The benefits of preschool and transitional kindergarten (TK) disappear overtime unless those programs align with each other and their district’s K-12 curriculum. Join our Preschool through Third Grade Coherence Collaboration (P3CC) to work alongside other districts making the benefits of the earliest education timeproof.
Identify learning goals by grade, aligning them from preschool through third grade, communicating their interconnected nature to staff, and determining appropriate curricular and supplemental support.
Common P-3 Effective Instructional Practices
Establish expectations for effective instructional practices across grade levels, centering P-3 grade level standards and providing school and grade customized support.
P-3 Student Progress Monitoring
Develop and regularly monitor formative and summative P-3 assessments, making timely and actionable data at the student, classroom, school, and district level accessible.
Build Adult Capacity
Incorporate teacher and leader capacity building, including coaching, professional learning communities, vertical and horizontal teacher collaboration, and data analysis.
Why It Matters
Universal preschool and TK have the potential to close enormous equity gaps in third grade proficiency, benefiting all students and the entire K-12 school system. But that promise isn’t guaranteed without grade-to-grade coherence. The potential of preschool and TK gains expires over time, making now the right moment for districts to invest in solutions that persist into third grade and beyond.
—
3
M+
culturally and linguistically diverse children under 5 live in California.
—
69
%
of socioeconomically disadvantaged third grade students do not demonstrate proficiency in math and English language arts (compared to 37% of non-economically disadvantaged students).
—
4
+
rigorous academic studies show preschool has minimal impact on third grade proficiency.
—
$
3
billion
CA state investment into TK programs may be wasted without coherence.
What We Offer
Facilitation of a 3-year cohort of districts learning from one another as they identify, test, and scale efforts to implement proven strategies.
Customized Coaching
Guidance so tailored to your schools, we’ll feel like an extension of your district.
Multidisciplinary Improvement Teams
Capacity building that grows by earning trust and buy-in.
Cohort Collaboration
Shared inspiration and learning from colleagues with similar challenges.
Data Analysis & Iteration
Real time insights that inform strategic, proactive, and effective pivots.
We can't have children who get a great first grade teacher and then maybe a not so great second grade teacher and a not so great third grade teacher. We need everybody to be great. And if everybody's great, then that child now graduating from the system has had a consistent, coherent program because those effective practices are present everywhere.
Ruben Reyes
Retired Superintendent, Robla School District
Even though the student might not realize it in the moment, what they’re doing now builds upon what's going to happen for them in the future. And without these pieces, they're going to walk on with these gaps.
Alyssa Mah
Teacher, Del Rey Woods Elementary School, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
We're seeing evidence in the practice of teachers. We're seeing teachers shift their thinking and their philosophy of how to move students through a mathematical curriculum and the importance from one grade to the next.
Todd Cutler
Superintendent, Lake Tahoe Unified School District
Our Impact:
Transformative Learning At Every Start, Through Every Transition, Until Every Graduation
Testing starts in third grade, but proficiency starts before kindergarten. The practices and systems we support sustain connected learning and lasting academic gains.
We work with districts deeply committed to supporting their students and improving the education system. We’ve likely worked with a district like yours, especially if your schools are rural with majority minority populations.
—
36
districts
—
k+
326
students served
School Highlights
Grade Level Improvement in Mathematics Instructions:
Madison Elementary School
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14th to 3rd
After scaling efforts to effectively teach to grade level standards, Madison Elementary School improved from the 14th to 3rd highest district performer on the iReady interim assessment for mathematics.
Increased Clarity on Professional Development Implementation:
Arvin Union Elementary School District
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14 to 1
Arvin Union Elementary School District condensed a 14-page, overly broad classroom walkthrough tool into a one page document focused specifically on early math instructional practices.
Improved Coordination in Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Materials Across Grades Levels:
Sierra House Elementary School
—
2x
After identifying the essential Common Core Standards to target in early mathematics, Sierra House Elementary School doubled the percentage of third grade students performing at grade level on the iReady test.
Participant Experience
Our participants learn from one another and educators from other districts as they test and refine powerful learning strategies students actually enjoy.
Other places in California also have rural schools, so we get to see what they're doing and how they're using different strategies with their population of students. We have a high percentage of English learners in our school, so we get to learn a lot about what other schools are implementing.
Jackie Chavez
Second Grade Teacher, Buttonwillow Union School District
I wanted math to be fun again, and that's one of the biggest things that I've seen with my students. They were having so much fun, and they were excited.
Veronica Mejia
Resource Teacher, Arvin Unified School District
One misconception I may have had going into our partnership was that this was just going to be math training. What it's turned into is a change initiative. It's not a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach. It's both.
Geoff Henderson
Third Grade Teacher, Sierra House Elementary School, Lake Tahoe Unified School District
Case Study:
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District- Preschool to Third Grade Coherence in Early Mathematics
In 2020, MPUSD joined eight other districts from across California in a network focused on preschool to third-grade coherence in early mathematics.
Total Students: 9,800, 11 elementary schools
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged (SED): 67%
Latinx: 65%
English Learners: 29%
Opportunity
Impressed with the benefits of P-3 cohesion, MPUSD sought to scale coherence across multiple grade levels in early mathematics.
Insight
Bringing TK to third grade teachers together in a common space revealed the need for and benefits of ongoing vertical collaboration.
Intervention
The MPUSD team received support from experts at the UCLA Math Project around increasing student choice and voice in mathematics, skills, and mindsets essential for success in later grades.
Outcome
Students, even those at the youngest grade levels, engaged in high level mathematical thinking crucial for success in later grades. All students, including ELLs, demonstrated confidence in sharing their thinking on paper and with their peers.
In particular in math, where there's often one right answer and a certain approach, we're able to include and provide many more students with access to learning because we're allowing their ways of thinking to show up.
Drew Coleman
Principal, Ione Olson Elementary, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
We're seeing students in our preschool programs engaging in really high-level thinking around math. They're confident, they're sharing their thinking on paper and with peers. They're excited.
Holly McKrill
Teacher on Special Assignment, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
This Is Just One of Many
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Lake Tahoe Unified School District
San Rafael City Schools
Arvin Union School District
Start The Conversation.
Complete this form, and we’ll contact you to discuss how your district can support greater student confidence, competence, and college enrollment.
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