Of Primary Interest Published by the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education • Summer 2001 Vol. 8 No. 3

Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Primary Education A resource list from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education

ERIC Documents Hand, Ada J.; Nourot, Patricia Monighan. 1999. First Class: A Guide for Early Primary Education. Preschool-Kindergarten-First Grade. Available from: CDE Press, Sales Office, California Department of Education, P. O. Box 271, Sacramento, CA 95812-0271; phone: 800-995-4099; fax: 916-323-0823. ED438033; 204p. Focusing on the argument that early childhood education plays a crucial role in children’s future success, this guide provides information to educators about

PARTICIPATING STATES Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Illinois State Board of Education Iowa Department of Education Massachusetts Department of Education Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Nebraska Department of Education North Carolina Office of Public Instruction Rhode Island Department of Education Tennessee Department of Education

NAECS/SDE Editor: Frank Fielden 303-866-6674 voice 303-866-6857 fax

development-based education that leads to active and productive learning for children ages 4 through 6. The guide provides examples for planning and organizing classroom environments, scheduling the day’s activities, guiding interactions between children and adults, and planning challenging curriculum and assessment activities. Chapters include “Guiding Principles for Quality Early Primary Programs,” “Planning Environments for Early Primary Programs,” and “Scheduling the Day in the Early Primary Program.” Bickart, Toni S.; Jablon, Judy R.; Dodge, Diane Trister. 1999. Building the Primary Classroom: A Complete Guide to Teaching and Learning. Available from: Teaching Strategies, Inc., P. O. Box 42243, Washington, DC 20015; http://Teaching Strategies.com. ED437196; 471p. Addressed primarily to elementary school teachers working with children in grades one through three and grounded in developmentally appropriate practice, this book provides a practical framework for making teaching effective and learning meaningful for children in these early grades. Chapters in Part 1 of the book each present one of six teaching strategies for building the primary classroom: (1) knowing the children you teach; (2) building a classroom community; (3) establishing a structure for the classroom; (4) guiding children’s learning; (5) assessing children’s learning; and (6) building a partnership with families. Chapters in Part 2 each describe one of the following subject areas: (1) language and literacy; (2) mathematical thinking; (3) social studies; (4) scientific thinking; (5) technology; and (6) the arts. Each of

the curriculum content chapters presents an overview of the subject area based on current national or state standards, outlines the skills and content children are expected to learn, and offers practical teaching strategies for guiding children’s learning. Leibowitz, Sue L.; Chates, Alan I. 1998. Transition Project: Observing Early Childhood Classrooms. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Diego, CA, April 1317). ED420423; 39p. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a developmentally appropriate curriculum, implemented as part of a Head Start Transition Project for public kindergarten through third grade, to maintain and enhance the benefits attained by Head Start children and their families. Findings indicated that classrooms receiving resources to create developmentally appropriate classrooms and with a principal committed to the philosophy of developmentally appropriate practice were further advanced in providing a developmentally appropriate environment than classrooms that did not receive or fully implement these resources. Further, there was a general decrease in the use of developmentally appropriate practices over the years, but an increase within classes from year to year. Bredekamp, Sue, Ed.; Copple, Carol, Ed. 1997. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. (Rev. Ed.). Available from: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-1426; continues on next page

http://www.naeyc.org; phone: 800424-2460. ED403023; 189p. A tool for early childhood professionals, this book describes developmentally appropriate practices for adults providing care and education services to young children. Part 1 of the guide presents the position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Part 2 explores the early childhood teacher as decision maker. Part 3 describes the vital development that takes place during the first 3 years of life and gives examples of appropriate and inappropriate practices for infants and toddlers. Part 4 describes development and learning in children ages 3 through 5, and part 5 describes developmentally appropriate practice for 6through 8-year-olds. Mueller, Daniel P. 1997. The Implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Inner City Primary-Grade Classrooms and Its Effects. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, March 24-28). ED410324; 22p. A goal of the St. Paul (Minnesota) Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project is to promote the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms through teacher training and the provision of related materials. The degree of DAP implementation and teachers’ efforts to foster parent participation were studied. In addition, the relationship of DAP to student achievement in reading and mathematics, and to classroom behavior (social skills, problem behaviors) was studied, and possible differences in relationships by students’ ethnic backgrounds were explored.

Journal Articles Wardle, Francis. 1999. In Praise of Developmentally Appropriate Practice. Young Children, 54(6, Nov): 4-12. EJ597724. This article discusses the author’s personal background as it affects his views on early childhood education and 2

describes his 12 beliefs in praise of developmentally appropriate practice. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. 1998. Reading Teacher, 52(2, Oct): 193-216. EJ573315. This article presents the 1998 position statement regarding early literacy development formulated by the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Issues are outlined, and research is reviewed. The article offers a set of principles and recommendations for teaching practices and public policy. It includes a continuum of children’s development in early reading and writing. Lubeck, Sally. 1998. Is Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Everyone? Childhood Education, 74(5): 283-292. EJ569187. This article suggests that the National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice are supported by modern values of stability and certainty. It maintains that there is a shift to a new world view, based on views that human beings are subjects; science cannot be value-neutral; and the context affects what people learn and how they understand. Vander Wilt, Judith L.; Monroe, Virginia. 1998. Successfully Moving Toward Developmentally Appropriate Practice: It Takes Time and Effort! Young Children, 53(4, Nov): 17-24. EJ567834. Factors contributing to and preventing the implementation of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early childhood education are discussed. The article presents basic guidelines for DAP, illustrates the use of “both/and” thinking in early childhood practice, and describes the conversion of one school district to DAP. The article concludes that administrative support, teacher commitment, and professional collaboration are the keys to successful implementation. Pelander, Jim. 1997. My Transition from Conventional to More Developmentally Appropriate Practices in the Primary Grades. Young Children, 52(7, Nov): 19-25. EJ554441.

This article describes a primary teacher’s experience with implementing developmentally appropriate practice and documents the process of changing teaching methods, abandoning ability grouping in reading, giving children significant choices, following children’s progress, staying informed and sharing with colleagues, informing parents, and evaluating teaching success. Goldstein, Lisa S. 1997. Between a Rock and a Hard Place in the Primary Grades: The Challenge of Providing Developmentally Appropriate Early Childhood Education in an Elementary School Setting. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12(1): 3-27. EJ551026. This article notes that primary grade teachers attempting to implement developmentally appropriate practice in their classrooms must contend with the competing professional models of early childhood education and elementary schooling. It describes the practices of one primary grade teacher that illustrate how these tensions play out in a primary classroom. Dunn, Loraine; Kontos, Susan. 1997. What Have We Learned about Developmentally Appropriate Practice? Research in Review. Young Children, 52(5, July): 4-13. EJ547962. This article reviews research on three issues related to the first edition of the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children: (1) the prevalence of DAP; (2) teachers and parents beliefs about DAP and influence of beliefs on practice; and (3) how appropriate and inappropriate practice influence children’ social-emotional and cognitive development.

Internet Resources National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) http://www.naeyc.org/ This site contains the text of NAEYC’s position statement on developmentally appropriate practice. Developmentally Appropriate and Culturally Responsive Education: Theory in Practice http://www.nwrel.org/cfc/publications/dap2.html

This document was prepared by Rebecca Novick for Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Developmentally Appropriate Practices http://users.sgi.net/~cokids/dap.html This section of the Early Childhood Educators’ and Family Web Corner site provides links to other sites with information about developmentally appropriate practices. Developmentally Appropriate Practice http://earlychildhood.about.com/education/earlychildhood/msub42.htm This section of the About the Human Internet site provides links to information about developmentally appropriate practices. The above article is reprinted from the ERIC Resource List, September 2000. References identified with an ED (ERIC document), EJ (ERIC journal), or PS number are cited in the ERIC database. Most documents are available in ERIC microfiche collections at more than 1,000 locations worldwide and can be ordered through EDRS: (800) 443-ERIC. Journal articles are available from the original journal, interlibrary loan services, or article reproduction clearinghouse such as UnCover (800) 787-7979 or ISI (800) 523-1850. ERIC Resource Lists are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education may be contacted at the University of Illinois, 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign, IL 61820-7469, (800)-583-4135, e-mail: .

The Scarcity of Informational Texts in First Grade What sorts of experiences do first-grade students have with informational text? Can increased exposure to informational text in the early grades influence children’s ability to read and write it successfully later on? Scholars frequently urge educators to attend to informational text use in the early grades. Few data exist, however, about the degree to and ways in which such texts are actually employed in early grade classrooms. In a CIERA [Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement] Report entitled The Scarcity of Informational Texts in First Grade, Nell K. Duke of Michigan State University presents the informational text experiences offered to children in 20 first-grade classrooms in districts spanning a wide socioeconomic range. She collected and analyzed data about the

types of texts on classroom walls and other surfaces, in the classroom library, and in classroom written activities. Duke’s results show a scarcity of informational texts in classroom print environments and activities. There were few informational texts included in classroom libraries, little on classroom walls and other surfaces, and a mean of only 3.6 minutes per day spent with informational texts during classroom written language activities. This scarcity was particularly acute for children in lowsocioeco-nomic-status (SES) school districts. Here, informational texts constituted a much smaller proportion of already smaller classroom libraries, were even less likely to be found on classroom walls and other surfaces, and the mean time per day spent with informational texts was 1.9 minutes. Half the low-SES classrooms spent no time with informational texts during the days they were observed. Duke concludes that (a) researchers’ pleas for attention to informational text appear not to have significantly impacted classroom practice; (b) science and social studies instruction don’t necessarily provide substantial informational text experience for young children; (c) low levels of achievement in informational reading and writing may be caused more by lack of exposure to these genres than any difficulty inherent in the genre; and (d) the scarcity of informational text may result in a missed opportunity to inspire or attract some students to literacy. She emphasizes that low-SES children’s reduced access to informational literacy compared to their highSES peers is especially disturbing, since the ability to access and communicate information is crucial in contemporary American society. Duke recommends several strategies for increasing attention to informational texts in the early grades, including curricular mandates, teacher training, linking informational reading and writing to

science achievement, increasing the budget for reading materials in the early grades, and including such texts in home reading programs. She stresses that decreasing attention to narrative text should be avoided, and reliance on other forms of text (e.g., worksheets) reevaluated instead.

To obtain a copy of the full report, The Scarcity of Informational Texts in First Grade, send a check for $6.50 (which includes shipping and handling) for each copy to: CIERA/University of Michigan, 610 East University Avenue, 1600 SEB, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1259. Specify CIERA Report #1007 when ordering. The full report is also available for download at . The abstract above is reprinted with permission of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement.

Children Need More than just Their ABC’s to be Ready for School Schools and Communities also Need to be Prepared to Help Students If a child can recite the alphabet, is she ready for school? It has become common practice to consider academic milestones when assessing a child’s school readiness. But a child’s mastery of basic language skills should not be the determining factor of her readiness for school. Before children are ready for school, they need to show enthusiasm for learning, be healthy, and be emotionally and socially ready to learn. Researchers at Child Trends—a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center—have pulled together the latest findings on what it means for children to be ready for school, for schools to be ready for children, and for continues on next page 3

families and communities to be prepared to adequately support their children. Cumulating research supports the theory put forward by the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) that five factors should be considered when deciding if a child is ready for school. These factors are: physical well-being and motor development; social and emotional development; enthusiasm and curiosity about learning; language development; and cognition and general knowledge.

Readiness Factors for Children Entering School • Physical well-being and motor development • Social and emotional development • Enthusiasm and curiosity about learning • Language development • Cognition and general knowledge – National Education Goals Panel

“It is important that children are interested in learning the alphabet and numbers as they enter kindergarten,” says Tamara Hall, Research Associate at Child Trends. “But other factors, such as knowing how to take turns, understanding the emotions of other people, having an enthusiasm for learning, and persisting in tasks should be just as highly considered as a child’s understanding of the ABC’s.” School readiness also includes a school that is ready to support the learning and development of young children and a community that contributes to children’s

readiness. For instance, the NEGP suggests that schools should be prepared to help children transition into kindergarten, to get parents connected and involved with their child’s education, to help each child and teacher succeed, to adapt teaching approaches to what works, and to take responsibility for results. Using the NEGP’s school readiness recommendations as a starting point, Child Trends researchers looked beyond these goals to the research on programs and activities associated with better early adjustment and achievement in school to come up with a successful, tested framework for community investments in school readiness. The framework includes community investments in children’s health, family economic security, family stability, early childhood care and education, school transition practices (from preschool or home to kindergarten), and neighborhood quality. “If communities take an ecological view of child development, they will consider how the child’s surrounding environments support families to raise children who are ready and eager to learn,” says Halle. “Research suggests that this support can help families and local schools be better prepared to educate their children.” Research also addresses the uses, and possible misuses, of testing and assessment tools. The NEGP identified four purposes for assessment tools: to identify what the child already knows and where the child needs help; to identify possible

problems that might need further evaluation and attention; to evaluate programs and services to inform decision-making at the policy level; and to hold individuals, teachers and schools accountable for academic achievement.

Ecological Framework of Schools Ready for Children – Community Investments in: • • • • • •

Children’s health Family economic security Family stability Early childhood care and education School transition practices Neighborhood policy – Child Trends

According to Martha Zaslow, Senior Research Associate at Child Trends, “Communities should use assessments only for the purposes they were intended. The NEGP points to such possible misuses as labeling a young child prematurely or inaccurately, which could lead toward lowered expectations and inappropriate teaching methods from the beginning of the child’s education. Educators should be aware that assessment results might not be reliable until children have reached at least third grade.” The above information is compiled in a Research Brief from Child Trends, School Readiness: Helping Communities Get Children Ready for School and Schools Ready for Children. The brief can be downloaded from or requested from Child Trends, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20008, (202) 362-5580 [voice], (202) 362-5533 [fax].