PreK-3rd in Action: Learning From the States

The National Association of State Board of Education has a new resource for anybody thinking about PreK-3^rd alignment. It’s the report of their Early Childhood Education Network, a three-year initiative to improve PreK-3^rd alignment in six states: Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Virginia.

The report outlines the states’ experiences going through three phases:

1) Defining quality in early childhood, including the development of early learning standards and a revamping of teacher certification methods and accountability systems so they are better aligned with the K-12 system.

2) Continuing to build an aligned PreK-3^rd system, with a special focus on classroom practices and teacher training, in order to ensure a smooth, developmentally informed continuum.

3) Working to bring more research-based practice into classrooms and to strengthen assessment and teacher preparation programs. (With systems in harmony and core principles in place, the six states are now in this third stage.)

The report offers detailed, step-by-step profiles of the state’s efforts to develop and implement PreK-3^rd systems, as well as frank discussions of difficulties. The report stresses that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to PreK-3^rd, and challenges that are easy to overcome in one state could be a significant obstacles in another. Some of the challenges include improving coordination between departments and getting different agencies to “speak the same language,” aligning teacher endorsements and sustaining quality of programs while scaling up to reach more students.

The report is available on NASBE’s website.