Does Aligning Instruction across PreK and Kindergarten Support Children’s Development?:

• In Event: Sequencing of Early Learning Experiences: Dosage, Instructional Alignment, and Children’s Developmental Outcomes

Abstract

A number of studies have found that the positive impacts of PreK programs on cognitive skills are not sustained as children progress through elementary school (Lipsey et al., 2018; Ludwig & Phillips, 2008; Puma et al., 2012). Aligning curricula across the early grades has emerged as a promising strategy for sustaining PreK effects, with descriptive studies showing that existing kindergarten curricula often repeat the content that children already know (Engel et al., 2013). However, there is little work testing the effects of instructional alignment on children’s academic skills. To address this limitation, we examined the implementation of Focus on Early Learning, a curriculum and professional development model developed by the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to align instruction across PreK and kindergarten. We then tested whether students who had an aligned experience across grades exhibited better developmental outcomes at the end of kindergarten than students who did not experience instructional alignment.

The study includes a randomly selected sample of 20 BPS schools and ten community-based organizations (CBO) with students who transitioned to public school for kindergarten. 95% of teachers (N = 51 PreK and N = 50 kindergarten) agreed to participate. The sample is made up of 386 children who were randomly selected in PreK and followed into kindergarten. Students in the sample are diverse (61% eligible for free/reduced price lunch; 72% non-White).

The current study draws on systematic observations of curricular fidelity collected in the winter of PreK and kindergarten. Observers rated each classroom on two separate days for a two-hour period on adherence to the curriculum, quality of implementation, and instructional practices. We calculated a measure of overall fidelity in both PreK and kindergarten. Concurrent work has shown that the observational measure is reliable and valid. In the fall and spring of each year children participated in assessments of their vocabulary (PPVT) and math (Woodcock Johnson Applied Problems) skills.

Analyses revealed significant variation in fidelity across schools and classrooms. We used a latent profile analysis to identify groups of children who experienced high levels of curricular fidelity in both PreK and kindergarten, relative to children who experienced lower levels of fidelity in both or either year (Figure 1). There were 114 children – designated the “aligned group” – who experienced high levels of fidelity in both years. We then used both propensity score matching and multi-level cross-lagged models with a robust set of controls to estimate effects of alignment on students’ outcomes in the spring of kindergarten. Results revealed that children in the aligned group had higher vocabulary skills in the spring of kindergarten than other students (d = .33, p < .05; see Figure 2). There were no differences in math skills between the groups. Findings were consistent across models and robustness checks. Further analyses will examine variation by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and Dual Language Learner status.

Results suggest that instructional alignment across PreK and kindergarten can benefit students’ vocabulary skill development. However, there are significant implementation challenges that districts must address in order to observe these positive effects.

Authors

• Meghan Patricia McCormick, MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation) - New York City
  Presenting Author

• Joann Hsueh, MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation) - New York City
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christina J Weiland, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha Xia, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Snow, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author