Serving as Advocates for Families/Engaging Families in the Assessment Process

EDSD 7083 Assistive Technology and Supportive Applications

Assistive and supportive technology is important to use in the classroom to meet the needs of individual learners, especially ones with disabilities.  These devices and applications should be modified for a diverse group of students.  Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.  Student support teams meet and plan strategies and incorporate devices that a student will need to perform tasks in the classroom.  The assistive and supportive technology must be included in the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  According to Neese, assistive technology can help students with certain disabilities learn more effectively. Ranging in sophistication from “low” technologies such as a graphic organizer worksheet to “high” technologies including cutting-edge software and smartphone apps, assistive technology is a growing and dynamic field (Neese, 2018).

Assistive Technology-

Text-To-Speech Assistive Tools

As an assistive technology, text-to-speech (TTS) software is designed to help children who have difficulties reading standard print. Common print disabilities can include blindness, dyslexia or any type of visual impairment, learning disability or other physical condition that impedes the ability to read. However, other students can benefit from TTS technology, such as children that have autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or an intellectual disability.

The technology works by scanning and then reading the words to the student in a synthesized voice, using a large number of speech sounds that make up words in any given context. With the advances in speech synthesis, TTS technology is more accurate and lifelike than ever.

Intel Reader                                                                                        
The Intel Reader is a mobile handheld device that uses TTS technology to read printed text aloud. It features a high-resolution camera that captures printed text, converts it to digital text and reads it to the user. During playback, words are highlighted as they are read aloud, and the user can pause and have the device spell out highlighted words. The available Intel Portable Capture Station functions as a stand for the Intel Reader to easily and quickly capture text from books and other documents.

At about the size and weight of a paperback book, the Intel Reader is mobile enough to use in any environment. Students can also transfer content from a home computer, or save generated audio versions of printed materials to a computer. Available voices vary in gender, pitch and speed.

AT can address many types of learning difficulties. A student who has difficulty writing can compose a school report by dictating it and having it converted to text by special software. A child who struggles with math can use a hand-held calculator to keep score while playing a game with a friend. There are AT tools to help students who struggle with:

Listening- Certain assistive technology (AT) tools can help people who have difficulty processing and remembering spoken language. Such devices can be used in various settings (e.g., a class lecture, or a meeting with multiple speakers).

Math- Assistive technology (AT) tools for math are designed to help people who struggle with computing, organizing, aligning, and copying math problems down on paper. With the help of visual and/or audio support, users can better set up and calculate basic math problems.

Organization and memory- Assistive technology (AT) tools can help a person plan, organize, and keep track of his calendar, schedule, task list, contact information, and miscellaneous notes. These tools allow him to manage, store, and retrieve such information with the help of special software and hand-held devices.

Reading- There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help individuals who struggle with reading. While each type of tool works a little differently, all of these tools help by presenting text as speech. These tools help facilitate decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension.

Writing- There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help students who struggle with writing. Some of these tools help students circumvent the actual physical task of writing, while others facilitate proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, word usage, and organization (Stanberry & Raskind, 2009).

Supportive Applications- Best Early Learning Apps- For Preschool & Kindergarten

Injini: Child Development Game Suite- Play-based learning exercises and games that are well suited for children with cognitive, language and fine motor delays. Originally designed for and tested by children with autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome as well as general preschool aged kids.
Bugs and Buttons Teaches counting, path finding, patterns, sorting and tracking as well as fine motor skills such as pinching.

Based on the two assistive and supportive technologies identified, the areas of development the technology can be used for are cognitive, language, and fine motor.  The assistive technology can be used for children and adults of all ages and the learning applications are intended for preschool and kindergarten aged children. These apps support learning in the areas of early learning skills and students who have delays in other areas.  The assistive technologies help children read text. 

These assistive technologies and supportive applications are culturally responsive and effective for young children.  They can be changed according to the needs of the individual learner and they help to increase the level of mastery of cognitive skills and learning goals. 

References:

          Neese, B. (2018). 15 Assistive Technology Tools & Resources For Students With Disabilities. Retrieved from: https://www.teachthought.com/technology/15-assistive-technology-tools-resources-for-students-with-disabilities/

          Stanberry, K & Raskind, M.H. (2009). Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview. Retrieved from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview

EDSD 7083 Purposeful Assessment

Systematic Assessment and Interventions are a crucial component to education today.  Systematic assessment is the system that a teacher uses to assess students authentically and purposefully in the classroom.  When a student does not master or achieve success on these assessments, the teacher must plan an intervention to help accomplish these goals.  Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. Purposeful assessment practices help teachers and students understand where they have been, where they are, and where they might go next. No one assessment can provide sufficient information to plan teaching and learning. Using different types of assessments as part of instruction results in useful information about student understanding and progress. Educators should use this information to guide their own practice and in partnership with students and their families to reflect on learning and set future goals (Wisconsin Guiding Principles, 2017).

Purposeful Assessment components should include: performance levels considered acceptable, program quality standards that are aligned with standards for children’s learning, attention to inclusiveness, respecting variation in children’s culture and developmental challenges, and assessments both of program quality and children’s development (Zaslow & Halle, 2009).

Below are two scenarios that need assessment/intervention data.  I would like for my readers to give me feedback on assessments and/or interventions that you have found successful in your classroom.  Thanks so much for your help!

Scenario 1-   We have just completed the second term of school, and child one’s teacher is concerned that she isn’t mastering sounds of letters or blending and segmenting words.  She has been in RtI since the end of the first nine weeks.  Numerous Tier II interventions have been put into place.  She is eager to learn; just seems to be at a roadblock.  What are some assessments that can be used for early literacy skills and that the teacher can use the data to determine if she has a learning disability?

Scenario 2-   I have a 5 year old student who is in RtI and still cannot grasp the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make.  He also is having difficulty in counting to 10 and one to one correspondence.  When he gets frustrated and can't do something, his behavior starts to show.  He “takes out" his frustration on other students.  He has a diagnosis of ADD and his parents have requested a communication log of when this occurs.  What other intervention can be used when he out lashes on the other students in the class?

References:

        Wisconsin’s Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning. (2017). Retrieved from:

https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/cal/pdf/guiding-principles3.pdf

Zaslow, M. & Halle, T. (2009). Purposeful Early Childhood Assessment. Retrieved fromhttp://www.researchconnections.org/files/meetings/ccprc/2009/P2-ZaslowandHalle.pdf

Visit my website: www.mrscatherineskinders.blogspot.com

EDSD 7083 Policies and National Regulations and Standards for Early Childhood Education

Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards:

Georgia uses a set of high-quality, research-based early learning standards for children birth to age five called the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS). The GELDS promote quality learning experiences for children and address the question, “What should children from birth to age five know and be able to do?” They are a set of appropriate, attainable standards that are flexible enough to support children’s individual rates of development, approaches to learning, and cultural context. The GELDS are a continuum of skills, behaviors, and concepts that children develop throughout this time of life. They are divided into age groups and serve as a framework for learning. The GELDS are aligned with the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, the CCGPS for K-12, and the Work Sampling System Assessment.

The purposes of the GELDS are to:

• Guide teachers who work with children from birth through five in providing quality learning experiences;
• Guide parents in supporting their children’s growth, development, and learning potential;
• Lay the groundwork for applying the standards in pre-service training, professional development, curriculum planning, and child outcome documentation;
• Create a “Universal Language” for all stakeholders to use regarding the learning and development of children. Stakeholders would include parents, teachers, pediatricians, early interventionists, policy-makers, etc;
• Raise public awareness about the significance of the early years as the foundation for school success and lifelong learning and the importance of the teacher’s role in the process; and
• Support the early identification and referral of children with special learning needs.

NAEYC Standard 4: Assessment of Child Progress

The program is informed by ongoing systematic, formal, and informal assessment approaches to provide information on children’s learning and development. These assessments occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop. Assessment results benefit children by informing sound decisions, teaching, and program improvement.  These assessments help teachers plan appropriately challenging curriculum and differentiate instruction that meets each child’s needs. The program should support learning using a variety of assessment methods, be developmentally appropriate in all areas of development, goals should be established, and progress monitoring should take place, as well as, parents informed of progress. 

NBPTS Standards:

Accomplished early childhood generalists assess and document young children’s development and subject matter knowledge. Assessment is a process through which teachers learn about children’s social, cognitive, linguistic, physical, and emotional development by gathering and interpreting information. They ensure that assessment practices fairly and equitably focus on children’s emerging capabilities. Teachers set clear purposes for assessment, systematically and efficiently employ a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment tools, and accurately interpret assessment data. They use assessment results to guide teaching and learning, a process which includes communicating assessment results in meaningful ways to children, families, and colleagues, and includes setting instructional goals. Accomplished early childhood teachers make assessment a daily, ongoing activity that is embedded in the routines of teaching and learning. They know that assessment draws on insights from beyond the classroom. Teachers observe children throughout the educational environment and incorporate the observations of families and colleagues such as school psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and counselors. Teachers use what they learn from assessment as they plan and implement instruction.

Each of the policies and national regulations and standards for early childhood education are all designed for performance based assessment and what is developmentally appropriate for young learners.  They are each aligned for what is best for early childhood.  My school is NAEYC Accredited.  They recommend that assessments be used for decision-making regarding teaching and learning, identifying children’s needs, and improving education and intervention programs.  The recommendation is for teachers to use formal and informal screening and assessment approaches to systematically evaluate children’s growth across all developmental domains (Gillis, et al, 2017).

1. Purposeful Assessment. The design, use, and interpretation of assessments must be purpose driven. Too many negative outcomes derive from assessments of young children used for purposes for which they were not designed; the type of inferences made from assessment data must be determined in the context of each specific purpose.

2. Instructionally Aligned Assessment. Assessments must be clearly and explicitly integrated into the overall system, including curriculum and instruction; material assessed must represent the valued outcomes on which instruction is focused. This includes reaching toward alignment to standards or curriculum, where these exist. For classroom-based assessments designed to inform instruction, this also encompasses alignment to the instructional calendar.

3. Beneficial Assessment. Assessments of children must serve to optimize learning. Time and resources are taken away from instruction in order to assess—and historically, there has been some justification for the fear that assessment data may offer unintended negative consequences for some children. Assessments must demonstrate solid consequential validity: the consequence of the time and resources invested in the assessment should be demonstrably positive for the children assessed.

Questions for colleagues:

1.     What are some approaches that you use to assess formally and informally?

2.    How do you determine if an assessment is purposeful and authentic?

3.    What are the benefits of assessment based on the NAEYC Standards and the NBPTS Standards?

References:

Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

http://www.gelds.decal.ga.gov/Default.aspx

Gillis, M., West, T., Coleman, M. (2017). Assessment in early childhood.  Retrieved from: http://www.getreadytoread.org/ screening-tools/supportive-materials-for-elors/assessment-in-early-childhood

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). (2012). Early childhood generalist standards (3rd ed.). Retrieved from http://boardcertifiedteachers.org/sites/default/files/EC-GEN.pdf

 “Standard V Assessing Children’s Development and Learning” (pp. 60–64)

 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf

EDSD 7082 Creating a Positive Emotional Climate in an Elementary School Classroom

Creating a Positive Emotional Climate in an Elementary School Classroom

The purpose of the study is to identify what a successful classroom management system is and how teachers create successful learning environment and a positive emotional climate for learning.  The literature revealed that classroom management is instrumental in establishing a climate for learning that is positive for children.  A negative learning environment is detrimental to a students’ learning needs in the classroom. The study is qualitative in design using interviews.  The participants included elementary teachers at a school near San Francisco.  One of the most important aspects of a classroom is the positive climate.  Teachers in the study had different management systems.  Some are run well and students seem happy and are thriving in their environment.  Other classrooms did not seem as happy and were not thriving on the same level.  They were somewhat negative.  An effective classroom for learning has a positive classroom climate, which in the 21^st century is more important than classroom management itself.  Teachers learn specified management practice to provide an effective learning environment for their students. 

What are effective elementary teacher’s strategies for creating a positive emotional climate in the classroom? It is important for teachers to find success in creating a positive classroom climate.  Classroom climate is important in creating a supportive environment for students to learn. 

Baer and Bandura (1963) Social Learning theory suggests that people modify their behavior based on the observation and modeling of other people’s behaviors. The results of this study expressed that a child’s behaviors can be influenced by an adult’s pattern of behavior through imitation. A child with reinforcement of such behavior can maintain this behavior.

Swafford, Bailey and Beasley (2014) reveal six components of a positive learning environment that include security, shelter, social contact, symbolic identification, task instrumentality, pleasure. The author explains that why it may be hard for teachers, both new and seasoned, may have trouble incorporating these into their classroom. All students have different learning styles and various needs that may make it difficult to give students the individual attention, while creating an all-around positive climate in the classroom.

Hoffman, Hutchinson and Reiss (2009) collected data from a survey on the importance of teacher knowledge in creating a positive classroom climate. This author of this study urges teachers to advocate for training in behavior management, especially focused on motivating students in improving their behavior, linking it to continued learning. Data indicated that there is a link between positive classroom climate and teacher background knowledge and training in the areas of classroom management and strategies to promote a positive climate.

Committee for Children (2014) focused on key factors for creating a positive climate in the classroom. The authors provided three aspects of creating a positive climate, displayed in a pie chart. The three aspects include, developing and reinforcing classroom rules and norms, promoting positive peer relationships, and nurturing positive relationships with all students.

Harris and Lowery (2002) discuss data collected from a survey of 123 teachers who were enrolled in a principal preparation program. This survey was conducted to seek insight into behaviors participants thought were the most valuable behaviors for a principal to encourage teacher to use in creating a positive school climate. Three themes were identified as follows: respecting students, communicating with students, and supporting students.

Weinstein, Curran and Tomlinson-Clarke (2003) focus on Culturally Responsive Classroom Management (CRCM) to better understand diverse student populations in each classroom. The purpose of this article is to help teachers strengthen their ability to manage a diverse classroom and teach specific strategies for creating culturally responsive classroom management. They offer six strategies which include: creating a physical setting that supports academic and social goals, establishing expectations for behavior, communicating with students in culturally consistent ways, developing a caring classroom environment, working with families, and using appropriate interventions to assist students with behavior problems.

Related Research for Creating a Positive Emotional Climate in an Elementary School Classroom:

Jennings and Greenberg (2009) focused on a model that includes the importance of teachers’ social and emotional competence (SEC), student and teacher relationships, effective classroom management, and program implementation. The authors explained that the components of this model contribute to creating a positive classroom climate. The authors then discuss research they conducted on the relationship between SEC and teacher burnout. This includes developing stress reduction to support teachers. Kearney and Peters (2013) collected data through a survey of students and teachers on attitude about classroom. The authors suggested that it is important for teachers to think about the students and their attitudes in the class. Kipps-Vaughan, Ponsart and Gilligan (2012) consider human factors in teachers, by looking at their needs and focusing on stress and its effect on learning environments. When people in a school experience a great deal, it is important for school leaders to establish stress management opportunities for teachers and students. Leflot, van Lier, Onghena and Colpin (2010) focused on preventative measures in behavior management. The purpose of this study was to see how teachers in elementary school classrooms use behavior management to address reducing disruptive, by using a universal classroom preventative intervention. The study focuses on students with developing signs of oppositional and hyperactive behavior, which are linked to other problems such as social or learning problems. Pianta, Belsky, Houts and Morrison (2007) measured opportunities to learn in a classroom, looking at the quantity and quality of classroom instruction. Results were gathered by visiting and observing 2500 classrooms throughout 10 cities. The results of this study revealed that even though the climate may seem positive in a classroom, there was not consistent instructional support. The researchers discussed the need to design a plan to observe teacher instructional skills, and also provide teacher-training interventions. Self- Brown and Mathews (2003) found evaluation approaches to assess student achievement, goal orientation and how they influence classroom structure, specifically in mathematics. The results indicated that specific types of classroom evaluation structure influences student achievement goals. Students under the contingency contract condition set significantly more learning goals compared to students without contingency contracts. Students under token economy conditions set more performance goals than learning goals. The authors conclude that in the classroom, a structure that emphasizes the importance of individual goals and efforts show that learning goals become more important to students. The results can lead to many positive effects such as ability, self-competence and motivation to stay on task. Tetler and Baltzer (2011) examined inclusion classroom setting for students with disabilities and their attitude towards such a learning environment. The author looked at various degrees of classroom environment including attitudes of other students. Although this study is specific towards inclusion, the author does provide various charts in his study that provide insight into the various aspects of what a positive classroom climate should possess.

Based on this research and the various types of classroom strategies for positive classroom management and climate, I know the importance of the positivity in the elementary classroom.  It is important for positive reinforcement and discipline, class meetings and dialogue, and brain breaks.  The most important thing is that teachers are able to create a positive emotional climate in their classroom using strategies that work.  I intend to do this daily in my kindergarten classroom.

Good, Nicole, "Creating a Positive Emotional Climate in an lementary School Classroom" (2015). Master's Theses and Capstone Projects. 186. http://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/186

EDSD 7081 Week 11 Blog

Over the years during my teaching career, I have taught several students that were deaf.  One of these students had a cochlear implant and one did not.  I truly enjoyed learning sign language and seeing these students read lips.  The child with the implant had a greater advantage of learning to hear and speak appropriately than the child that did not have one.  These students received speech services, sign language, and had an interpreter to help with instruction.  I loved watching their interaction with one another.  During the beginning of the year they had a hard time getting adjusted to the norms of kindergarten and seemed lost.  As the year progressed, they became more comfortable and would write words for communication.  They would also point in the classroom so that their peers understood them.  This was quite an experience for me, them, and the other students in my class.  This course has deepened my perspective on the services that should be offered to hearing impaired and bilingual students.  The Major Assessment Project that I did was based on a Hispanic child that I taught several years ago.  Through research, I found numerous ways to help him with language and literacy development and his parents, too.  One way that I want to try in the future would be to provide multiple experiences for language use.  Colorincolorado.org offered strategies to be used for English Language Learners. 

5 Classroom Strategies: Language

Provide explicit, systematic instruction in vocabulary.

Children require multiple exposures to words in order to develop a rich understanding of their meaning and use. Teachers should make a point of introducing interesting new words for children to use.

• Presenting vocabulary thematically helps children make associations between words and scaffolds students' learning
• Read-alouds that include explanations of targeted vocabulary can support word learning Ensure that ELLs have ample opportunities to talk with both adults and peers and provide ongoing feedback and encouragement.

English language learners need lots of opportunities to engage in social interactions with other children and adults. For group activities, pair English language learners with children who have strong English language skills, and make sure that all the children who speak the same home language (L1) are not grouped together

Provide opportunities for self-directed activities so that ELLs can choose activities that match both their interests and their language abilities

Encourage child talk by providing prompts when children need help in expressing themselves

Use open questions, or questions that can have multiple answers, to help ELLs expand their own utterances

Expose ELLs to rich language input.

Exposure to rich language, whether through shared book reading or through teacher talk, has been shown to enhance children's oral language development

One effective strategy is for the teacher to provide an ongoing commentary on activities that are taking place in the classroom in order to expose children to language associated with the immediate context

Structure the classroom space and routine to provide scaffolding for ELLs' language learning.

Arrange the classroom in a way that supports each type of instructional activity that will take place, and then keep changes to the physical environment to a minimum. Once ELLs learn which activities take place in various parts of the classroom (e.g., centers, circle), the physical environment will cue them as to what they are to do and how they are to behave in that area

Predictable classroom routines can also provide scaffolding for English language learners by allowing them to anticipate what will happen each day, including the type of language they will need for each activity

Encourage continued L1 language development.

Strong L1 skills support both language and literacy learning in English:

• Encourage parents to talk and read to their children in their home language as a way of strengthening children's L1 language skills.
• Incorporate children's home language in the classroom when possible. Songs and videos can be used effectively for this purpose if teachers do not speak their students' language

These strategies would definitely help me when planning instruction for English Language Learners.  This would also teach me things that would be beneficial.  In the future, I want to continue learning ways to teaching bilingual students.  I find this very interesting and want these students to build a strong foundation and master their skills in kindergarten. This will help me be a scholar of change when reaching these students. 

EDSD 7081 Week 6 Blog Catherine Thompson

Week 6 Blog Attachment & Additional Resources

Learning language and literacy in a second language is a complex process that involves a variety of skills and abilities. Children need to be able apply their existing knowledge and experiences to communicate and understand different reading tasks. Literacy is one of the most important academic skill areas and because of this, it influences language development and all other areas of academics.  Nearly one in 4 children in the United States is Hispanic and more than one in 5 comes from a home where a language other than English is spoken and for the vast majority it is Spanish. (Figureas-Daniel & Barnett, 2013).

Introduction: My Child in Context

Edgen is a 9-year-old Hispanic male who was born in the United States to an illegal Hispanic mother and father.  He has been exposed to very little English in the home since birth.  Edgen began school at the age of 3 and is now in third grade.  He has struggled in all areas of academics due to the language barrier and parental support in the home.  The focus of this study will be on language and literacy skills and the growing consensus that early childhood is a critical time for language and literacy learning because of phonological awareness, letter word recognition, writing and spelling skills, and oral language abilities- the foundational skills for monolingual children’s ability to read and write.  

(Paez, Tabors, and Lopez, 2007) This study will be about his life and the development of language and literacy from birth until currently at age 9.

Home Life and family:

Edgen  is a healthy 9-year-old male who lives at home with his biological parents, 2 older sisters, and a dog in a small rural town in southwest Georgia.  Edgen was born at 36 weeks’ gestation weighing 5lb 3 oz.  According to his mother, she was on bedrest leading up to his birth with high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.  Post-delivery was successful, whereas he was released from the hospital with his mother 3 days after birth.  The only medical condition he has had since birth is ear infections and asthma.  He sees the doctor a lot during winter months and he also has seasonal allergies.  His father is the primary caregiver and the closest parent to him.  His mother tends to be the closest to his older sisters.  His mother is in the home the most with him because his father works a lot in the fields and travels for work in order to provide for the family.  During their spare time and when the father is not working, which is mainly on Sunday, they enjoy going to the park, shopping, cooking, and watching TV together.  The father likes to take them shopping to buy ingredients to cook authentic meals and clothes for school.  This helps him feel successful with parenting since he is not at home most of the time. 

Community and culture, including language spoken:

            Edgen is a loving, shy, and caring, 9-year-old Hispanic male who is very eager to please his teachers, peers, and family.  His shyness often leads to emotional distress and frustration.  The reasons for distress are that he has limited English in the home and the only time he is fully exposed is when he is at school.  He was born in the United States to Hispanic parents who do not speak fluent English.  His father speaks more English than his mother, but still very hard to communicate with.  Sensitive parenting has been linked with positive child outcomes, including early language knowledge and literacy development. (Pungello, Iruka, Dotterer, Mills-Koonce, and Reznick, 2009) In the small, rural community where they live, there is a compound of Hispanic families that live, work, and interact together daily.  When Edgen is not at school, he is communicating with Spanish.  His family feels the most comfortable when they are around other Spanish speaking families.  They feel confident and the most adequate this way.  The environment in which children develop consists of four interrelated systems: immediate settings such as home and school, relationships among the settings, neighborhoods and the community that have indirect impact, and the culture of the environment in which the children are reared. (Hammer, 2002).  The mother and father want to learn English but do not have the courage to receive classes.  Edgen’s mother is very introverted and his father is work driven and oriented to provide.  Socioeconomic status affects a variety of mental and physical health outcomes, such as language development, which also connects poverty with parental emotional distress that affects parenting and the focus on basic needs being met. (Perkins, Finegood, and Swain, 2013)   Edgen’s father says that it is not his priority to learn English.  His priority is to earn money so that he can provide.  Infants born prematurely have lower birth weights, a measure associated with a range of brain differences compared to full-term babies, which may help explain language effects. (Perkins, Finegood, and Swain, 2013). The children are very limited to language/literacy-rich experiences in the home.  This deficit is primarily because of the parents’ lack of language.  The older siblings do, however, read books to their little brother and practice the alphabet.  It is possible that genetic factors play a role in the acquisition of language and the linguistic proficiency of language-impaired people because different genetic factors affect the linguistic abilities of language-impaired and normal people. (Stromswald, n.d.)

My Child’s Language and Literacy Development Journey: Developmental Characteristics

Preschoolers

            When Edgen began pre-kindergarten, he was extremely introverted and had a difficult time transitioning.  He was placed in an inclusion classroom with a 4:21 ratio.  In the inclusion setting, he was placed in small groups that would receive additional support for all academic areas.  He was also pulled out for interventions for speech and language development.  His teachers knew that there were potential delays due to language barrier and home environment.  Just like statistics indicate, Edgen is at a deficit in all academic areas because of his language barrier.  Children from homes in which a language other than English is the primary language are at risk for poor reading outcomes (Hammer, Lawrence, & Miccio, p. 237, 2007).  He was below grade level norms in receptive, expressive, and oral language.  He was also at a deficit on prekindergarten skills on the screener given to all four-year old’s entering school.  Even though he had a year of school prior to pre-kindergarten, he was evaluated at school using the English norms and standards for learning.  He was given a score on phonological awareness, expressive vocabulary, letter-word recognition, and concepts of print.  He also had to orally retell stories and recall what happened in the story.  Researchers found that children’s English letter-word identification abilities and Spanish expressive vocabulary predicted Spanish letter-word identification abilities.  (Hammer, et al, p. 238, 2007)

Learning to read is a process and it can be a complex task if a child is monolingual much less bilingual and having learning delays.  The complexity increases when a child’s home language differs from that of the school and when the child comes from a home with limited academic and economic resources.  Edgen’s home learning environment was mainly Spanish other than his older sisters.  His parents’ English skills were very broken and hard to understand; therefore, they could not teach him effectively.  Typically, children are exposed to language acquisition opportunities in the home that help reinforce what has been taught at school.  For Edgen Tolentino this was not the case.  The process of learning to read, however, is more multifaceted when children’s primary language is different from the oral and written language they encounter at school.  (Hammer & Miccio, p. 1, 2015).  Spanish speaking children have disadvantages when their home life is challenged and they do not have access to academic materials. 

Over the summer between the three- year- old full day program and pre-kindergarten, Edgen attended a four-week summer session.  During these sessions, his interventions consisted of English letters and sounds, vocabulary acquisition with simple everyday/common terms- such as, boy, girl, mom, dad, colors, numbers, labels in the classroom and bathroom, and the terms of the school environment around him.  He was also encouraged to say his peers’ names.  This was to enhance his social skills and the general learning skills of pre-kindergarten.  The teachers and interventionists developed a Response to Intervention during the first twelve weeks of school.  These skills and goals consisted of: recognition of letters in his first name, count to 5, colors, and verbalization of his teachers and peers’ names.  Children with limited proficiency in the language of schooling are certain to experience increased difficulty in coping both academically and socially, and it is important to identify these difficulties to understand what intervention or remedial approaches are needed (Bialystok, 2008).  He began these interventions immediately, 5 days a week for 10 minutes a day.  According to the data recorded by the teacher and interventionist, Edgen could only recognize the letter E in his name, and he could count to 5.  During this process, he was progressed monitored every 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks.  The team met again and determined that the interventions should continue for another 6 weeks.  This continued for a total of 18 weeks and a student support team meeting was scheduled to discuss progress and to determine if Edgen needed psychological testing.  At the end of the 18 weeks, the teachers, parents, interventionist, ESOL teacher, speech pathologist, and interpreter reviewed progress based on the data and determined that he scored significantly below the norm.  The recommendation was made for psychological testing and a visit to his pediatrician.  His parents had to have an advocate shadow them so that they would understand and get his needs met.  During testing, which can be difficult because of the bilingualism, clinicians have to accurately assess a bilingual child’s problematic and unproblematic abilities in terms of sounds, words, grammar, and conversation in each language, evaluate if there is a delay, weigh the child’s linguistic/cognitive capacities in comparison to typically and atypical, developing monolingual children, and bilingual children of the same age, and finally develop an effective intervention that targets subareas of linguistic and cognitive competence in one or both languages (Heinlein & Williams, 2013).  After testing was complete and eligibility was determined, Edgen was served the remainder of his pre-kindergarten year by a regular education, special education, 2 support teachers, speech, ESOL, and an interventionist.  He qualified and received a multitude of services so that he would be able to reach his full potential.  Goals were set, accommodations, and modifications were made, based on the testing. 

           

Questions for colleagues:

• What are additional interventions for bilingual preschoolers?
• What baseline assessment do you use in your school district for these students?
• What progress monitoring tool do you use in your school district?
• What accommodations and modifications do you put in place?
• What resources do you have for the parents of this child? 

References

Bialystok, E.L. (2008). Second-Language Acquisition and Bilingualism at an Early Age and the Impact on Early Cognitive Development.  Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.  Retrieved from: sww.child-encyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/textes-experts/en/614/second-language-acquisition-and-bilingualism-at-an-early-age-and-the-impact-on-early-cognitive-development.pdf

Hammer, C.C., Lawrence, F.R., & Miccio, A.W. (2007). Bilingual children’s language abilities and early reading outcomes in head start and kindergarten.  American Speech-Language-Hearning Association. 38. 237-248. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590989/

Hammer, C.S., & Miccio, A.W. (2006). Early language and reading development of bilingual preschoolers from low-income families. Top Lang Disord. 26(4): 322-337. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586031/pdf/nihms429984.pdf

Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (2003). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3.  Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/ae/spring2003/hart_risley                                                             

Fierro-Cobas, V. & Chan, E. (2001). Language development in bilingual children: a primer for pediatricians.  Contemporary Pediatrics. 18(7), p. 79-98.  Retrieved from: http://courses.washington.edu/sop/Bilingualism_PrimerPediatricians.pdf 

Figureas-Daniel, A. & Barnett, W.S. (2013). Preparing young Hispanic dual language learners for a knowledgeable economy. Preschool policy brief: 24. Retrieved from: http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Dual20Language20Learners.pdf

Hammer, C.S. (2002). The environment and language impairment in children: implications for assessment and intervention.  Argang 80. Retrieved from: https://www.idunn.no/spesped/2002/02-03/the_environment_and_language_impairment_in_children_implications_for_assess

Michael-Luna, S. (November 2015). What parents have to teache us about their dual language children.  Young Children.  National Association of Educating Young Children.  P. 42-43. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/Dual%20Language%20Children.pdf

Paex, M.M., Tabors, P.O., Lopez, L.M. (2007). Dual language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking preschool children. J Appl Dev Psychol.28(2): 85-102. Doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2006.12.007. Retrieved from:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3524578/

Pence Turnbull, K. L., & Justice, L. M. (2017). Language development from theory to          practice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Inc.

Chapter 5, “Infancy: Let the Language Achievements Begin” (pp. 122-157)