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K-12 Dive
Using texts to boost Pre-K to 3 learning during the pandemic
Tennessee officials hope an early literacy texting pilot program in
three-fourths of districts can help stem learning losses for the
youngest learners.
Naaz Modan
Feb. 17, 2021
Very young students falling behind during the coronavirus pandemic
could face long-term achievement impacts. But Tennessee is turning to
texting to keep these early learners on track.
Since the Tennessee Department of Education rolled out a
curriculum-aligned Pre-K to 3 texting initiative in mid-January, there
has been a "surge of interest" from families, said Lisa Coons, the
department's chief of standards and materials. The program is offered
on a first-come, first-served basis to districts, she said, and has
been particularly helpful for rural families.
"We had a hard time getting families engaged and excited" about online
learning when school buildings closed last March, Coons said. "Our
current challenge is we have more families than we have spots [in the
texting program]."
Creating 'culture around literacy'
The texting effort, coordinated by evidence-based family engagement
curriculum provider Ready4K, is a two-year, statewide project supported
by the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation, a Tennessee nonprofit
focused on early literacy, according to Tennessee Department of
Education spokeswoman Victoria Robinson.
While the general Ready4K program is widespread in Tennessee — 102
districts, or approximately three-fourths in the state, are
participating as of Feb. 11 — the program's content can be localized
for each district. Ready4K aligns its text content with the state's
curriculum standards, as well as with local instruction and grade
level, said Ben York, founder of Ready4K, and the content also can
"amplify other key messages in the community, however big or small."
The curriculum, vetted by the Tennessee Department of Education, is
texted to families that have opted to share their contact information
with Ready4K — sidestepping privacy concerns — and have students
enrolled in grades Pre-K to 3.
"Each week, parents receive fun facts and easy tips on how to promote
their children’s development by building on existing family routines,"
York said in an email, "like pointing out letters on a shampoo bottle
during bath time, counting the number of forks as you put them away, or
making feeling faces in the mirror after you brush your teeth."
The company also includes COVID-19-friendly activities that can be done standing 6 feet apart.
Coons said the digestible nature of the texts is part of what makes
them popular among parents. "It's not like delivering a whole lesson to
children," she said. "It's about creating that culture around literacy
at home and the activities, and thinking about learning with your
parents and family."
Within one month of the Jan. 11 launch, 1.8 million text messages were
been sent to parents of 163,141 students and families across 102
Tennessee districts, according to Claire Jones, spokesperson for GELF.
Read this and other stories at K-12 Dive
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