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Providing evidence-based early intervention (EI) to caregivers is an effective way to promote development in young children. EI services in the United States have decreased risk factors associated with language impairment (LI) as they help improve both short and long-term outcomes for both caregivers and children. The positive results for EI services in the U.S. may generalize to Latin American countries, namely Guatemala. Guatemala has one of the weakest education systems in its region as well as poor access to early childhood services for low-SES and other disadvantaged groups. The purpose of this study was to provide brief EI services to a Guatemalan orphanage by training caregivers to implement naturalistic language support strategies with the young children they care for who are at risk for language impairment. Results indicate a brief caregiver-implemented intervention program was effective for teaching caregivers to implement language support strategies. Recommendations are made for future research as well as implications for policy and practice. Additional research is needed to determine how to facilitate maintenance over time.

Progress-monitoring data collection is an essential skill for teachers serving children for whom the general curriculum is insufficient. As the field of early childhood education moves toward tiered service provision models, the importance of routine data collection is heightened. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of a training package on preschool teachers' implementation of progress-monitoring strategies to collect data on children in need of supports beyond those provided through the general curriculum. This study employed a single-case experimental design in which generalized teacher behavior was collected within the context of the design. In addition, masked reliability data collectors were used throughout the study and an analysis of bias was conducted by a researcher unaffiliated with the study. Social and ecological validity data were collected using a multi-method approach.

Multitiered systems of support provide a framework for matching the needs of a struggling student with an appropriate intervention. Experimental evaluations of tiered support systems in grade schools have been conducted for decades but have been less frequently examined in early childhood contexts. A recent meta-analysis of multitiered systems of support in preschool settings exclusively synthesized outcomes from group design studies. Our current review extends this review by synthesizing single-case research examining interventions implemented within tiered support system frameworks in preschool settings. Our data indicate that single-case evaluations of tiered support systems do not frequently meet contemporary standards for rigor or consistently identify functional relations. Recommendations and considerations for future research are discussed.

This validity study examined the validity of Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System, 2nd Edition (AEPS®), a curriculum-based, authentic assessment for infants and young children. The primary purposes were to: a) examine whether the AEPS® is a concurrently valid tool for measuring young children's language, literacy and pre-math skills for accountability purpose and b) explore teachers' perceptions on using authentic assessment and standardized tests. This was accomplished through implementing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings from the study indicated (a) the AEPS® is a concurrently valid (b) there were both advantages and disadvantages of using authentic assessment such as the AEPS® and using standardized tests based on teachers' perceptions, however, the practical issues of using the authentic measure can be addressed by providing in-depth trainings to teachers and increasing teachers' familiarity with their children; and (c) families preferred authentic assessment such as the AEPS® because it is easier.

Two case studies were utilized to teach math skills while embedding the constant time delay teaching strategy. The study targeted children who were at risk for having mathematic difficulty in school due to disabilities, socioeconomic status, and living in a rural area. Four 3- to 5-year-old children with disabilities who attended rural inclusive preschool programs participated. Results indicated that early math skills were acquired with high levels of accuracy when compared with baseline data. Due to the end of the school year, one of the four children did not participate in maintenance or generalization data sessions. However, of the three children who participated, skills were maintained and/or generalized with 100% accuracy.

Teachers in inclusive preschool classrooms are required to provide supports and instruction to children with and without developmental delays. In addition, teachers are required to use research and evidence-based practices, such as naturistic instructional procedures. Despite a plethora of research on the effectiveness and utility of naturalistic instructional procedures, few studies have examined the training and coaching practices used to prepare teachers to use these procedures. In addition, few studies have examined the extent to which teachers view common training and coaching practices as ecologically valid or naturalistic instructional procedures as socially valid. The authors trained two preschool teachers of inclusive classrooms to use naturalistic instructional procedures within the context of their daily activities. The training package consisted of the most commonly utilized teacher training and coaching practices. Teachers evaluated the social and ecological validity of the training and coaching practices throughout the study. Results indicated that both teachers acquired target naturalistic instructional procedures with concomitant decreases in the number of unrelated task demands presented to children. Teachers reported idiosyncratic differences across social and ecological validity ratings. Implications for future research and teacher training are discussed.

Twenty-six Head Start preschool classrooms participated in a yearlong intervention designed to link the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework with authentic assessment practices. Teachers in intervention and pilot classrooms implemented an assessment approach that incorporated the use of a curriculum-based assessment tool, the development of portfolios aligned with the mandated Head Start Child Outcomes, and the integration of this child assessment information into individual and classroom instructional planning. During the intervention period, comparison classrooms continued to use the assessment approach adopted by the local Head Start program, which included the use of a standardized assessment tool and the use of an agency-developed lesson plan form. Intervention and pilot classrooms demonstrated significant improvements on some dimensions of classroom quality as measured by the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) toolkit, whereas comparison classrooms exhibited no change in classroom quality. Implications for practice are discussed.

The term deaf-blind suggests a complete absence of hearing and vision; however, the term actually refers to a population of individuals whose severity of hearing loss and vision loss is varied in some degree from moderate to total loss (Wiley, Parnell, & Belhorn, 2016; Zeza & Stavrou, 2015). According to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 2006), learners who are deaf-blind make up less than 1% of the school-age population (IDEA, 2006; Snyder, 2016). Limited access to visual and auditory stimuli in their physical and social environment impacts all areas of development (Zeza & Stavrou, 2015) and results in unique behavioral and educational needs (Killoran, 2007 or strategies that are developed and used only for hearing loss or only for vision loss (Wiley et al., 2016). Appropriate and unique assessment and intervention strategies are needed to help students with deaf-blindness improve their behavioral and educational outcomes, particularly in the areas of communication, social interaction, language, cognition, motor skills, and mobility (Lauger, 2013; Parker et al., 2011). Typically, students who are deaf-blind require individualized educational approaches based on assessment of vision, hearing, cognition, motor ability, health, learning history, and family experiences. Supporting students' access to auditory and visual information embedded in the educational curriculum requires that service providers use strategies and evidenced-based practices that are modified to meet students' sensory support needs (e.g., use of tactile cues, closer presentation of materials, preferred seating, enlargement of print size, repetition and highlighting of verbal directions, provision of additional time to respond). The Deaf-Blind Project consultation and coaching model, described in this article, consists of three primary steps. It was designed in consultation with the lead author of a successful consultation model, Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS; Ruble & Dalrymple, 2002), which provides support to teams that work with learners with autism spectrum initial face-to-face consultation meeting, and (c) web-based coaching sessions.

The current study used a pretest-posttest randomized control group design with 73 Head Start students, ages 3-5 years. The researcher served as the interactive writing teacher for the treatment group, rotating to five different classrooms in one Head Start center 3-4 days a week for 13 weeks. Children in the treatment group received a 10-15 min interactive writing lesson each day in small groups within their own classroom settings. Children in the control group received standard literacy instruction in small groups with their own classroom teachers. Child outcome data on upper case, lower case, and letter sound identification were collected before and after the intervention for both groups. Based on the large frequency of zeros on outcomes, zero-inflated Poisson regression analyses were performed. The results of the study showed that children receiving interactive writing identified more lower case and upper case letters at the end of the study relative to children in the control, but no differences were observed on letter sounds. While continued evaluation of the interactive writing strategy is needed in the preschool setting, the evidence from the current study shows encouraging trends in alphabet knowledge skill development as a result of this strategy.

The assessment of young children in early childhood special education is a central area of educational practice. The results of child assessments often have significant implications for young children, their families, and the programs that serve them, including eligibility for special education services, instructional planning, and documentation of child outcomes. The array of early childhood assessment types and purposes can be challenging to disentangle at the practitioner and policy level. At this time, different types of assessment tools (e.g., norm-referenced and criterion-referenced) are being used to document the development and learning of children and little attention has been paid to the parallel information produced from different assessment types. The purpose of this study is to compare the assessment results from two types of developmental instruments commonly used ("Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System Second Edition" [AEPS 2nd ed.] and "Battelle Developmental Inventory II" [BDI-2]) to determine their congruence in determining a child's developmental status (e.g., "on track" or delayed). Results indicate substantive difference between the two measures highlighting the potential for mismeasurement and misinterpretation of child assessment data. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse with the largest growth in Hispanic populations. Diversity also is increasing in rural America. This diversity is reflected in the participants in early care and education programs and K-12 students. Unfortunately, demographics for college and university teacher education programs do not match those of early childhood participants and K-12 students. This lack of diversity, especially in teacher education programs, compromises the ability of personnel preparation programs to adequately prepare graduates to work and interact effectively with diverse populations of children and families. Therefore, intentional and planned multi-cultural community-based experiences are vital and necessary to promote the scholarship and citizenship of our teacher-education graduates. The purpose of this article is to describe strategies program faculty in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) at the University of Kentucky (UK) have used to support IECE students to understand, appreciate, and value the perspectives of Hispanic children and families with whom they will work. Through travel and exploration of how languages and cultural traditions are practiced in Hispanic home countries, IECE students gain a greater understanding of where Hispanic roots begin and how these influence education in rural early childhood programs and schools. This article will describe two program activities that have a significant global component and represent two different ways in which students are involved in a global experience. One is in-country (Guatemala) and focuses on curriculum and assessment while the second is focused on curriculum materials developed by students on campus for use in a rural tribal community in Ecuador.

Since writing ability has been found to be a key indicator of school success and successful participation in the workplace, it is important for preservice teachers to receive effective preparation in the area of writing. Reflecting on personal writing experiences allows preservice teachers to examine their own attitudes and beliefs about writing and the effects their attitudes and beliefs may have on their pedagogical decisions in the future. This article describes the findings from two focus groups conducted with preschool and elementary preservice teachers during which participants examined their attitudes towards writing that have developed over time and their plans for future writing instruction. The following three broad themes emerged related to key influences in the development of positive and negative attitudes towards writing: (a) having writing published or showcased increases positive attitudes towards writing, (b) creative opportunities and process-oriented teaching strategies provide the most meaningful writing experiences, and (c) negative feedback from teachers adversely impacts self-confidence in writing skills and leads to negative attitudes towards writing. Three themes related to views of writing instruction and pedagogical decisions for the future also emerged from the focus groups. These were: (a) embedding writing opportunities throughout the day helps provide quality writing instruction, (b) preservice teachers who struggle with writing mechanics are hesitant about teaching these skills to their future students, and (c) preservice teachers do not agree on one specific methodology for teaching writing or the amount of time that they will teach writing in the future.

Research Findings: Federal, state, and local agencies legislate and support inclusive settings for the education of young children with disabilities. Recommended practices outline critical elements for meeting the educational and developmental needs of children with and without disabilities in inclusive settings, and minimal and essential quality characteristics have been articulated. Research has suggested that inclusive and non-inclusive settings may offer different levels of care as measured against best practices and essential quality characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine program quality in inclusive and non-inclusive preschool classrooms using observational, interview, and survey data. Results showed that inclusive classrooms earned higher scores on an observational measure of global quality and higher scores on an observational measure of language and literacy. Results also suggested that teachers with higher levels of education tend to have classrooms of higher quality. Practice or Policy: Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (Contains 5 tables.)

Preschool teachers working in blended classrooms are faced with identifying which children need intensive instruction as well as being responsible for directly linking individualized learning outcomes with state or federal early learning standards. The series of studies presented were designed to illustrate how teachers working in blended preschool programs provided intensive instruction on individual skills that were related to a common early learning standard (i.e., prewriting). Results suggest that embedding intensive instruction during daily activities is not only "effective" but also "efficient" given the relatively short amount of time it took for children to acquire individualized skills. Future research should examine interventions that produce effective and efficient results given the constraints imposed by the schedule of publicly funded blended preschools. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)

Research Findings: Previous research has documented conflicting results on the relationship between program quality and the percentage of children receiving subsidized child care (subsidy density) in early childhood centers. This research examined the relationship between subsidy density and the quality of infant and preschool classrooms in child care centers, taking into consideration teacher education and salary as well as other structural variables associated with quality. A multimethod evaluation was conducted with 110 child care centers utilizing an interview of center directors as well as classroom observations using standardized measures of quality and language/literacy in the classroom. Regression analyses indicate that subsidy density does not predict the quality of infant classrooms. However, subsidy density is a significant predictor of the quality of preschool classrooms. Teacher education is predictive of some quality indicators, but teacher salary is not. Practice or Policy: Practice and policy implications are discussed to promote the quality of child care centers that serve low-income children. Statewide initiatives should target centers with higher subsidy density for quality improvements. Local programs and state policy should provide teachers with opportunities to obtain additional education and then offer incentives to remain in their current early childhood settings. (Contains 5 tables and 1 footnote.)

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate technical assistance and training of Head Start teachers and assistant teachers on the use of a contemporary curriculum-based assessment. A description of the technical assistance process used and the procedures for determining interrater agreement and assessment fidelity are presented. During the study, participating practitioners reliably scored assessment protocols and administered the curriculum-based assessment with fidelity within their classrooms. (Contains 2 figures.)

The increasing emphasis on accountability in early care and education has created an opportunity for programs to revisit their child assessment practices. This article presents a model for using authentic assessment practices to document children's progress toward a set of program standards, specifically the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, as well as describe how authentic assessment processes can inform curriculum planning. Programmatic implementation issues are discussed and a case study is presented.

The first meetings with a family, including the first Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meeting, set the tone for the family's emerging relationship with early intervention professionals. The IFSP meeting and document are a vehicle for parents and professionals to partner together to target outcomes that are meaningful to the family and to develop a framework for achieving them. Unfortunately there is also significant evidence that IFSPs are often written in ways that are inconsistent with recommended practice. Studies conducted by Bailey, Winton, Rouse et al examine outcome statements on IFSP documents for evidence of family-centered practices. They found out that IFSPs often contain professionally-driven outcomes unrelated to family concerns and that concerns are not always addressed as outcomes. Outcomes are mainly child-focused and written in professional language. The results of these studies imply that service providers focus almost exclusively on the child rather than on the whole family. The purpose of this article is to provide guidelines and tools for writing outcomes and procedures in IFSPs that are clear, functional, and meaningful to families and that reflect recommended practices in early childhood special education. (Contains 3 figures.)

A study evaluated the effects of three active responding techniques (i.e., hand raising, choral responding, the response card) on students participation and on-task behavior in five preschoolers with attending problems. The response card technique was consistently more efficient for all five children across all dependent measures. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A questionnaire completed by 453 preschool teachers and three focus groups examined how preschool teachers planned classroom activities and individualized instruction for children with disabilities. Results indicated that teachers spent between 1 and 5 hours per week planning, used some procedures that conflicted with recommended practices, and faced complex challenges in planning for individualized instruction. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

In the current study, a constant time delay (CTD) procedure was embedded in classroom activities and routines to teach counting to three preschool children with speech and language delays. CTD was effective in teaching numbers to all three children. One child out of two also was able to acquire non-target information. (Contains references.) (CR)

Describes a multi-university model for delivering a distance-learning special-education course by compressed video to eight undergraduate and graduate student sites in rural Kentucky. Evaluation indicated the model's effectiveness. Advantages and challenges of the approach are identified. (DB)