what they do believe. The ASCDstudy showed that large numbers ofyoung children identified three categories

Continued on page 2

1z BEST COPY AVAILABLE

TransitionsContinued from page 1

of events that they thought to havegreatly influenced what happened tothem in school. The authors urged thatprinciples of growth and developmentand learning be incorporated into everyschool, irrespective of level or type, andthat educational objectives andcurriculum be fit into plans that weredesigned for children's developmentallevels.

Later in the 1960s, after Head Startbecame a success nationally, there wasagain an interest in transitions, whichresulted in the development of whatcame to be known as Follow Throughprograms or models. They have beenthoroughly reviewed and analyzed manytimes; however, it is important here to saythat the primary purpose of each one ofthose well-funded programs was toprovide articulation and continuity oflearning activities and services from HeadStart to the elementaryschool. Most of the statedconcern was in medical,social services, andacademic (reading,writing, and arithmetic)transition problems. Yet,only a few years earlier,according to the ASCDresearch, children'sreported issues had beenwith changes in their ownlives, curriculum, andteachers' behaviors. Now,even more time haspassed, and the mostrecent literatureconcentrates on issueschildren face either withleaving preschool for kindergarten, goingfrom Head Start to "real" school, movingfrom childcare to kindergarten, or themainstreaming of special needs children.

If we combine what is being advocated inthe 90's with all of the older work of thepast 60 years, it probably is necessary toconsider that each child who leaves herhome setting for any kind of institutionaleducation and care is the one who has tomake the adjustment necessary tofunction successfully each and every day.We know that some changes are hard onanyone of any age, but that of all the agesand stages, children birth throughadolescence are the most vulnerable. Ofthese, the very young are most at risk.Since this is a true developmentalstatement and not merely someone'sopinion, the following five suggestions

are examples of steps that will benecessary to support children through thethousands of transitions that areinevitable in all lives:

(1) Fundamental principles of childdevelopment must be learned byeveryone who works with children,including their own parents orguardians.

(2) Thoughtfully developed educationalobjectives should be identified forevery level of development, age beingonly one of the considerations.

(3) A new examination of the bases forthe organization of the curriculumand of expectations for assessmentneeds to be grounded on theknowledge of how children learn. Wemust revisit the historical roots ofearly childhood care and educationand project the future.

Professionals and institutions need toknow what was available to the child

d what she accomplished (as isreasonable) in all priorsettings. Parents andguardians should be giventhe same information.Parents and professionalsalike need to be aware of the"self-fulfilling prophecy."

(4)

Regularly for the past25 years, expectationsof children havebecome more andmore rigid in toomany settings. In toomany places in whichpolicy is determinedabout what they are toachieve, there seemsto be a lack ofknowledge of howchildren learn.

(5) Professionals shouldrecognize and plan forproblems which childrenare likely to face. Eachinstitution has to beaccountable for makinglife as positive andpleasant as is possible foryoung children. Allavailable communityagencies should be usedto assist in the process.

Anytime a person or an institutionalsetting does not accept children and learnwhere they are functioning comfortably,articulation, continuity, and transitionsare empty, meaningless words. Time andtime again, it has been found thatchildren achieve higher in flexible andcomfortable settings. Yet, regularly forthe past 25 years, expectations of childrenhave become more and more rigid in toomany settings. In too many places inwhich policy is determined about whatthey are to achieve, there seems to be alack of knowledge of how children learn.

Unfortunately, for us as educators, we areabout the only champions that childrenhave left. The challenge is ours.

Annotated Bibliography

Appalachia Educational Laboratory.Early Childhood Transitions: PreparingChildren and Families for Change.(Published in 1995, the newestguidebook, dealing with transitions andcontaining an excellent bibliography, isavailable from the Laboratory P. O. Box1348, Charleston, West Virginia.)

Kohler, Patty, et al. TransitionsProcedures for Preschool Children,DIMENSIONS, Spring 1994. (This is agood review of a school district's workwith special needs children; it is availablefrom the Southern Early ChildhoodAssociation, P. O. Box 56130, Little Rock,Arkansas.)

Southeastern Regional Vision forEducation. Transitions. (A 37-pagedocument contains an extensivebibliography that chronicles the workthat has been done in recent years. It isavailable at nominal cost from SRVE, 345South Magnolia Drive, Tallahassee,Florida 32301-2950.)

Swenson, Esther J. (ed). A Look atContinuity in the School Program.Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development Yearbook,1958, 307 pages. (This is probably themost extensive look into what childrenreport as problems in school, and theannotated bibliography reveals therichness of the work done at the time.Anyone interested in transitions willlearn a lot from this publication fromASCD, 1250 North Pitt Street, Alexandria,Virginia 22314-1453.)

Vail, Cynthia 0. and Scott, Kristin S.Transition from Preschool toKindergarten for Children With SpecialNeeds, DIMENSIONS, Spring 1994. (Anexcellent bibliography/checklist/discussion of transitions is available fromthe Southern Early ChildhoodAssociation, P. O. Box 56130, Little Rock,Arkansas.)

Milly Cowles is Distinguished ServiceProfessor and Dean Emerita, Universityof Alabama at Birmingham, and aconsulting editor of Young Children, thejournal of the National Association forthe Education of Young Children. Dr.Cowles wrote this article expressly for OfPrimary Interest and retains thecopyright. She may be addressed at 60Springwater Chase, Newnan, Georgia30265.

RESPONDING TO MISINFORMATION ABOUT DEVELOPMENTALLYAPPROPRIATE PRACTICE

Recently advocates have observed anincrease in direct attacks against theconcept of developmentallyappropriate practice as defined by theNational Association for the Educationof Young Children (NAEYC). Some ofthese critiques have appeared innewspapers, while others have beenpresented to policymakers. In general,these attacks misrepresent the conceptby saying things like NAEYC"prohibits teaching the alphabet ormultiplication tables," that children do"whatever strikes their fancy," and that"children will learn to read when theyare ready to read." Each of thesestatements is a distortion of the positionstatements, and advocates need to beclear about the truth.

First, developmentally appropriatepractice does not prohibit directinstruction, nor does it prohibit recitingthe alphabet or the multiplicationtables. Because we know thatindividual differences are to beexpected, we advocate using a varietyof teaching strategies to help allchildren succeed in school. Theconcern is when instruction is limited torote memorization, and children do notdemonstrate understanding or theability to apply the learning in solvingproblems or in new contexts. Ofcourse, we want preschool andkindergarten children exposed to thealphabet; what we do not want iscurriculum that is limited to learningthe letters in isolation.

What we find inappropriate for 4- and5-year-olds is using "whole group,teacher directed instruction almostexclusively or most of the time, orexpecting children to do paper-and-pencil tasks for inappropriately longperiods of time." The positionstatements support learning basic skillsin meaningful context. The position isopposed to drill and practice on"isolated skills." Teaching basic skillsin meaningful context is especiallyimportant for preschool children whohave not had regular exposure to booksand reading in their homes. Similarly,what is individually appropriate for

Of Primary Interest

some children may be more structure inwhich teachers assist them in learningto make decisions and persist withtasks.

The position statement ondevelopmentally appropriate practicefor primary grades specifically states,"subskills such as learning letters, phonics,and word recognition are taught as neededto individual children and small groups."It also states, "technical skills are taughtas needed to accomplish larger goals(language, writing, spelling, and readingability), not as the goal itself."

Nowhere does the document advocatechildren doing "what strikes theirfancy." The statement says thatteachers prepare the environment andchildren choose from among a varietyof learning areas that the teacherprepares. Teachers are expected toprepare instructionally valuablelearning opportunities for children andto facilitate their learning through avariety of strategies. Facilitatinglearning can take many forms,including, but not limited to, directinstruction. Developmentallyappropriate classrooms have clearstructures in which children know whatis expected; learn to workindependently, in small groups, and inthe large group; and learn to self-regulate their behavior. Children learnfrom teachers, but they also learn fromeach other as they solve problems insmall groups. Teachers are expected toprovide complex, challenging work forchildren.

The statement does not say "childrenwill learn to read when they are readyto learn to read." What the statementcalls for is using a variety of strategies,including, but not limited to, phonics,to ensure that all children do learn toread. The document calls for a moreflexible timetable for learning to read,so that children who take longer toacquire literacy are not retained inkindergarten or first grade. A largebody of research on retentionconsistently finds that retention doesnot help achievement.

One of the goals of the revision processto developmentally appropriatepractice is to more clearly state some ofthese points so as to preventmisunderstanding as much as possible.Nevertheless, we know that somepeople who resist change or who havedifferent goals for children willcontinue to circulate misinformation.As advocates for children, we have aresponsibility to be as clear as possiblein stating what we know and believeand to continue working to gain greaterunderstanding among teachers so thattheir implementation more closelymatches the goals.

This article appeared in the Volume 21,March 1995 issue of The Affiliate, aquarterly publication for NAEYCAffiliate Groups, and is reprinted herewith the express permission of theNational Association for the Educationof Young Children. Comments arewelcomed and may be sent to NAEYCAffiliate Services, 1509 16th Street, NW,Washington, DC 20036-1426;telephoned to (202) 232-8777 or (800)424-2460; or faxed to (202) 328-1846.

The document calls for amore flexible timetable for

learning to read, so thatchildren who take longer to

acquire literacy are notretained in kindergarten orfirst grade. A large body of

research on retentionconsistently finds thatretention does not help

achievement.

Summer 1995 Vol. 2 No. 3

TRANSITIONS: CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Transitions to School, a publicationfocusing on recommended practicesdesigned to facilitate a child'smovement into kindergarten and theprimary grades, has been published bythe National Governors' Association.Written by Elizabeth Stief, PolicyAnalyst for the NGA's Children andSocial Services Programs, the reportsummarizes what is known aboutsuccessful early childhood transitionservices and highlights existing policiesand approaches.

In discussing Goal One of the NationalEducation Goals ("By the year 2000, allchildren in America will start school readyto learn"), Howard Dean, MD,Governor of Vermont and Chair of theNational Governors' Association,explains in his foreword to Transitionsto School that no one questions theimportance of school readiness.Concerns have been voiced, however,about the advisability of focusing solelyon the child, when in reality manyschools may not be ready for youngchildren.

Dean further writes that:"there is a growing realization amongpolicymakers that, although children mustbe ready to learn, schools also must be readyto teach. Unfortunately, as some schoolshave admirably sought to implement highstandards for all students, they haveincreased inappropriate academic demandson young children or have institutedreadiness tests that hinder children's entryinto the public schools. Many experts havedisputed the rationale behind the testing ofyoung children as well as the value of earlyacademic instruction. The NationalEducation Goals Panel's Goal One advisorygroup has noted that the best way to reachhigh standards may be to attend tochildren's general well-being and providelearning environments and experiences richin opportunities to explore, rather than toprovide earlier formal academicinstruction."Consequently, Dean states that, aspolicymakers begin to look at a broaderdefinition of readiness, they are alsofocusing on services that assist childrenin making the transition from earlychildhood care and education settingsinto school programs.

Transitions to School identifies manyfactors resulting in this attention toearly childhood transitions. Anincreasing number of preschool-agechildren are involved in out-of-homeearly childhood care and education

environments that are quite different inboth philosophy and practice from thepublic schools. Kindergartens havebecome more widespread, but at thesame time increasingly academic intheir emphasis; many children,consequently, experience an earlyfailure that may negatively affect theirfuture success in school.

Other reasons for the focus ontransitioning are the general agreementon the importance of the involvementof parents in their children's education,systemic education reform efforts, andinterest in collaboration among serviceproviders to better serve children andtheir families. Efforts to assist HeadStart children successfully enter publicschools began in the late 1960s, andsince the 1980s strategies have beendeveloped to facilitate the transitions ofchildren with disabilities. The reportstates, however, that "the currentinterest in transitions is unique becauseit focuses on the needs of all children."

Her review of research and anecdotalevidence has resulted in Stief's

compiling a list of the components ofsuccessful transition programs. Suchprograms include:

quality preschool experiencesquality elementary schoolexperiencesparent involvementa continuum of family-focused andcommunity-based servicescommunication and collaborationbetween preschool and elementaryschool staffpreparation of children for thetransitionclear goals and objectives agreedupon by all parties involveda shared commitment to thesuccessful transitions of youngchildrenshared decision-making amonghome, preschool, school, andcommunity representativescultural sensitivityspecific assignment of roles andresponsibilities among all parties,including interagency agreementstraining and technical assistance oncollaboration and systems-buildingreasonable time and adequate fiscalresources to allow staff to carry outassigned roles

Continued on page 4

Transition Activities in Schools With Kindergarten Classes1989-90 School Year

Percentage of Schools Transition ActivityImplementing the Activity

10% systematic communication between kindergartenteachers and previous caregivers or teachers aboutentering kindergarten children

11% joint staff training with the participation of morethan half of the staff of community preschoolprograms

12% kindergarten curriculum designed to build on thepreschool program

13% formal transition policy

19% information-sharing about children'sdevelopmental progress by more than half of thestaff of community preschool programs

32% visits by all children and parents prior to schoolentry

39% informing parents of their rights andresponsibilities in the public school system

47% formal program for school visits

47% involving parents in classroom activities designedto ease children's transition to school

from J. M. Love, M. E. Logue, J. V. Trudeau, and K. Thayer, Transitions to Kindergarten inAmerican Schools (Washington, D. C.: U. S. Department of Education, 1992), as quoted in E. :Stief's Transitions to School.

REPRINT POLICYMaterial contained in Of Primary Interest may be reprinted in other forms, such as books, newsletters, or journals, provided that acopy of such reprinting is sent to the Colorado Department of Education, and that the reprinting contains the name Of PrimaryInterest and the fact that this newsletter is published cooperatively by the Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska Departments ofEducation. Permission to make photocopies is not required if the copies are to share with parents, teachers, or students; for libraryreserve; or for personal use; however, the name Of Primary Interest, as well as the logos of the three sponsoring agencies, mustappear in the copy. Additional issues of the publication may be requested from the editor at the Colorado Department ofEducation.

Current RecommendationsContinued from page 3

specific timelines for transitionactivitiescontinuous program evaluation andimprovement efforts.

The limited research which is available,Stief writes, indicates that transitionservices assist children in maintainingthe gains brought about by earlyintervention programs. Such servicesalso result in children having fewerproblems adjusting to school, lowerlevels of stress, greater self-confidence,fewer classroom behavior problems,

Colorado Department of EducationEarly Childhood Initiatives201 E. Colfax AvenueDenver, Colorado 80203

and less difficulty in reading. Becausetransitioning is proving effective, theNational Governors' Associationencourages states to also considerestablishing early childhood units inelementary schools; revisingassessment practices; reforming thelicensing, training, and compensationof all early childhood teachers; andeliminating the practice of retention inthe early grades.

Copies of Transitions to School areavailable at a cost of $15.00 each fromthe National Governors' Association,444 North Capitol Street, Washington,DC 20001-1512, (202) 624-5300.

16

We need to beaccountable formaking life as' positiveand pleasant as ispossible for youngchildren.

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Of Primary Interest

ALDEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

_r

A_EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Patricia M. Hayes. Chairman

6th Congressional District Engle ood

Thomas M. Howerton, Vice Chair

5th Congressional District Colorado Springs

John Evans

Member-at-Large Parker

Royce D. Forsyth

1st Congressional District

Patti Johnson

2nd Congressional District

Hazel F. Petrocco

3rd Congressional District

Clair Orr

4th Congressional District

Denser

Broomfield

Pueblo

Kersey

CC6Colorado Department of Education

201 E Colfax Avenue

Denver. Colorado 80203

Editor: Frank Fielden

Consultant Early Childhood Collaboration

Technical Advisors: Denise A. Chelius

Kathy Werner

Staff Assistants. Early Childhood Initiatives

303.866 -6674

303 866 -6662 fax

Published co-operatively by the Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska Departments of Education

Fall 1995 Vol. 2 No. 4

VYGOTSKY'S ZONE OFPROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

Deborah f Leong, PhD andElena Bodrova, PhD

The zone of proximal development or ZPD,one of the most well-known of all ofVygotsky's concepts, is a way ofconceptualizing the relationship betweenlearning and development (Vygotsky,1934/87). More and more early childhoodeducation and child development textbooks,as well as professional journals andpublications, have begun to use the ZPD as away of describing how children learn anddevelop. In this artide adapted from our bookTools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approachto Early Childhood Education(Merrill/Prentice-Hall), we will describe theZPD and discuss implications for teaching.

Definition of the Zone of ProximalDevelopmentVygotsky chose the word zone because heconceived development not as a point on ascale, but as a continuum of behaviors ordegrees of maturation. By the word proximal(next to, close to), he meant that the zone islimited by thosebehaviors that willdevelop in the nearfuture. Proximalmeans behaviorsclosest toemergence at anygiven timenot allpossible behaviorsthat will eventuallyemerge.

For Vygotsky,development of abehavior occurs ontwo levels whichform theboundaries& theZPD. The lowerlevel is the child'sindependentperformancewhat the child knows and cando alone. The higher level represents themaximum the childcan reach with help and iscalled assisted performance. Between maximallyassisted performance and independentperformance lie varying degrees of partiallyassisted performances (See Figure 1).

The skills and behaviors represented in theZPD are dynamic and constantly changing.What the child does with some assistancetoday is what the child will do independentlytomorrow. What requires maximum supportand assistance today will be something thechild can do with minimal help tomorrow. Sothe assisted performance level will change asthe child develops.

Level of independent performance. Ineducation and psychology, we havetraditionally focused on what is developed orachieved by independent performance only.For example, we say that if five year-oldSusan correctly adds 2 + 2 by herself, then shecan add. Frank has learned to make the letter"N" only when he can draw it on his own. Ifthere is a prompt by an adult, for instancewhen the teacher reminds Frank that an "'N'has one hump," then we say that the child hasnot "developed" or doesn't know theinformation yet. Vygotsky agreed that thelevel of independent performance is animportant index of development, but heargued that it is not sufficient to completely

describe development.

FIGURE 1

Level of assisted performance

Level of independent performance

Level of assistedperformance. Thelevel of assistedperformance isperformance thatincludes thosebehaviors performedwith the help ofand/or interactionwith another personeither an adult or peer.This interaction mayinvolve giving hintsand clues, rephrasingquestions, asking thechild to restate whathas been said, askingthe child what heunderstands,

demonstrating a portion or the entire task,and so on. It can also be indirect interaction orhelp, like setting up the environment tofacilitate practice of a specific set of skills. Forexample, a teacher can provide speciallylabeled sorting trays to encourage

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VYGOTSKY'S ZONEContinued from page 1

classification. Assisted performance alsoincludes interaction and talking to otherswho are present or imaginary, such asexplaining something to a peer. Thus levelof assisted performance describes any situationin which there are improvements in thechild's mental activities as a result of socialinteraction.

Dynamics, Variations, and Limitsof the ZPDThe ZPD is not static but shifts as the childattains the higher level (See Figure 2). Thus,development involves a sequence ofconstantly changing zones. With each shift,the child becomes capable of learning moreand more complex concepts and skills.What the child did only with assistanceyesterday becomes the level of independentperformance today, and a new level ofassisted performance appears. This cycle isrepeated over and over again, as the childclimbs his way to complete acquisition of abody of knowledge, skill, strategy,discipline, or behavior.

The zone of proximal development isdifferent for different areas of developmentor at different times during the acquisitionprocess. For different areas of developmentthe zone may vary in size. Some childrenrequire all possible assistance to make evensmall gains in learning. Other childrenmake huge leaps with much less assistance.

At the same time, the size of the zone mayvary for the same child from one area toanother or at different times in the learningprocess. A highly verbal child may not havetrouble acquiring concepts in readingcomprehension, for example, but have greatdifficulties with long division. Vygotskianswould interpret this as the child needingmore assistance in one area than another. Inaddition, at various times in the process oflearning, children respond to different typesof assistance. Mary, who has been countingonly a few weeks, needs more assistancecloser to her level of independentperformance than she will require threemonths later, after she has been counting fora while. At that time the ZPD and theamount a teacher can facilitate Mary's doingwith assistance will be greater.

The zone of proximal development revealsthe limits of the child's development at anyspecific time. The ZPD is not limitlessachild cannot be taught anything at anygiven time. Assisted performance is themaximum level at which a child canperform today. Children cannot be taughtskills or behaviors that exceed their ZPD.Teresa and Linda, for example, may not be

FIGURE 2

Level of assisted performance

Level of assisted performance

Level of assisted performance

ZPID3

Level of Independent performance

Level of Independent performance

Level of Independent performance

Timeable to be taught to do handstands on thebalance beam on a given day, because thatskill is too far above thei,ZPD.

When a skill is outside of the ZPD,Vygotskians note that children generallyignore, fail to use, or incorrectly use thatskill, strategy, or piece of information. Thisis how teachers will know if the assistanceprovided falls within the ZPD. Teachersmust carefully chart which prompts, clues,hints, books, activities, or peer cooperativegroupings have a desired effect on thechild's learning. Teachers should not beafraid to try a higher level, but teachers needto listen to the child by paying attention toher/his reaction to attempts at the higherlevel of the ZPD.

Using the ZPD in the ClassroomThe zone of proximal development hasthree important implications forlearning/teaching:

(1) how assistance is provided to a child inperforming a task,

(2) how children are assessed, and(3) what is considered developmentally

appropriate.

How we assist a child to perform a task. Itis most common to think of the assistedperformance level of the zone of proximaldevelopment in terms of "expert-novice"interactions, when one person has moreknowledge than the other. In this type ofinteraction, most commonly occurring indirect teaching, it is the expert'sresponsibility to provide support and todirect the interaction so that the novice canacquire the necessary behavior. Theseexpert-novice interactions can be informal,such as when children and parents orsiblings interact (Rogoff, 1990).

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However, Vygotsky's conception of the ZPDis much broader than the expert-noviceinteraction; he extended it to all sociallyshared activities. Also, not all of theassistance used by the child needs to beintentionally provided by an adult.Vygotsky believed that the child can startperforming on a higher level of the ZPDthrough any type of social interactioninteraction with peers as equals withimaginary partners, or with children at otherdevelopmental levels. For example, threeyear-old Benny cannot sit still during a story.The teacher tries to provide different typesof assistance to help him focus. She calls outhis name, places her hand on his shoulder,and signals to him nonverbally. In spite ofthese efforts, Benny continues to wiggle andlook around the room. Later that day,Benny is playing school with a group offriends. Tony sits in a chair and "reads" abook just like the teacher, while Benny andseveral other children "pretend" to bestudents andlisten. Benny sits and listens,focusing his attention for four to fiveminutes. Benny is practicing the samebehavior that the teacher had desiredfocused attention. The ability to concentratefor a short time is within his ZPD; but wecan see that he requires a particular type ofassistancethat of play and peers. With theassistance of his peers, Benny is able toperform at the higher levels of his ZPD, butwith the teacher he is not able to do so.

How we assess children. The idea of theZPD has direct implications for assessingwhat children know and can do. Instead oflimiting assessment only to what childrencan do independently, we should includewhat they can do with different levels ofassistance. Teachers should note howchildren use their help as well as what hints

are the most useful. This technique, oftencalled "dynamic assessment," has greatpotential for improving and expandingauthentic classroom assessment (Cronbach,1990; McAfee & Leong, 1994).

By using the ZPD in assessment, not only dowe have a more accurate estimate of thechild's abilities, but we have a more flexibleway of assessing children. Teachers canrephrase a question, pose it differently, orencourage the child to show what sheknows. Using the ZPD, we get at the child'sbest performance or understanding.

What is developmentally appropriate. Theidea of the Zone of Proximal Developmentbroadens the term developmentallyappropriate. The term developmentallyappropriate is defined by the child'sindependent achievementsby theprocesses and skills that have fullydeveloped (Bredekamp, 1992). It does notcurrently include the level of assistedperformance and emerging processes andskills. Thus, teachers are likely to wait untildesired behavior emerges spontaneouslybefore providing activities that encourage it.As a result, children only have learningopportunities at what Vygotsky considersthe lower level of their ZPD.

The concept of the ZPD expands the idea ofwhat is developmentally appropriate toinclude the things the child can learn withassistance. Vygotsky gigues that the mosteffective teaching is aimed at the higherlevel of the child's ZPD. Teachers shouldprovide activities just beyond what the childcan do on her own, but within what thechild can do with assistance. Thus, thelearning/teaching dialogue proceedsslightly ahead of the child's status at anygiven time. If adults, for example, onlyprovided language stimulation geared to thechild's actual speech and not at a levelslightly higher, then they would only usebaby talk with toddlers and never speak infull sentences. But in actual practice, adults,both parents and teachers, intuitively addmore information and use more complexgrammar than the toddler is currentlycapable of producing. As a result, the childlearns more complex grammar and expandsher vocabulary.

Another example of how we intuitively usethe level of assisted performance is seenwhen we deal with the conflicts thatnaturally arise between young children.When two-and-a-half year-olds are fighting,the teacher describes each child's feelingseven though the children may not yet beable to take another person's perspective.Few teachers would want to wait to talkwith the children until these perspective-

taking skills emerge naturally, when they arefour and five years of age.

With the ZPD, Vygotsky emphasized thatthe child should practice what he can doindependently and, at the same time, beexposed to things at higher levels of theZPD. Both levels are developmentallyappropriate. Teachers must be sensitive tothe child's reaction to the support andassistance provided in the ZPD. If the childaccepts the teacher's support, then theteacher has hit within the ZPD. If a childignores help, and still cannot perform at thehigher level of the ZPD as expected, then theteacher needs to rethink the support.Perhaps the skill is outside this child's zone,or the assistance provided is not useful andshould be modified. The ZPD helpsteachers look at what support to provide,and how the child reacts, in a more sensitiveway.

ReferencesBodrova, E. and Leong, D. J. Tools of theMind: The Vygotskian Approach to EarlyChildhood Education. New York:Merrill/Prentice-Hall, 1995.

Bredekamp, S. (ed.) DevelopmentallyAppropriate Practice in Early Childhood

Programs Serving Children From Birth toAge 8 (revised edition). Washington, DC:National Association for the Education ofYoung Children, 1992.

Cronbach, L. J. Essentials of PsychologicalTesting (5th edition). New York: Harper &Row, 1990.

McAfee, 0. and Leong, D. J. Assessing andGuiding Young Children's Development andLearning. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1994.

Vygotsky, L. S. The Collected Works of L. S.Vygotsky (R. W. Rieber and A. S. Carton,translators). New York: Plenum Press, 1987(original published in Russian in 1934,1960).

Dr. Elena Bodrova is Visiting Professor,Department of Psychology, and Dr. DeborahLeong is Professor of Psychology, atMetropolitan State College in Denver. Theyhave especially rewritten a chapter fromtheir forthcoming bobk in order to providethis article for Of Primary Interest; theyretain the copyright of this material. Theymay be contacted at Department ofPsychology, Metropolitan State College,Campus Box 54, P. 0. Box 173362, Denver,Colorado 80217-3362, (303) 556-3205.

IT'S ELEMENTARY!The California Department of Education has published the report of its Elementary GradesTask Force. Entitled It's Elementary!, the document is intended to help administrators,community leaders, parents, and teachers achieve excellence in public schools during the mostcritical years of a child's educational development. It sets forward 32 recommendations whichsummarize much of the research and practice at the elementary level. These recommendationsare designed to assist school teams of teachers, parents, and administrators in engagingchildren in a "thinking curriculum, one which immerses students in a rich learningenvironment that recognizes and celebrates the unique backgrounds and experiences eachstudent brings to the classroom."

The recommendations for realizing California's vision for educational renaissance are:(1) Make a rich, meaning-centered, thinking curriculum the centerpiece of instruction for all

students in all subject areas in the elementary grades.(2) Begin curricular reform by mastering a single subject area.(3) Reduce the amount of time spent on skill-based activities.(4) Choose depth over coverage in teaching a subject.(5) Schedule class work in longer blocks of time.(6) Team teach and specialize, especially in the upper elementary grades.(7) Extend the learning day with homework assignments consistent with the thinking

curriculum.(8) Use a variety of grouping strategies.(9) Provide more collaborative learning opportunities.

(10) Intervene early to prevent learning problems, especially in reading fluency.(11) Develop an academic support network to ensure that all students acquire important

learnings the first time around.(12) Use categorical resources to support the thinking curriculum.(13) Ensure that limited-English-proficient (LEP) students have access to the thinking

curriculum.

IT'S ELEMENTARY!Continued from page 3

(14) Avoid grade-level tetention as an instructional strategy.(15) Invest shrewdly in technology to help promote the thinking

curriculum.(16) Provide teachers access to the best thinking about curriculum

and instructional practices.(17) Make sure that teachers have adequate scheduled time for

working together in professional collaborations at the school site.(18) Support teacher professionalism with a classroom supply

budget, secretarial help, and a well-equipped workplace.(19) Aggressively recruit teachers from a diversity of ethnic

backgrounds.(20) Support new teachers.(1) Continue building a system of authentic, performance-based

assessments that measure the full scope of the thinkingcurriculum.

(22) Define a set of performance standards for the elementary years.(23) Assess limited-English-proficient (LEP) students' performance in

the home language.(24) Do not assign letter grades during the primary years.(25) Develop a unifying vision of what the school is trying to

accomplish.(26) Use the vision of the school as a guide for action.(27) Bond students to their schools by making them feel part of a

caring community.(28) Reach out to parents to solicit their active involvement in the

education of their children.(29) Systematically upgrade school plants statewide.(30) Coordinate human services at the school site to ensure that the

basic security needs of children are being met.(31) Enable the local school community to take the problem-solving

initiative.(32) Hold schools accountable for reaching agreed-on outcomes.

It's Elementary! also addresses the issue of a teacher's sense ofprofessionalism and cites reasons that this part of her/his self-conceptmay be undermined:

Colorado Department of EducationEarly Childhood Initiatives201 E. Colfax Avenue ,

Denver, Colorado 80203

isolation - Whereas 80 percent of teachers respond favorablto theconcept of visiting, or being observed by, their peers as a means ofincreased professional development, only 20 percent indicate thatthey have the opportunity of doing so.class size - Having an average of 28.3 students in each elementaryclass, the public school system in California ranks 49th out of the 50states in terms of class size.lack of instructional materials - The shortage of maps and globes,paper (at the end of the year), textbooks, and video equipment iswidespread. Teachers are spending their own money to purchasematerials.no career ladder - The lack of opportunities for advancementwithin the teaching profession means that in order to continueearning salary increases, many teachers leave education and moveinto administration.lack of autonomy - In many instances teachers are treated as"technicians or assembly-line workers.... Decisions that directlyaffect what takes place in the classroomwhich topics will betaught, which textbooks will be used, how classes will bescheduled, and how a teacher's performance will be measuredare made elsewhere."

To address these issues which negatively affect a teacher's sense ofprofessional worth, and to provide for ongoing professional growthopportunities, the report provides an outline of a career ladder. Rungson such a ladder might include:

a teaching residency;the earning of tenure;earning of "board certified" status in one's speciality from theNational Board of Professional Teaching Standards;assuming responsibility in curriculum development, schoolgovernance, staff development, or peer evaluation;taking a sabbatical year of work-study in a field related to one'sacademic interest; andbeing recognized as a "lead" teacher or mentor.

Copies of It's Elementary! are available for $5 each, plus sales tax forCalifornia residents, from the Bureau of Publications, Sales Unit,California Department of Education, P O. Box 271, Sacramento,California 95812-0271, (916) 445-1260.

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