Vermonts Ready Schools Assessment

1
Vermonts Ready Schools Assessment

• Materials presented byDavid Murphey
• Senior Policy Analyst
• Vermont Agency of Human Services
• davidm_at_ahs.state.vt.us

2
History Development

• Developed in tandem with Ready Kindergartners
  assessment
• Beginning in 1999, the VT Early Childhood
  Workgroup reviewed existing work and began
  drafting survey items
• Community Forums and a pilot study (Spring, 2000)
  led to further refinement of the measure
• First administered statewide in Spring, 2001
  results reported Fall, 2001 (in conjunction with
  Ready Kindergartners results).

3
Ten Keys to Ready Schools(National Education
Goals Panel, 1998)

• 1. Ready schools smooth the transition between
  home and school.
• 2. Ready schools strive for continuity between
  early care and education programs and elementary
  schools.
• 3. Ready schools help children learn and make
  sense of their complex and exciting world.
• 4. Ready schools are committed to the success of
  every child.
• 5. Ready schools are committed to the success of
  every teacher and every adult who interacts with
  children during the school day.
• 6. Ready schools introduce or expand approaches
  that have been shown to raise achievement.
• 7. Ready schools are learning organizations that
  alter practices and programs if they do not
  benefit children.
• 8. Ready schools serve children in communities.
• 9. Ready schools take responsibility for results.
• 10. Ready schools have strong leadership.

4
Domains

• Smooth Transitions
• Instruction Staff Development
• Partnership with Community
• Resources
• Workgroup determined standards for each domain,
  representing what it considered achievable best
  practice.

5
Smooth Transitions

• 14 school practices listed (e.g., visits to ECE
  programs, home visits, KG screening, practice bus
  ride).
• Schools meeting standard must indicate their
  staff follow at least 10 of these.

6
Instruction Staff Development

• Equally weighted composite of
• Teacher EC credentials (teacher report)
• Average KG class size lt16 (principal report)
• Derivation of KG instructional practices
  (principal report)

7
Partnership With Community

• Schools Action Planning process addresses issues
  of pre-K and K (principal report)
• School sponsors open houses, parent-teacher
  conferences, family fun activities, and at
  least a third of parents participate (principal
  report)
• School sponsors or co-sponsors community based
  activities (e.g., rec programs, after-school
  care, family literacy) (principal report)
• School refers families as needed to outside
  services (e.g., housing, health, parent
  education) (principal report)
• At least one-third of K parents have some form of
  involvement in school (principal report)

8
Resources

• Teachers report on availability of a number of
  support services, including
• Professional support (e.g., colleagues,
  principal)
• Specialized services (e.g., speech language
  therapist, school social worker)
• Curriculum/instruction (e.g., special education
  teacher, reading/literacy specialist)
• Principals report on availability to parents of
  outside services (e.g., housing, health, parent
  education)

9
What do the data show?

• Response rate from principals increased from 84
  percent in 2001 to 98 percent in 2004.
• In general, schools are strongest on Transitions
  and Resources, weakest (and show the greatest
  variability) on Instruction Staff Development
  and Partnership with Community

10
Ready Schools Vermont
11
How are the results used?

• Superintendents and principals receive their own
  data report
• Highlights are reported for each community in the
  Agency of Human Services Community Profiles
  (www.ahs.state.vt, click on publications)
• Local reports are shared with regional early
  childhood councils

12
Whats Missing?

• The parents perspective
• In Fall, 2002, pilot data were collected from 300
  parents of kindergartners in 11 districts
• Designed to collect parallel data particularly
  in the areas of Transitions and Partnership
• Logistical issues have delayed a full-blown
  implementation of a parent survey

13
Challenges

• Commitment from leadership
• Administrative resources to manage data
  collection
• Making data come alive
• State direction vs. local control