IV. IMPLEMENTING TILE EDUCATION COMPONENT PLAN




 
OVERSEEING AND SUPPORTING THE DAILY PROGRAM
A Commitment to the Plan
A System for Overseeing the Daily Program

INDIVIDUALIZING THE PROGRAM
Why Individualize the Program?
Coordinating with Other Components
Assessing Children's Strengths, Needs, and Interests
Using Information to Individualize

THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
How the Environment Reflects the Education Plan
When the Classroom Arrangement Is Not Working
Adjustments for Children with Handicapping Conditions
The Learning Environment in the Home-Based Option
The Needs of Adults

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Balance
Developmental Stages
Cultural Backgrounds
Sexual Stereotyping
Handicaps
Current Focus of the Curriculum
Interests of the Children

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS
The Daily Schedule
Handling Transitions
Discipline
Supportive Interactions

PLANNING: PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER
Ensuring That Weekly Plans Are Consistent with Program Goals
How Planning Helps Staff to Individualize
Planning Contributes to a Smooth Program and Good Teamwork
Helping Staff Develop Good Plans

ESTABLISHING LINKAGES WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Linkages with School Administrators
Linkages with Elementary School Staff
Easing the Transition for Children

INVOLVING PARENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Developing Home/Program Linkages
Including Parents in Planning the Program
Involving Parents in the Classroom

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION PLAN

RESOURCES

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDUCATION COORDINATOR FOR IMPLEMENTING THE EDUCATION COMPONENT PLAN
BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER
SELF-ASSESSMENT: IMPLEMENTING THE EDUCATION
COMPONENT PLAN
Yes         Needs My
Attention
 
 
OVERSEEING AND SUPPORTING THE DAILY PROGRAM
1. Does the staff understand the Education Component Plan and how to implement it?
2. Do I have a system for overseeing the daily program?

INDIVIDUALIZING THE PROGRAM
3. Does the staff know how to observe and record children's behavior in order to plan individualized activities?
4. Do I monitor individualization when visiting centers and home-based settings?

THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
5. Do I assess the physical environment when I visit classrooms?
6. Do the teachers understand how children's behavior affected by the physical environment?
7. Do I help teachers rearrange their classrooms?
8. Do I help home visitors make constructive suggestions to parents at home?

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
9. Have I given teachers and home visitors guidelines for selecting materials and equipment?
10. Have I set standards for the display of materials?

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS
11. Do I know how to determine whether the staff is in control of the classrooms?
12. Are the weekly schedules well planned and balanced?
13. Do the rules the staff has established in each classroom reflect the Head Start goals and objectives?
14. Have I effectively conveyed how to use positive discipline techniques?

PLANNING: PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER
15. Have I set clear standards for long-term and weekly planning?
16. Does the staff use the curriculum and information about in individual children to develop plans?

DEVELOPING LINKAGES WITH THE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
17. Do I foster ongoing linkages with public school administrators?
18. Do I foster an ongoing relationship with elementary school staff?
19. Do teachers help children make the transition to elementary school?

INVOLVING PARENTS IN THE PROGRAM
20. Am I satisfied with the quality of communication between staff and parents?
21. Are home visits well planned and implemented?
22. Are parents involved in planning the program?

Review your responses, especially those you marked "Needs My Attention," and circle those topics you want to work on. List them below in order of their importance to you.

OVERSEEING AND SUPPORTING THE DAILY PROGRAM

How does a piece of paper containing the Education Component Plan become the program that takes place in the center and the children's homes? Although the program of activities is planned and conducted by the education staff, the Education Coordinator is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the activities conform to the philosophy, objectives, and strategies outlined in the Education Component Plan. These aspects of the plan define the program's curriculum.

Successful implementation of the Education Component Plan depends on two important assumptions.

An Education Coordinator who has questions about the Education Component Plan is likely to give mixed signals in performing the tasks required to implement and oversee the daily program. A teacher who does not agree with the philosophy and goals of the program may resist training and guidance. For example, imagine asking a teacher who doesn't believe in bilingual education to implement the Alberta Curriculum. Or, imagine asking a home visitor who believes that parents should give children frequent spankings to teach positive discipline techniques. Commitment to the plan and a shared vision of what the program wants children and families to achieve are essential.

A COMMITMENT TO THE PLAN

How does an Education Coordinator ensure that the Education Component Plan is still relevant and that the staff understands and supports the Head Start philosophy outlined in the plan? At the beginning of a new Head Start year, it is wise to review the Education Component Plan with the following questions in mind.

Assuming that the plan reflects the current needs of the community and that the Education Coordinator agrees with and supports the plan, the next step is to ensure that the staff shares the same commitment. Some strategies for enhancing a shared vision include: A SYSTEM FOR OVERSEEING THE DAILY PROGRAM

Education Coordinators who are systematic in facilitating the daily program tend to have a clear idea of what areas they need to address, what strategies they will use to facilitate implementation of the plan, and how they will support the staff.

AREAS THAT NEED TO BE SUPPORTED

A careful reading of the Education Component Plan reveals several areas that Education Coordinators should observe and be prepared to offer support in when visiting classrooms and home-based settings. These areas include:

STRATEGIES FOR FACILITATING
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION
PLAN

The best way to facilitate implementation of the Education Component Plan is to spend time regularly in the classroom and on home visits. These periodic visits are essential to the role of the Education Coordinator. The Education Coordinator's presence and participation validates what the staff is doing, allows for recognition, and provides the best opportunities for training and guidance. When the staff has a problem or issue, the Education Coordinator can serve as a sounding board, bringing a fresh perspective and new insights.

The amount of time an Education Coordinator spends will vary. Education Coordinators are likely to spend more time with a new staff member or one who needs assistance than with a teacher or home visitor who is experienced and who has demonstrated skill in implementing the curriculum. Program size should not be a factor in determining how often an Education Coordinator visits a center or goes on a home visit. If the program is large, an additional staff member would be needed to ensure that the center-based staff receive a visit at least twice a month.

In organizing their work schedule to allow time to oversee implementation of the Education Component Plan, Education Coordinators might do the following.

STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORTING THE STAFF

Because the staff is responsible for implementing the Education Component Plan, the Education Coordinator acts as a facilitator and supporter to ensure that the activities are consistent with the curriculum and that staff has the skills and knowledge required to achieve the goals and objectives defined in the plan.

Strategies for facilitating the role of teachers and home visitors in implementing the Education Component Plan include:

This chapter offers suggestions on what Education Coordinators should look for in overseeing the implementation of the Education Component Plan. It focuses primarily on the center-based option, although the information often applies to the home-based option as well. Other resources are available that focus specifically on the home based option. (See the resource list in Chapter III.)

INDIVIDUALIZING THE PROGRAM

Individualizing is a program requirement. The Performance Standards clearly state that:

The education services component of the plan shall provide procedures for on going observation, recording, and evaluation of each child's growth. and development for the purpose of planning activities to suit individual needs (1304.2-2d).

To meet this requirement, Education Coordinators must ensure that the program has established ongoing procedures for assessing each child's growth and level of development, that the education staff knows how to implement these procedures, and that the staff uses the information in planning activities to promote each child's growth and to continually evaluate each child's progress.

WHY INDIVIDUALIZE THE
PROGRAM?

Individualizing is basic to the comprehensive child development philosophy of Head Start. Because children develop at different rates, teachers and home visitors know that they can't expect .every child to achieve the same skills and to learn new concepts at a given period of time. In any group of preschool children, some children will be able to use scissors and some won't; some children will express their ideas verbally and some will have a limited vocabulary; some will be scribbling and others will be making representational drawings; some children will use the props in the house corner to role play experiences they have had and others will use the props simply as toys. Staff must be able to recognize and allow for these differences in development when planning activities so that there is sufficient variety to meet the needs and interests of each child.

Children not only have unique pattern of development, they also come to Head Start with their own interests, experiences, and learning styles. Some children love to play with cars; others prefer expressing their ideas through art materials. Some are fascinated by fire engines and all sorts of large motor vehicles; others may not have one major interest but will be responsive to whatever new materials and experiences are offered. Individualizing means knowing each child's preferences and interests,
using this information to create a learning environment appropriate for each child, and planning daily activities that build on each child's interests to promote individual growth.

Individualizing is one of the best strategies for promoting positive behavior. Children who are interested in the activities offered and who are appropriately challenged, rarely misbehave. When children are bored or frustrated, behavior problems are more likely to occur.

COORDINATING WITH OTHER
COMPONENTS

Each component in the Head Start program seeks in formation on the children and their families that can be invaluable to education component staff. Rather than duplicating the process of obtaining this information by asking parents the same questions, at enrollment, in a home visit, and in screening children, all coordinators in the program should be aware of what information is gathered in other components so that everyone can benefit from this knowledge and perspective. Regular meetings of component coordinators are one way to promote good communication and information sharing. Education Coordinators can also facilitate communication between other coordinators and education staff by arranging meetings and regular visits at each center and by periodically having coordinators accompany home visitors on their rounds.

Information obtained by other components that can be especially helpful to education staff in individualizing the program can be found in the forms maintained by social service staff, the health records, the results of screening conducted by the health component staff, documentation of child and family nutrition habits, and the records maintained by parent involvement staff.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Social services staff is responsible for recruitment of eligible children, including handicapped children. Once a child is enrolled, the staff maintains contact with the family to assess and reassess family Deeds and to develop a plan for needed services. Staff ensures that records of. up-to-date, pertinent family data are kept for each family including "completed enrollment forms, referral and follow-up reports, reports of contacts with other agencies, and reports of contacts with families" (Performance Standards, 1304.4-2).

HEALTH

Initial information on each child comes from the screening conducted after a child has been enrolled in the program.
Medical and dental history, screening, and examinations.

(a) The health services component of the performance standards plan shall provide that for each child enrolled in the Head Start program a complete medical, dental, and developmental history will be obtained and recorded, a thorough health screening will be given, and medical and dental examinations will be performed. (l304.3-3.)

Education staff can be of great assistance to health staff in identifying children with potential health problems because they see the children for a greater period of time and have a basis for comparing behavior. The individual health records maintained on each child provide information useful in planning an educational program suited to the individual child. (See the Child Health Record in the Resource Papers, IV-l-4.)

In addition, mental health staff are required to "periodically observe children and consult with teachers and other staff' (Performance Standards, 1304.3-8). Education staff who are concerned about a child's development can benefit from the perspective of a professional outside observer in order to gain a better understanding of the child and what support is needed.

NUTRITION

Staff in the nutrition component obtains "information about family eating habits and special dietary needs and feeding problems, especially of handicapped children" (Performance Standards, 1304.3-10). Education staff who eat with the children daily should have access to this information.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Parent involvement staff are charged with establishing and maintaining ongoing contact with parents to ensure their active involvement in the program and to support their role as primary-educators of their children. Through home visits, phone contacts, conferences, and meetings,. parent involvement staff gains broader understanding of each child's family, their involvement in the program, and how the education program can more effectively meet individual needs.

ASSESSING CHILDREN'S STRENGTHS, NEEDS, AND INTERESTS

The Performance Standards require the systematic gathering of information in order to determine children's level of development. Developmental assessment is one way of gaining this information in a systematic way. The purpose-for gathering this information is to plan the daily program of activities and to create a learning environment appropriate for each child.

Developmental assessment is child-centered assessment. It is designed to find out both the strengths and needs of a young child, not just areas of deficiency or handicap. It is concerned with the individual child's abilities in relation to the sequence of development, not the child's standing in relation to other children.

Developmental assessment is multidimensional. It recognizes that a child grows in many important ways in the early years. Development in one area is related to the child's development in other areas. It is important to look at each child's overall level of development as well as growth in separate key areas.

Developmental assessment is activity-centered. It yields information useful to education staff as they plan the program for the group and for individual children. The results are not meant to be stashed away in a folder in a file drawer and forgotten, but to be used on an ongoing basis by the teacher.

Procedures used in developmental assessment reflect the fact that young children are often more difficult to test than older children and adults. Special techniques are needed to truly understand their abilities. Thus, programs use a variety of approaches for obtaining information on each child's development and interests. The Performance Standards do not require that a particular strategy, instrument, or observation procedure be used. However, whatever assessment procedures are used should conform to sound early childhood practice. Generally, programs use a developmental checklist or an instrument in the beginning of the year to obtain comprehensive information on each child. Informal assessment should be an ongoing part of the daily program.

In both informal and formal assessment, activities or tasks are designed to assess a child's abilities in each of the following areas:

The most commonly used strategies for determining a child's level of development are informal and ongoing observation and recording.

INFORMAL ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Informal techniques are defined as systematic staff observations of children in a natural setting-their home or the center. The observation or activity is structured by the staff for the purpose of determining a child's level of development. Because it takes place in the child's normal setting (as opposed to a separate room where a test is administered), these techniques do not disrupt the daily program or create anxiety. Equally important, the results tend to be reliable. Most child development experts agree that the best assessments of young children result from observing them in context. Examples of in formal assessment strategies are described below.

Developmental checklists, consistent with the program's goals and objectives, give staff a quick way to assess what skills or concepts children have learned, how often a child engages in a particular activity, and what areas or activities the child prefers and which ones the child avoids. Depending on the information sought, a checklist can be developed by the staff and kept in a convenient place so that notations can be made as staff observe children during the daily program and after the children have left for the day.

Structured activities can be designed as part of the daily plan for the expressed purpose of observing children and assessing their level of development. For example, colored blocks might be put out and used to determine if children can imitate a pyramid built by the teacher or home visitor. A checklist is kept to record each child's performance.

Sample forms for recording and organizing information obtained through informal assessments are included in the Resource Papers (IV-5-14).

ONGOING OBSER VATION AND RECORDING

The staff's ability to observe children on a regular basis, to note significant behavior, to record these observations, and to gather information and insights from parents is a critical factor in individualizing the program. What happens every day in the classroom or at home provides staff members with valuable insight and information.

The subtleties and quality of a child's interactions can be readily observed in the classroom or home. Over time, observation techniques reveal the progress of a child's development, patterns of behavior, and learning styles. Children communicate in many ways, including verbal language, eye contact, body language, mood, gesture, energy level, etc. For instance, in observing a child, staff might look for the following.

Written observations should be detailed and specific in order to reveal as much as possible about the child. For example, recording that "Maria used the peg board during work play" does not tell as much as the following record:

In using the peg board, Maria searched out all the red pegs and inserted them in two lines. Then she systematically picked out the yellow pegs, then the green, then the purple and inserted each color group in a line. She sat up straight in her chair and concentrated on this activity for 15 minutes, undistracted by noisy activities around her.

Staff may need training in how to observe and record children's behavior. Observations should be objective. The distinction between describing behavior and labeling or making judgments should be explained clearly.

FORMAL ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Formal assessment involves using an instrument that provides a profile of the child's developmental skills. Not all assessment instruments can be administered by teachers-some must be given by trained professionals. Some assessment instruments are criterion-referenced; they assess individual children within a developmental frame work. Some instruments arrange skills in a developmental, sequence from simple to complex and cover a variety of developmental areas. This makes it possible to pinpoint the child's level of functioning and can be used to assess strengths and needs.

Programs that use a formal assessment instrument should not rely on the results of the instrument alone in planning for each child. Many experts question the value of using standardized tests with young children because their growth is uneven and constantly changing during these years of development. Test results may be used inappropriately to label children. In addition, most instruments require extensive staff training and can be costly and time consuming. If an assessment instrument is used, programs should include other information-gathering strategies discussed in this section to provide a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the child.

The Resource Papers contain an annotated list of developmental and assessment instruments (IV-15-17) and a checklist of questions to consider in reviewing, instruments (IV- 18-19). University libraries and the Resource Access Projects often have sample instruments that can be reviewed.

OBSERVING FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNDERSTANDING A PROBLEM

There are a number of strategies that can help staff better understand a particular problem. Anecdotal records kept over a period of time are very revealing. A special consultant may be brought in to observe the child.

Frequency counts or time sampling are also effective ways of' recording behavior that causes concern and of supplying the staff with data to use in evaluating this behavior. This involves defining a specific behavior and either tallying the number of times it occurs in a specified period or measuring the length of time the behavior lasts. The technique is helpful for recording the number of times a child hits another child, the length or frequency of crying, the number of tantrums, the length of time a child attends to a specific task, or the number of times a child asks for help. This can be used over a day or week for infrequent behaviors; or for brief periods throughout the day for frequent behaviors. The results can be recorded in either a tally form or on a graph.

Such information provides important data for discussing with the staff the possible causes of the behaviors and for developing strategies to help the child.

In addition, the staff should be alerted to high-risk behaviors that may indicate a potential problem. A child's vision should be checked if he/she:

A child's hearing should be checked if he/she: A child may have emotional problems if he/she: USING INFORMATION TO
INDIVIDUALIZE

Education Coordinators are responsible for ensuring that individualization is taking place. Education Coordinators need to know if the staff is reviewing and evaluating information gathered on each child and using this information to plan activities to meet individual needs. They accomplish this by reviewing individual files and meeting with staff to discuss and help them make plans for individual children; observing the daily program and noting signs of individualizing; and promoting collaboration with other components to ensure that the total needs of each child are considered.

PREPARING INDIVIDUAL PLANS FOR EACH CHILD

Anecdotal records, work samples, ongoing assessment results, interviews with parents, and other documentation are kept in each child's individual folder. This information serves as the basis for developing an individual plan at the beginning of the program. This plan is discussed with the parents, who may be asked to share in developing objectives and in identifying strategies that can be implemented at home and at the center.

Education Coordinators should periodically review a random sample of the children's files to see if observations are being made, recorded, and evaluated. Files can be checked for:

To support staff in developing individual plans for each child, Education Coordinators may work with a team of teachers or home visitors to prepare plans for several of the children. The following steps might be implemented: Periodically, Education Coordinators might use site visits to sit with the staff, review the children's files, and discuss progress.

As an example, suppose in reviewing Amber's file, it is evident from the checklists kept by the teachers that she is performing quite normally for her age. However, observation records indicate that Amber seldom chooses an activity on her own, but usually waits to be asked by a staff member or a child to join an activity. The Education Coordinator might suggest some strategies to encourage Amber to make her own choices:

In another example, the staff may have noted that several children have trouble using scissors. The Education Coordinator might suggest some appropriate activities to help strengthen small muscles, such as picking up objects with tongs, playing with clay, and playing with manipulative toys such as peg boards and tinker toys.

Follow-up is important. Education Coordinators will want to ensure that staff not only implement activities to meet individual needs but also that they continue to make evaluations to determine progress. Staff should review individual files regularly to assess each child's progress in achieving objectives and to determine new objectives.

OBSERVING THE DAILY PROGRAM

Probably the most effective way to determine whether the center-based staff is able to individualize is to visit the daily program. The weekly plans, the physical environment, and the interactions that take place between staff and children should provide evidence of individualizing.



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