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A Study of Classroom Literacy Interventions and Outcomes in Even Start

NCEE 2008-4028
September 2008

Implementation of the CLIO Curricula

Fidelity to Planned CLIO Curricula. Fidelity of implementation to the CLIO curricula in the sample projects was rated both by independent observers and by the curriculum developers. Both sets of ratings indicated that, on average, implementation of the CLIO combined curricula and the CLIO preschool curricula only reached about 50 percent of full implementation. Fidelity ratings for the Let’s Begin and PALS projects were generally higher than those for the Partners for Literacy projects, for both the preschool and parenting classrooms but particularly for preschool classrooms. Most of the average fidelity ratings by observers and developers were higher in 2006 than in 2005 with the exception of observer ratings for Partners for Literacy preschool classrooms.

Exposure to the CLIO Curricula. Participants (parents and children) in any intervention need a minimum level of exposure to the curriculum to obtain the hypothesized benefits. Even Start guidelines do not specify an expected level of exposure for children or parents, and the hours of instruction offered by local projects vary widely. In each implementation year, while projects reported that they offered preschoolers an average of 80 hours of preschool education per month, children in CLIO projects actually participated in preschool an average of 50 hours per month. Parents also received only partial exposure to the parenting curricula. Projects reported that they offered parents an average of 25 hours of parenting education and parentchild activities per month, but parents participated for an average of 13 hours of parenting education and parent‐child activities per month. These levels of participation relative to hours of services offered are in line with what was documented in previous Even Start evaluations (St.Pierre et al. 2003, p. 129).

Control Projects. Project directors reported that about 75 percent of the CLIO control projects used a formal early childhood curriculum (most often High/Scope or Creative Curriculum), and about 60 percent used a formal parenting curriculum (most often locally developed). Observations of control classrooms showed that they spent about 45 percent of the day in activities that are often considered by developmental psychologists to have particularly high value for children because of the opportunities for children to construct knowledge and receive feedback on their interactions with materials, peers, and adults in the classroom (Bruner and Watson 1983). The remainder of the control group day was spent in daily group activities including review of the calendar/weather/attendance, gross motor play and transition, and meals/snacks.

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