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The Creative Curriculum for Preschool: Intentional Teaching Experiences

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The Creative Curriculum for Preschool: Intentional Teaching Experiences

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The Creative Curriculum for Preschool: Mighty Minutes

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The Creative Curriculum for Preschool: Mighty Minutes

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What are the Development and Learning Activities in the family resources library in MyTeachingStrategies®?

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What are the Development and Learning Activities in the family resources library in MyTeachingStrategies®?

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Planning for Intentional Teaching Experiences

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Planning for Intentional Teaching Experiences

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Recorded: Wednesday, March 6, 2024

We invite educators, curriculum designers, and educational leaders to join us for a discussion on the limitations of traditional assessment methods. Together, we will examine the disadvantages of assessing on the bell curve of "Meeting," "Exceeding," or "Progressing" standards that often overshadow the individual developmental milestones of each child.

This webinar will explain the research-backed advantages of observational formative assessment as part of the GOLD assessment approach. Teaching Strategies' GOLD stands out from other early childhood assessment systems due to its whole-child approach. Unlike many other assessments that focus solely on academic progress, GOLD emphasizes the well-rounded development of young children across all domains, including social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills.

Participants will learn how this approach can inform more personalized teaching strategies, create supportive learning environments, and empower families with a deeper understanding of their children's educational journey. Together, we will explore how to nurture each child's development with the precision and respect it deserves, moving beyond the bell curve to a future where every child's educational needs are met with clarity and compassion.

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Beyond the Bell Curve: Cultivating Individual Growth With GOLD Assessment - Teaching Strategies

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Recorded: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 We invite educators, curriculum designers, and educational leaders to join us for a discussion on the limitations of traditional assessment methods. Together, we will examine the disadvantages of assessing on the bell curve of "Meeting," "Exceeding," or "Progressing" standards that often overshadow the individual developmental milestones of each child.

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5 Essentials for Inspiring Young Learners with the Science of Reading - Teaching Strategies

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Recorded: Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Join us as we explore the transformative power of formative assessment in fostering individualized learning journeys for children with Teaching Strategies GOLD. In this 1-hour product demonstration for our international audience, we will showcase how this formative assessment tool, designed for children aged birth through 8 years old, allows educators to

naturally collect observations during play and other daily interactions,

easily document observations through photos and notes in our user-friendly app,

develop a daily assessment routine that supports personalized learning, and

share insights on each child's growth with their family.

With GOLD, a teacher's daily observations are incorporated into a color-coded development progression chart, guiding each child on their unique learning path based on their skills and abilities.

Embrace the departure from on-the-spot summative assessment for to a more natural, fluent, and holistic approach that captures children's true interactions within the school environment.

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Golden Insights for Individualized Learning: Unleashing the Power of Formative Assessment With GOLD - Teaching Strategies

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Recorded: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 Join us as we explore the transformative power of formative assessment in fostering individualized learning journeys for children with Teaching Strategies GOLD.

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Teaching, coaching, and mentoring offer immensely powerful experiences due to the vulnerability of all participants and the shared expectation of fostering change and growth. In my role as a Coach Mentor in the Coaches' Corner of The Hub, I consider myself truly fortunate to collaborate with educators committed to enhancing teaching and learning in early childhood programs. Therefore, when two coaches I was mentoring, Tasha Lind and Shannon Brown of North Dakota's Best In Class program, approached me to read and discuss the book I had recommended, The Power of Observation, I was so very enthusiastic.

Our initial discussion about the book was a reflection of its title: observation is a powerful experience. Although the book dates to 1999 and was last published in 2017, I felt a personal connection with its content from years ago, and I firmly believe it remains essential reading for educators. During one of our Coach Mentor sessions, Tasha shared that The Power of Observation precisely addressed the needs of her educators. She said, "This is exactly what we've been missing."

This admission brought tears to my eyes!

From both the book and our subsequent conversation, three key insights stood out.

1. Observing With an Open Attitude
The opening chapter encourages a shift in perception, framing observation not merely as a skill but as an opportunity to explore and learn about each child. This mindset prompts observers to appreciate each child's unique qualities, prompting a deeper understanding of their individual dimensions, temperament, learning preferences, and personality.

2. Building Individual Relationships Through Observation
In the second chapter, the book challenges us to express respect and appreciation for each child, emphasizing the potential influence of our own feelings towards them on our interactions. Taking time to reflect on aspects of our communication, such as our tone of voice and facial expressions, can lead to recognizing the importance of tailoring our approach to each child. Through such familiarity, we gain the insight needed to apply suitable teaching and learning strategies for each individual and for the groups of children with whom we work.

3. Understanding the Observer Within
The book's third chapter delves into the notion that every educator carries a unique background, personality, beliefs, experiences, and pursuits. When part of your work requires observation-based assessment, acknowledging these factors is particularly insightful, as they can shape our perceptions and lead to assumptions or biases that might hinder our effectiveness.

As educators, we often focus on the practical aspects of observing, such as effective strategies, setting up and planning for skilled observation, and utilizing observation data for instructional planning. However, these three additional components-maintaining an open attitude, building personalized relationships through observation, and recognizing our own observer biases-are indispensable for harnessing the full power of observational assessment.

If you have previously read The Power of Observation, are looking for a reason to reread it, or are thinking about adding it to your reading list in the near future, consider this your invitation to join me in a discussion of this informative and inspiring book. You can find me in the Coaches' Corner of The Hub and in the general forum. I look forward to connecting with you.

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Unlocking the Power of Observation: 3 Key Insights for Educators - Teaching Strategies

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Teaching, coaching, and mentoring offer immensely powerful experiences due to the vulnerability of all participants and the shared expectation of fostering change and growth. In my role as a Coach Mentor in the Coaches' Corner of The Hub, I consider myself truly fortunate to collaborate with educators committed to enhancing teaching and learning in early [...]

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State early childhood systems work best for children and families when they operate under unified leadership with an aligned vision for success. In recent years, we have seen many state leaders take action to organize early childhood systems to effectively deliver high-quality programs and services. Some states, such as Alabama and Colorado, have dedicated state agencies to early childhood. Others have consolidated existing programs and divisions into one agency or coordinated efforts across different agencies, as seen in Maryland and Texas, respectively.

The recent National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL) Early Childhood Deep Dive Invitational highlighted Washington State's system. Washington coordinates early childhood programs and services across the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). At the conference, a panel of leaders from each department discussed how the systems-level coordinated governance allows for early assessment data sharing and quality improvement across the birth through third-grade education continuum.

Washington has taken very intentional steps over the years to build an innovative and comprehensive early childhood system, with the work spanning two decades and changes in leadership, executive and legislative branches, and funding streams. Beginning in 1985, Washington supported children and families through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), the state's prekindergarten program aimed at preparing 3- and 4-year-old children for success in school and life. ECEAP provides child-centered, individualized preschool education and health coordination services on a strengths-based family support system, including providing services to increase social-emotional, physical, and pre-academic skills. As part of this work, ECEAP selected GOLD to assess the development and learning of participating children in 2012.

Over ten years ago, Teaching Strategies also partnered with what was then the Department of Early Learning and OSPI to create the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), a transition process that connects with key caregivers and supports young children from early learning to the kindergarten classroom. Components of the WaKIDS initiative include family engagement and connection; early learning collaboration (fostering relationships between early learning providers to support children's transitions); professional development; and a whole-child formative assessment system, GOLD, that allows teachers to observe children while they're engaged in everyday activities and authentically capture children's demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities. To further support the state's intentional connections across the birth-5 system, the tool was informed by early learning requirements already in place within both the state pre-k and Head Start programs. Furthermore, Teaching Strategies and Washington partnered to support the implementation of the WaKIDS Whole-child Assessment by incentivizing an inter-rater reliability training to aid in statewide adoption.

In 2023, the Washington state Legislature authorized Transition to Kindergarten (TK) as a voluntary program for 4-year-olds who need additional preparation to be successful in kindergarten and who lack access to other early learning group settings. All three components of WaKIDS must be administered at the beginning of the TK program, and the WaKIDS whole-child assessment must be administered at least one more time during the school year.

This developmental data then helps educators individualize instruction to best suit the needs of each child. With the creation of Early ECEAP (0-3) and requirements to assess children using GOLD in state funded 0-3 and 3-5 programming and as part of the kindergarten entry process, the state has created a seamless B-6 assessment system. Data collected in each of these programs has resulted in years of analysis of child outcomes for Washington's state-funded PreK and, most recently, data collected from the WaKIDS formative assessment process reaffirmed a strong correlation between performance in third-grade English language arts (ELA), math, Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA), and readiness at kindergarten. ¹ New reports continually reaffirm these outcomes. An analysis of WaKIDS data from Fall 2022 found that students who participated in TK outperformed their peers in all six learning domains. ² You can see more recent data from WaKIDS here.

Additionally, the WaKIDS- and ECEAP-required formative assessment system has unique relevance for Washington State leaders, as it provides a common data source to support decision-making across coordinated governance efforts. The data provide a statewide profile of children's developmental readiness to inform community-, district-, and state-level decisions. ChildTrends, a leading early childhood research organization, emphasizes the importance of a common data system in promoting the well-being of children: "Early childhood integrated data systems (ECIDS) offer policymakers a comprehensive view of early learning investments and children's and families' experiences with different intervention services from birth." ³ The result provides a statewide profile of children's success in state-funded PreK programming and developmental readiness for kindergarten, as well as a common language for state leaders to inform policy decisions.

Washington further supported this investment through legislation ( RCW 43,41,400) establishing the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), which houses the Preschool to Grade 20 to Workforce (P20W) data warehouse, a statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) reporting information on Washington students spanning early learning, K-12, post-secondary, and workforce. The goal of ERDC is to coordinate with contributing state agencies and the community to fulfill data requests; conduct research; and, their biggest accomplishment, facilitate the creation of a data dashboard, such as this Early Learning Feedback Statewide Report dashboard, which represents the culmination of the efforts made by state-funded ECEAP teachers' and kindergarten teachers' assessments to build upon earlier assessments.

Since implementing GOLD as the WaKIDS formative assessment system, leaders and their state agencies have been pleased to see the data used to collaborate with partners and coordinate the state's efforts to better serve Washington's children and families.

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Washington Educators Individualize Instruction With GOLD - Teaching Strategies

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State early childhood systems work best for children and families when they operate under unified leadership with an aligned vision for success. In recent years, we have seen many state leaders take action to organize early childhood systems to effectively deliver high-quality programs and services.