GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Organizers of the preschool scholarship program that supported low-income Grand Rapids area children last school year say test scores reinforces that high quality preschool leads to academic success.
The 3-year-olds exceeded the standard score gain set by the U.S. Department of Education on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), a standardized test that assesses oral language and whether or not children can understand what they are hearing. The 117 children were tested at the beginning and end of the school year.
“I think this (PPVT results) validates the research that high quality preschool is what children need, and as a community we do not have enough of them for youngsters,” said Judy Freeman, director of Great Start Collaborative of Kent County and education coordinator for First Steps. “Vocabulary is a great predictor of their later language and literacy development.”
Freeman said their students, spread among preschool sites, saw a standard score gain of 5 points on the PPVT (99 to 104) but a standard score gain of 4 points meets the U.S. Department of Education benchmark for successful preschool impact on oral language as measured by the test.
A weakness in oral language can affect a student's ability to comprehend what is read, solve problems, and understand a teacher's directions. The preschool scholarship program is aimed at helping children learn the skills they need to be ready for kindergarten, so they are not behind their whole school career.
Children with fall PPVT scores of less than 85, demonstrated the greatest gains, nearly twice the overall program average," according to a report from Phillips Wyatt Knowlton Inc. Children who entered preschool with scores greater than 85 demonstrated age appropriate growth.
First Steps, in a cooperative agreement with the Heart of West Michigan United Way, Great Start Collaborative and Kent Regional Community Coordinate Child Care, managed the scholarship program.
The scholarships are funded through a combination of private and public contributions, including federal monies administered by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). First Steps expects to serve 135 students this year but is continuing to put families on a waiting list.