Research from the National Early Literacy Panel

With funding from the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), identified and convened the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) to review scientific research on the development of early literacy in young children. The objective for convening the NELP was to identify practices that promote positive outcomes in literacy for preschool children. Overall, across the three different outcome domains for literacy, a consistent set of variables emerged. There is strong evidence for the importance of alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and rapid naming tasks involving naming letters, numerals, objects, colors, and writing names, as predictors of later reading and writing skills. The NELP examined a total of 191 articles across five categories of interventions to determine the impact of various approaches on the identified early literacy predictors and literacy skills.

Final results will be available in a report to be released at a later date. For more information go to: www.famlit.org.

Supporting the Head Start Act

The Right On Target™ kit supports the Head Start Act, “Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007” as follows:

Sec.641A. Standards; Monitoring of Head Start Agencies and Programs
(B) scientifically-based and developmentally appropriate education performance standards related to school readiness that are based on the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework to ensure that the children participating in the program, at a minimum, develop and demonstrate — Language knowledge and skills, literacy knowledge and skills, including phonological awareness, print awareness and skills, and alphabetic knowledge; mathematics knowledge and skills, etc.

Page 52 (3) implement a research-based early childhood curriculum that — (A) Promotes young children’s school readiness in the areas of language and cognitive development, early reading and mathematics skills, etc.

Sec.642A. Head Start Transition and Alignment with K-12 Education
Page 54 (B) State early learning standards, as appropriate, with regard to cognitive, social, emotional, and physical competencies that children entering kindergarten are expected to demonstrate.