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| On The Way to SUCCESS in Reading and Writing with Early Prevention of School Failure (Ages 4-7). A holistic program approach to staff development in assessment and curriculum alignment from prekindergarten through second grade with a central goal to improve their schools and with a shared purpose to increase student learning and sustain program effects for at-risk children. |
Audience Approved by PEP for children in kindergarten and after kindergarten for identified at-risk students (ages 4-7).
Description The program begins with educators serving kindergarten children participating in a two-day training program to learn a team approach: (1) to administering a normed assessment battery to all kindergarten children; (2) to use the data plus parent reports, transitional records, and other pertinent information to generate a computerized printout of each child's developmental learning profile (visual, auditory, language, and motor synthesis); (3) to correlate assessment outcomes and observations with developmentally sequenced learning concepts which can be used as a guide for charting progress; (4) to utilize program developed literature-based reading, writing, language, and thinking curriculum resources; (5) to monitor each child's progress using on-going portfolios and authentic performance assessments; and (6) to prepare written transitional reports for first grade teachers and parent conferences.
The child who is at-risk continued to participate in the program in first grade with age-and individual- appropriate initial and ongoing authentic assessments, literature-based curriculum resources, monitoring procedures, and parent involvement activities. A literacy-based reading and writing program reflects each child's interest and development. Reading and writing portfolios are continued in second grade.
The program celebrates the way children learn, recognizes each child's individuality, and has high expectations that a child will learn regardless of socio-economic status, language proficiency, parental involvement, experiential background, or ethnicity.
Evidence of Effectiveness Program evaluators demonstrated that, as a result of their participation in EPSF in kindergarten (1985-86) and On the Way to SUCCESS in first grade (1986-87), students at-risk of academic success in kindergarten and first grade could not be distinguished from their typical or average second grade peers on the basis of scores from tests administered in 1988. The robust effects of the program were demonstrated by the statistically significant and educationally meaningful gains of a demographically diverse group of students from 11 districts in nine states. The project has an unparalleled history of success: twenty years of documented student, teacher, and parent impact by constantly updating the program as a result of research and experience.
Requirements The EPSF kindergarten program requires two days of training. The On the Way to SUCCESS in first grade requires one day of training.
Costs The EPSF kindergarten program is a one time cost of $600 per building and the On the Way to SUCCESS first grade program is a one time cost of $145 per classroom.
Services The program provides awareness materials and presentations at no cost. Initial and sustained staff development are provided by sharing cost. State consortium meetings and leadership conferences are sponsored throughout the year at various locations.
Developmental Funding: USDE ESEA Title III (EPSF); USDE ESEA Title I (Migrant); USDE (SUCCESS).
PEP No. 90-17 (6/11/90)
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[Parents As Teachers]