Gifted Advisory Council

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Gifted Advisory Council

• Gifted Education and Early Childhood Education-
• Our Next Direction?

June 1, 2009
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Why Consider Early Childhood Education?

• Federal Level
• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
  annual conference
• Pre-K Now-video clip http//www.preknow.org/educat
  ors/classroomtour.cfm

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Why Consider Early Childhood Education?

• NY State Level
• Pre-K-16 initiative and JPD rationale
  http//usny.nysed.gov/summit/p-16ed.htm
• and interventions have to start early and
  support a students learning throughout. Students
  who do not get a good start are unlikely to read
  by the second grade students who do not become
  proficient readers wont graduate from high
  school and students who enter college with weak
  mathematics and literacy skills wont graduate
  unless we do something to bolster their academic
  achievement.

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Why Consider Early Childhood Education?

• BOCES Level
• UPK- BOCES sponsored seminars and upcoming events
• P-16 Literacy Initiative-sessions for pre-school
  teachers
• Developmental Research
• Research-based knowledge is huge
• One million word gap research by Risley and
  Hart
• Fort Ann study

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Considering Curricula-ScienceStart!

• Developed under National Science Foundation (NSF)
  grant
• Research-based curriculum
• Study used experimental and control groups of 3-5
  year olds, urban based in Rochester area.
• Positive results particularly in areas of science
  and literacy
• Visit website
• http//www.sciencestart.com/

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ScienceStart!Key Features

• Hands-on discovery based curriculum
• Interdisciplinary-integrates literacy, math,
  arts, around the core of science
• Aligned with NYS standards-emphasis on math and
  literacy
• Major emphasis on emerging literacy skills as
  well as writing and vocabulary
• Follows developmentally appropriate practice- per
  National Association and Education of Young
  Children (NAEYC) standards
• Can be used for grades K-2 as well

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ScienceStart!Results

• Anecdotal Evidence
• K teachers reported students who entered programs
  from pre-K ScienceStart programs were more
  prepared and ready for school, showed advanced
  literacy skills
• Additional Results
• Elizabeth Fisk- WSWHE BOCES Data Analyst-handout
• And ScienceStart! Website- Outcomes/Research
• ScienceStart! video clip

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Questions/Materials

• Handouts
• Questions?