Preschool

Preschool Teaching And Learning Expectations

Last Updated Oct 6, 2008 10:59 PM

In April 2000, the Department of Education developed and published the Early Childhood Program Expectations: Standards of Quality [(now called Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality)] as guidance to the adults working with young children. In July, 2004, the State Board of Education adopted these revised Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality. For districts receiving State aid to provide preschool programs, the Standards are requirements for good practice as regulated by N.J.A.C. 6a:8 and N.J.A.C. 6a:10A. For districts not receiving State aid for preschool provision but have or are affiliated with preschool programs, the Standards are guidelines for good practice.

The document, grounded in a strong theoretical framework for delivering high quality educational experiences to young children, does the following:

Articulates the optimal relationships between and among families, the community and schools;
Describes developmentally appropriate teaching practices;
Identifies expected learning outcomes for young children;
Defines supportive learning environments;
Links indicators within the expectations document to the Core Curriculum Content Standards;
Provides guidance on the assessment of young children;
Provides examples for both preschool teaching practices and learning outcomes within each domain; and
Provides specific developmentally appropriate practices within the learning environment.
The Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality sets a standard for preschool learning outcomes and serves as a benchmark for determining how effectively the classroom curriculum is being implemented. In other words, the curriculum is the vehicle for meeting the learning outcomes described here. The term "standards" as it applies to the field of early childhood education, is described in Early Learning Standards: Creating the Conditions for Success, the joint position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE), approved in November, 2003 and endorsed by the Council of Chief State School Officers in April, 2003. The position statement uses the term "early learning standards" to describe expectations for the learning and development of young children. (p.1) The terms are used interchangeably.

Linking the Expectations to the Classroom Curriculum

As with the Core Curriculum Content Standards, the Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality presents standards for all districts in the state. It is to be used as follows:

A resource for ensuring appropriate implementation of the curriculum being used in the classroom;
A guide for instructional planning and teaching;
A framework for ongoing professional development opportunities; and
A framework for development of a comprehensive early childhood education assessment system.
Developmentally appropriate practices are the scaffolds for the Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality. Developmentally appropriate practice is based on knowledge about how children learn and develop, variations in development that may occur, and how best to support children's learning and development. It is important to note, therefore, that although the domains are presented as discrete areas, the instructional program has to be delivered in an integrated process through the use of projects and small-group activities.

Preschool education consists of specially designed educational experiences to stimulate, assist, support, and sustain emergent skills before entering kindergarten. Preschools, whether public or nonpublic, aim at providing a wide range of developmentally appropriate experiences that young children need to be successful with the Core Curriculum Content Standards through the selection of curricula that allow for the movement toward, and/or the attainment of, the indicators in the Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality. These experiences are usually shaped by a curriculum.

The curriculum is defined as an educational philosophy for achieving desired educational outcomes through the presentation of an organized scope and sequence of activities with a description and/or inclusion of appropriate instructional materials.

Purpose and Overview of the Expectations

The Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality is not a curriculum. Indicators of high-quality teaching practices that will support and enhance the development of the learning outcomes for students are not intended for use as a checklist. This document presents standards for working with the home, school, and community; for creating and sustaining the learning environment; and for identifying and using appropriate assessment tools and practices. It begins with Home, School and Community Partnerships; the Learning Environment; and Assessment -- the areas essential to a high-quality program and that both support and facilitate teaching and learning in Social/Emotional Development, Creative Arts, Health, Safety and Physical Education, Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages. An extensive, but not exhaustive, bibliography is provided. The books, articles, and periodicals listed here are valuable resources for any professional library.

See also Preschool 532 1 - 5