Setting
The study took place in 12 Head Start classrooms in two urban and four rural areas in southern
New Hampshire.
Study sample
This study was a posttest-only design (no pretest was possible due to difficulties in obtaining
parental consent for study participation). The study was conducted with children from 12
Head Start classrooms in the 2002–03 school year. Twelve teachers participated in the study.
The classrooms were selected in 2002 from a list of prospective study participants and then
randomly assigned to either an intervention or a comparison group. The researchers first identified
four urban full-day classrooms and randomly assigned two to the intervention group and
two to the comparison group. They also selected (a) two urban half-day classrooms with high
numbers of Spanish-speaking children, (b) two additional urban half-day classrooms, (c) two
suburban/rural classrooms from towns with a kindergarten program, and (d) two classrooms
from towns with no kindergarten program. From each group, one classroom was randomly
assigned to the intervention and one to the comparison group. Study eligibility was limited to
children speaking English as their primary language and not enrolled in a special education
program. Among children meeting these eligibility criteria, the study author randomly selected
60 children to participate (33 intervention and 27 comparison). Of the 60 children selected for
the study, 34 children received parental consent to participate in the study (18 intervention and
16 comparison). The analysis sample meets attrition standards for the Early Childhood Education
topic area, as described in its review protocol. At study enrollment, children in the analysis
sample averaged 4.7 years of age, 65% were male, 71% were Caucasian, 12% were Hispanic,
6% were African American, and none of the children were identified as having a disability.
Intervention Group
Intervention classrooms implemented Ladders to Literacy as a supplementary curriculum
to The Creative Curriculum®. Teachers were trained to implement 18 language and literacy
activities (of 60 that were available) across three domains (print/book awareness, metalinguistic
awareness, and oral language). Fidelity of implementation was assessed twice during
the study year, first in January/February 2003 and again in March/April 2003. For both the
intervention (Ladders to Literacy plus The Creative Curriculum®) and comparison classrooms
(The Creative Curriculum® alone), fidelity for The Creative Curriculum® was assessed using a
checklist published by The Creative Curriculum® publishers. Fidelity to the Ladders to Literacy
curriculum was assessed using an implementation checklist prepared by the Granite Ladders
project staff. In the intervention group, implementation of both curricula was characterized as
“moderate,” averaging 52%–61% of The Creative Curriculum® activities and 41%–54% of the
Ladders to Literacy activities.
Comparison Group
The comparison group implemented The Creative Curriculum® without Ladders to Literacy.
The Creative Curriculum® is a comprehensive curriculum for 3- to 5-year-old children. It
addresses four areas of development: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language
development. The curriculum required the physical space of the classroom to be structured
into 10 interest areas: blocks, dramatic play, toys and games, art, library, discovery, sand and
water, music and movement, cooking, and computers. Time was also allotted for outdoor
activities. The 10 interest areas were designed to address curriculum content such as literacy,
math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology, as well as process skills such as
observing, exploring, and problem solving. Fidelity of implementation of The Creative Curriculum
® in the comparison group classrooms was assessed using a checklist published by The
Creative Curriculum® publishers. Implementation was characterized as “moderate” for comparison
group classrooms, with teachers implementing 46%–48% of the strategies included in
The Creative Curriculum®.
Outcome descriptions
To measure oral language for posttests, researchers analyzed samples of children’s speech
and the MLU and TTR calculations. The children were assessed after at least four months of
exposure to the curriculum. For a more detailed description of these outcome measures, see
Appendix B.
Support for implementation
Both intervention and comparison teachers received at least one day of training on The Creative
Curriculum®. Intervention group teachers received an additional 2 days of training on
Ladders to Literacy activities in early fall 2002. Technical assistance to implement Ladders to
Literacy activities was available to the intervention teachers, if needed.