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Unpacking MCAS 2018

Posted in Achievement gap, Assessments, Demographics, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Literacy, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Reading proficiency, Science & math on October 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

 

This year’s MCAS test results have been released.

And while this assessment of Massachusetts students is 25 years old, this year’s results are part of a “new generation” of testing that’s designed “to measure how a school or district is doing and what kind of support it may need,” according to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

The next-generation MCAS “is more comprehensive than the previous system and complies with the 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act.” This is the second year that the new MCAS has been administered, so this year’s results can only be compared to last year’s – and not to earlier years.

Students’ test scores are sorted into one of four assessment categories:

• exceeding expectations

• meeting expectations

• partially meeting expectations, and

• not meeting expectations

The year’s results are similar to last year’s, the press release notes. In English and math, “approximately 50 percent of the students who took the test scored Meeting Expectations or above.” (more…)

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In Quotes: A new $30 million investment in early literacy

Posted in Higher Education, Literacy, Quotes on March 9, 2018| 1 Comment »

“Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are giving $30 million to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to tackle one of the most perplexing problems in education — low literacy rates among elementary school students — officials announced Tuesday.

“A cornerstone of the five-year initiative, Reach Every Reader , will be the development of a Web-based screening tool, which could be used by districts nationwide, that aims to speed up the identification of kindergartners at high risk for reading difficulty. The screening tool will attempt to determine why students are struggling and will offer interventions that teachers and families can use to help children become stronger readers.

“The initiative also hopes to shift the conversation about poor literacy away from third-grade reading scores toward younger students. Officials believe early intervention can have the most profound effect on turning students into proficient readers.”

“Zuckerberg, Chan donate $30 million to literacy effort,” James Vaznis, The Boston Globe, March 6, 2018

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Worcester’s “Smile Book”

Posted in Literacy, Massachusetts Cities and Towns on November 2, 2017| 1 Comment »

 

What makes you smile about Worcester?

That’s what the city asked its children, and the children answered with terrific drawings and captions.

More than 1,000 responses were submitted, and some were chosen for the city’s “Smile Book,” an alphabet book featuring different aspects of Worcester.

“It is a view into how children see our city and why they are proud to live here,” Kim Davenport said. She is the managing director of Birth to 3rd Grade Alignment at Edward Street Child Services.

The book is also a powerful way to mix literacy, fun, and the civic engagement of children who have a truly unique view of their city. As we’ve blogged, Providence produced a similar book several years ago. (more…)

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Baseball, Early Literacy, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo

Posted in Literacy, MA Legislature, Reading proficiency, Strategies for Children on October 31, 2017| Leave a Comment »

House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children

As the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers slug it out in the World Series, playing 10 innings for more than five hours in Game 5, House Speaker Robert DeLeo is once again going to bat for children – using baseball to make the case for early literacy.

DeLeo was speaking at Raising a Reader Massachusetts’ third annual Leadership in Literacy Award Breakfast where he was being honored as the Legislator of the Year.

“Some of you may know that I’m a big baseball fan,” DeLeo said at the breakfast. “So, I was struck by a Strategies for Children report that equated the experience of watching a game at Fenway Park with learning to read.”

That report is “Turning the Page: Refocusing Massachusetts for Reading Success,” written by Nonie Lesaux, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor. It’s on page two that the the report tells the story of two children at Fenway Park.

DeLeo explained it this way:

“The report followed the experiences of two 10 year olds at Fenway Park: one child whose father exposed her to baseball at an early age, explained the rules of the game to her, and sparked her love for the sport. She knows when to cheer, and when to boo.  (more…)

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A Pediatrician Explains How Love, Reading, and Writing Help Children

Posted in Cognitive development, Family engagement, Literacy, Pre-kindergarten on October 24, 2017| 3 Comments »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

Writer and pediatrician Perri Klass has always been a champion of sharing books with children, but this month in the New York Times she writes about the issue by mixing research with great human warmth and urgency.

Klass draws on a recent study that found that parents who read and write at home with children boost both literacy and lifetime skills. This topic isn’t new for Klass; she’s the national medical director of Reach Out and Read, the organization that distributes books to children through pediatricians’ offices.

The reading and writing study was conducted by University of Washington researchers who found that “Children who read and write at home — whether for assignments or just for fun — are building long-term study and executive function skills,” according to a press release.

Klass turns the research findings into near poetry: (more…)

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Worcester Wins on Grade-Level Reading

Posted in Literacy, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, National, Pre-kindergarten, Reading proficiency on September 14, 2017| 1 Comment »

Worcester delegation to All-America City event: Erin Dobson, Tim Garvin, Patrick Lowe, Kim Davenport, Joanne Gravell, Amy O’Leary, Sally Fuller, Chris O’Keefe, and Steven Zrike.

Patrick Lowe used to send some his emails in the middle of the night. As a busy medical school student, this was sometimes the only time he had to work on Worcester’s application for an All-America City award.

Bestowed by the National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, the award recognized communities that helped “more young children from low-income families achieve grade-level reading proficiency and early school success.”

Kim Davenport, meanwhile, worked during the day, reading Lowe’s emails and working with him to submit a convincing application for the award. Davenport, the managing director of Birth to 3rd Grade Alignment at Edward Street Child Services, was steeped in the work of pooling resources from across the city to help young children succeed.

Worcester had won the award five times before. But not since 2000. (more…)

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For African-American Boys, Strong Storytelling Skills in Preschool Linked to Better Reading Outcomes in Elementary School

Posted in K-12, Literacy, National, Pre-kindergarten, Reading proficiency, Research on August 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

 

Next time a child says, “tell me a story,” ask them instead to tell you a story. It may help them become stronger readers.

New research shows this may be particularly true for African-American boys.

Strong storytelling skills correlate with better reading in some children, according to researchers at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Knowing how to tell a clear and coherent story is an important skill for helping young children to develop strong reading skills, which, in turn, can help them to be successful across a number of different subjects in school,” says Nicole Gardner-Neblett, an FPG advanced research scientist. (more…)

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Kansas City Wins an All-America City Award

Posted in Literacy, Multimedia, National, Reading proficiency on July 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

 

Congratulations to Kansas City for winning an “All-America City” award for its “Turn the Page KC” reading program.

The Kansas City Star reports:

“‘We whooped and hollered,’ said Turn the Page KC Executive Director Mike English, describing the moment at the award ceremony in Denver on Friday when Kansas City was the first winner named.”

“The number of agencies collaborating in the effort are numerous, including school districts and charter schools, the Kansas City and Mid-Continent public libraries, Lead to Read, the United Way, Literacy Lab, the Local Investment Commission and others that marshaled hundreds of professionals and volunteers to the cause,” the Star adds.

And when we asked Mike about the award, he added, “The All-America City Award not only validates that our 3rd grade reading initiative is on the right track, but also provides fresh energy and excitement to our cause.”

“‘We applaud the big-tent coalitions in these award-winning communities,’ Ralph Smith, the managing director of the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, said in a written statement. ‘They put a stake in the ground around third-grade reading and made some big bets to improve the odds for early school success,’” the Star notes.  (more…)

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A New Report Summarizes the Growing Evidence on Pre-K

Posted in Achievement gap, Curriculum, Developmentally appropriate practice, English language learners, Literacy, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, National, Pre-kindergarten, Professional development & preparation, Research, Social-emotional development, Strategies for Children, tagged on May 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

 

What do we know about preschool?

To find answers, researchers in different disciplines from a number of universities and from the think tank Brookings set up a task force to review the evidence “on the impact of state-funded pre-kindergarten programs.”

The result is a new report, “The Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Pre-Kindergarten Effects,” released by Brookings and Duke University. Videos of related panel discussions are available here.

This effort produced “one, clear, strong message,” NPR reports. “Kids who attend public preschool programs are better prepared for kindergarten than kids who don’t.”

“This timely report can guide states and local communities, including several here in Massachusetts, as they continue to expand access to high-quality preschool,” Titus DosRemedios, director of research and policy at Strategies for Children, says.

Included in the report is a six-part consensus statement that says: (more…)

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Lectio is Hosting a Special, June 9th Event to Advance Children’s Literacy Programs

Posted in Literacy, Professional development & preparation, Reading proficiency, Strategies for Children on April 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

A Lectio Institute. Photo: Alyssa Haywoode

We’re excited to share news from our former Strategies for Children colleague Kelly Kulsrud.

As we blogged last year, Kelly left Strategies to become a co-founder and executive director of Lectio, an organization that maximizes the impact of literacy programs for children by helping stakeholders design more effective literacy programs. Now, Lectio is planning to celebrate its work and call for more progress.

Since last year, Lectio has been tackling a key problem. As its website explains:

“Despite great promise and tireless efforts, most children’s literacy programs, instruction, and services produce only negligible effects.”

The solution: Lectio runs institutes to help literacy programs assess their impact.

“We guide stakeholders through a comprehensive analysis of their literacy programs and services, focusing on their goals, design, desired outcomes, and resource allocation.” (more…)

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