Transition Planning and Ready Schools

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Transition Planning and Ready Schools
Frameworks, Policies, and Practices
Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D. University of Virginia
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This morning?

• What we know from research on transition Best
  practices
• A framework for effective transition

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What do we know from research?

• What models and practices can be used to more
  effectively link families, children, and schools?
• Are classrooms ready for children?

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Alignment and transition

• Articulation of senders and receivers
• Families and schools
• Preschools and elementary schools
• Focus of alignment
• Curriculum / standards
• Assessments
• Quality of learning opportunities
• Teacher qualifications / training
• Peers and teachers

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Transition experiences
His teacher called several days before school
started it was great and really made Nate feel
great. The teacher called me the first week of
school and said she should be evaluated for
Ritalin because she cant teach her. We
werent sure about sending him, he may be young.
His teacher called to say hes way behind and
should go back to preschool.
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Transition experiences (continued)

• At the beginning I got her excited by talking
  about starting school six months before it
  started . . . it made the transition easy. . . .
  Before school started, I took her to the
  classroom to get her adjusted to it.
• On a more personal level, my son spends eight
  hours a day with his teacher and his best friend.
  I want to know those people. I dont want to be
  a once-every-three-months-for-report-card thing.
  I want to have more interaction.

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Common themes in parents views

• Anticipation and excitement about something new
• Contact can help or it can hurt
• Prepare by starting early
• Please get to know my child
• Please teach my child

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How successfully are children entering
kindergarten?
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Teachers who say half my class or more exhibit
these problems entering kindergarten
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Difficulty following directions
Lack of academic skills
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Difficulty working independently
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Difficulty working as part of a group
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Problems with social skills
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Difficulty communicating/ language problems
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0
10
20
30
40
50
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Why is transition to school important?

• Early school years are a critical period
• Longitudinal follow-up studies
• Preschool experiences enhance school success
• Intervention research pre-K research
• Discontinuities in transition period
• Follow-up studies

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Misalignments and shifts

• Formal academic demands / choosing curriculum
• Complex social environment (peers and adults)
• Less family connection with school
• Less time with teacher(s)

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How are teachers helping children make the
transition to kindergarten?
Three most common
A talk with the childs parents after school
starts
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A letter to the childs parents after school
starts
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An open house for parents and students after
school starts
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0
20
40
60
80
100
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How are teachers helping children make the
transition to kindergarten?
Three least common
A visit to the childs home before school starts
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A visit to the childs home after school starts
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A call to the child before school starts
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0
20
40
60
80
100
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What do teachers see as barriers to transition
practices?
Class lists are generated too late
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Requires work in the summer that is not supported
by salary
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A transition practices plan is not available in
the school/district
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
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Aligning schools with families and preschools

• Generic contacts
• After school starts
• Always at school
• Too little, too late, too impersonal

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A child-focused view
Alignment at the child level
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Alignment A child-focused view

• Meta-analysis of stability pre-K to K and K-2 for
  assessments of social/behavioral and
  cognitive/academic performance
• 70 longitudinal studies
• Average stability r cognitive/academic .49
• Average stability r social/behavioral .27

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The other side of transition Classrooms

• Untested assumptions
• Uniformity of classroom experience as a
  treatment
• Agreement about what constitutes Pre-K?1
  curriculum
• Current context is rapidly changing--
• State Pre-K, Head Start initiatives

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Observational data sources

• National Center for Early Development and
  Learning (NCEDL)
• Multi-state Pre-K classroom observations (n238)
• NICHD Study of Early Child Care
• 36/54 months (n 1,000)
• Kindergarten (n220)
• First grade (n969)

• Credentialed, educated teachers/caregivers

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Exposure to activities and practices

• Vast majority of interaction/activity is whole
  group
• Few, if any, social or instructional interactions
  between teacher and individual child
• Instruction Literacy activities
• Exceptional variation
• No typical class
• Every code has full range present

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What is the global qualityof the setting?

• Positive emotional/social climate
• Instructional climate/productivity

K-1
Pre-K
All years
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What is the quality of theclassroom setting?

• Quality of Feedback/Concept development

PreK-1
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Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
Excellent
Inadequate
Good
Minimal
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How consistent are childrens experiences across
grades?

• In NICHD Study grades 1-3 in same schools
• Low correlations for stability of teacher
  sensitivity (.13), classroom climate (.16),
  literacy (ns), or math (ns) activities
• Slight declines in detachment, negative climate,
  sensitivity
• No evidence of consistency despite use of same
  curriculum
• Same for pre-K ? K in NICHD, NCEDL

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Classroom quality and transition from pre-K to K

• Highly uneven classroom experiences across and
  within grades
• Overall quality not high, particularly for
  instruction
• Lack of alignment on curriculum, quality of child
  experiences, and teacher-child interactions

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Alignment and transition

• Articulation of senders and receivers
• Families and schools
• Preschools and elementary schools
• Focus of alignment
• Curriculum / standards
• Assessments
• Quality of learning opportunities
• Teacher qualifications / training
• Peers and teachers

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Policy goals

• Policies needed to align quality/experiences
• Systematic assessments of classroom settings
  pre-K to K/1
• Transition planning/policies can be undermined
  when quality is low/uneven

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Models of best practices

• Common denominators
• Informational linkages
  curriculum, standards, assessments,
  records
• Social linkages
  partnership, planning groups,
  collaborations
• Leadership

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Models of best practices (continued)

• Examples
• Maryland Ready at Five
• Hartford Brighter Futures
• SPARK / High Scope
• Event Start / Head Start Transition Plans
• New Hampshire and Ohio--state/local initiatives
• Foundation for Child Development P-3
• Pathways Mapping Project on School Readiness

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(No Transcript)
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A framework for effective transition
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Transition process A relational view
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Transition experiences
The teacher called the first week of school to
say he is the biggest clown in the class. I am
pleased . . . the teacher called after the first
two days of school to say how well she was
doing. Im not happy with it. . . . I sent in
notes but got no response from the teacher. . . .
The first day of school I sent him with a dollar
for lunch but he didnt eat all day . . .
something got mixed up. I tried again with a
dollar the next day . . . but he didnt eat that
day either. He wet his pants. The teacher is
young and shes not very organized. Im anxious
about this year.
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Alignment is a process involving

• Linkages
• Ready schools
• Community participation and support
• Family involvement and knowledge
• Preschools and child care
• Quality classrooms

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A transition agenda Linkages

• A process, not a program
• Build links across time and context
• Transition needs are different for different
  families, schools, neighborhoods, and children
• Focus on guiding principles when developing
  practices for transition needs

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Practices Four guiding principles

• Relationships serve as a bridge for child,
  family, and school. Peers, teachers, parents,
  and staff play a role.
• Supportive relationships are resources for
  children.
• Schools can build strength-based relationships
  with families.
• Different sets of relationships fit different
  needs.

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Steps to kindergarten transition

• Establish collaborative teams
• Identify a transition coordinator
• Facilitate regular meetings and conduct a needs
  assessment
• Generate ideas for transition activities
• Create a transition timeline
• Anticipate barriers
• Revise ideas and timeline
• Implement transition practices

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Leadership Collaborative transition teams

• Schools, parents, feeder programs, agencies
• Facilitator (internal or external)
• Identify transition goals for kids and families
• Focus on continuity in relationships for child
  and family
• Create a transition timeline
• Regularly monitor

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Transition connections

• Family-school connections
• GOAL To increase family collaboration and
  involvement with the school and the transition
  process
• Child-school connections
• GOAL To increase childrens familiarity with the
  kindergarten setting
• Peer connections
• GOAL To provide children with the opportunity to
  engage in positive relationships with peers who
  can make the transition with them to kindergarten
• Community connections
• GOAL To facilitate continuity in the transition
  process within the community

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Timeline Example
PRESCHOOL
SUMMER
KINDERGARTEN
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Checklist for transition coordinators

• Family connections
• Make contact in first 2 weeks
• Assess family needs and link up with services
• Encourage parents to foster peer connections
• Send home newsletters
• Help organize back-to-school nights and
  transition orientations
• Encourage home-learning activities
• Peer connections
• Introduce each child to the kindergarten teacher
• Help kindergarten generate class lists that pair
  friendly peers

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Checklist for transition coordinators (continued)

• School connections
• Foster inter-school discussions about programs
  and classroom practices
• Encourage events co-sponsored by the preschool
  and the kindergarten
• Initiate meetings between preschool and
  kindergarten teachers about children
• Community connections
• Help clarify community needs and expectations
  regarding schools and transition
• Meet regularly with the transition team

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Checklist for kindergarten teachers

• Family connections
• Make contact in first two weeks
• Participate in regular meetings with parents
• Attend back-to-school nights and transition
  orientations
• Peer connections
• Promote peer connections at school
• Encourage parents to promote peer connections
  outside of school
• School connections
• Discuss expectations for transition with
  preschool teachers
• Discuss particular children with preschool staff

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Transition activities that families participated
in and found useful
of families who used the activity and found it
helpful
of families participating
Transition activity
Had child visit a kindergarten classroom Met with
a kindergarten teacher Met with the
principal Took a tour of the school Talked with
preschool staff about kindergarten Visited the
kindergarten classroom Talked with other parents
of childs new classmates Participated in
elementary school-wide activities Attended a
workshop for parents Met with the childs
anticipated kindergarten teacher Attended an
orientation to kindergarten
96 80 79 78 76 68 68 58 45 38 31
99 89 95 100 99 97 97 100 98 92 96
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Transition activities that preschool and
kindergarten teachers participated in and found
helpful
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Results

• When they participate in any transition activity,
  parents and teachers report high levels of
  satisfaction
• Participants in transition activities have high
  likelihood of repeat participation/extension
• Parent participants report higher levels of
  connection to school

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Policy targets

• Definitions of readiness
• Assessment mechanisms
• Personnel roles responsibilities
• Registration mechanisms
• Transition practices and procedures

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Best practices

• Define/describe school readiness, 2-7 years

• Child
• Family
• Schools

• Promote readiness definitions in multiple venues

• State/local mandates for transition planning

• Responsibility of public schools/community
• Identify key constituencies
• Identify leadership
• Timelines of key events

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Best practices (continued)

• State/local transition practices

• Transition meetings for staff
• Transition meetings for families
• Joint activities
• Record and information sharing
• Joint curriculum/assessment planning
• Ready School assessments
• P-3 planning

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Effective transitions Schools, classrooms,
children

• A coherent P-3 curriculum and classroom
  assessment metric
• Public can define readiness for children and
  quality for classrooms
• Regular assessments of classrooms
• Transition plans/links in communities

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Transition process A relational view
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Resources
www.ncedl.org -- Enhancing the transition to
kindergarten Linking children, families, and
schools Pianta, R., Kraft-Sayre, M. (2003).
Successful Kindergarten Transition. Baltimore
Paul Brookes Publishing Co. La Paro, K., Pianta,
R., Hamre, B., Stuhlman, M. (2003). Classroom
Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Pre-K Version.
National Center for Early Development and
Learning, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA. Pianta, R., Cox, M.
(1999). The Transition to Kindergarten.
Baltimore Paul Brookes Publishing Co. Pianta,
R. (1999). Enhancing Relationships between
Children and Teachers. Washington, DC American
Psychological Association.