Appendix. A Study Measures

Evaluating the Impact of the Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy (PLC-EL)

OMB Appendix A IES Evaluation PLC-EL clean 1.26.23

OMB: 1850-0976

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Appendix. A Study Measures

Teacher/Facilitator Background Survey Teacher Knowledge and Beliefs Survey (TKABS)

Teacher’s Acquired Language Knowledge – Preschool (TALK-P)

Proximal Classroom Instructional Targets Measure Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale-Adapted

Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) Pedagogical Discontentment Scale

Inner Setting Scale Interview and Focus Group Protocols

PLC-EL Fidelity Observation

Teacher/Facilitator Background Survey

Description: Teachers and facilitators will complete a Background Survey that is inclusive of items related to education, certifications, years of experience in specific age/grade levels and contexts, and prior professional development experiences.


Please circle or complete the available area to indicate your answer.


  1. Are you:

    1. Man

    2. Woman

    3. Non-binary or another gender

    4. Prefer not to disclose

  1. What is your race? (Please respond even if you primarily identify as Hispanic or Latino) (Select one or more)

    1. American Indian or Alaska Native

    2. Asian

    3. Black or African American

    4. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

    5. White

  2. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

    1. Yes

    2. No

  3. English is:

    1. My native language

    2. Not my native language

  4. Other than English what languages do you speak?

    1. Spanish

    2. Haitian or Creole

    3. French

    4. Other language (please specify:

  5. Highest education level completed

    1. GED/High school equivalent

    2. High school diploma

    3. Some college credits, but no degree

    4. Associate degree

    5. Additional credits beyond associate degree

    6. BA/BS Degree\

    7. Additional credits beyond a BA/BS Degree

    8. MS/MA Degree

    9. Additional credits beyond a MS/MA Degree

    10. Ph.D.

  6. Major in highest post-secondary degree

    1. My degree is in the education field(s)

    2. My degree is in another field outside of education

  7. Completion of Child Development Associate Credential (CDA)

    1. Yes

    2. No

  8. Completion of South Carolina Early Childhood Credential (ECD)

    1. Yes

    2. No

  9. Certified teacher (South Carolina or other state)

    1. Yes

    2. No

  10. Preschool Director's Credential

    1. Yes

    2. No

  11. Do you have any of the following certifications or accreditations? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY OR CHECK 'NONE OF THESE')

    1. None of these

    2. Preschool/early childhood teaching certification

    3. Elementary school teaching certification

    4. Reading specialist certification

    5. ESOL certification

    6. Nursing degree (RN, LPN)

g. Other (please specify):-----------------

  1. Check the options that most closely match the site in which you are currently working

    1. Public school prekindergarten

    2. Head Start program

    3. Private preschool (First Steps funded)

    4. Other (please specify): ____________

  2. Is your classroom part of VPK?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Not applicable (I teach younger or older children)

  3. My school accepts CCDF (Child Care and Development Fund) or state-funded childcare subsidies?

    1. Yes

    2. No

  4. Approximately what percentage of current children receive subsidy?


a.

0-25%

b.

26-50%

c.

51-75%

d.

76-100%

  1. What is your role in your current classroom?

    1. Teacher

    2. Aide

    3. Coach/Coordinating teacher

    4. Director / Administrator

  2. Age group of current classroom (select the typical age of children at the beginning of the school year)

    1. 3-year-olds

    2. 4-year-olds

    3. Both 3- and 4-year-old

    4. 5-year-olds

    5. Both 4- and 5-year-old

  3. How many children are enrolled in your classroom?

  4. My program is open daily for (check the closest option)

    1. 3 hours

    2. 5 hours

    3. 6.5 hours (public school day)

    4. 8 hours

    5. 10 hours

  5. If you are the lead teacher, how many hours of the day (on a typical day) do you have an aide/assistant/co-teacher?

    1. I do not have an aide/assistant/co-teacher

    2. 0-1 hour

    3. 2-3 hours

    4. 3-5 hours

    5. 5-7 hours

  6. How many total years of experience do you have as a lead teacher with any age group (including the current year)?

    1. Of that total, how many years were spent teaching 3-4-year-old children?

    2. Of that total, how many years were spent teaching kindergarten children?

  7. How many total years of experience do you have as an assistant or aide in a classroom with any age group (including the current year)?

    1. Of that total, how many years were spent teaching 3-4-year-old children?

    2. Of that total, how many years were spent teaching kindergarten children?

  8. Including the current school year, how many years or experience do you have as a teacher or aide in classrooms serving 0–3-year-old children?

  9. Including the current school year, how many years of experience do you have as a teacher or aide in classrooms serving 3–4-year-old children?

  10. Including the current school year, how many years of experience do you have as a teacher or aide in classrooms serving kindergarten children?

  11. Including the current school year, how many years of experience do you have as a teacher or aide in classrooms serving 6–9-year-old children?

  12. How many clock hours of professional development related to teaching print knowledge, phonological awareness, vocabulary, or language have you received within the past 3 years?

  13. Have you completed credit-earning course content on how to support language development in young children?

    1. Yes

    2. No

  14. Was this a credit-earning course?

    1. A separate course

    2. Part of a course

  15. During the current school year, are you using a published general curriculum? If so, please indicate which one.

    1. Yes

    2. No

  16. During the current school year, are you using a published literacy curriculum? If so, please indicate which one.

    1. Yes

    2. No

  17. During the current school year, are you using a published math curriculum? If so, please indicate which one?

    1. Yes

    2. No

Teacher Knowledge and Beliefs Survey (TKABS; Cunningham et al., 2012)

Count the number of simple speech sounds you hear in each of the words below. Then circle the number of sounds you hear. Please do this for every word listed. For example, cat has three sounds, /c//a/ /t/.


1. bit

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

2. fraught

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

3. tie

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

4. post

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

5. couch

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

6. shipping

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six

7. exit

a. one sound

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

f. six


Say each of the following words out loud. Then reverse the order of the sounds, and say the new English word that results. ON THIS FORM please write the new word with its conventional (correct)English spelling. (Do this for every word.) (Ex. age → jay)


8. ice


9. tub


10. face


11. checks


12. judge


13. meat




For each word on the left below, circle the number of syllables. For example, elephant has 3 syllables: /el/

/e/ /phant/


14. salamander

a. three syllables

b. four

c. five

d. six

e. seven

15. finger

a. one syllable

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

16. biodegradable

a. four syllables

b. five

c. six

d. seven

e. eight

17. pies

a. one syllable

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

18. attached

a. one syllable

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five

19. koala

a. one syllable

b. two

c. three

d. four

e. five


Read the first word in each line, and note the sound that is represented by the underlined letter or letters. Then circle the word to the right that contains the same sound.


20. paper

a. village

b. father

c. pal

d. sleigh

21. return

a. smashed

b. settle

c. listen

d. castle

22. even

a. phrase

b. soften

c. of

d. find

23. nurse

a. our

b. percent

c. poor

d. near


  1. Which of the following are examples of a compound word? (Check all that apply.)

    1. Government

    2. Eyeball

    3. Psychology

    4. Teddy Bear

    5. Peppermint

    6. I don’t know


  1. Which of the following are examples of an onset-rime? (Check all that apply.)

    1. /s/ + lip

  1. sip, rip, dip

  2. sip, sock, sister

  3. /s/ + ip

  4. ele + phant

  5. I don’t know


  1. Which of the following are examples of blending? (Check all that apply.)

    1. /s/ + un becomes sun

    2. popcorn without corn becomes pop

    3. bat becomes /b/ + at

    4. butterfly becomes butter + fly

    5. mice without /m/ becomes ice

    6. I don’t know


  1. A phoneme refers to: (Check only one.)

    1. a single letter.

    2. a single speech sound.

    3. a single unit of meaning.

    4. a grapheme.

    5. I don’t know


  1. Phonemic awareness is: (Check only one.)

    1. the same as phonological awareness.

    2. the understanding of how letters and sounds are put together to form words.

    3. the ability to break down and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken language.

    4. the ability to use sound-symbol correspondences to read new words.

    5. I don’t know


  1. A requirement of a syllable is that: (Check only one.)

    1. it contain at least one consonant letter

    2. it contain no more than one vowel letter

    3. it be a pronounceable unit

    4. it contain no more than one speech sound

    5. I don’t know

  2. You are trying to teach your preschool students to notice alliteration (similar beginning sounds in words such as with the spoken words sun, city, sand). Which instructional strategies below would be an effective way to help your students master alliteration? (Check all that apply)

    1. Use cards with pictures of things on one side and the letter that starts that thing on the other side (for example, F for fan, S for sun).

    2. Practice sorting pictures of objects according to their beginning sound.

    3. Have children find the letter “S” in words written in the classroom.

    4. Play “I Spy” and have the children find all the objects in the room that start with a certain sound.

    5. I don’t know


  1. Which of the following will typically be easiest for young children to do? (Check only one)

    1. When you say, “r” [pause] “ain” and ask what word you made, they say “rain.”

    2. When you say “rain” [pause] “bow” and ask what big word you made, they say “rainbow.”

    3. When you say the word “rain” and ask what sounds are in the word, they say

d. “/r/ /ay/ /n/.”

  1. When you say the sounds “/r/ /ay/ /n/” and ask what word you made, they say you made the word “rain.”

  2. I don’t know


  1. Select the sequence below that correctly orders these skills from easiest to hardest for 4-year- old children: (Check the correct sequence below)

  1. Blending “foot” and “ball” into “football”

  2. Blending /p/ /i/ /g/ into “pig”

  3. Blending /cr/ and /eam/ into “cream”

    1. B, C, A

    2. A, B, C

    3. B, A, C

    4. A, C, B

    5. I don’t know


  1. When teaching phonological awareness to 4-year-old children, in which order would you introduce the following concepts? (Check the correct sequence below).

  1. Separating words like “popcorn” into “pop” and “corn”

  2. Blending words like “pop” and “corn” into “popcorn”

  3. Deleting the word “pop” from “popcorn” to make “corn”

    1. A, B, C

    2. B, C, A

    3. A, C, B

    4. B, A, C

    5. I don’t know


  1. Teaching preschool children to be sensitive to and manipulate the sounds in spoken language is most helpful with acquiring which of the following skills? (Check only one)

    1. knowledge of letter names

    2. reading motivation

    3. increased vocabulary

    4. reading comprehension

    5. sounding out words

    6. I don’t know

Teacher’s Acquired Language Knowledge – Preschool (TALK-P; Phillips et al., 2020)

Subscale 1: Pedagogical Knowledge-Language

(IKL_1) Choose the best definition of story grammar.

  • The complex syntax used in a story that are characteristic of and judged by adults and children to be "good" stories

  • The proper English grammar used in a story that are characteristic of and judged by adults and children to be "good" stories

  • The key elements or parts of a story that are characteristic of "good" stories

  • The various parts of speech used in a story that are characteristic of and judged by adults and children to be "good" stories


(IKL_2) Which of the following describes key elements of story grammar?

  • Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, Dialogue

  • Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution

  • Conjunctions, Prepositions, Relative Pronouns, Adverbs

  • Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Prepositions


(IKL_3) Choose the best explanation of what it means to model rich language.

  • Adults using complex sentence structure while speaking to other adults

  • Adults using a diverse vocabulary while speaking with children

  • Adults teaching children more sophisticated synonyms for words they know

  • Adults demonstrating how to pronounce a word properly


(IKL_4) Which is a benefit of using thematic teaching to promote language learning?

  • It activates prior knowledge.

  • It promotes knowledge of schema.

  • It assists in making connections.

  • All answer choices apply


(IKL_5) How can a teacher best encourage children to use language for different purposes?

  • Play word games like hangman with the children

  • Only ask the children YES or NO questions

  • Correct children's pronunciation or grammar

  • Prompt children's language with "Tell me about…"


(IKL_6) Which would be an example of a teacher assisting a child in learning pragmatics?

  • Directing a child to talk to a doll in the housekeeping center

  • Using a sing-song voice when talking to the child

  • Encouraging the child to share about his weekend during circle time

  • Using puppets to role play having conversations


(IKL_7) Which is a useful method used by educators to informally assess children's language development?

  • Administering an oral test to evaluate a child's language

  • Administering a written test to evaluate a child's language

  • Listening carefully to a child's language use in different situations

  • Collecting and reviewing a language sample


(IKL_8) Which of the following represents a scaffolding strategy educators use to support language learning within a child's zone of proximal development?

  • Questioning

  • Expanding

  • Modeling

  • All answer choices apply


(IKL_9) Which one of the following is not an example of inferential talk used in shared book reading?

  • Predicting events

  • Recalling events

  • Quoting characters

  • Describing character emotions


(IKL_10) Which below is likely the most effective way to teach children about harvesting crops?

  • Creating a farm in the block area

  • Going to a farm on a field trip

  • Reading books about farming

  • Putting chicks and seeds in the sensory tray


Subscale 2: Pedagogical Knowledge-Vocabulary

(IKV_1) In your classroom you ask Shelly to separate the legos from the blocks. Shelly correctly responds. Megan is given the same instructions but seems confused about the task. Given their distinct responses how would you appropriately scaffold Megan's knowledge of the word 'separate'?

  • You say to Megan: "Tell me a word that means the same as 'separate'."

  • You ask Megan: "Can you put the crayons and markers into two different boxes? Please separate them."

  • You say to Megan: "The crayons and the markers are in two different boxes. We can say they are

."

  • You ask Megan: "Can you put the crayons and markers into one big box? We don't need to separate them."


(IKV_2) One strategy for teaching new vocabulary is to have children say the word. What is the reason for doing this?

  • To ensure that the child can read the word correctly as additional information about the word.

  • To ensure the child experiences the pronunciation of the word as additional information about the word.

  • To ensure that the child knows how to spell the word correctly as additional information about the word.

  • To ensure that the child is paying attention to the instruction about the word's meaning.


(IKV_3) Is the following statement true or false? "Children are more likely to learn new words if they are embedded in the context of more familiar words."

  • True

  • False


(IKV_4) Which of the following is not on its own an efficient strategy to teach new vocabulary words to young children?

  • Say the word repeatedly

  • Say a synonym

  • Define the word

  • Use the word in different contexts


(IKV_5) Which of the following word characteristics should not be emphasized when teachers are selecting appropriate words from books to explicitly teach to children?

  • Words that support the current curricular theme

  • Words that the children do not already know

  • Words that the children will rarely hear or read

  • Words that are critical to understanding the story


(IKV_6) When introducing the word 'frigid', which word would be most helpful for children to already know and understand?

  • Warm

  • Rigid

  • Cold

  • Frighten


(IKV_7) Which of the following is the best definition of a "Tier 2 word"?

  • A word that occurs across a variety of content areas and is used frequently in mature language and literature.

  • A word that commonly appears in spoken language and rarely requires explicit instruction.

  • A word that is specific to a content area and is not used frequently outside of this content area.

  • A word that is commonly found in poetry but not very frequently found in literature or other texts.

(IKV_8) Which of the following teaching techniques allows children to acquire vocabulary words more efficiently?

  • During book reading the teacher provides a child with definitions for unknown words and an example from the story before continuing with the story.

  • During book reading the teacher describes the characters using words unfamiliar to the child, but does not define the words.

  • During book reading the teacher defines unknown words briefly and continues with the story.

  • During book reading the teacher provides examples of unknown words, but does not define the words.


(IKV_9) When introducing a new word to children, why is it important to provide a definition of the word or an example before asking children to provide a definition or an example?

  • Children in the classroom are not likely to know the new word.

  • Children learn better from teachers than peers.

  • Children might map the new, unknown word to a wrong answer provided by another child.

  • Children should be quiet when being taught new words.


(IKV_10) Which of the following is the best example of using corrective feedback to support children's learning?

  • Ms. Smith asks her students to tell her what a lamp is. Kelsi raises her hand and says that a lamp has fire in it and you shouldn't touch it. Ms. Smith tells Kelsi that she's incorrect and asks the question again.

  • Mrs. Jones asks her students to tell her what a pumpkin is. Johnny raises his hand and informs the class that a pumpkin is a green vegetable that looks like a tree. Mrs. Jones corrects Johnny by telling him that broccoli is the vegetable he's describing and then provides the correct definition for a pumpkin and shows her class a picture.

  • Mrs. Adams asks her students to tell her what an ambulance is. Mark tells everyone that an ambulance is what the firefighters ride in to fight the fires. Mrs. Adams ignores Mark's response and informs the class that an ambulance is a vehicle used to take sick and hurt people to the hospital.

  • Ms. Williams asks her students to tell her what a suitcase is. Macy raises her hand and tells everyone that a suitcase is a large rectangle used to put papers for work in. Ms. Williams informs Macy that she is incorrect and ask her to try again. Macy still doesn't know so Ms. Williams provides the correct definition and shows her class a picture.


Subscale 3: Background Knowledge-Language

(BL_1) An educator is reading a narrative storybook to a four-year-old child. Which one of the following questions is an example of decontextualized language?

  • "Can you point to the whale?"

  • "What color is the whale?"

  • "She is smiling in this picture. Is she happy?"

  • "What do you think he will do next?"

(BL_2) Is the following statement true or false? "The age of the child is relevant when considering articulation errors, making some errors typical and others atypical."

  • True

  • False


(BL_3) Is the following statement true or false? "Contextualized language can include non-verbal gestures, such as requests for children to point to an item."

  • True

  • False


(BL_4) Is a dialect a language?

  • Yes, it is a language because it can have its own vocabulary but it is considered an informal version of the language.

  • Yes, it is a language that resulted from historical events that brought about contact between two languages.

  • No, it is a way of pronouncing words in a language that is common to a particular place, for example American versus Canadian English.

  • No, it is any variety of a language that is spoken in a region and can have its own vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.


(BL_5) A 3-year-old child may be considered developing language precociously if he or she typically produces sentences similar to:

  • "Daddy want a cookie. And me too."

  • "Samantha's friend sick. She has tummy ache."

  • "The teacher gave me this toy because I asked for it."

  • "Mommy gave me teddy bear. I love the bear."


(BL_6) Which sentence below includes a preposition?

  • My mother always either buys cheap milk or doesn't buy anything.

  • The baseball sailed beyond the back fence.

  • Bobby is a good boy, but not very trusting.

  • My friends and I love planetariums.


(BL_7) Some Americans say 'couch' and some say 'sofa'. Is there a standard form that is the correct one?

  • No; Americans living in different regions might use different terms but there is no standard form.

  • No; The two words refer to different things. A couch has three seats and a sofa has two.

  • Yes; The proper form is couch and sofa is a non-standard form.

  • Yes; The proper form is sofa and couch is a non-standard form. (BL_8) Which child utterance below is an example of a double negative?

  • "No, I didn't do it."

  • "I didn't do nothing bad!"

  • "I didn't do it and neither did Michael."

  • "I can't do any of it."


(BL_9) What is a morpheme?

  • It is the core meaning of a word.

  • It is an honorific, such as "Mr." in Mr. Smith.

  • It is the smallest unit of meaning in a language.

  • It is the part of speech that describes a noun.


(BL_10) Which of the following developmental disorders typically includes impaired language development?

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Down's Syndrome

  • Hearing impairment

  • All answer choices apply


Subscale 4: Background Knowledge-Vocabulary

(BV_1) Select the word that means the same thing as the word in bold: "Although the artist’s paintings sold for millions after his death, during his life he had been relatively obscure."

  • Unknown

  • Popular

  • Unsuccessful

  • Misunderstood


(BV_2) What is a hypernym of 'ice-cream'?

  • Milk

  • Waffle cone

  • Cold

  • Dessert


(BV_3) Select the word that is the best example of an antonym of 'diverse'.

  • Varied

  • Identical

  • Disproportionate

  • Comparable


(BV_4) Fill in the blank: "If at one year of age a child is not , then it is a signal of language delay."

  • Babbling

  • Crying

  • Talking

  • Walking


(BV_5) Which concept is described by this definition: "The property of a word to have multiple related meanings."

  • Homography

  • Homophony

  • Synonymy

  • Polysemy


(BV_6) Fill in the blank: "A casual observer can easily notice cross-language transfer in bilinguals'

?"

  • Grammar

  • Comprehension

  • Writing

  • Pronunciation


(BV_7) Fill in the blank: " is when a dual language learner applies aspects of his/ her first language to the second language."

  • Language barrier

  • Bilingual interference

  • Language transfer

  • Linguistic incompetence


(BV_8) Read the sentence below and identify the concrete noun. "The team's Christmas presents were delivered to her with care."

  • "presents"

  • "team"

  • "Christmas"

  • "her"


(BV_9) Fill in the blank: "The word 'confusion' is an example of a(n) noun."

  • proper

  • compound

  • abstract

  • Collective


(BV_10) What part of speech is the following word 'during'?

  • Conjunction

  • Preposition

  • Adverb

  • Interjection

Proximal Classroom Instructional Targets Measure























Shape22




Print & Letter Knowledge

Item


Quantity/Frequency


1. Time allocated to print and letter knowledge.

  • Whole Group Start Time Stop Time

  • Small Group/Centers Individual

Start Time Stop Time Start Time Stop Time






Item

Quantity/Frequency

Comments

2. Differentiates instruction using different questions and/or activities for different children.



3. Differentiates instruction using different types of feedback for different children.



4. Includes instruction that meets the definition of explicit instruction.



5. Letter knowledge instruction was observed.




n




n



n













Book Reading Behaviors

Item

Quantity/Frequency

Comments

1. Implements print referencing strategies during read-alouds.

Rarely Sometimes Often



2. Provides small group Dialogic Reading sessions.

Rarely Sometimes Often


3. Observably evident which phase of Dialogic Reading is being implemented.

Rarely Sometimes Often





























Shape39

Phonological Awareness

Item


Quantity/Frequency


1. Time allocated to phonological awareness.


  • Whole Group Start Time Stop Time

  • Small Group/Centers

    • Individual

Start Time Stop Time

Start Time Stop Time






Item

Quantity/Frequency

Comments

2. Differentiates instruction using different questions and/or activities for different children.



3. Differentiates instruction using different types of feedback for different children.



4. Embeds implicit phonological awareness focused comments and questions throughout the day.



5. Embeds incidental phonological awareness focused comments and questions throughout the day.



6. Provides scaffolding feedback to children during phonological awareness activities that support conceptual understanding and task success.




n




n




n




n




n


Shape40 Shape41 Shape42























Shape61

Vocabulary

Item


Quantity/Frequency


1. Time allocated to vocabulary.

  • Whole Group Start Time Stop Time

  • Small Group/Centers Start Time Stop Time S

  • Individual

tart Time Stop Time




2. Differentiates instruction using different questions and/or activities for different children.



3. Differentiates instruction using different types of feedback for different children.



4. Two or more words taught with explicit instruction represent a related conceptual network.



5. Chooses vocabular words with a variety of parts of speech including verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs.



6. Joins child-directed play and initiates learning in that context.



7. Asks questions that invited extended responses from the child.



8. Provides meaningful feedback to children’s comments that support vocabulary knowledge.



9. Creates and shares a simple child- friendly definition for selected vocabulary.




n




n




n




n




n



n




n




n


10. Engages children in activities related to vocabulary words and their meaning, verbally or nonverbally.

Rarely Sometimes Often


11. Explicitly teaches the meaning of one or more words to children.

Rarely Sometimes Often











Oral Language

Item

Quantity/Frequency

1. Time allocated to oral language.

  • Whole Group

Start Time Stop Time

  • Small Group/Centers Start Time Stop Time

  • Individual

Start Time Stop Time

2. Differentiates instruction using different questions and/or activities for different children.

Rarely Sometimes Often


3. Differentiates instruction using different types of feedback for different children.

Rarely Sometimes Often


4. Scaffolds language in the following settings:



Mark all that apply.

  • whole group

  • small group

  • centers

  • transitions

  • snack/meals

  • gross motor/outside play



5. Engages in multiturn conversations in the following settings:



Mark all that apply.

  • whole group

  • small group

  • centers

  • transitions

  • snack/meals

  • gross motor/outside play


6. Asks questions and provides topic continuing responses during play-based interactions.

Rarely Sometimes Often


7. Models advanced language features and elicits child use of the new feature with prompts (e.g., request for repetition, cloze responses, etc.)


Rarely Sometimes Often


8. Engages in conversation about people, places, actions, and objects that are not visible in the moment.

Rarely Sometimes Often


9. Engages in conversation linking story to children’s experiences, building their vocabulary, and enhancing their language skills.


Rarely Sometimes Often


10. Incorporates discussion questions into interactive reading.

Rarely Sometimes Often


11. Asks follow up questions that lead children to think about and elaborate on their answers and the meaning of the text.

Rarely Sometimes Often


Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale-Adapted (adapted from Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011)

Teachers will complete a set of parallel items for each of the four target content areas of the PLC-EL.

Response Scale: Rate using a 9-point scale with anchors ranging from 0-Not at all, 3-Very little, 5-To some degree, 7-Quite a bit, 9-A Great deal.

Print Knowledge

  1. How well can you intentionally incorporate print knowledge instruction in your classroom?


  1. How well can you meet the needs of individual children in your classroom to support print knowledge development?

  2. How well can you provide specific, targeted print knowledge instruction to children in your classroom?


  1. How well can you implement new, high-quality print knowledge instructional strategies in your classroom?

Phonological Awareness

  1. How well can you intentionally incorporate phonological awareness instruction in your classroom?


  1. How well can you meet the needs of individual children in your classroom to support phonological awareness development?

  2. How well can you provide specific, targeted phonological awareness instruction to children in your classroom?

  3. How well can you implement new, high-quality phonological awareness instructional strategies in your classroom?

Vocabulary

  1. How well can you intentionally incorporate vocabulary instruction in your classroom?


  1. How well can you meet the needs of individual children in your classroom to support vocabulary development?

  2. How well can you provide specific, targeted vocabulary instruction to children in your classroom?


  1. How well can you implement new, high-quality vocabulary instructional strategies in your classroom?


Broader Oral Language

  1. How well can you intentionally incorporate language instruction in your classroom?


  1. How well can you meet the needs of individual children in your classroom to support language development?

  2. How well can you provide specific, targeted language instruction to children in your classroom?


  1. How well can you implement new, high-quality language instructional strategies in your classroom?

Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS; adapted from Aarons, 2004)


Indicate your agreement with the following items.

Not at all

To a slight extent

To a moderate extent

To a great extent

To a very great extent

I like to use new types of lessons/instructional strategies to help my students.






I am willing to try new types of lessons/instructional strategies even if I have to follow a curriculum/manual.






I am willing to use new and different types of lessons/instructional strategies developed by researchers.






I would try a new lesson/instructional strategy even if it were very different from what I am used to doing.






I know better than academic researchers how to teach my students.






Research-based lessons/instructional strategies are not useful.






Teaching experience is more important than using research- based lessons/instructional strategies.






I would not use research-based lessons/instructional strategies.






Pedagogical Discontentment Scale (adapted from Southerland et al., 2012)

Overview Statement

We all have aspects of our teaching practice that we feel we do particularly well, that make us particularly effective as a teacher; we are content with these aspects of our teaching. On the other hand, there are often aspects of teaching that we feel that we are not particularly good at, that prevent us from being as effective as we can or should be; we are discontented with these aspects of our teaching. This questionnaire asks you to reflect upon your current emergent literacy teaching and to think about the level of contentment and discontentment you hold about a number of emergent literacy teaching practices. In this questionnaire, we want you to consider if your performance of these practices helps you to or prevents you from reaching your teaching goals. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Our goal is to gain understanding of your personal state of contentment or discontentment with your emergent literacy teaching.



    1. General Job (Dis)Contentment

Before we focus on your teaching practices, it is important to note significant things about your teaching situation—the environment in which you practice. Are there things about your current teaching environment or situation with which you are experiencing discontentment—that prevent you from teaching effectively? If so, explain.



Read each statement below and indicate your level of discontentment in terms of your own emergent literacy teaching. In other words, how discontent are you currently with these aspects of your daily emergent literacy teaching? Next to each item, circle one of the following choices:

No discontentment (1) Slight discontentment (2) Moderate discontentment (3) Significant discontentment (4) Very high discontentment (5)

      1. Teaching emergent literacy to students of lower ability levels.

      2. Balancing personal emergent literacy teaching goals with those of state standards.

      3. Monitoring student understanding through alternative forms of assessment.

      4. Orchestrating a balance between the needs of both high and low ability-level students.

      5. Assessing students’ emergent literacy understandings.

      6. Including all ability levels during emergent literacy teaching and learning.

      7. Teaching emergent literacy to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

      8. Planning and using alternative methods of assessment.

      9. Having sufficient emergent literacy content knowledge to generate lessons.

      10. Teaching emergent literacy to students of higher ability levels.

      11. Teaching emergent literacy subject matter that is unfamiliar to me.

      12. Integrating aspects of emergent literacy throughout the curriculum.

      13. Having sufficient emergent literacy content knowledge to facilitate classroom discussions.

      14. Using assessment practices to modify emergent literacy teaching.

      15. Developing strategies to teach emergent literacy.

      16. Ability to plan successful emergent literacy activities/learning.

      17. Balancing personal emergent literacy teaching goals with state testing requirements.

      18. Balancing the depth versus breadth of emergent literacy content being taught.

Inner Setting Scale (adapted from Fernandez et al., 2018)







Culture


Strongly Disagree




Disagree




Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

1. People at all levels openly talk about what is and isn’t working


1


2


3


4


5

2. Most people in this school are willing to change how they do things in response to feedback from others


1


2


3


4


5


3. It is hard to get things to change in our school*


1


2


3


4


5

4. I can rely on the other people in this school to do their jobs well


1


2


3


4


5

5. Most of the people who work in our school seem to enjoy their work


1


2


3


4


5

6. Difficult problems are solved through face-to-face discussions


1


2


3


4


5

7. We regularly take time to reflect on how we do things


1


2


3


4


5

8. After trying something new, we take time to think about how it worked


1


2


3


4


5


9. People in this school operate as a real team


1


2


3


4


5

Culture Stress

1. I am under too many pressures to do my job effectively


1


2


3


4


5


2. Staff members often show signs of stress and strain


1


2


3


4


5

3. The heavy workload here reduces program effectiveness


1


2


3


4


5


4. Staff frustration is common here

1


2


3


4


5


Culture Effort


1. People in this school always want to preform to the best of their abilities


1



2



3



4



5


2. People are enthusiastic about their work

1


2


3


4


5


3. People in our school get by with doing as little as possible*


1



2



3



4



5


4. People are prepared to make a special effort to do a good job


1



2



3



4



5


5. People in this school do not put more effort into their work than they have to*


1



2



3



4



5


Implementation Climate


1. School staff are expected to help the school meet its goal (i.e., increase kindergarten readiness rates)


1



2



3



4



5


2. School staff gets the support they need to implement evidence-based emergent literacy practices


1



2



3



4



5


3. School staff gets recognition for implementing evidence-based emergent literacy practices to increase kindergarten readiness rates


1



2



3



4



5


4. Implementing evidence-based emergent literacy practices is a top priority of the school


1



2



3



4



5



Strongly Disagre

e


Disagree


Neutral


Agree


Strongly Agree


Learning Climate


1. We regularly take time to consider ways to improve how we do things


1



2



3



4



5


2. People in our school actively seek new ways to improve how we do things


1



2



3



4



5



3. This school encourages everyone to share ideas


1



2



3



4



5




4. This school learns from its mistakes


1


2


3


4


5

5. When we experience a problem in school, we make a serious effort to figure out what’s really going on


1


2


3


4


5

Leadership Engagement

1. The school leadership makes sure that we have the time and space necessary to discuss changes to improve instruction


1


2


3


4


5

2. Leadership in this school creates an environment where things can be accomplished


1


2


3


4


5

3. School leadership promotes an environment that is an enjoyable place to work


1


2


3


4


5


4. Leadership strongly supports school change efforts


1


2


3


4


5

Available Resources

1. In general, when there is agreement that change needs to happen in the school we have the necessary support in terms of: budget or financial resources


1


2


3


4


5

2. In general, when there is agreement that change needs to happen in the school we have the necessary support in terms of: training


1


2


3


4


5

3. In general, when there is agreement that change needs to happen in the school we have the necessary support in terms of: staffing


1


2


3


4


5

4. The following are available to make evidence-based emergent literacy practices work in our school: equipment and materials


1


2


3


4


5

5. The following are available to make evidence-based emergent literacy practices work in our school: family awareness/need


1


2


3


4


5

6. The following are available to make evidence-based emergent literacy practices work in our school: teacher buy-in


1


2


3


4


5

7. The following are available to make evidence-based emergent literacy practices work in our school: coaching support for teachers


1


2


3


4


5

*Indicates a reverse scored item







DRAFT Interview and Focus Group protocols

Interview and Focus Group protocols State/District/Entity Leader Interview Protocol (Pre)

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Today, we would like to learn more about systems and supports, including facilitators and barriers that support the implementation of evidence- based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and student learning. We would like to ask you first about the (Insert oversight entity) goals for improving emergent literacy and how your office both supports and holds sites accountable for achieving these goals.

Introductory questions

        • We are particularly interested in the goals focused around improving emergent literacy and early learning. What are the [state’s/entity’s/district’s] top 3 goals for improving emergent literacy?

        • What do you see as the main challenges sites face in achieving these goals?

        • How does your [state/district/entity] measure and monitor progress towards these goals?

        • In what ways are preschool sites (site leaders) held accountable for achieving these goals?

        • In what ways does your office support preschool sites in reaching these goals?

        • We are particularly interested in the policies and practices that your [state/district/entity] has put in place to improve emergent literacy learning. What policies have you put in place to support emergent literacy and learning? What innovative strategies do you see going on in preschool sites in the state/district to implement those policies?

        • What would you say are your entity’s challenges in supporting emergent literacy instruction?

          • Probe for factors related to “resources”

            • Training

            • Staffing

            • Equipment & Materials

            • Teacher buy-in

For the next few questions, I’d like you to think about the (state’s/district’s/entity’s) efforts to promote high quality instruction in preschool classrooms.

        • Please describe the [state’s/district’s/entity’s] expectations for what quality instruction should look like in preschool classrooms?

        • We are also interested in how the [state/district/entity] supports site leaders to support emergent literacy and student learning in preschools. Can you tell me what supports are available for improving emergent literacy at preschool sites?

        • In what ways does the [state/district/entity] support collaboration to support emergent literacy and learning?

          • Probe:

            • Within sites?

            • Across sites?

        • What structures are in place to support learning and collaboration among sites to improve preschool classroom instruction?

          • Probe

            • Professional learning communities

            • Site leaders

            • Teachers

            • Other Staff



        • What challenges does the [state/district/entity] encounter in facilitating collaboration?

          • within sites?

          • across sites?



Now I would like to ask you about the Entity’s use of data to develop and implement instructional improvement in pre-k centers.

        • What types of data are collected by the [state/district/entity] to monitor learning and achievement in preschool classrooms? How are these data used?

        • What are the [state’s/district’s/entity’s] expectations for how sites should use data to improve student emergent literacy instruction and learning?

        • In what ways does the [state/district/entity] support preschool sites in using data to improve student learning?

I would like to ask a few questions now about the [state’s/district’s/entity’s] expectations for the use of proven (evidence-based) strategies.

  • What expectations does the Entity have for sites to use evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • How do you access information about proven strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • How do you share this information?

    • With site directors?

    • With teachers?

    • With parents?

  • Please describe your process to help preschool teachers use evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • What would you say are the obstacles to preschool teachers using evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and student learning?

    • Probe for factors related to “learning climate”:

      • How do you identify those obstacles?

      • How do you overcome those barriers?

  • What resources and supports are offered by the [state/district/entity] that can be used to support the implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve emergent literacy and learning in preschools?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?

  • Is there anything that I should have asked you about how the State/Entity supports pre-k centers to enhance emergent literacy and learning but did not?



This concludes the interview (turn off recorder). Thank you for your time!

State/District/Entity Leader Interview Protocol (Post)

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]


  • Please describe your process to help preschool teachers use evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • What would you say are the obstacles to preschool teachers using evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and student learning?

    • Probe for factors related to “learning climate”:

  • How do you identify those obstacles?

  • How do you overcome those barriers?

  • What resources and supports are offered by the [state/district/entity] that can be used to support the implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve emergent literacy and learning?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?



Now we are going to ask you about the PLC-EL that has been used to engage preschool teachers in collaborative learning experiences to support implementation of evidence-based language and literacy strategies.

  • Please describe how your [state/district/entity] supported teachers and instructional staff in learning and application of the PLC-EL sessions.

  • What would you say was most important in terms of infrastructure or supports to have in place to support implementation of the PLC-EL sessions?

  • What would you say are the obstacles to ongoing implementation of the PLC-EL strategies learned to support emergent literacy instruction?

    • Probe for factors related to “learning climate”:

  • What suggestions would you provide for overcoming those barriers?

  • What infrastructure or supports would you say are needed to support ongoing implementation of the PLC-EL strategies and information learned?

  • What resources and supports are offered by the [state/district/entity] that can be used to support the ongoing implementation of PLC-EL strategies learned to improve emergent literacy and learning?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?

  • If you were beginning to sustain the PLC-EL at the sites now, what steps would you take to best prepare for this?



Final questions:

  • If you could give us one or two recommendations to enhance the planning to support scaling of the PLC-ELs across the state, what would you suggest?

    • and implementation at sites under the [state’s/districts’/entity’s] oversight?

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL SITE LEADERS (PRE)

[Turn on recorder.]

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[Participant acknowledges consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Today, we would like to learn about a wide range of topics related to your site and you as the site leader. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory question

  • How long have you been at this site?

  • Describe the leadership structure of your school.

    • Please briefly discuss your thoughts around organizing it this way.

  • If you were asked to describe what you as a leader want for this site what would you say?

    • Probe factors related to “implementation climate.”

  • Please describe your priorities to support emergent literacy achievement.

  • Please describe your primary initiatives being implemented to address these priorities.

    • Please describe how you engage teachers to address these priorities?

      • Other staff?

    • How do you engage parents to support these initiatives?

      • Probe for successful strategies related to potentially effective strategies of leaders to increase literacy achievement.

  • Will you please describe how you ask parents to help communicate or promote initiatives?

    • Other community stakeholders?

  • Please describe how you connect families to school resources related to these initiatives?



  • What is your overall assessment of your site’s strengths in terms of achievement and supporting emergent literacy instruction?

  • What would you say are your site’s challenges in supporting emergent literacy instruction?

    • Probe for factors related to “resources”

      • Training

      • Staffing

      • Equipment & Materials

      • Teacher buy-in

  • How do you access information about evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • How do you share this information?

    • With other site leaders?

    • With teachers?

    • With parents?

  • Please describe your process to help teachers use evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning?

  • What would you say are the obstacles to using evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and student learning?

    • Probe for factors related to “learning climate”:

      • How do you identify those obstacles?

      • How do you overcome those barriers?

Teachers and Instruction (broad)

Thank you. Now I would like to ask you questions about structures and supports used for planning, and instruction, and teacher feedback related to literacy instruction.

  • What role do teachers have in curricular planning?

  • How do teachers collaborate and work together at this site?

    • What is the focus of teachers’ collaboration?

    • What is your role in facilitating and supporting teacher collaboration?

    • How much of this collaboration is focused on instruction versus other issues?

  • Please tell us about classroom observations at your site?

    • Follow up: How often? Who conducts them?

  • When you observe classrooms, what are you looking for?

    • What do you look for to determine if there is high quality instruction?

  • Describe the feedback you give as a result of these observations?


  • What opportunities at this site are there for your teachers to grow and learn?

    • Do you have any plans for improving these opportunities? If so, what are they?

  • How often do you discuss professional needs and goals with your teachers?

    • Describe the nature of these conversations.



Now we are going to ask you about instructional strategies being implemented in your school.

  • Are there specific instructional practices encouraged by 'the site'?

    • State Department

    • District

    • Other entities

  • What are the most effective emergent literacy instructional strategies that you have observed?

  • What led you to believe that these strategies were effective?

    • Change in teacher knowledge?

    • Change in teacher practice?

    • Change in student performance?

    • Other outcomes?

  • How did you measure the effectiveness of these strategies?

  • What barriers do you feel preschool teachers encounter in implementing effective instructional strategies?

    • How have you addressed these barriers?



School Level Support for Instructors (more specific about knowledge, skills, and abilities)

  • How do you help teachers and other instructional staff recognize their instructional knowledge and strengths?



  • How do you support teachers and other instructional staff in learning and application of new knowledge and instructional practices?

  • How do you use data to provide differentiated support to individual teachers and other instructional staff?

    • Small groups?

    • By skill level?

    • Other?

  • How often do you review assessment data with others?

  • Please describe how you use assessment data to promote instructional coaching with teachers.

    • What type(s) of assessment data do you use?



We are almost done. We have three final questions about structures to facilitate and support the implementation of evidence-based strategies to promote achievement and literacy instruction, specifically.

Final Questions

  • What would you say are structures in place for sharing new information to support emergent literacy instruction?

    • Probe for:

      • Professional development broadly

      • Professional learning communities

      • others

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement evidence- based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and to enhance student learning?

  • If you could share with us, and others, one effective strategy that you have used at your site that can promote more equitable outcomes in emergent literacy achievement for students what would it be?



Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL SITE LEADERS (POST)

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Today, we would like to learn about your experiences implementing the PLC, including facilitators and barriers to implementation. We would also like to learn more about systems and supports that will support the sustainability of the evidence-based strategies learned. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory questions

First, we would like to learn more about the structures and supports that you put in place to support the implementation of the PLC-EL.

  • Please describe the plan you developed to facilitate the implementation of the PLC-EL sessions at your site.

  • How have you supported teachers and other instructional staff in learning and application of the

PLC-EL sessions?

  • Please describe any internal policies that were required to be put in place at your site to support teacher learning of the information from the PLC-EL sessions.

  • What would you say has supported implementation of PLC-EL sessions at your site?

  • What obstacles have you encountered in implementing the PLC-EL sessions to support instruction and student learning at your site, if any?

    • How did you identify those obstacles?

    • How have you overcome those barriers?



Now we are going to ask you about the PLC-EL strategies being implemented at your site.

  • How do the PLC-EL sessions align with and/or support existing initiatives being used at your site to enhance emergent literacy instruction?

  • What are the most promising PLC-EL strategies that you have observed to support emergent literacy instruction at your site?

  • What indicators are you using to guide your beliefs that these are the most promising strategies to support emergent literacy and students at your site?



Sustainability & Resources

  • Please describe your plan to facilitate the uptake of PLC-EL strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning at your site?

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement the PLC-EL

strategies in their classrooms to support emergent literacy and learning in preschools?

  • What resources and additional supports are offered by the [state/district/HS grantee/other entity]that can be used to support the ongoing implementation of PLC-EL sessions at preschools?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?

  • What structures would you say are in place to provide on-going, sustainable support to teachers and other instructional staff to support ongoing implementation of the PLC-EL strategies and information learned?

    • At the site level?

    • At the state level?

    • At the district level?

    • Head Start grantee?

    • Other?



Fidelity monitoring support

  • What structures would you say are in place to monitor ongoing implementation of the emergent literacy strategies learned from the PLC-EL?



Final Question

Is there anything additional that you would like to share about the implementation of the PLC-EL

sessions and related strategies?

Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights. Page Break

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FACILITATORS (PRE)




Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.



[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started.



[Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Today, we would like to learn about your planning for facilitation of the PLC-Emergent Literacy at participating sites. We would also like to learn more about potential systems and supports that will support the facilitation of PLC-EL, as well as any potential barriers that may influence facilitation and implementation. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory questions

First, we would like to learn more about how you and sites are preparing for the PLC-EL. We will then gather your insight regarding any potential structures and supports that may be in place to support the implementation of the PLC-EL.

Implementation Climate

  • To your knowledge, what plans have been put in place by administration at your respective site to support the facilitation of PLC-EL sessions?

  • To your knowledge, how do the PLC-EL sessions align with and/or support existing initiatives being used at sites to enhance emergent literacy instruction at preschools?

  • As you are preparing to begin the process of facilitating the PLC-EL, what steps are you taking to prepare for successful facilitation?

  • Describe any potential obstacles you think you may encounter in facilitating the PLC-EL sessions, if any?

    • Please describe your thoughts on how you might overcome those barriers?



  • Describe any particular types of behaviors of teachers that may serve as barriers to successful facilitation of the PLC-EL sessions?

  • Administrators?

  • Others?

  • How will you overcome those barriers?

  • Describe any particular types of behaviors of teachers that may serve as barriers to supporting teachers in implementing changes in their classrooms based on what they are learning in the PLC-EL?

    • Administrators?

    • Others?

    • How will you overcome those barriers?



Resources

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement the PLC-EL strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and to enhance student learning at preschools?

  • What resources and additional supports are offered by the [state/district/Head Start grantee/other entity] that can be used support the facilitation of the PLC-EL sessions at preschool sites?

  • What structures would you say are in place to support the facilitation of the PLC-EL?

    • At the site level?

    • At the state level?

    • At the district level?

    • Head Start grantee?

    • Other?

  • What additional supports would you say are needed to support implementation of the PLC-EL, if any, at preschool sites?



Final Question

Is there anything additional that you would like to share about planning and facilitation of PLC-EL at

preschool sites?

Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

FACILITATORS (POST)

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. Today, we would like to learn about your experiences facilitating the PLC-EL sessions and supporting teacher implementation in their classrooms, including facilitators and barriers to implementation. We would also like to learn more about systems and supports that will support the sustainability of the evidence-based strategies learned. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory questions

First, we would like to learn more about the structures and supports that you put in place in your schools to support the implementation of the PLC-EL.

Implementation Climate

  • Please describe the plan developed by the administration to facilitate implementation of the

PLC-EL sessions.

  • What would you say supported the facilitation of the PLC-EL sessions?

  • What obstacles have you encountered in facilitating the PLC-EL sessions, if any?

    • How were the obstacles identified?

    • How were the barriers overcome?

  • Describe any types of behaviors of teachers that acted as barriers to successful facilitation of the PLC-EL?

  • Administrators?

  • Others?

  • How were those barriers overcome?

  • Describe any types of behaviors of teachers that acted as barriers to helping teachers implement changes in their classrooms based on what they have learned from the PLC- EL?

  • Administrators?

  • Others?

  • How were those barriers overcome?

  • If you were beginning the process of facilitating the PLC-EL at a preschool site now, what steps would you take to prepare for successful facilitation?



Learning Climate

Now we are going to ask you about the PLC-EL strategies being implemented at sites.

  • How do the PLC-EL sessions align with and/or support existing initiatives being used at preschool sites to enhance emergent literacy achievement and instruction?

  • What are the most promising PLC-EL strategies have you seen implemented by teachers to support literacy with your students?

  • In instances of successful implementation, what role, if any, did teachers play?



Leadership Engagement

  • Please describe how the administration has recognized employees’ efforts to implement the

PLC-EL sessions.

  • Please describe how site administrators supported teachers and instructional staff in learning and application of the PLC-EL sessions.



Resources

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement the PLC-EL

strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and to enhance student learning?

  • What resources and additional supports are offered by the state to that can be used support the ongoing implementation of PLC-EL sessions to support emergent literacy instruction?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?



  • What structures would say are in place to provide on-going, sustainable support to teachers and other instructional staff to support ongoing implementation of the PLC-EL strategies and information learned?

    • At the school level?

    • At the state level?

    • At the district level?

    • HS grantee?

    • Other?

  • What additional supports would you say are needed to support ongoing implementation of the

PLC-EL strategies and information learned?

  • If you were beginning to sustain the PLC-EL at preschool sites now, what steps would you take to best prepare for this?



Final Question

Is there anything additional that you would like to share about the implementation of the PLC-EL

sessions and related strategies at preschool sites?

Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL TEACHERS (FOCUS GROUPS)-PRE


Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this focus group interview. We are interested in learning about facilitators and barriers for implementing emergent literacy instructional strategies to support student learning in preschool settings. We would also like to learn more about systems and supports that support the use of evidence-based strategies to enhance student learning. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory questions

  • How long have you been an early childhood educator?

  • How long have you been at your respective site?

  • Please describe, in general, the students that you serve in your class.



Teachers and Instruction

  • What would you say is your strength in terms of providing emergent literacy instruction?

  • What would say are the most effective strategies that you have employed as an educator?

  • What led you to think that these strategies were effective?

    • Change in student performance?

    • Other outcomes?

  • There are always opportunities to improve our instructional strategies. If you were able to get additional support to enhance your instructional strategies, what area would do think you could use additional support?

  • What would you say might be challenges in trying to improve your instruction?

    • Probe for factors related to “resources”

      • Training

      • Staffing

      • Equipment & Materials



Thank you. Now I would like to ask you a few questions about structures and supports used for collaboration and feedback related to literacy instruction.

  • How do teachers collaborate and work together at your respective site?

    • What is the focus of teachers’ collaboration?

    • What is the role of site administration in facilitating and supporting teacher collaboration?

    • How much of this collaboration is focused on instruction versus other issues?

  • Please describe the process used to provide feedback to teachers regarding their instruction at your respective site.

  • How often do you discuss professional needs and goals with your site administrators?

    • Describe the nature of these conversations.

  • What opportunities at there at your site for teachers to grow and learn?

    • Do you have any plans for taking advantage of these opportunities? If so, what are they?



Our final questions are about how you access information about evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction.

  • What would you say are the structures in place for sharing new information with teachers to support emergent literacy instruction?

    • Probe for: Professional development broadly, personal learning communities, others

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement evidence- based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and to enhance student learning?

  • What would you say would be potential barriers to helping teachers implement evidence-based strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and learning at preschool sites?

  • If you could share with us, and others, what you think is one effective strategy that you have used at your site that can promote more equitable outcomes in emergent literacy achievement for students what would it be?



Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

TEACHERS (FOCUS GROUPS) POST

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or leave the session).] At this time, we will get started. [Turn on recorder.]

Questions

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this focus group interview. Today, we would like to learn about your experiences implementing the PLC-EL sessions, including facilitators and barriers to implementation. We would also like to learn more about systems and supports that will aid the sustainability of the evidence-based strategies learned. We are going to begin by asking some general questions.

Introductory questions

First, we would like to learn more about the structures and supports that you put in place in your schools to support the implementation of the PLC-EL.

  • Please describe the plan developed by the administration to facilitate implementation of the

PLC-EL sessions.

  • What would you say has supported implementation of PLC-EL sessions at your site?

  • What obstacles have you encountered in implementing the PLC-EL sessions to support emergent literacy instruction and student learning at your site, if any?

    • How were the obstacles identified?

    • How were the barriers overcome?

  • How do the PLC-EL sessions align with and/or support existing initiatives being used at your site to enhance emergent literacy achievement and instruction?



Learning Climate

Now we are going to ask you about the PLC-EL strategies being implemented at your school.

  • What would you say are the most promising PLC-EL strategies that you have learned to support emergent literacy instruction with your students?

  • What would you say are the most promising PLC-EL strategies that you have implemented to support emergent literacy and instruction with your students?



Leadership Engagement

  • Please describe how your school’s administration supported teachers and instructional staff in learning and application of the PLC-EL sessions.

  • Please describe how the administration has recognized employees’ efforts to implement the

PLC-EL sessions.



Resources

  • Describe resources and/or supports that are in place to help teachers implement the PLC-EL

strategies to support emergent literacy instruction and to enhance student learning?

  • What resources and additional supports are offered by the[ state/district/ or Head Start grantee] that can be used support the ongoing implementation of PLC-EL sessions to support emergent literacy instruction at preschool sites?

    • Can you provide at least two examples of these resources or supports?

  • What structures would say are in place to provide on-going, sustainable support to teachers and other instructional staff to support ongoing implementation of the PLC-EL strategies and information learned?

    • At the site level?

    • At the state level?

    • At the district level

    • Head Start grantee?

    • Other?

Final Question

Is there anything additional that you would like to share about the implementation of the PLC-EL

sessions and related strategies?

Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

PLC-EL Fidelity Observation


Overall Session

Observer ID Date


PLC Group Fall or Spring

ID


Facilitator ID # Teachers

present


PLC Module Start time

#


PLC Session End time

#




Has the facilitator created an environment that encourages discussio and learning from colleagues and the PLC materials?

n, collaboration, YES/NO

Is the physical space appropriate? (Ample workspace space for each participant, YES/NO minimal distractions, etc.)

Are the required materials present/accessible when needed during the session? YES/NO

Overall session notes:

Shape102

Step 1: Debrief


Was the step completed?

YES/PARTIAL/NO Step 1 Start time



Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARAPHRASE/ Step 1 End time NO






Did the facilitator prompt discussion(s) when recommended in the slide notes? Y



What percentage of teachers were engaged in the discussion(s)? N 5

>




Is there evidence teachers completed the activity that was assigned for self-study at Y the end of the previous session?



Was an ACTIVITY part of this step? Was a VIDEO part of this ste YES/NO YES/NO



Activity # Name:

Video # Name

:



Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL Was the entire video

shown?

YES/PARTIAL


Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO Were there any technology YES/NO

issues?


How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+ Did the facilitator foll

script?

ow the YES/PARA/NO


How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50% Did a group discussion or Q YES/NO 50-75% > 75% & A take place after the

video was viewed?


When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50% What percentage of te 50-75% > 75% were engaged in the p

video discussion or Q

achers None < 50% ost- 50-75% > 75%

& A?


Activity # Name:

Were all Key Points covered?

YES/PARTIAL/ NO


Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL




Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO




How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+














ES/NO


one < 0% 50-75%

75%


ES/NO



p?


How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%





Step 2: Define and Discuss Session Goals


Was the step completed?

YES/PARTIAL/NO

Step 1 Start time



Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARAPHRASE/ NO

Step 1 End time





Did the facilitator prompt discussion(s) when recommended in the slide notes?

YES/NO


What percentage of teachers were engaged in the discussion(s)?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%



Was a VIDEO part of this step? YES/NO

Video # Name:

Was the entire video shown?

YES/PARTIAL

Were there any technology issues?

YES/NO

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

Did a group discussion or Q

& A take place after the video was viewed?

YES/NO

What percentage of teachers were engaged in the post- video discussion or Q & A?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Were all Key Points covered?

YES/PARTIAL/ NO




























Shape103

Step 3: Learn and Confirm


Was the step completed?

YES/PARTIAL/NO Step 1 Start time



Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARAPHRAS Step 1 End time E/NO






Did the facilitator prompt discussion(s) when recommended in the slide notes? Y




What percentage of teachers were engaged in the discussion(s)?

5

>




Was an ACTIVITY part of this step? Was a VIDEO part o

YES/NO YES/NO




Activity # Name:

Video # Name

:



Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL Was the entire video s

hown? YES/PARTIAL


Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO Were there any techno

issues?

logy YES/NO


How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+ Did the facilitator follow the YES/PARA/NO

script?


How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50% Did a group discussion or Q YES/NO 50-75% > 75% & A take place after the

video was viewed?



ES/NO


None < 0% 50-75%

75%


?

Shape104 Shape105

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%


Video # Name:

Was the entire video shown?

YES/PARTIAL

Were there any technology issues?

YES/NO

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

Did a group discussion or Q

& A take place after the video was viewed?

YES/NO

What percentage of teachers were engaged in the post- video discussion or Q & A?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%



What percentage of teachers were engaged in the post- video discussion or Q & A?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Were all Key Points covered?

YES/PARTIAL/ NO

Video # Name:

Was the entire video shown?

YES/PARTIAL

Were there any technology issues?

YES/NO

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

Did a group discussion or Q

& A take place after the video was viewed?

YES/NO

What percentage of teachers were engaged in the post- video discussion or Q & A?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Were all Key Points covered?

YES/PARTIAL/ NO

Video # Name:

Was the entire video shown?

YES/PARTIAL

Were there any technology issues?

YES/NO

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

Did a group discussion or Q

& A take place after the video was viewed?

YES/NO

What percentage of teachers were engaged in the post- video discussion or Q & A?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%


Shape106 Shape107



















Shape108

Step 4: Collaborate and Practice


Was the step completed?

YES/PARTIAL/NO Step 1 Start

time



Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARAPHRASE/ Step 1 End time NO






Did the facilitator prompt discussion(s) when recommended in the slide notes? YES/N




What percentage of teachers were engaged in the discussion(s)? None 50-75%



Was an ACTIVITY part of this step? Was a VIDEO part of YES/NO




Activity # Name:

Video # Name:




Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL Was the entire video shown? YES/PARTIAL


Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/N Were there any technology YES/NO O issues?


How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+ Did the facilitator follow the YES/PARA/NO

script?


How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < Did a group discussion

50% 50-75% & A take place after the

> 75% video was viewed?

or Q YES/NO


When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < What percentage of teachers None 50% were engaged in the post- 50-75%

video discussion or Q & A?

50-75% >

75%

< 50%

> 75%



O


< 50%

> 75%



YES/NO


Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/N O

How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were

None < 50%

engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

50-75% >

75%

When prompted what

None < 50%

percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

50-75% >

75%

Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/N O

How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were

None < 50%

engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

50-75% >

75%

When prompted what

None < 50%

percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

50-75% >

75%

Shape109 Shape110













Step 5: Reflect, Plan, and Implement

Shape111


Was the step completed?

YES/PARTIAL/NO

Step 1 Start time


Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARAPHRASE/ NO

Step 1 End time



Did the facilitator prompt discussion(s) when recommended in the slide notes?

YES/NO

What percentage of teachers were engaged in the discussion(s)?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Was an ACTIVITY part of this step? YES/NO


Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO

How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

Activity # Name:

Was the activity completed?

YES/PARTIAL

Did the facilitator follow the script?

YES/PARA/NO


How were teachers grouped when completing the activity?

1 2 3 4 5+

How many teachers were engaged in completing the tasks in the activity?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%

When prompted what percentage of teacher(s) share/respond aloud?

None < 50%

50-75% > 75%


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