Section outline

  • Description
    Standards define what a learner needs to know and be able to do. Several different early childhood standards are available. This module provides overviews of each set of standards and how you can meet standards with early childhood environmental education programs.

    Objectives
    After completing this module, you should be able to:
    • Identify early childhood standards and/or guidelines that support your work. 
    • Utilize correlation tools to correlate activities to the appropriate standards. 
    • Correlate at least one activity to Colorado State Academic Standards. 

    Benchmark Assessment

    Estimated Time for Completion
    1 hour 30 minutes

    Module 5 Tasks


    • Overview of Early Childhood Standards
      Several different early childhood standards exist. Some standards are focused more on the program, others the curriculum, and still others focus on learning content. Different Standards include:

      • The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): NAEYC has set 10 standards that define what it believes all early childhood programs should provide, as outlined in NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items. They offer accreditation to early childhood education programs that meet specific standards in education, health, and safety. To achieve accreditation, early childhood programs volunteer to be measured against these national standards.

      • NAAEE Early Childhood Guidelines for Excellence: You explored these guidelines in Modules 2 and 3. 

      • Natural Start Alliance Professional Practices: NSA has published the Nature-Based Preschool Professional Practices Guidebook, which identifies professional practices important in programs where children are engaged in nature-based play and learning. The practices are organized into four areas of practice: teaching, environments, safety, and administration.

      • Head Start: Head Start is a U.S. federal program with the overall goal of readying young children for school. It offers educational, health, nutritional, and social services to young children that enhance social and cognitive development. The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework provides long-term goals for early childhood programs connected with Head Start, and is a helpful resource for anyone involved in early childhood education. Head Start’s Early Learning Outcomes Framework outlines what early learners should be able to do in each of five essential learning domains including: Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Literacy, Cognition, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development.

      • NGSS, COMMON CORE, and C3 FRAMEWORK: These Standards provide nationally accepted academic benchmarks for science (Next Generation Science Standards), English language arts (Common Core—ELA), mathematics (Common Core—Math), and social studies (College, Career, and Civic Life Framework) for K-12 grade.

      • Colorado Early Learning Guidelines: The Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines describe the trajectory of children’s learning and development from birth to 8 years old in Colorado. They include a broad description of children’s growth to ensure a holistic approach to creating positive early childhood environments. The Guidelines are organized in the following domains: physical development and health, social development, emotional development, language and literacy development, approaches to learning, and cognitive development. The Guidelines span ages birth to third grade.

      • Colorado Academic Standards: Colorado Academic Standards define what learners should know and be able to do from Prek-12th grade.


      TASK 1: In your Course Journal answer the following questions: 

      • Do you use any of these or other standards in the work that you do? If yes, which standards do you use? 
      • Which new learnings might you be able to apply from utilizing an additional set of standards? Why? 


      TASK 2: Skim through the Project Learning Tree’s Connecting PLTS Trees & Me to Early Learning Benchmarks. Answer the following questions in your Course Journal: 

      • Note three observations you made when looking through the various correlations. 
      • What was something new that you learned when reviewing these standards? 
      • How could you see yourself using this document in the work that you do? 


      TASK 3: Visit the Colorado Department of Education’s Online Searchable Academic Standards website. Select a content area of your choice. Select a grade level between Preschool and 3rd Grade. Review the Grade Level Expectations shown. (Grade Level Expectations are the articulation (at each grade level) of concepts and skills of a standard that indicate a student is making progress towards mastery.) In your course journal, describe how you might meet two of the grade level expectations listed using either the Trees and Me Materials or Growing Up Wild.

    • Submit Module 5 Course Journal Assignment
      Opened: Monday, 22 January 2024, 2:00 AM

      Submit your completed Module 5 Course Journal.

      • View Scoring Guide >>
      • You may upload a Word document or submit a link to a Google Doc. If you submit a link to a Google Doc, adjust the sharing settings so that it can be viewed by anyone with the link. Click the blue Share button in the top right. A new box will open, under Get Link, select 'Anyone with the link'.