Journal Article

Ready, Set, Write

Rohloff, Rebecca, Gerde, Hope K., Bingham, Gary E., Tortorelli, Laura S.

2022

Overview

Early writing skills are among the strongest predictors of later reading and writing achievement; however, these crucial skills are often neglected in early childhood classrooms. In this article, we present a systematic, quantitative content analysis of early learning standards (for ages 3–5) in states that were using the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts at the time of analysis. We identified 458 discrete early learning writing standards across 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Head Start (publication dates ranged from 2004 to 2018). We coded standards for the domains of writing skills addressed (transcription, composition, and/or writing concepts) in two stages, human coding and computer-assisted coding, and we coded some standards as addressing multiple domains. Results indicated that more than half (53.7%) of early writing standards addressed transcription. Composition was addressed in 38.4% of the standards and writing concepts in 26.6%. Within the transcription category, 95.4% of the standards addressed handwriting, and only 12.3% addressed spelling. More standards addressed handwriting specifically than all composition skills combined. The early learning standards across states varied considerably in how well they aligned with the Common Core for the early elementary grades (K-2). Early childhood standards rarely asked young children to create their own texts, whereas the Common Core includes expectations for composing in multiple genres. Early learning standards provided little guidance for comprehensive writing instruction that integrates writing skills across domains, and indicated potential misalignment in how writing is conceptualized and taught in preschool and elementary contexts.

• Publisher: Wiley,Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subject: 1‐Early childhood / Academic Standards / Childhood / Classrooms / Cognitive / Common Core State Standards / Content Analysis / Developmental Theories / Document Analysis / Early Childhood Education / Early Literacy / Educational standards / Elementary education / Elementary school students / Emergent Literacy / English language / Handwriting / Head Start project / Language arts / Learning / Policy / Preschool Children / Preschool education / Reading achievement / Scholarship / Skills / Spelling / Teaching / Theoretical perspectives / Transcription / Vygotskian / Writing / Writing instruction / Writing Skills / Young Children