AERR: Early learning

Priority 1: Promote Growth and Success for All Students
Goal 1: An Excellent Start to Learning
Outcome 1: Kindergarten children reach developmental milestones by Grade 1
Outcome 2: Students develop a strong foundation for learning through reading and doing mathematics at grade level by the end of Grade 3

Alberta Education's Assurance Domain: Student Growth and Achievement
Provincial Outcome: Alberta’s students are successful

Annual Education Results Report 2023-24 ǀ AERR Overview

Performance Measures

1,365 children were enrolled in Early Childhood Services—153 in PALS and 1,212 in kindergarten.
153 children entering PALS with severe special needs.
43.1% of PALS children completed their second year of the program and no longer require a severe speech code.
82.5% of Grade 3 students read at grade level.
86.7% of Grade 3 students performed mathematics at grade level.
100% of families agree their child grew developmentally because of the PALS program.
93.3% of families agree their child’s ready for Grade 1 because of the kindergarten program.
94.3% of stakeholders are confident EIPS provides supports and services needed to prepare pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children for Grade 1.

Results

During the 2023-24 school year, 1,365 children were enrolled in Early Childhood Services within EIPS—1,212 in kindergarten and 153 in pre-kindergarten programming. Comparing numbers from the previous year, pre-kindergarten enrolment increased by seven children, and kindergarten enrolment dropped by 40. Overall, enrolment remains relatively stable and consistent year over year.

EIPS’ pre-kindergarten programming is offered through Play and Learn at School (PALS), an early intervention support program for pre-kindergarten children assessed with developmental delays. Those who qualify for PALS are children identified with a severe developmental delay between the ages of two-years-and-eight months and four-years-and-seven months. In 2023-24, EIPS offered the program at five EIPS locations—in Sherwood Park, Ardrossan, Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont and Vegreville.

Year after year, the program sees positive learner outcomes. For example, in 2023-24, 74 children entered kindergarten from the PALS program. When they started PALS, all 74 children had a severe speech-and-language- delay code. However, after finishing the program, 43.1% of those learners—with codes 47 and 48—no longer required the codes when they enter kindergarten. That’s reason to celebrate, and, even up from the previous year’s 42.8%. For these children, PALS addressed their severe speech-and-language delay challenges before they even entered kindergarten, which is huge. It helps set a strong academic foundation for the child, before even starting kindergarten, and has a long-lasting positive effect on the learner's academic and social development.

That statistic aligns well with results from the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey, an annual survey the Division conducts to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan and stakeholder confidence. According to the survey data, 100% of respondents with a child in a pre-kindergarten program reported their child demonstrated developmental growth because of the PALS program. That percentage is up by 7% from the year before.

EIPS also offered a kindergarten program in all 26 of the Division’s elementary schools—a full-day, alternating-day program. Like PALS, the program sees positive outcomes for learners. In fact, feedback from the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey indicates 93% of EIPS families report the Division’s kindergarten program prepares children for Grade 1. Likewise, 94% of stakeholders—families, staff and Grade 12 students—are also confident the Division provides the needed supports and services to prepare learners, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, to enter Grade 1. These results confirm the Division’s early intervention program makes an important difference for young children and those requiring added supports and services.

academic measures

Unlike elementary and secondary programming, Alberta Education does not provide school divisions with data about the impact of early learning programming. Consequently, EIPS uses internal assessments to evaluate its successes—specifically, the Early Years Evaluation – Teacher Assessment (EYE-TA). The EYE-TA is a research-based assessment tool that measures a child’s development in the five domains critical to school readiness—awareness of self and environment, social skills and approaches to learning, cognitive skills, language and communication, and physical development. EIPS administers the assessment at the start of every school year and again near the end of the school year.

According to the overall 2023-24 EYE-TA pre-test results, only 59% of children who completed the assessment, when entering EIPS kindergarten, met the overall developmental milestones, also called the Responsive Tiered Instruction. However, the post-test results indicate at the end of kindergarten, 84% demonstrated appropriate overall development after a year of programming—consistent with the Division’s three-year trend data. Like with PALS, such high post-test results clearly indicate the Division’s kindergarten program is strong and growth-focused.

Interestingly, current longitudinal research points to kindergarten children’s EYE-TA scores being tied to reading outcomes at ages eight and nine. In particular, it suggests the strongest EYE-TA predictors of a child’s reading ability at grade level by Grade 3 are cognitive skills and language and communication. That's followed by fine-motor skills, awareness of self and environment, and social skills and approaches to learning. So, EIPS keeps this in mind, using the EYE-TA data to identify children most likely to require extra support to develop their reading skills during their primary school years.

Turning to EIPS' 2023-24 EYE-TA cognitive skills results, 93% of kindergarten learners are on target to read at grade level by Grade 3—identical to the percentage last year. Meanwhile, the language and communication skills results suggest that 91% of kindergarten learners are on target to read at grade level by Grade 3—down slightly from 93% the year before. EIPS does track these student cohorts to evaluate the predictive validity of the EYE-TA—2023-24 being the first year to see the cohort measure results.

Rewind to 2020-21, for cognitive skills, 91% of that student cohort were on target to read at grade level by Grade 3. And, for language and communication, 92% were on target. In 2023-24, that same student cohort was retested using the Star Reading assessment in Grade 3—with 82.5% reading at the appropriate grade level. While the result is positive for the student cohort group, EIPS anticipated a higher percentage, given the EYE-TA results in 2020-21—91% and 92%. As such, the Division needs to explore if there is a better predictive assessment for kindergarten learners moving forward. For 2024-25, kindergarten students will complete the mandatory provincial assessment screeners.

The EYE-TA's five development domains are:
AWARENESS OF SELF AND ENVIRONMENT
A child's understanding of the world and their ability to make connections with home and community experiences.

SOCIAL SKILLS AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING
A child’s attentiveness during classroom activities and ability to interact with peers while respecting classroom rules.

COGNITIVE SKILLS
A child's basic mathematics and pre-reading skills and ability to solve problems.

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
A child's understanding of spoken language and ability to express thoughts and feelings.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
FINE MOTOR – A child's ability to perform small movements that require hand-eye co-ordination.
GROSS MOTOR – A child's ability to perform large movements involving arms, legs and body.

EIPS did use the provincial-mandated assessments for students in 2023-24 (see pg. 91, "Appendix C: Alberta Education Literacy and Numeracy Screeners"). In September, students in grades 2 and 3 completed an initial assessment in literacy and numeracy. Meanwhile, Grade 1 students completed the initial assessment in January. Students identified as being at risk in literacy or numeracy were then provided small-group instruction by teachers within their schools. At the end of the 2023-24 school year, all students were re-evaluated—despite reassessment only being mandated for at-risk students. Overall, all students experienced growth in both literacy and numeracy—especially those who received the small-group intervention.

Because the number of months behind or gained, isn’t supplied by Alberta Education, each Division relies on internal assessments to assess and report this number, which makes it less reliable and valid across the province. Going forward, the Division will only report on results from students identified as being at-risk in the initial screeners—to better understand how well the intervention efforts worked. EIPS is hopeful Alberta Education will norm reference this data point to make it more reliable to use, report on and inform future planning.

To complement the intervention programming, EIPS also piloted a new Reading Enrichment and Development (READ) project in 2023-24. The program aimed to improving student reading achievement through targeted intervention based on the science of reading. Seven schools participated in the program—five in Fort Saskatchewan and two in rural schools. Each school received two rounds of intervention for seven weeks, including pre- and post-intervention assessments. In total, 50 students took part in READ and received intervention in four 40-minute, small-group sessions a week. Post-intervention testing showed significant improvements for learners—specifically in letter identification, sounds and phoneme manipulation. Thanks to the success of the READ pilot project, the Division has expanded the program to include all regular program elementary schools across the Division.

For children with diverse learning needs, EIPS specialists and consultants worked alongside early learning teachers to help plan programming and alternative literacy activities, such as visual supports and multi-modal opportunities. Known as an alternative to the pencil, the visual supports and multi-modal opportunities ensured all learners in the classroom had a voice and were able to participate in early writing activities. For learners needing help with regulation, consultants also created learning teams focused on coaching, modelling and multidisciplinary planning.

EIPS also used the Star Reading and Star Math assessments throughout the year. According to the Star Reading Assessment, 82.5% of students were reading at grade level at the end of Grade 3—up 1.5% from the previous year. Also, according to the Star Math assessment, 86.7% of students were performing mathematics at grade level—up 0.4% from the previous year. While, good news, the Star assessments are norm-referenced across North America, and no longer align with the new Alberta curriculum. As such, the Division has decided to discontinue using the Star assessments starting in the 2024-25 school year.

supports and services

For the 2023-24 PALS programs, speech-language pathologists provided a variety of supports to 109 children identified with severe speech-and-language delays. The speech-language pathologists visited PALS classrooms weekly, supporting the children enrolled, classroom teams and families. Services included assessment, individual intervention, small-group intervention, programming adaptations and strategies for families to use at home. Additionally, the speech-language pathologists helped develop Individualized Program Plans for those registered in PALS, which detail specific strategies to better support each child’s goals. They also collaborated with a home team of speech-language pathologists to provide co-ordinated service delivery to children with significant communication challenges.

In the kindergarten program, speech-language pathologists received 204 referrals and provided services to children with moderate or moderate-to-severe speech and language delays. They visited kindergarten classrooms to offer either individual or classroom supports at least once every two weeks. Similar to PALS, EIPS offered individual intervention to kindergarten learners with specific speech-sound delays or language delays. Classroom strategies and supports were also provided for children with significant language delays. Other services included coaching and consultations for families with children receiving direct intervention with less significant needs.

Occupational therapy was also offered throughout the Division. Occupational therapists regularly visited PALS classrooms—providing ongoing consultation, assessment and programming to 135 children with significant challenges in the areas of regulation, self-help skills and motor skills. For milder needs, occupational therapists shared strategies and programming ideas with the PALS classroom staff at all five school sites, centring on ways to progress children’s fine-motor skills and independence. An Occupational Therapy Assistant also provided direct service to 36 students to support advancing fine- and gross-motor skills. Other services offered by PALS occupational therapists included individual family consults and virtual sessions to support families with toileting, feeding, fine-motor skills and regulation strategies.

Meanwhile, for the kindergarten program, 63 kindergarten children used EIPS' individual occupational therapy service—available to children with significant challenges. For those with mild-moderate needs, occupational therapy was offered in the classroom using therapist-directed strategies and resources. The students were also seen by an occupational therapist once or twice throughout the year. As well, occupational therapists facilitated staff professional learning—focused on fine-motor development, regulation and ways to incorporate occupational therapy strategies into the classroom.

Lastly, EIPS provided physical therapy to six children enrolled in the PALS and kindergarten programs. Children in PALS with significant gross-motor needs received physical-therapy consultation. In kindergarten, children with these needs received a consultative visit to address barriers to participation in the school environment.

parent engagement

Because family collaboration is essential to PALS’s success, the Division organized a series of family engagement opportunities. The first was a speech-language assessment screening for families interested in the PALS program, which also included an opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns about their child’s development—an important first step for families seeking supports for their child. Children requiring full speech-language assessments were then scheduled for a later appointment. In total, 140 children were assessed in speech sounds and language skills to determine possible eligibility for Program Unit Funding and the PALS program.

The Division also offered a series of PALS engagement sessions to build family capacity and support young learners. More than 30 sessions were offered, all guided by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and early learning consultants. Similar opportunities were also offered to families with children in kindergarten through a series of meetings, videos and resources.

To complement these, EIPS Early Learning distributed a kindergarten questionnaire to incoming families to build the school-and-home relationship—integral to each child’s success. The questionnaire was also used to develop Getting Ready for Kindergarten, a series of divisionwide kindergarten orientation sessions hosted annually in June. The Getting Ready for Kindergarten sessions focused on fun ways to work on four key development areas—building independence, speech development, fine-motor skills and literacy. Other engagement efforts included the Circle of Security Parenting program, Individualized Program Plan consultations and a series of early learning emails for families to share information and collect feedback. Collectively, these allowed EIPS to gain insight into early learner needs and how to support them best.

building capacity

Setting up for success

Year-long, EIPS consultants worked with schools to foster early learning literacy- and numeracy-rich environments. They provided resources and facilitated professional learning opportunities to focus instruction and maximize student engagement. They also supplied a series of learning kits to support schools with vertical non-permanent surface activities, build understanding and create thinking classrooms

Loose Parts Play Kits for PALS and kindergarten classrooms. The kits assist in problem-solving, fine- and gross-motor development, hand-eye co-ordination, language and vocabulary building, mathematical and scientific thinking, literacy, and social and emotional development. Divisionwide, the kits are highly sought after because of their versatility and focus on discovery and creativity during play and exploration.

Phonological Awareness Kits for kindergarten and Grade 1. The kits focus on identifying and manipulating units of oral language and sounds of spoken language. Using the kits, learners build their phonological awareness, which is a reliable predictor of later reading ability.

Alternative Letter and Number Kits for diverse-needs early learners. The kits offer hands-on, interactive experiences to help achieve literacy and numeracy outcomes. They also support educators with activities to engage children in meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways.

Early Learning Sensory Kits for early learners. The kits are complete with a learning lending library and occupational therapy activities to assist teachers working with children with sensory needs.

Empowering families

Developing caregiver skills and tools, so more students achieve growth

To complement professional learning, EIPS also offered several capacity-building sessions for caregivers. For the most part, these sessions helped families gain insight into their child’s development and discover strategies

to support their learning, working, playing and behaving in positive ways. In total, 30 sessions were provided, ranging in focus:

Play the Piccolo Way, which supports caregivers in identifying parenting behaviours that lead to positive cognitive, social and language developmental outcomes;
speech and language development;
self-care; and
motor development.

Overall, the sessions provided families with an open door and friendly faces to chat about potential challenges their child is experiencing. Conversations of this nature are often a difficult first step for families seeking support for their child. The EIPS team helped make this process easier while also providing guidance and direction.

Opportunities for Growth

Research clearly demonstrates early intervention plays a critical role in long-term learning outcomes for young learners. As such, the continued use of assessments and data analysis is a crucial growth opportunity for the Division. Collectively, the assessment helps identify at-risk students, guide intervention planning, move teacher programming forward and ensure student achievement—a key priority for EIPS.

Looking ahead, principals will continue to review the school’s annual assessment data with their early learning team and the Early Learning department—Instructional Supports and Specialized Supports. It will also use the data to inform decisions, and compare it over time. Through that, schools are in a better position to effectively support the educational needs of students, determine the children most likely to require extra support and ensure everyone continues to learn and grow—now and in the future.

EIPS will also continue to offer the speech-language assessment screening. The screenings allow families to discuss their child’s potential challenges and make guidance and direction easier. Knowing who requires early intervention is an important factor for student success. Meanwhile, speech-language pathologists will screen all kindergarten learners early in the year to ensure all needed supports are detected and delivered as early as possible. As well, because research shows children who come to school regulated and secure are more ready to learn, PALS staff will participate in the Circle of Security Classroom program. The sessions help build staff capacity to, then, support children with social-emotional challenges.

The final growth area for early learning is developing subject-specific consultant support. Research on long-term success in school highlights the importance of early intervention. So, to support timely intervention in literacy, the Division will expand the READ program to all regular program elementary schools and build staff capacity around literacy. For numeracy, Early Learning consultants will also work with schools to build staff capacity to further support pre-kindergarten to Grade 3 numeracy.

Priority Strategy for Education Plan

EIPS will continue to ensure children reach their developmental milestones and attain solid foundational skills in the early years. Strategies for 2025-26 include:

Continue to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams to provide universal, targeted and specialized early childhood intervention support to address developmental delays identified in classrooms—pre-kindergarten to Grade 3.
Provide small-group modelling and side-by-side coaching to build teacher capacity in foundational literacy skills, kindergarten to Grade 3.
Create more opportunities for instructional leaders and teachers to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practices in early learning environments.
Provide early intervention for students identified as at-risk for learning disorders.
Continue to provide high-quality professional learning opportunities for staff working in early learning classrooms.
Continue to work with schools to develop intervention plans for at-risk students—using robust literacy and numeracy assessments to identify where early learners are struggling.
Provide Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support (SCERTS) training to staff working with early learners diagnosed with autism.
Continue offering the Reading Enrichment and Development (READ) intervention program in all elementary schools and explore how to expand the program for French Immersion learners.
As government-mandated assessments are part of kindergarten programming, EIPS will develop an overall assessment plan, September to June, to balance teacher workload with collecting student achievement data.
Continue to build caregiver capacity, in all communities EIPS serves, in strategies to support their child’s learning, working, playing and behaving in positive ways.
Develop ongoing online professional learning modules to build capacity in key early learning program areas, such as fine-motor progressions and early language foundations—particularly beneficial for onboarding new teachers.