From Rogersville to Memphis: The Journey of the TN SIG Preschool Literacy Training Project

1
From Rogersville to Memphis The Journey of the
TN SIG Preschool Literacy Training Project

• Alissa Ongie, M.Ed.
• TN SIG Pre-K Project Coordinator
• East Tennessee State University

2
What Is the PLTP?

• Part of the Tennessee State Improvement Grant a
  federal grant through OSEP that wraps around
  Reading First services
• The PLTP has worked with preschools across
  Tennessee
• The PLTP has provided professional development to
  preschool teachers, parent workshops for
  families, and products available for free on the
  TN SIG website Sig.cls.utk.edu
• The TN SIG is currently in a no-cost extension
  period with limited funding, and will end on
  6/30/2010

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Professional Development

• Training opportunities have been provided to TN
  SIG participating preschools in Rogersville,
  Knoxville, Claiborne County, Woodbury,
  Nashville/Davidson County, Somerville, Wayne
  County, and Memphis
• Topics covered in professional development
  include preschool literacy in the classroom and
  at home, infant/toddler literacy, and working
  with children with Autism

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How Was PD Delivered?

• Workshops held at TN SIG preschools on topics
  requested by individual preschools
• ETSU Early Childhood Summer Conference when
  funding was available, TN SIG preschool staff
  were invited to attend 3 days of conference
  activities with registration and all travel costs
  paid for by the PLTP
• ELLCO Quasi-experimental Design

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ELLCO Experiment

• We chose 10 TN SIG preschools and 10 control
  preschools with similar qualities (same type of
  program, same geographical region, etc.)
• We used the Early Language and Literacy Classroom
  Observation (ELLCO) to do a pre- and
  post-assessment on intervention and control
  preschools
• Intervention preschools received feedback on
  their ELLCO scores and PD in the areas in which
  they scored the lowest on the initial ELLCO
• Control preschools received no feedback or PD

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ELLCO Experiment continued

• ELLCO PD Trainings covered the following areas
• Organization of the Classroom
• Contents of the Classroom
• Presence and Use of Technology
• Opportunities for Child Choice and Initiative
• Classroom Management Strategies
• Classroom Climate
• Oral Language Facilitation
• Presence of Books
• Approaches to Book Reading
• Approaches to Childrens Writing
• Approaches to Curriculum Integration
• Recognizing Diversity in the Classroom
• Facilitating Home Support for Literacy
• Approaches to Assessment

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ELLCO Experiment Continued

• After a year of ELLCO-related PD, the
  post-assessment was completed
• Overall, intervention preschools improved their
  scores on ELLCO items more than control
  preschools
• The average post-score on the classroom
  observation portion of the ELLCO for intervention
  preschools was 4.1 points (5-point scale)
  compared to 3 points for control preschools
• The average increase on the literacy activities
  rating scale was .7 points (13 points max
  available) for intervention preschools compared
  to -1.9 for control preschools

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How PD Is Impacting Participants Literacy
Instruction in the Classroom

• I used what she showed us and used that to take
  what I was doing in a different direction. Made
  it two-fold. For example, KWL and flip chart for
  reading and phonics.
• Teaching them to spell their name, using
  letters in different ways such as the Frog Street
  Press using rhyme and song to get children
  interested in learning to read.
• Like when they are playing with food and they'll
  show me a piece of food and I'll say what kind
  of food is this? What letter does it start
  with?

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How PD Is Affecting Preschoolers Learning

• It has improved their knowledge on knowing their
  letters. Also it has helped teach parents the
  importance of reading to their children at home.
• Children are more aware of the letters,
  recognition a big portion of the children can
  print their names, recognize and print letters
  when they are doing artwork they are more aware
  of what they are drawing - you can really see
  what they are drawing.
• They are recognizing the alphabet more quickly,
  they want to listen more and are more focused. I
  have seen improvement in their learning.

10
Participants Overall Feelings about PD Received
through theTN SIG PLTP

• I think this is wonderful and I don't think
  there is a comparison to anything I've seen in
  the other school systems in terms of the early
  child professional development.
• It has a lot of components like special
  education that we did not have with previous PD.
  

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Parent Workshops

• We worked with participating TN SIG Preschools to
  schedule family nights with a focus on literacy
• These workshops were available to families within
  the community
• Preschools chose one of two workshops
• Family Reading provides tips for reading aloud
  with preschoolers
• Early Writing Experiences provides ideas to
  include writing activities in the home

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Parent Workshops continued

• Preschool Literacy Toolkit
• At the parent workshops, each family received a
  toolkit with items to help them include literacy
  in the home
• These toolkits are designed to follow
  developmentally appropriate pre-literacy
  guidelines

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Parent Workshops continued

• Toolkit Contents
• Family Reading Parent Flyer
• Early Writing Experiences Parent Flyer
• Spiral Notebook
• Construction Paper
• Little Sketch Book
• Alphabet Pasting Pieces many fonts
• Glue Stick
• Quality Childrens Book
• Magic Markers
• Wikki Stix
• Pencil Sharpener
• 2 Pencils
• Chubby Primary Pencils

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Parent Workshops continued

• Parent workshops have been offered in Madison,
  Nashville, Woodbury, and system-wide in Wayne
  County (over 200 preschoolers at 3 pre-K
  programs)
• In 2007 and 2008, a total of 692 Preschool
  Literacy Toolkits were provided to families,
  early childhood education students, and Head
  Start teachers

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Products Available on TN SIG Website

• Materials used with preschool teachers and
  families are downloadable at no cost from the TN
  SIG website
• Sig.cls.utk.edu under Preschool Products section
• Parent brochures are also available in Spanish

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Success Stories

• At a TN SIG preschool in Memphis, a licensing
  evaluator told the director that she had never
  seen more organized literacy instruction and that
  she would be using this center as an example for
  others
• At a TN SIG preschool in Jackson, the classroom
  that participated in the ELLCO Experiment later
  received a 6.09 out of 7 on the Tennessee Star
  Quality Assessment
• At a TN SIG preschool in Wayne County, the day
  after a tornado caused significant damage to the
  area, most families still attended our parent
  workshops held at the three pre-K sites

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Contact Information

• If you have any questions about how to use the
  preschool products on our website, please contact
  me
• Alissa Ongie
• Pre-K Project Coordinator
• TN SIG Preschool Literacy Training Project
• P.O. Box 70434
• Johnson City, TN 37614
• 423-439-7841
• ongie_at_etsu.edu