FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Dr. Eric J. Smith
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Commissioner of Education
Members
PETER BOULWARE
AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
February 24, 2009
Contact Information
Shan Goff
MEMORANDUM #09-03
(805) 245-0445
Shan.goff@fldoe.org
TO:
Early Learning Coalition Executive Directors
DPS: 2009-029
Prekindergarten
Contacts
Other
Interested
Persons
FROM:
Shan Goff, Executive Director
SUBJECT:
National Early Literacy Panel Report - Developing Early Literacy
On January 8, 2009, the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) released its report, Developing Early
Literacy. Dr. Chris Lonigan, from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) at Florida State
University, was one of nine nationally-recognized experts who contributed to this valuable research
synthesis.
The NELP findings reinforce the direction Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program has taken and
are aligned with the Department of Education’s (DOE) Next Generation Strategic Plan and more
specifically, a focus on strengthening foundation skills. NELP has identified six strong predictors of
early literacy skills, and the Florida VPK Education standards related to emergent literacy extensively
address the majority of the six areas.
In addition, the NELP report identified effective interventions for improving early literacy including
code-related interventions, shared-reading opportunities, parent and home based programs to
improve literacy, early education programs, and language enhancement interventions. Over the past
three years, the DOE has developed professional training and supports, in collaboration with our
partners at FCRR, for each of the intervention categories related to emergent literacy and language
and vocabulary development that were recommended in the Panel’s report. Included is a table that
clearly demonstrates how the professional development available through DOE and the effective
interventions that were identified from the research are directly aligned.
The release of the NELP report and literacy-related activities such as the
What’s Working in Reading
series all highlight the critical role emergent literacy has in preparing our children to succeed in school
and beyond. Florida is working very hard to create a system of early childhood education that is built
on the latest research-base and is responsive to the learning needs of our youngest children. Thank
you for your continued support of this endeavor.
c:
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Assistant Superintendents of Curriculum and Instruction
Brittany Birken, Director Office of Early Learning
Debby Russo, Director Child Care Program
Attachment
SHAN GOFF
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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OFFICE OF EARLY LEARNING
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325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0445 • www.fldoe.org
NELP 2008 Summary Table
2008 National Early Literacy Panel Findings
January 8, 2009
2008 NELP Findings
Florida’s Plan
Predictors of Early Literacy
Florida VPK Education
Standards (2008)
•
Alphabet
knowledge
•
Phonological
Processing
•
Writing/writing
name
•
Phonological short term
memory
•
Rapid naming tasks
(letters/digits)
•
Rapid naming tasks
(objects/colors)
Emergent Reading
•
Alphabetic
knowledge
•
Phonological
Awareness
Emergent Writing
•
Age appropriate ability to write letters (including first
and last name)
Effective Interventions
Florida’s Professional Development related to VPK
Education Standards
•
Code-related
interventions
(Phonological Awareness,
Alphabet Knowledge, and
making sense of print)
•
Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors (Online course,
Independent Study Guide with DVD)
•
Integrating the Standards: Phonological Awareness
(Face-to-face training)
•
Emergent literacy in the VPK classroom (Face-to-face
training, facilitated class)
•
Shared-reading
Interventions
•
VPK Teacher Toolkit: Language and Vocabulary
Folder
o
Dialogic Reading
o
Book Embedded Vocabulary Instruction
•
Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors (Online course,
Independent Study Guide with DVD)
•
Parent and home programs
•
It’s Okay to Play in VPK
parent flipbook and training
•
Even Start Interactive Literacy Activities (ILA)
•
Preschool and Kindergarten
programs
•
Florida’s VPK Program (540 hour school year
program or 300 hour summer program implemented
in August, 2005)
•
Language
Enhancement
interventions
•
VPK Teacher Toolkit: Language and Vocabulary
Folder
o
Language Scaffolding
o
Think, Show, Tell, Talk
•
Emergent literacy in the VPK classroom: Face-to-
face, facilitated class)
•
Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors (Online course,
Independent Study Guide with DVD)
