Developing Academic
Standards
for Early Childhood
Teaching Credential
Out of many, one chosen,
LEADING THE WAY for Arkansas
The Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early
Childhood Education issued a call for renewal of
the Arkansas Higher Education Work Group for
the purpose of establishing articulation between
two and four-year colleges and universities.
Trude Puckett from Pulaski Technical College
was nominated to lead the articulation work
group.
The work group determined that the key to
successful articulation was NAEYC Accreditation in
the two-year colleges.
At that time, the only two-year college with
NAEYC Accreditation was Pulaski Technical College.
Arkansas Act 187 determined there was no clear
professional pathway for the education of persons wishing
to work with Birth through Pre-kindergarten children.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services and the
Arkansas Department of Higher Education was charged
with the responsibility for developing the competencies
for the Birth through Pre-kindergarten Act.
A meeting of early childhood leaders in the state was
called to develop competencies for Birth through
Pre-kindergarten Teaching Credential.
The articulation work group was asked to adopt a new purpose and
develop the competencies for the Birth through Pre-kindergarten Teaching Credential.
An invitation was sent to all community colleges with an AAS degree in Early Childhood Education, as well as the Arkansas Department of
Education -Special Education, and the Head Start Collaborative
representatives to participate in the development of the competencies for the credential.
Eleven two-year colleges responded as well as the University of Arkansas Early Care Education Projects who developed state trainings in Literacy, Social-Emotional Learning, and Framework training for teachers of Pre-kindergarten children.
“What sets Arkansas apart is the fact that the state cohort is a voluntary peer group, with no state agency or foundation supporting the work. The leadership provided by Pulaski Technical College is remarkable, as is the attitude you model of intrinsic value in the work of self study for faculty and the value of accreditation for students and the public. Only a few have made it, but each is finding their own path and timing.”
The Articulation Group
• developed the competencies for the teaching credential • imbedded state trainings within 9 college courses
• aligned competencies to the NAEYC Standards and Supportive Skills including competencies for children with special needs and the Head Start and Early Head Start Outcomes
• developed:
• common names
• common course descriptions • common course competencies
Once the competencies were approved by the Early Childhood
Commission, the group began to consider textbooks that would align with the competencies identified for each course.
Cengage Learning was among the publishers that presented their texts to be selected for the 9 courses included in the teaching credential.
Cengage Learning was selected to provide the textbooks for eleven courses included in the core courses developed for the Birth through Pre-kindergarten Teaching Credential.
Keith Tutor, PTC’s Cengage representative, reported the group’s textbook choices to Michael Stranz, Executive Editor of Custom Solutions.
Michael Stranz, Keith Tutor, and Kara Kindstrom,
Cengage’s Marketing manager for Education, traveled
to Arkansas and introduced the possibilities of
developing custom texts.
Michael suggested that Cengage would develop a
website to include the supportive teaching resources
for each of the courses. But the group needed a name.
Insert cengage hyperlink
Cengage Website for AECC
This cohort is really a
professional learning community.
The elements of a professional community are: • reflective dialogue
• Interaction among teacher colleagues
• focus on student learning not on the needs of the teacher
• deprivatization of practice • collaboration
• shared values and norms (Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
“Participation in the Cohort has challenged me to increase my expectation of my
students’ level of performance. Participation in the Cohort has challenged me to reflect upon my methods and my reasons for individual courses delivered as well as the assignments required in each course.”
Professional Communities- Reflective dialogue:
• Characterized by ongoing conversation and decision making about curriculum, teaching and learning that concentrate on student outcomes. (Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort chose common course names, course descriptions and course competencies for 9 courses
included in the Birth through Pre-Kindergarten Teaching Credential.
“The Cohort has given me opportunities to discuss curriculum, practices and ideas with other early childhood educators as I am a one-person (full-time) department. I love the support I feel from the group and encouragement.”
Professional Communities-
Interaction among teacher colleagues:
• It is through interactions among teachers that
professional relationships are developed that encourage teachers to share ideas, learn from one another and help out their colleagues. (Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort shared instructional practices, assessments, rubrics, and developed common course descriptions for each of the courses included in the credential.
“It has been wonderful discussing all of the courses, making changes and
restructuring our existing programs with new friends that I have made during this process.”
Mindy Shaw, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville “It is a safe place to talk about ideas and concerns with others that understand
and can help brainstorm for solutions and options.”
Professional Communities-
Focus on student learning not on the needs of the teacher:
• The purpose of all the actions in a professional community should be the growth and development of all the students.
(Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort shared the successful stories of student learning, providing meaningful insight to assist in developing the
necessary outcomes in each course.
The college students in our courses are creating better environments for the children of Arkansas, and providing better models of adult/child interactions with more appropriate expectations on child development and child guidance for families .
Professional Communities- Deprivatization of practice
• Professional communities are characterized by ongoing conversations and decisions about curriculum,
teaching, and learning that concentrate on student outcomes. (Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort embedded the required state professional development trainings in the appropriate courses. They changed their courses to meet the state requirements, not just what they felt was important for their
students to learn.
“ I knew my students would benefit from all that I could learn from the Cohort
members. These college students are creating better environments for the children of Arkansas, and providing better models of adult/child interactions with more appropriate expectations on child development and child guidance for families. This is why I joined the Cohort.”
Professional Communities- Collaborate:
• Collaboration occurs when teachers share instructional
strategies and techniques, make decisions about instructional issues and come up with ideas that enhance learning for all members of the school community. (Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort developed assessments and rubrics for each course’s projects to create a clearer understanding for
students about the desired outcomes for each assignment. “This cohort has been the most valuable group I have been involved with since
moving into the area of higher education. As the only faculty member for the AAS program, I came into this position feeling overwhelmed and really had no one on my campus to talk to about courses, curriculum, students, child care centers,
accreditation, etc.”
Professional Communities- Shared Values and Norms:
• The members of the professional community agree
about the mission of their schools and the values and norms that are to shape their behaviors as professionals.
(Roberts & Pruitt, 2003)
• The cohort reached agreement about the mission of the Early Childhood Programs in the state’s community
colleges.
“Participation in the cohort has challenged me to improve my own teaching
skills. I am constantly trying to address all modalities for my college students.”
In a professional community the focus of all the actions
should be the growth and development of all the
students. It has the element of the deprivatization of
practice, includes behaviors that lead teachers to open
their practice for observation by other teachers.
Schools as Professional Learning Communities Roberts, S. M. & Pruitt, E. Z., 2003
“Knowing what others are doing, sharing the work, and having a place of acceptance
are all important to me. I see the need for the 4-year and 2 –year programs to be collaborative rather than competitive to meet the needs of people who want to continue on the Bachelor’s level. Besides that they have become my early childhood circle of friends. What’s more important than that?”
The original purpose of the cohort was to create and complete the competencies for the Birth through Pre-kindergarten Teaching
Credential and aligned the competencies to the NAEYC Standards and Head Start outcomes.
The cohort achieved its purpose.
“
Now what
?”
At a recent meeting a vote was taken about continuing the monthly meetings. The response was overwhelmingly “YES!”
The cohort will continue with its original goal of articulation and assisting member’s efforts to prepare their programs for NAEYC accreditation. The members indicated they felt empowered to return to their colleges and implement the work that has been completed on this journey.
During the time the cohort has existed, Southeast Arkansas Community College and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton have been awarded their NAEYC
accreditation.
Five colleges represented in the cohort have applied for and received permission from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to offer the Birth through Pre-kindergarten teaching Credential within their AAS degree.
“We all come from different campuses and so we still have individual
issues that are specific to our own campus but we have many issues that we all can relate to. To be reminded monthly that I’m not alone and I’m not the only one dealing with these issues has provided me with so much peace as I go through this process. I can say 100% say that my program would not be where it is today if I had not had the opportunity to work with this cohort.”
Trude Puckett, MSE
AAT Coordinator/Instructor
Early Childhood Development Pulaski Technical College
Dr. Jeanne Williams
Education Program Director Pulaski Technical College
Roberts, S.M.,& Pruitt, E. Z. (2003). Schools as professional learning communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for professional development.
