Overview and Training. Today’s Agenda New Name, Same Instrument Appropriate Use of QELI Inappropriate Use of QELI Overview of Statewide Results How To

Overview and Training

Today’s Agenda

• New Name, Same Instrument• Appropriate Use of QELI• Inappropriate Use of QELI• Overview of Statewide Results• How To Work With QELI Data• New Resources Available• Implementation for Fall 2005

School Readiness

Educators of primary-grade

children cite school readiness as among the most serious

challenges they face in achieving the educational and

developmental goal they have for their students.

Peter D. Hart Research

School Readiness

• Children must be ready to make the transition from home or child care to formal education.

• Just as important, schools must be prepared to help ease that transition for children.

Education Commission of the States

IELI = QELI

Overview

The Qualls Early Learning Inventory is an assessment tool for use in the primary grades (K-1) to identify student development in six behavioral characteristics related to school learning. The Inventory assesses developing behaviors, so it can be used to inform classroom instruction.

The QELI is not language dependent and can be used to assess children who are emerging speakers of English.

A Pre-K version of QELI will be available in Fall 2006.

QELI Supports Best Practices

Assessments that are fair for all children

Assessments based on realistic settings that reflect a child’s actual performance

Assessments based on multiple, systematic observations and documentation

Assessments that are linked to follow-up instruction

National Association for the Education of Young Children Position Statement on Curriculum and Assessment, November 2003

NAEYC calls for:

QELI Supports Best Practices

Assessments that are fair for all children Assessments based on realistic settings that reflect a child’s actual performance

Assessments based on multiple, systematic observations and documentation

Assessments that are linked to follow-up instruction

NAEYC calls for: QELI

National Association for the Education of Young Children Position Statement on Curriculum and Assessment, November 2003

Description of the Inventory

• Suitable for Kindergarten and early Grade One students

• 4-page Inventory booklet– One for each child observed

• Teacher’s Directions and Interpretative Guide– One for each teacher


• General Knowledge—the extent to which the student possesses general information and facts expected of children at this age

• Oral Communication—how well a student communicates ideas, describes what has been seen or heard, or asks about things

• Written Language—the extent to which the student recognizes and writes letters or simple words


• Math Concepts—how well a student understands and uses beginning mathematical ideas and processes

• Work Habits—the extent of a student’s persistence, resourcefulness, and independence in completing tasks

• Attentive Behavior—the student’s ability to sustain focus on classroom activities

Appropriate Uses

• To describe the developmental level of a child in behavioral terms

• To help identify those students who might be at risk due to delayed development

• To report initial status and progress to families

• To be shared with Pre-K in your community/school

• To be shared with staff

Inappropriate Uses

• To select students for Kindergarten– Low scores are not necessarily an

indication of a disability or deficiency– Remember: Documents learned

behaviors• Calls attention to skills that can be

developed with proper instructional intervention

• To retain students• To place students in special

education

QELI Results

• May be used as a Communication and Transition Tool for PK Teachers

• Data Results should be a “tool” to:– Help guide instruction for the PK and K

student– Share results with all staff– Share with PK teachers– Strengthen the K and PK teachers

knowledge of the areas of student’s strengths and weaknesses

– Assist in long range planning

QELI

• It is NOT a reflection of the school• It is a “snapshot” of the child• It is not a tool to “discourage” the child

entering Kindergarten

• It is a tool that will provide the teacher a “quick” observational overview of the child

• It is a tool that will provide the parent a “quick” observational overview of the child

Statewide QELI Results

Score Reports

Putting QELI Data To Work

Step 1: Look At “Big Picture”

18% of my class is delayed in the area of Work Habits

Step 2: Find Individuals in Need

Step 3: Focus On Specifics

Preparing Arkansas Teachers and Students

for the Qualls Early Learning

Inventory

Arkansas Kindergarten

Teachers• Kindergarten Readiness Indicator

Checklist (KRIC)• Getting Ready for School Calendar• Getting Ready for School Teacher’s

Guide• ADE and DHS Benchmarks and/or

Frameworks• Qualls Early Learning Inventory• LINK - NEW!

KRIC

The Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist and

Guidelines will be used as a tool to inform and guide teachers, administrators and parents.

Act 825 of 2003Act 1552 of 2001

Act 35 of the 2nd Extraordinary Session of 2003

Why KRIC?

• We must RAISE the bar! – We cannot accept “that is the way

our kids come to school.”

• We can not leave ANY child behind !

• Statewide Indicators will provide the EXPECTATIONS for entering kindergarten students.

The KRIC is not to be used for any reason to exclude a child from

kindergarten.

Teachers and parents should use this checklist as a tool for planning instruction and to meet the specific

needs of the student.

There are NO right or wrong answers on the KRIC.

Screening/Assessing Students

Assessing/Screening the student can provide parent and teacher with essential information for individualizing the curriculum to help the child learn more effectively.

Early Childhood Research & Practice Fall 2000 Volume 2 Number 2

The Arkansas Department of Education shall implement a

developmentally appropriate uniform school readiness screening

to validate a child’s school readiness as part of a comprehensive

evaluation design.

Act 35 of the Extraordinary Session of Arkansas 84th General Assembly

KRIC Instructional LINK For Teachers

and

KRIC Instructional LINK For Parents and Families

New!

KRIC Instructional LINK

• “LINK”– Qualls Early Learning Inventory– Kindergarten Readiness Indicators

Checklist (KRIC)– Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar– Arkansas Early Childhood Education

Benchmarks– Arkansas Department of Education

Frameworks– Work Samplings– Head Start Outcomes

KRIC Instructional Link for Teachers

EC Benchmarks

Work Samples

Head Start Outcomes

QELI ADE Franmework KRIC Indicators Rating Comments

5.2 II.B.1 HS-LD 6 OV.1K3 1. Uses effective oral communication skills and speaks in complete sentences; · Uses sentences of five to six (or more) words;· Has almost adult like speech;· Can verbally express the highlights of the day;· Utters compound sentences with connecting words such as “and” and “but”;· Describes and discusses objects such as seashells or pinecones;· Describes what is happening in discussion pictures.

5.10 II.A.2 HS-LD 38 OV.1K5OV.2K3

2. Understands and follows directions with at least two steps; ·

Not

Yet

Em

erg

ing

Con

sist

en

tly

Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist1. Expressiveness and Language Comprehension

KRIC Instructional LINK for Parents and Families

Here are some examples of how you can know if your child is achieving

the Kindergarten Readiness Indicators. Add examples of your own. QELI Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Examples of what you observed.

6

Indicator 1: Speaks in complete sentences Calendar: February

Your child:• tells you what he or she did during a visit to a friend• talks about some things that happened at his or her preschool center• talks about a family event that you and your child attended together

38

Indicator 2: Follows directions with at least two steps Calendar: February

Your child:• follows your directions, such as “Pick up your plate and put it on the cabinet • tells you, in order, the things he/she does to get ready for bed• tells you, in order, what he/she did at preschool (“We played in centers, had snacks, went to the playground, ate lunch and took a nap

34

Indicator 3: Understands words, such as ‘top’ and ‘bottom’, ‘big’ and ‘little’ Calendar: February

Your child:• looks at pictures in a book and retells a story, such as “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Then, with your guidance

Shows you the picture of the little Billy Goat, the middle Billy Goat and the big Billy Goat Tells which goat crossed the bridge first, next and last. Says that the troll was under the bridge and the goats crossed over the bridge

• lines up family members’ shoes from smallest to largest.• follows directions in a game you play together (“Put the car on the table” “Put the car under the table” “Put the car behind the couch” “Put the car besides the couch”)

Transitioning

• Transition to K is an ongoing process that require partnership and starts in PK and continues through the early months of K.

• Transition is not simply an event best represented by the first day of school, nor is it a procedure that can be successfully by accident.

QELI Guidelines

• Guidelines were developed by a committee of Arkansas teachers and administrators throughout the state.

• Guidelines developed to establish statewide uniform interpretation of the QELI.

• Guidelines provide suggestions and recommendations for teachers to follow as they are observing students.

Resources and Web Sites

• Arkansas Department of Educationhttp://arkedu.state.ar.us/K Frameworks – KRIC – LINK ADE website

• www.

• Division of Early Childhood Education and Childcare http://www.arkansas.gov/childcare/– 3-4 Benchmarks– Getting Ready for School Teacher Guide – Getting Ready for School Calendars - DHS

Implementation Fall 2005

Completing the Inventory

• Generally completed by classroom teacher– Approximately 10 minutes per

child• Based on multiple, recent

observations of a child in a typical school setting

Which Students Should Be Included?

• Suitable for all children• Can be used regardless of

language background• Useful for students with special

needs

Completing the InventoryCode essential demographic information

Completing the InventoryOptional areas for local use

Prior to Completion

• Read the entire Inventory– Pay attention to wording of

statements to accurately document students’ readiness skills

• Focus on how frequently you observe a behavior– Use the same standard for all

students• Come to consensus with other

teachers on meanings of terms like “rarely” and “sometimes”

Decide What Is Appropriate

For some behaviors, it is more important to consider your most recent observations…

In these examples, a child’s most recent attempts are more relevant than total attempts since the beginning of the school year.

Decide What Is Appropriate

However, some behaviors should be considered based on multiple observations over time.

Certain questions also require thought about how appropriate a child’s response is, not just the frequency. In this example, if the child often uses a complete sentence, but the sentence is seldom relevant to the overall conversation, then “Rarely” describes the behavior more accurately than “Often.”

How to Pack for Scoring

1. Completed documents grouped by class

(Do not need to be in order)

2. Completed Class ID Sheet(One per class)

3. Completed Building ID Sheet(One per building)

Grade/Class ID Sheet (blue)for MR. GRAY, GRADE K

Completed QELI documents for MR. GRAY’S class, GRADE K

Packaging for Class-Level Scoring

Grade/Class ID Sheet (blue)for MS. LING, GRADE K

Completed QELI documents for MS. LING’S class, GRADE K

Building ID Sheet (purple)for JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Important Fall 2005 Dates

• Materials Arrive in Districts-

The week of August 15, 2005

• Districts Return QELI Materials to Riverside Scoring Service-

No later than September 23, 2005

Dee CoxArkansas Department of EducationGrants Early Childhood/Grants Initiative#4 Capitol Mall, Room 402ALittle Rock, Arkansas [email protected]

Donna WolfeArkansas Department of EducationAcademic Standards/Assessment Accountability# 4 Capitol Mall, Room 202ALittle Rock, Arkansas [email protected]

ADE Contacts

Riverside Publishing Contacts

Michael WardArkansas Assessment [email protected]

Jennifer ProbstArkansas Senior Program Coordinator1-800-323-9540, extension [email protected]