Sobrato Early Academic Literacy Project A Preschool -Third

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Sobrato Early Academic Literacy Project

• A Preschool -Third grade pilot
• for Spanish-Speaking English Learners

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The Context - The Challenge

• Demographics of our Time
• An enduring and increasing achievement gap
• Inadequate English development
• No Child Left Behind
• Importance of preschool education - an early
  start, a strong foundation
• Increasingly strong research-base on English
  Learner best practices, bilingual development -
  but separate PreK and K-12 worlds

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The Sobrato Family Foundation

• Silicon Valley based
• Mission to help create and sustain a vibrant
  and healthy community where all Silicon Valley
  residents have equal opportunity to live, work
  and be enriched

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WHY SEAL?

• To invest in the children, families and
  institutions in the region
• To create a much-needed model of Preschool -
  Third grade powerful schooling for Latino English
  Learners
• To close the achievement gap
• To build high levels of literacy in two languages
• To develop confident, motivated, engaged learners

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The SEAL Pilot big picture

• Define a research-based model
• Start with a few sites
• Build programs that support children from
  preschool through third grade (5 years) through
  customized and co-designed plans, data, resources
  and support
• Monitor/track progress through a strong
  evaluation that will contribute to the knowledge
  base
• Develop tools for replication ?? add sites

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Defining the research-based model

• National advisors
• Drawing upon both the recent research on language
  and bilingual development in early childhood AND
  on language and bilingual development K-12 (a
  literature review)

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Strong research base..

• Linguistics (how a first and second language
  develops)
• Neuroscience/brain research
• Effective instruction
• Program evaluation

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From the research

• High quality early childhood education reduces
  disparities in outcomes
• There is a developmental continuum of
  language/literacy development in young children
• The window of development (ages 2-6) is a unique
  opportunity for language
• Two systems, two pedagogical traditions -- and
  challenges in the transition from one to the
  other (School readiness)

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SEALs approach

• An age-appropriate, coherent and articulated
  preschool program that prepares children for
  academic success in elementary school and beyond,
  and that provides a seamless transition from
  preschool into the K-12 system

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The SEAL Model 6 components

• Academic language and literacy in English and
  Spanish
• Rich oral language development
• Text-rich environment and curriculum
• Language developed through enriched curriculum
• Affirming learning environment
• Teachers and Parents working together

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• Inter-related components - cant have one without
  the other
• Not a curriculum package - can be implemented
  to support, enrich and strengthen core programs

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1 Academic Language and Literacy in
English and Spanish

• At birth, all infants have the innate human
  capacity to learn more than one language
• Bilingual development is a common and normal
  childhood experience
• Internationally, it is estimated that there are
  as many children growing up learning TWO
  languages as one

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Confront the myths..

• Myth learning two languages will confuse
  children
• Myth With less exposure to each language,
  neither becomes developed fully - and they will
  not attain proficiency equal to monolingual
  children in either language
• Myth Time spent in home language is wasted time
  for developing English
• Myth More and earlier immersion in English is
  the best way to acquire English

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The early childhood world ..

• Affirming a childs home language is key to
  healthy identity development and family
  connection
• Use and development of the childs home language
  will benefit the child in acquiring English (CDE
  Principles for Promoting Language, Literacy and
  Learning in Preschool English Learners - 2007)
• . but How?

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The K-3 world

• Are we allowed to do primary language?
• Wont this undermine the path towards proficiency
  in English?

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2 Rich oral language development

• Four domains of language
• Oral language is foundation
• Spoken language and reading have much in common.
  Reading depends heavily on the readers oral
  language abilities - particularly with regards to
  understanding the means of words

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3 Text-rich environment and curriculum

• Active engagement with books and writing
• Meaningful interactions with a variety of print
  media
• Talking about books contributes to comprehension,
  vocabulary.
• Seeing self in books is crucial to literacy

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4 Language developed through enriched
curriculum

• Language as a vehicle for learning and expression
• To close achievement gap requires access to full
  curriculum
• Equity issue
• Science and the arts are powerful subjects and
  opportunities for language development

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5 Affirming Learning Environment

• Affective filter and language learning
• The HIGHEST expectations
• A culture and climate of respect and inclusion
• Relationship between healthy socio-emotional
  development and sense of safety

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NAEYC Position Statement on Language and Cultural
Diversity
Recognize that all children are cognitively,
linguistically and emotionally connected to the
language and culture of their home and family.
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6 Teachers and Parents work together

• Education for ELs is enhanced when schools and
  families partner around childrens education
• Parents can facilitate literacy development by
  using the language they know best and by using it
  in varied and extensive ways
• School need to address barriers to involvement
• Relationship between school and home is a
  crucial factor in healthy development of
  identity, and sense of belonging.

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Selecting the Sites

• We elected sites with the basic capacity and
  commitment to be able to implement the model
• San Jose Unified School District 1 Dual Language
  school, 1 early-exit bilingual program/SEI
  school, 3 feeder preschool sites (community
  based, plus state-funded preschools)
• Redwood City School District 1 early exit
  bilingual/SEI school, 3 feeder preschools

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The Sites

• From 72 to 97 Hispanic
• High free and reduced lunch population
• One school in PI Year Three

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Working with the sites

• The SEAL pilot is about BUILDING towards the
  model
• No one size fits all, exact replication model
  or process
• SEAL Lead teams are helped to reflect on their
  practices, build on their strengths, identify and
  plan to address gaps

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The SEAL process

• Worked closely with district to align work and
  support
• Set up an infrastructure of support (full-time
  facilitator/coach per site, resources as needed,
  access to powerful programs and professional
  development, collaboration time)
• Reflective practice - continuing throughout the
  life of the pilot
• Deep immersion in research, access to top
  research and researchers in the field, focused
  on data

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Intentional program design and language management

• In Preschools - minimum of 50 Spanish, minimum
  of 25 English during teacher-directed and
  teacher-facilitated work
• Bilingual programs - 8020 in K, to 5050 in
  third
• All classrooms (bilingual and SEI) High quality
  language development and emphasis on transfer and
  contrastive analysis

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Professional Development

• Silvia Duque Reyes, Side by Side - standards
  based planning for SLA/ELD/ELA
• Kathy Escamilla, Literacy Squared - approaches
  to simultaneous bilingual development
• GLAD and PreK GLAD
• California Reading and Literacy Project -
  Transfer and Houghton-Mifflin
• Explicit Direct Instruction

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Programs/Activities

• Schmahl Science Workshops
• Bilingual Authors
• Families United for Literacy and Learning
• Summer Bridge programs (PreK-K, K-1)
• Early Childhood Language Development Institute
  (SMCOE)

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National Hispanic University a partnership and
opportunity

• Preschool instructional assistants and teachers
  working towards A.A. or B.A. degree with an
  emphasis on early childhood biliteracy
• Scholarships and books
• Practicum hours done in SEAL classrooms/work
  sites
• Grant continuing education credits for the SEAL
  Forum Series

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The Evaluation/Research

• Dr. Kathryn Lindholm-Leary
• Longitudinal design following cohorts of students
  from entering preschool through third grade
• Data points/analysis - PreK entry, K entry, First
  grade entry, end of third grade

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Student Measures Pre K

• Desired Results DRDP Revise (Spanish/English)
• Pre LAS (Spanish/English)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
• Kindergarten School Readiness Checklist

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Student Measures K ?

• CELDT
• Social Rating Scale
• Self-Description Questionaire
• Lindholm-Leary Student Attitude Scale
• CST
• Aprenda - Reading

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Classroom measures

• Preschool - ECERS-R and ECERS-E
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) -
  measures emotional and instructional climate
• Language Use in Classroom
• Staff quality and training

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Family Context

• Adaptation from ECLS Longitudinal Student and
  Lindholm-Leary Parent Scales - focus on language
  and literacy practices
• Family involvement in school and childs education

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Between now and 2014.

• Videos of classroom practices
• Reflection tools/observation tools
• Email notifications of new resources identified
• Research updates as data on cohort becomes
  available
• Information on replication forums
• Visits to the sites

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If YOU know of powerful programs to visit or
resources.

• Please let me know!

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Thank you!

• For more information, contact
• Laurie Olsen
• Lolsen_at_sobrato.org