Ready, Set, Write: Early Learning Standards for Writing in the Common Core Era

Abstract

Early writing skills are among the strongest predictors of later reading and writing achievement; however, these crucial skills are often neglected in early childhood classrooms. In this article, we present a systematic, quantitative content analysis of early learning standards (for ages 3-5) in states that were using the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts at the time of analysis. We identified 458 discrete early learning writing standards across 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Head Start (publication dates ranged from 2004 to 2018). We coded standards for the domains of writing skills addressed (transcription, composition, and/or writing concepts) in two stages, human coding and computer-assisted coding, and we coded some standards as addressing multiple domains. Results indicated that more than half (53.7%) of early writing standards addressed transcription. Composition was addressed in 38.4% of the standards and writing concepts in 26.6%. Within the transcription category, 95.4% of the standards addressed handwriting, and only 12.3% addressed spelling. More standards addressed handwriting specifically than all composition skills combined. The early learning standards across states varied considerably in how well they aligned with the Common Core for the early elementary grades (K-2). Early childhood standards rarely asked young children to create their own texts, whereas the Common Core includes expectations for composing in multiple genres. Early learning standards provided little guidance for comprehensive writing instruction that integrates writing skills across domains, and indicated potential misalignment in how writing is conceptualized and taught in preschool and elementary contexts. Early writing skills are among the strongest predictors of later reading and writing achievement (Aram, 2005;Kim, Al Otaiba, & Wanzek, 2015; National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). Even after controlling for socioeconomic and home literacy factors, differences in early writing skills tend to be stable over time, such that children who begin at a disadvantage are unlikely to catch up to peers who begin with stronger writing skills (Abbott, Berninger, & Fayol, 2010). Unfortunately, national test results have indicated that 72% of fourth graders and 76% of eighth and 12th graders do not achieve the proficient level in writing (Malkus, 2014;Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003;Salahu-Din, Persky, & Miller, 2008). The genesis of writing skills in early childhood and the relative stability of early performance to later achievement highlight the need to develop sensitive and comprehensive approaches, guided by learning standards, to supporting children's writing across this period.Conceptualizations of writing in early childhood have clear implications for how early writing is supported and measured in classroom contexts (Ng,

Parents’ understanding of early writing development and ways to promote it: Relations with their own children’s early writing

“…To portray a full picture of children's writing knowledge, researchers analyze the components of children's early writing (Puranik et al, 2014). Tortorelli et al (2022) divided this into three major skills: Composition, the ability to compose ideas to write; Transcription, the skills to express ideas on paper (including both handwriting and spelling); and Writing concept understanding, the knowledge of print conventions like print direction according to the orthography.…”

“…We studied the complexity of parents' views on early writing development, by counting the number of aspects that they refer to (out of four) when discussing children's early writing. The aspects that were assessed in our study relate to children's transcription skills and writing concept understanding (Tortorelli et al, 2022).…”

Building a Bridge: Writing and Reading Connections in Early Childhood

“…It is essential for beginning writers to develop an understanding of the importance of communicating information to a reader, addressing specific purposes and genres, while following a process to develop and organize ideas to compose, thus bridging reading and writing (Philippakos, 2022;Traga Philippakos & MacArthur, 2022) Tortorelli et al, 2021). Ms. Franklin supports early composition by engaging students in dictation of their own stories while making connections with writing purposes in the books they read (Philippakos & MacArthur, 2020).…”

Supporting the Writing Development of Emergent Bilingual Children: Universal and Language‐Specific Approaches

“…In contrast to adults, who often conceptualize writing as handwriting and spelling, young children see writing as communication and recognize their communication can occur through multiple forms, including scribbles, drawing, and shapes (Hall et al, 2019). Early learning standards promote writing as communication guiding teachers to encourage children to use any form of writing to convey their messages (Tortorelli et al, 2021). In fact, teachers who conceptualize writing as a multicomponent skill that includes composing provide children with more opportunities to communicate through writing (Bingham et al, 2022).…”