TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN COACHING AND SUPERVISION

Presented by:

Shirley Esau, Principal Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District

Wilma Hashimoto, Director Early Care and Education Fresno County Office of Education

What do you know? What would you like to learn?

Step 1: Individually answer these two questions on individual post-it notes.

• What do you know about Transitional Kindergarten?

• What would you like to learn today?

Step 2: Discuss your responses with your group.

Step 3: Share as a group.

Agenda

• Survey results

• Quality TK

• Prepare for Success

• Give the Gift of Time

• Form a Professional Learning Community

• Provide Teacher Training

• Observation

• Coaching and Support Plan

The Quality TK Experience

• TK Instruction is Integrated

• TK Instruction is Individualized and Differentiated • TK Involves Family

• TK Classrooms are Culturally and Linguistically

Responsive

1 National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2009). Young children develop in an environment of relationships. Center on the Developing Child. Harvard University. Working paper 1. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/council/

2 Gay, G. (2003). Becoming multicultural educators. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Tabors, P. O. (2008). One child, two languages: a guide for early childhood educators of children learning English as a second language (2nd ed.).Baltimore, Md.: Paul H. Brookes Pub.Co. Valdes, G. (2001). Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

TK Survey – Preschool California and Packard Foundation

• Survey of over 200 schools, including administrators, coaches, and teacher.

• Over 300 had responded to identify the professional development needs of the TK teachers.

Program Description

Is your TK program full day, half day, or both? Full day 44.8% 133

Half day 47.1% 140

Both 8.1% 24

Is your district in a rural or urban area?

Rural 31.0% 92

Urban 70.4% 209

District Information

What is the size of your district? Small (under 5,000) 30.0% 89 Medium (5,001 – 30,000) 49.2% 146 Large (30,000+) 21.9% 65 Is your school/district Title I status? Yes 78.5% 233 No 14.8% 44 I do not know 6.7% 20

Classroom and Instructional Planning

Providing a Developmentally Appropriate Classroom Environment: organizing the environment and materials to promote development; using learning centers effectively; coordinating self-directed, cooperative, and teacher-guided learning.

Strongly Agree 47.0% 135

Agree 43.6% 125

Classroom and Instructional Planning

Providing Theme-Based and Integrated Lessons: planning appropriate themes and cross-curricular connections based on related standards and assessed needs of students; implementing strategies that provide opportunities to explore and make connections across the curricula.

Strongly Agree 46.0% 132

Agree 42.5% 122

Classroom and Instructional Planning (cont.)

• Providing, Analyzing, and Using Standards-Aligned Formative Assessment: using informal curriculum–embedded assessment activities to differentiate daily instruction; administering and interpreting less frequent standards-aligned assessments to benchmark student performance; communicating with parents; evaluating and monitoring student performance.

• Differentiating Instruction: providing flexible grouping opportunities designed around the strengths and growth of all students; adapting questioning strategies to accommodate each student's readiness and comprehension.

Classroom and Instructional Planning (cont.)

• Providing Culturally Responsive and Relevant Instruction: integrating cultural assets of children carefully and thoughtfully into the curriculum; ensuring that curriculum content is engaging and relevant to all students, etc.

• Encouraging Family Engagement: building relationships with families; communicating and working collaboratively with families to develop specific plans and strategies to ensure student success.

Learning Domains

• English Language Arts

• Mathematics

• English Language Development

• Social-Emotional Development

Common Themes of Quality TK Experience

Which of the following program themes is most critical?

TK Instruction is Integrated 16.7% 47

TK Instruction is Individualized and 20.6% 58 Differentiated

TK Involves Family 3.9% 11

TK Classrooms are Culturally and 4.3% 12 Linguistically Responsive

TK Supports the Social and Emotional 54.4% 153 Development of Children

Strengths vs. Needs to Improve

Which of these common themes are you most well-prepared to support?

TK Instruction is Integrated 32.0% 90 TK Instruction is Individualized and 18.5% 52 Differentiated TK Involves Family 8.9% 25 TK Classrooms are Culturally and 8.9% 25 Linguistically Responsive TK Supports the Social and Emotional 31.7% 89 Development of Children

Strengths vs. Needs to Improve

Which of these common themes is currently most challenging for you to implement?

TK Instruction is Integrated 13.2% 37

TK Instruction is Individualized and 41.6% 117 Differentiated

TK Involves Family 19.2% 54

TK Classrooms are Culturally and 14.6% 41 Linguistically Responsive

TK Supports the Social and Emotional 11.4% 32 Development of Children

Parents Are the Best Advocates for a Cohesive Educational System

They see their children as they are today…

and tomorrow…

and tomorrow…

Steps to successful implementation

• Possible Timeline for implementation

• What needs to be accomplished?

• Reminder:

• 2012-13 Nov.1 for TK

• 2013-14 Oct. 1 for TK

• 2014-15 Sept. 2 for TK full implementation

Prepare for Success

• Hand-on Activities

• Setting Up for the Year

• Planning Time -

• Integrated and Differentiated Instruction -

• Instructional Tools -.

TK K

• Special Education Referrals • Writing Assessment • Mastery of Common Core

Standards • Professional Learning Community • Assessment • Preschool Foundations

• Centers • Differentiated Instruction • ELD • CELDT • District Benchmarks • Dibels • Transportation

Give the Gift of Time

• Highlight Social-Emotional Development.

• Create a Dynamic Classroom.

• Underscore Early Mathematics.

• Create an Assessment Plan.

• Welcome Families. www.tkcalifornia.org

Form a Professional Learning Community

• Deepen understanding of child development and learning

• Explore best practices

• Study initial and ongoing assessment tools and

• Review student assessment data and plan differentiated instruction, and monitor and report children’s progress

• Districts have created PLCs that target TK teachers within a school, within a hub of adjacent schools, across their district, as well as across grade levels such as creating a pre-k through kindergarten PLC

www.tkcalifornia.org

Provide Teacher Training

• Differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students

• Use of integrated instruction across subject areas

• Best practices for meeting the needs of English learners

• Assessment, observation and reporting student progress over time and

• Family engagement to support instruction www.tkcalifornia.org

TK K BOTH

TK Observations

• Is there ongoing oral language development?

• Is there differentiated instruction?

• Is the environment appropriate for student use?

• Do you see student engagement and interaction?

• Is there constructive play?

Activity – TK Classroom Video

Activity - K Classroom Video

Fresno County Office of Education

Transitional Kindergarten TK Environmental Coaching and Support Plan

I. Initial Site Visits • Pre-Evaluation of Sites and Classrooms • Site Administrator Feedback Form • Teacher Questionnaire • Initial Interview and Feedback Form • Initial Photo Documentation

II. Observations and Coaching

• Modifications and Adaptations of Learning Environment • Instructional Strategies • Dual Language Support • Data Collection (lessons, student work, photo documentation)

III. Exit Meetings and Next Steps

• Review Goals and Reflect on Growth and Progress • Next Steps for Implementation • Summative Feedback Form • Data Collection

Resources

CCSESA School Readiness Writing Team, (2011). Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Planning Guide, A Resource for Administrators of California Public School Districts. Sacramento, CA: Sacramento County Office of Education.

Preschool California. (n.d.). TK California. Retrieved from http://www.tkcalifornia.org/#

Contact information: Shirley Esau: sesau@kingsburg-elem.k12.ca.us

Wilma Hashimoto: whashimoto@fcoe.org

THANK YOU!