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<p> The purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether a relationship existed between the physical and social elements of process quality within a preschool&rsquo;s language and early literacy environment and children&rsquo;s pre-reading and writing performance in the beginning of kindergarten in a rural school district. The study examined school readiness, quality preschool experiences, and early literacy development with theoretical concepts by Vygotsky providing the foundation for children&rsquo;s development. Four Keystone STAR preschools and ninety-seven kindergarten children participated in the study. Preschool observation data were collected utilizing the <i>Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale &ndash; Revised Edition (ECERS-R)</i> (Harms, Clifford, &amp; Cryer, 1998) and the <i>Early Language &amp; Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) Pre-K </i>(Smith, Brady, &amp; Anastasopoulos, 2008). Assessment data pertaining to children&rsquo;s pre-reading and writing performance in the beginning of kindergarten were collected from the <i> Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE)</i> (Landry, Assel, Williams, Zucker, Swank, &amp; Gunnewig, 2014), <i>Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Next</i> (Good, Kaminski, Cummings et al., 2011), Concepts About Print tasks, and District Writing Samples scored using the <i>Conventions of Writing Developmental Scale</i> (Feldgus &amp; Cardonick, 1999). Demographic data were also collected about kindergarten participants to provide background information used for statistical analyses. Qualitative data were collected in the form of preschool observation notes and information reported on a <i> Response Survey for Participating Preschools.</i> Preschool observation data from the ECERS-R and ELLCO Pre-K revealed strengths and weaknesses in rating scores for elements of process quality related to language and literacy. Results of data analyses showed a significant relationship between the physical elements of process quality from the ELLCO Pre-K and children&rsquo;s performance on the <i>DIBELS Next.</i> Other factors that were found to have significant relationships included gender (female) with performance on the <i> CIRCLE</i> Rapid Letter Naming, gender (female) with performance on the <i>DIBELS Next,</i> and entry age to kindergarten with results from the <i>CIRCLE</i> PA Composite score. This study found the quality of preschool environments, among other factors, to contribute to children&rsquo;s early literacy development.</p>

Working with five preservice teachers who were beginning their education coursework, I used Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) as a research tool to investigate instructional strategies I used to assist the preservice teachers in reconstructing their perceptions of the reading process. I documented the changes in their belief using data collected from interviews, miscue analysis, Retrospective Miscue Analysis sessions, written reflections, and Literacy Belief Profiles. By analyzing the data of all five participants as a group case study, I documented changes in perception of the reading process as influenced by RMA over time. Then, using a case study format, I examined in depth the data from two participants to determine their use of language cue systems and the specific changes they articulated over time. The research participants described rich language experiences in early childhood, classified themselves as "good readers," and none remembered any difficulty "learning to read." All the participants relied on their earliest memories of schooling when they characterized reading as a text reproduction process. Each preservice teacher listened to audiorecordings of miscues they themselves produced in their oral readings. Through discussions in the RMA sessions they began to realize that as they transacted with text they omitted words, inserted words, and changed wording in a text as they constructed meaning. Prior to these sessions the preservice teachers had never scrutinized their reading practices to such an extent and all were surprised at the miscues they produced. Over the course of the research the participants examined their assumptions about reading, became acutely aware of and revalued their reading strategies, and came to the realization that efficient effective reading does not result when readers focus on every word in a text. The most proficient readers use only the necessary information from a text to construct meaning.

<p> The purpose of this case study was to investigate and describe Recognition &amp; Response (R &amp; R) practices, a model of early literacy Response to Intervention, utilized by multidisciplinary staff teams in a purposively selected, inclusion-based preschool program in Southern California. Investigated R &amp; R practices included: (a) recognition of student needs through assessment, (b) collaborative problem-solving as a process to plan and evaluate next steps for students, and (c) response through a multi-tiered instructional approach. </p><p> The researcher utilized a qualitative case study design. The single district preschool program selected is comprised of ten inclusion-based classrooms located on two elementary school sites. The four-year old classrooms within this program were purposively selected for this study. The researcher designed an interview protocol, an artifact review form, and a classroom observation tool. </p><p> The findings of the study were synthesized into four overall conclusions. First, informal assessment is critical for providing intentional early literacy experiences to students. Second, informal problem solving between members of a multidisciplinary team is essential in planning an instructional response to support student early literacy needs. Third, a core literacy program that reflects agreed-upon literacy targets through thematic units and a range of learning formats across classroom is key to recognizing student early literacy needs. Fourth, the embedded use of multi-tiered instruction is a means of providing students with access to core literacy curriculum. </p><p> One policy implication is related to the current funding model for public preschool programs. The restrictions can serve as obstacles for implementing the practices described in this study. Three practice implications include the development of leadership and vision for early childhood programs, investment in the professional learning of early childhood education teams, and the allocation of time for teachers and support staff to engage in critical conversations. </p><p> Future studies that may benefit the early childhood profession include a longitudinal study of the program and a study of longevity of staff who serve on multidisciplinary teams. A third recommended area of study is to explore how, if at all, prompts support or hinder student independent use of learned skills in early childhood classrooms.</p>

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