Synopses & Reviews
SAVE when you order the !
Trusted by schools across the country, ELLCO helps build better literacy programs by assessing the quality of both the classroom environment and teachers' practices. With ELLCO, educators reliably gather the essential data needed for professional development and program improvement that lead to better literacy outcomes for young children. These two NEW editions of ELLCO are even better because they're
- Age-specific. Assessment is effective and accurate with the new ELLCO editions, designed especially for preschool and early elementary environments. ELLCO Pre-K prompts users to look for preliteracy activities like storybook reading, circle time conversations, and child-originated storywriting, while ELLCO K–3 has been reworked to reflect the evolving literacy skills of K–3 students.
- Streamlined. Each new edition of ELLCO has just two parts: a classroom observation to gather critical information about 5 key elements of the literacy environment, and a teacher interview, which supplements the observation with educators' firsthand reflections.
- Easier to administer. Users will get complete information about conducting classroom observations, scoring accurately, and limiting bias. They'll also get helpful descriptors for all 5 levels of the rating scale.
- Informed by user feedback. The new editions of ELLCO were created using feedback from the education professionals who know the tool best.
With these new editions of the assessment tool thousands trust, preschools and elementary schools will have the information they need to determine the effectiveness of their classroom environments, strengthen the quality of their programs and teaching practices, and improve young children's early literacy outcomes.
Measure 5 key literacy elements:
- classroom structure
- curriculum
- the language environment
- books and book reading opportunities
- print and early writing supports
Order with the ELLCO Pre-K Tool and save $10! Use code S1050 when placing your order.
The User's Guide is part of ELLCO, the bestselling classroom observation tool that helps schools assess the quality of literacy practices and supports and give children the best possible start in language and literacy development. Trusted by schools across the country, ELLCO helps educators reliably gather the data needed for professional development and program improvement, leading to better literacy outcomes for young children.
Learn more about ELLCO Pre-K and ELLCO Kâ€"3.
Review
"The perfect tool . . . for those of us who seek to close the opportunity-to-learn gap during the early learning years." Maurice R. Sykes
Synopsis
Are early childhood classrooms giving children the best possible start in language and literacy development? This field-tested observation toolkit--designed for prekindergarten to third grade--helps education professionals find out. The first to specifically address the role of environmental factors in early literacy and language development, Ellco helps administrators, principals, supervisors, and program directors gather data schools need to strengthen classroom quality and build better literacy programs. Here's how it works:
Synopsis
SAVE when you order the ELLCO Pre-K User's Guide and ELLCO Pre-K Tool together
Trusted by schools across the country, ELLCO helps build better literacy programs by assessing the quality of both the classroom environment and teachers' practices. With ELLCO, educators reliably gather the essential data needed for professional development and program improvement that lead to better literacy outcomes for young children. These two NEW editions of ELLCO are even better because they're
- Age-specific. Assessment is effective and accurate with the new ELLCO editions, designed especially for preschool and early elementary environments. ELLCO Pre-K prompts users to look for preliteracy activities like storybook reading, circle time conversations, and child-originated storywriting, while ELLCO K 3 has been reworked to reflect the evolving literacy skills of K 3 students.
- Streamlined. Each new edition of ELLCO has just two parts: a classroom observation to gather critical information about 5 key elements of the literacy environment, and a teacher interview, which supplements the observation with educators' firsthand reflections.
- Easier to administer. Users will get complete information about conducting classroom observations, scoring accurately, and limiting bias. They'll also get helpful descriptors for all 5 levels of the rating scale.
- Informed by user feedback. The new editions of ELLCO were created using feedback from the education professionals who know the tool best.
With these new editions of the assessment tool thousands trust, preschools and elementary schools will have the information they need to determine the effectiveness of their classroom environments, strengthen the quality of their programs and teaching practices, and improve young children's early literacy outcomes.
Measure 5 key literacy elements:
- classroom structure
- curriculum
- the language environment
- books and book reading opportunities
- print and early writing supports
Order with the ELLCO Pre-K Tool and save $10 Use code S1050 when placing your order.
The User's Guide is part of ELLCO, the bestselling classroom observation tool that helps schools assess the quality of literacy practices and supports and give children the best possible start in language and literacy development. Trusted by schools across the country, ELLCO helps educators reliably gather the data needed for professional development and program improvement, leading to better literacy outcomes for young children.
Learn more about ELLCO Pre-K and ELLCO Ka 3.
"
Synopsis
New edition of the popular assessment tool that assesses the effectiveness of classroom environments on childhood language and literacy development.
About the Author
Dr. Smith has always enjoyed working directly with young children and teachers of young children. Beginning in 1987, she collected and analyzed data for the longitudinal Home–School Study of Language and Literacy Development. Her work on that project brought her into many classrooms as an observer and researcher and propelled her interest in classroom environments and practices that promote children’s early language and literacy development. Later work conducted for the Center for Children & Families at EDC cemented her commitment to working directly with teachers, supervisors, and education leaders to promote conditions that positively affect children’s learning. Currently a consultant to EDC, Dr. Smith continues to engage in research, writing, and professional development with teachers of young children. An active volunteer in local schools and child care programs, she most enjoys spending time in the “living lab” of daily life with her three children.
Louisa Anastasopoulos, M.P.P., has extensive experience conducting classroom observations, child assessments, and interviews with teachers and parents. Her work has dealt with examinations of classroom quality as well as with early language and literacy. She has been instrumental in the design of teacher and parent interview protocols and has spent a great deal of time interacting with preschool teachers and staff. Her bilingual expertise has contributed to her ability to work with a wide variety of teachers and parents. Ms. Anastasopoulos holds a master of public policy, with a focus on education policy, from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
- Introduction
Organization of the ELLCO Pre-K
Underlying Assumptions of the ELLCO Pre-K
Who Should Use the ELLCO Pre-K?
How Does the ELLCO Pre-K Compare with the ELLCO Toolkit?
Contents of the User’s Guide
References
- Effective Elements of Early Literacy: Kendra’s Story
Vignette 1: Entering
Vignette 2: At the Writing Table
Vignette 3: Construction Zone
Vignette 4: Circle Time
Vignette 5: Lunch Time
Vignette 6: Ready to Go Home
References
- Structure of the ELLCO Pre-K
Overall Structure and Levels
Anchor Statements
Descriptive Indicators
Evidence Section
Teacher Interview
- How to Conduct an ELLCO Pre-K Observation
Guidelines for Observing in Classrooms
Scheduling and Duration of Observations
Conducting Observations with Professionalism and Respect
Preparing for the Observation
Taking Evidence and Rating Items
Focusing on the Evidence
Rating Strategies
Avoiding Bias
The Teacher Interview
Completing the Score Form
- A Review of Sample Items
Recording Evidence
Understanding the Rubrics
From Evidence to Rubric to Rating
Example 1: Item 8â€"Discourse Climate
Example 2: Item 16â€"Quality of Book Reading
Example 3: Item 17â€"Early Writing Environment
- Using the ELLCO Pre-K for Professional Development
Tips for Incorporating the ELLCO Pre-K into Language and Literacy Practices
Step 1: Create a Positive Climate for Teacher Development
Step 2: Preview the ELLCO Together
Step 3: Conduct an Initial Observation
Step 4: Share Results
Step 5: Generate Goals
Beginning Steps Toward Change
Section I: Classroom Structure (Organization, Contents, Management, Personnel)
Section II: Curriculum (Approaches, Child Choice, Diversity) Section III: The Language Environment (Discourse Climate, Extended Conversations, Vocabulary, Phonological Awareness)
Section IV: Books (Organization, Characteristics of Books, Books for Learning)
Section IV: Book Reading (Approaches, Quality)
Section V: Early Writing (Environment, Support, Environmental Print)
References
- Using the ELLCO Pre-K in Research
Training
Practicing and Calibrating Ratings
Interrater Reliability
Recalibration in the Field
References
Technical Appendix Psychometric Properties of the Literacy Environment Checklist
Interrater Reliability
General Statistics
Reliability Analysis
Measuring Stability and Change
Psychometric Properties of the Classroom Observation
Interrater Reliability
General Statistics
Reliability Analysis
Measuring Stability and Change
Correlation with Another Widely Used Measure
Predicting Child Outcomes
Psychometric Properties of the Literacy Activities Rating Scale
Interrater Reliability
General Statistics
Reliability Analysis
Measuring Stability and Change
Correlations Among the ELLCO Toolkit (Research Edition) Measures
Addendum
References
Resources Web Sites
Web Resources
Research Articles, Books, and Book Chapters