2-130 - Early Writing Assessment and Intervention

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Early writing development is a critical, yet understudied, contributor to later reading and academic achievement (Graham & Hebert, 2011; Hammill, 2004). Compared to reading, however, relatively little research exists on early writing. This symposium leverages both quantitative and qualitative datasets from four research labs in the US and Israel to advance the limited literature in early writing through papers examining assessment and interventions that target early writing at school and at home. Study one presents an innovative assessment of early composing, a vital, but neglected part of the writing framework (Puranik & Lonigan, 2014) and how 332 Head Start children develop composing across the school year. The second presentation uses mixed methods to explore how 101 teachers’ use assessment data to inform their classroom instruction. The third presentation identifies child-level literacy outcomes of a supplemental literacy curriculum that includes small group writing opportunities as expansions of effective shared-reading experiences. The final presentation articulates the child literacy outcomes of a ground-breaking home-school intervention in which Israeli parents support preschoolers to post blogs and respond to the posts of classmates to encourage writing. Collectively, the papers offer diverse, new ideas and the potential to ignite insightful discussion regarding the importance of understanding the comprehensive framework of early writing, how assessment data are utilized, and how both school and home interventions can enhance children’s skills on this essential component of literacy development.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Hope Gerde, Michigan State University

Individual Presentations

• Measuring Early Composing through Innovative Story Writing Prompts - Presenting Author: Hope Gerde, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Gary Bingham, Georgia State University; Non-Presenting Author: Rachel Stadwick, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Sarah Jenuwine, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Xiao Zhang, Georgia State University; Non-Presenting Author: Kyla McRoy, Michigan State University

• How do Early Childhood Teachers Learn about Children’s Writing Skills and What do they Know? - Presenting Author: Rachel Erin Schachter, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Non-Presenting Author: Shayne B Piasta, The Ohio State University

• Sit Together and Read and Write: A Pilot Study Investigating an Approach to Engage Preschool Children with Print while Writing - Presenting Author: Sonia Cabell, Florida State University; Non-Presenting Author: Stefanie Copp, University of Lynchburg; Non-Presenting Author: Jaclyn Dynia, The Ohio State University; Non-Presenting Author: Maureen Myrtil, Ohio State University; Non-Presenting Author: Laura Justice, The Ohio State University

• Parent-child Joint Writing in an Online Preschool Forum - Presenting Author: Coral Shachar, MLA College, Or Yehuda; Tel Aviv University; Non-Presenting Author: Dorit Aram, Tel Aviv university