Effective Systems

Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating PreK-3rd Grade Approaches

Kristie Kauerz, University of Washington, & Julia Coffman, Center for Evaluation Innovation https://www.fcd-us.org/framework-for-planning-implementing-and-evaluating-prek-3rd-grade-approaches/

The Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating PreK-3rd Grade Approaches is intended to be referenced and used over an extended period of time for reflection, self-evaluation, and improvement of PreK-3rd grade efforts. This Framework helps to address key questions facing those who are developing PreK-3rd grade approaches in their school, districts, and communities:

  • What does a comprehensive PreK-3rd grade approach include?
  • The word ‘alignment’ is used often; but what needs to be aligned?
  • What kinds of changes need to take hold in adults’ behaviors before we can expect to see improvements in child outcomes?
  • What kinds of responsibilities need to be shared among 0-5 programs, grades K-3,families, and communities?

This Framework is intended to be used a tool to support the development of comprehensive PreK-3rd grade approaches. It can be used to establish:

  • A foundation of content, process, and norms for professional collaboration within and across age and grade levels from PreK through elementary school;
  • Shared visions of high-quality, developmentally based learning for young children in early learning and elementary school settings;
  • Implementation plans that establish accountability for improving child outcomes and closing achievement gaps; and
  • Evaluation strategies that help to ensure that the activities and structures put in place actually impact child outcomes.

From a planning and implementation perspective, the Framework helps users see the “big picture” of comprehensive and systemic PreK-3rd grade work and guides users in understanding how their own PreK-3rd strategies “fit” in the big picture, providing concrete examples of how to enrich and expand PreK-3rd grade approaches. From an evaluation perspective, the Framework helps users think about why evaluation needs to be infused into PreK-3rd grade approaches from the beginning. It also suggests strategies and methods for how to evaluate PreK-3rd grade implementation efforts.