Teachstone, pioneering developer of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) included in 23 states' Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and used by Head Start programs nationwide, today announced it partnered with Kaplan Early Learning Company to release toolkits to support the literacy skills of all children, including dual-language learners, in the classroom and at home. The CLASS® Literacy Support Kit and the Literacy At-Home Kit, designed for children in prekindergarten and kindergarten, are now available for purchase and shipping.
"After nearly two years of virtual, blended, and occasionally face-to-face instruction, it's hard to know exactly how children's language and literacy development has been affected or how lasting those effects may be," said Teachstone Co-Founder and CEO Bridget Hamre. "But the challenges posed to literacy learning by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the equity issues that have shown to be further exacerbated, make it even more important to pinpoint practices that best support student learning."
Matthew Marceron, President and CEO of Kaplan, added, "We're proud to partner with Teachstone to release a suite of tools that not only encourages intentional literacy experiences and simplify planning for educators but empowers families to engage in meaningful and playful literacy experiences at home."
The CLASS® Literacy Support Kit includes educator guidance for planning read-alouds, supporting phonological awareness, and building alphabet knowledge and print awareness. A webinar to provide teachers with training aligned to the materials may be added to the kit.
The Literacy At-Home Kit includes resources, like activities and games, for families to use at home to ensure consistency in the literacy journey.
The development of these kits, which are sold separately, follow a recent research report that shows CLASS® improves outcomes in language and literacy. The report states effective interactions with teachers, peers, and classroom materials enhance children's literacy development by modeling new language, inviting children's verbal expression through questions and conversation, engaging students in interesting and meaningful lessons, and encouraging persistence and attention when learning new concepts.
Moreover, the report states, children perform better in literacy and language when they are in classrooms that provide effective teacher-student interactions. These findings hold up across pre-k to 3rd grade and among diverse populations of children such as dual-language learners and children who live in poverty.
About Teachstone
Teachstone® was founded in 2008 to deliver the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® nationwide and around the globe. Developed through years of research, the CLASS® observation tool measures interactions between teachers and children, which have been shown to drive learning and lifelong achievement. CLASS, adopted as part of the federal Head Start monitoring protocol in 2010, is used to assess the effectiveness of teacher-student interactions. Teachstone's CLASS tool is making a difference in classrooms in 50 countries worldwide. For information visit www.teachstone.com.