PAVE Broch

Appendix Q

Appendix Q

PAVE Intervention Brochure Text

What is PAVE?

PAVEd for Success (PAVE) is an early literacy program designed to

improve children’s vocabulary skills. PAVE is currently being offered to kindergarten teachers in selected schools as part of an effort to evaluate its effectiveness in Mississippi schools. The PAVE program has a demonstrated track record. The program has been implemented successfully in high-poverty schools and has been effective at improving children’s scores on standardized tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary.

Vocabulary skills are critical when learning to read, as they provide an essential foundation for decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension. When children know the meaning of words, they are better able to:

• Recognize words when sounding them out;

• Read text more smoothly; and

• Understand what they read.

Children learning to read may be able to sound out the letters of a word correctly but not be able to tie those sounds together into a word. For a child to successfully decode a word, the sounds must trigger a known word. Children who know more words are able to decode text more efficiently.

The PAVE program gives teachers the tools to build children’s vocabulary skills. Teachers are provided with specific strategies and materials for:

• Reading books interactively and with a focus on vocabulary;

• Engaging children in meaningful and vocabulary-rich conversations; and

• Teaching targeted vocabulary words using a variety of evidence-based strategies.

What are PAVE’s benefits for students?

• Builds strong vocabulary skills

• Improves their understanding and use of language

• Provides a basis for successful reading

• Builds positive relationships with teachers

What’s are the benefits for teachers?

• One-day training on the PAVE early literacy program

• One-on-one support to implement PAVE in the classroom

• Classroom materials (including instructional activities and children’s books) aligned with the Mississippi Kindergarten Curriculum

• Engaging themes including: Welcome to Kindergarten!; Seasons; Music; Growing Up; Feelings; and Fire Safety.

• Opportunities to meet and share ideas with other teachers using PAVE

To find out more:

We will be contacting school districts and schools in the coming weeks to take part in a study of PAVE in Mississippi kindergarten classrooms. If you want to find out more information about this program before then, you can call the SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 800-755-3277.

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