I wonder are there other people in this group who remember the activism of those days. Looking back at a few articles that helped to develop our view of what was necessary for Early Childhood Education makes me wonder how we have gone so wrong. For the past 13 years, before retirement this year I have taught gifted students in a gifted magnet. This school also had a prek program, the majority of our gifted students that were on target came from this or a similar prek program. The difference in these children was like night and day. Exposure to a developmentally appropriate program made all of the difference. With all of the budget cuts this program was cut last year. We really do know what is necessary to educate our children. Pat Kimathi On Sep 17, 2012, at 3:45 AM, Mena wrote:
> Patricia, I truly miss the grassroots activism that gave us so much hope in > those days. It is only because of wonderful students like Ruth that I have > hope for the future. Mena > > > > > Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D. > Florida Atlantic University > Dept. of Teaching and Learning > College of Education > 2912 College Ave. ES 214 > Davie, FL 33314 > Phone: 954-236-1070 > Fax: 954-236-1050 > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Patricia Kimathi <pkima...@earthlink.net> > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > Sent: Sun, Sep 16, 2012 6:26 pm > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten > > > Ruth, > Please send me a copy. > As I have said before when I started teaching, in the 60s, I started as an > EC > teacher and later became an EC administrator on a college campus. In those > days > EC activist believed that within the next ten years or so all children would > have a free developmentally correct EC experience. No way could you have > made > me believe that knowing the benefits of EC learning that this country would > not > have created free EC for all children. I was so naive. I thought with hard > work > and education the benefits would be so obvious that it would become a > reality. > I cannot believe that now I see us not only not providing quality care for > all > children, but a threat against what we know is developmentally correct for EC > learning has now been put into place. I would love to read your paper. I > need > to have a better understanding what is happening. > Thank you for writing it. I can't wait to read it. > Patricia Kimathi > On Sep 16, 2012, at 10:29 AM, Ruth Weil wrote: > >> Okay, Dr. M! =) This is the Introduction. If anyone wants the whole >> thing, I'll be happy to email it to you.... >> >> Early Childhood Standards and Assessment >> >> At the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) Child Development >> Center in Delray Beach, FL, a lively, child-centered four and five year old >> room is filled with a variety of blocks, numerous art supplies, colorful >> student work displays, a dress up and pretend center, a plentiful supply of >> “table toys,” computers, shelves of books, three teachers, and 18 cheerful >> children from impoverished, Spanish-speaking homes. Voluntary >> Prekindergarten (VPK) teacher, Maria, sits at a table with one of her >> students, Diane. She shows Diane a card with a picture on it, and says, >> “This is a side-walk, say side-walk without walk.” Diane is expected to >> respond by answering, “side.” Another picture card shows a little girl. > “This >> is a sis-ter,” says Maria, “say sis-ter without -ter,” to which Diane is >> supposed to respond, “Sis.” This explicit instruction in phonological >> awareness is required to prepare Diane for her post-VPK tests which will be >> given when she enters kindergarten at a public school this fall. These >> tests will be used to evaluate the program at RCMA, giving it a score with >> which it will be compared with all of the other VPK providers in Palm Beach >> County (T. Mims, personal communication, June 25, 2012). The RCMA Center >> director, Susan Wilfond, has two big concerns about her students taking >> these tests, the reason behind Maria’s explicit teaching of these skills in >> what is otherwise a child-centered classroom. First, all of the students >> enrolled in the program are English language learners (ELL) who speak only >> Spanish at home. Second, the teachers in the classroom, while they teach >> in English, are also native Spanish speakers who have extremely heavy >> accents and weak English grammar. These two factors signify that most of >> the children rarely speak English with native English speakers, creating an >> enormous disadvantage on the mandatory assessments (S. Wilfond, personal >> communication, June 18, 2012). The VPK tests given in the fall are >> required for accountability of the programs that are implemented in both >> public and private schools. These tests evaluate skills based upon “The >> Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds,” a >> document listing the standards and specific academic benchmarks expected of >> children who complete the VPK program. >> >> Standards like these are being implemented in every state as the >> requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now Race to the Top trickle >> down to the early childhood years. (Carlsson-Paige, Levin, & McLaughlin, >> 2012) If the current trend of creating and implementing national academic >> standards for early childhood education continues, more and more play-based >> pre-school programs will be replaced with teacher directed instruction, >> denying young children the advantage of learning and interacting within a >> developmentally appropriate setting. Instead more and more young children >> will be subjected to standardized testing, a practice regarded by educators >> and psychologists as opposed to research-based child development theories, >> under the mantel of teacher and program accountability. >> >> >> On Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 11:04 AM, <stephaniep...@aol.com> wrote: >> >>> I agree. Please publish this or let me know if I can find it on ERIC >>> or?where I can read the whole report. I would love to read more of this.?I >>> have taught 5 years in prek and now the last 10 in Kindergarten at a public >>> school. In?my school (NYC? here) the expectation is that the children exit >>> on an F&P lev. of E- D with introduction and E without introduction. We?had >>> done away with the handwriting program and now only use the Handwriting >>> without tears program and fundations writing component??as an academic >>> intervention in select classes.Yet??there is an expectation that?the >>> children?have at minimum of 5 publishing parties a year for self generated >>> writing units. While I agree that if the child is capable you should take >>> them to their highest acamdemic heights it should not be at the cost of >>> their childhood memories and creating authentic learning experiences. I've >>> read articles about a headstart /pre k programs that did scantron bubble >>> testing with 4 year olds. One principal removed blocks in the class for >>> fear that they could? inflict injury and another principal wonder why there >>> were so many toys and crayons in kindergarten!? It seemes to me that?many >>> of ?the basic principals and opportunities?that introduce our youngest >>> learners to problem solving, social interaction and hands on learning and >>> exploration experiences, are suffocated and swapped out for activites that >>> are in fact not developmental proven, appropriate and in fact seem designed >>> to manufactor guided results NOT authentic learned responses or >>> experiences. PLEASE publish this article! >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Mena <drmarinac...@aol.com> >>> To: mosaic <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> >>> Sent: Sun, Sep 16, 2012 6:49 am >>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Ruth, You really need to publish your research. I would love for you to >>> just >>> share your introductory paragraph with the group! From, Mena >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D. >>> Florida Atlantic University >>> Dept. of Teaching and Learning >>> College of Education >>> 2912 College Ave. ES 214 >>> Davie, FL 33314 >>> Phone: 954-236-1070 >>> Fax: 954-236-1050 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Cathy <cag...@myfairpoint.net> >>> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group & >>> lt;mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> >>> Sent: Sat, Sep 15, 2012 8:54 pm >>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten >>> >>> >>> Mena - can you cite your student's sources? Was her/his research on >>> kindergarten >>> >>> or per-kindergarten programs? >>> >>> Thanks. >>> Cathy >>> >>> Sent from my iPad >>> >>> On Sep 15, 2012, at 8:57 AM, Mena <drmarinac...@aol.com> wrote: >>> >>> > I have to quote one of my students who researched this topic: >>> "Controversyexists in early childhood education with the development and >>> implementation ofskills-based standards and the necessary accompanying >>> standardized tests. State and national early childhood standards were >>> developed >>> as a result of NoChild Left Behind, and more recently Race to the Top, both >>> federal initiatives. The controversy lies in the incongruity between >>> research-based developmentalpractices that have long been accepted for >>> early >>> childhood and the academicskills standards that are construed by many early >>> childhood educators to bereplacing those. Further controversy erupts due >>> to an >>> increase instandardized testing of young children for program >>> accountability. >>> Critics argue that such testing has very low reliability, causes stressfor >>> both >>> children and teachers, causes major curriculum changes, and results inlarge >>> amounts of teacher-directed instruction taking the place of >>> moredevelopmentally >>> appropriat >>> e activities that are typical in play-based,child-centered preschools. >>> Traditional child-initiated instruction inpreschool programs is thought to >>> aid >>> children in their social and emotionalgrowth, development that will be >>> lacking >>> as more teacher-directed curriculum isimposed on early childhood in an >>> attempt >>> to teach skills that are not, in manycases, age appropriate. The tendency >>> toward standardized teaching andassessment practices for young children is >>> not >>> only an emotional issue, but atthe very core of determining how children >>> in the >>> United States will best learnin order to be competent adults in our global >>> society. This literaturereview investigates this multi-faceted problem >>> which >>> involves young children,their parents, their teachers, as well as >>> government >>> agencies and educationaltheorists. " >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D. >>> > Florida Atlantic University >>> > Dept. of Teaching and Learning >>> > College of Education >>> > 2912 College Ave. ES 214 >>> > Davie, FL 33314 >>> > Phone: 954-236-1070 >>> > Fax: 954-236-1050 >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > -----Original Message----- >>> > From: Mlredcon <mlred...@aol.com> >>> > To: mosaic <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> >>> > Sent: Fri, Sep 14, 2012 7:44 pm >>> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Rigor of Common Core in Kindergarten >>> > >>> > >>> > The best way is to do on demand informal assessments using running >>> records >>> > so kids can move up when they are ready and lots of interactive read >>> aloud >>> > for high level comprehension. Take a look at the >>> > website-readingwritingproject.com >>> > Maxine >>> > >>> > >>> > In a message dated 9/14/2012 3:56:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, >>> > adamst...@pleasval.k12.ia.us writes: >>> > >>> > Hi! In Iowa, we are busy aligning to Iowa Core in Kindergarten - a >>> close >>> > spin off Common Core. We are experiencing some tripedation as we >>> look >>> > to the rigor of getting students to an F & P level D by the end of >>> > Kindergarten. I am a reading specialist that wants to support the >>> Core, >>> > but more importantly, help my teachers get comfortable and do the >>> right >>> > thing at the right time in the most developmentaly appropriate way. >>> I >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mosaic mailing list >>> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org >>> >>> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mosaic mailing list >>> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org >>> >>> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mosaic mailing list >>> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >>> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org >>> >>> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Mosaic mailing list >> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org >> >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive >> > > PatK > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive > PatK _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive
