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Highlights from the evaluation of Georgia's 2015 Rising Pre-Kindergarten Summer Transition Program

Description:
Building on the success of Georgia's Pre-K, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) has been offering a program for children during the summer before pre-kindergarten since 2013. This Rising Pre-Kindergarten (RPre-K) Program was modeled on a previously established program for rising kindergarteners, but serves children the summer prior to the Pre-K year and is tailored to meet the needs of families and children who speak Spanish at home. In the summer of 2015, the third year this program was offered, there were 30 RPre-K classrooms in 13 counties, serving approximately 420 children. The overall goal of the RPre-K program is to support children's transitions and development, particularly their early literacy skills, through the last few months prior to pre-kindergarten entry. As in past years, in 2015, the RPre-K Program offered services for six weeks during the summer. All attending children were from low-income families and the services were free to participating families. Class sizes were small (maximum 14), and each class had both a lead and an assistant teacher. All classrooms used the Opening the World of Learning (OWL)1 curriculum to support language development and school readiness. A half-time transition coach was hired for every class to help families meet transition needs and to offer parent educational activities. To evaluate the RPre-K Program, the early learning skills of four to six children in each classroom were assessed at the start and end of the program. Additionally, teacher-child interactions were observed in the 30 RPre-K classrooms using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).2 Systematic observations of lead and assistant teachers' use of English and Spanish were made. Lead teachers, assistant teachers, and transition coaches completed questionnaires about their education, experience, and services they provided. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Fact Sheets & Briefs
Country:
United States

Related resources include summaries, versions, measures (instruments), or other resources in which the current document plays a part. Research products funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are related to their project records.

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