Quality early learning environments are essential for preparing children to be successful learners as they go through elementary school. One means of attaining high quality learning environments is to implement curriculum that meets the needs of all children. A curriculum reflects the program’s philosophy, goals and objectives for children as well as the guidelines to target children’s development in such areas as cognitive, social-emotional, language, and fine and gross motor domains (Freede & Ackerman, 2006). The intent of a curriculum is to provide the framework for what happens within a planned environment to allow for learning and interactions with materials, peers and adults. The curriculum framework also helps to guide the evaluation criteria that are appropriate for the program.
The Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood are a critical piece for assisting teachers in designing classrooms that meet the developmental needs of children to help them succeed in school. In conjunction with the curriculum, a second equally important piece in an early childhood classroom, is conducting on-going assessments of children. Assessments that are implemented in the classroom and aligned with Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood (birth to 3rd grade) will help inform teachers about designing a curriculum that provides multiple learning opportunities that best suits how each child learns. Developmental assessments allow one to understand a child’s competencies and to design learning environments which will help a child grow to his or her developmental potential.
Choosing a Curriculum
There are many needs to be considered when planning a preschool curriculum. The physical environment should contribute to well -planned activities that can help young learners meet their goals, but it should also allow for spontaneous and unplanned learning to occur. This article from NIEER helps clarify what should be considered when choosing a curriculum that will meet the needs of young learners in a preschool environment.
Pennsylvania's Recommendations for Curriculum, Child Assessment and Program Assessment
Publisher Alignments to Curricula (in alphabetical order): Please note the Office of Child Development and Early Learning is not recommending the use of any specific curriculum instrument.
4. Harcourt:
6. Highscope
7. High Reach:
8. Houghton- Mifflin: Where Bright Futures Begin
11. Correlation of Abrams and Company Publishers
14. National Geographic School Publishing/Hampton Brown Division
Correlations for the PA Early Learning
Standards and the PA Kindergarten Standards.
15. Opening the World to Language (and Work Sampling)
16. PATHS
Alignment Report by Standard
Correlation to PA Standards
19. Scholastic Early Childhood Programs
20. Slippery Rock University/Student Government Association Preschool and Child Care Center
Correlation to PA Early Learning Standards (PDF)
Correlation to NAEYC Guidelines
Correlation to PA Early Learning Standard
*NOTE* The Curriculum above was produced by individual publishers not the Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
I Can Problem Solve Curriculum incorporates the social emotional domain throughout the key learning areas of the standards:
EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSESSMENT FOR CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO AGE 8 (GRADE 3)
The principles of assessment that we apply to young children are part of a continuum beginning at birth and extending through kindergarten to grade three. This is an updated report on early childhood assessment.
Assessment Tools
The assessment instruments are grouped into tables in the following document. One group of tables are instruments that are appropriate for measuring different domains. Another group provides an overview of key learning areas of the Early Learning Standards for Pre-K, and then there are tables describing curriculum. The final table lists standardized classroom observation systems for early learning classrooms.
Disability:
Adaptive Behavior Assessment System II
Assessment, Evaluation and Programming System
The Carolina Curriculum for Pre-Schoolers with Special
Needs 2nd, Ed.
Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Development Profile
The Oregon Project for Visually Impaired & Blind
Pre-school Children
Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory
Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale
Beginning July 2012, PA PreK Counts, Head Start State Supplemental Assistance Programs and STARS 3 and 4 centers and group will be required to select an approved assessment tool to meet child assessment and outcomes reporting requirements. The following is a list of the tools which have been for 2012-2013:
Infant-toddler (0-3 years)
Pre-kindergarten (3-5 years)
