Honoring Diversity

Standards

The content of this tutorial aligns with Massachusetts standards and guidelines.

Massachusetts Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

Center and School Based:

• Curriculum and Learning 1A: Curriculum, Assessment, and Diversity: Level 2 Materials reflect the language and culture of the children in the classroom, their communities, and represent the diversity of society; Staff demonstrate language and literacy skills either in English or the child's language that provide a model for children.   
• Curriculum and Learning 1A: Curriculum, Assessment, and Diversity: Level 3 Program uses progress reports, appropriate screening tools, formative assessments, and information gathered through observation to inform curriculum planning, and use results to monitor each child’s progress across developmental domains.
• Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 2 All staff receive orientation and ongoing formal professional development and supervision in how to support positive relationships and interactions through positive, warm and nurturing interactions.
• Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 3 Staff engage children in meaningful conversations, use open-ended questions and provide opportunities throughout the day to scaffold their development of more complex receptive and expressive language, support children’s use of language to share ideas, problem solve and have positive peer interactions.
• Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 4 Staff utilizes teaching strategies that ensure a positive classroom environment, engage children in learning and promote critical thinking skills.

Family Child Care:

• Curriculum and Learning 1A: Curriculum, Assessment, and Diversity: Level 2 Materials reflect the language and culture of the children in the family child care home, their communities, and represent the diversity of society.
• Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 2 Educator has participated in formal professional development on how to support positive relationships and interactions with children through positive, warm and nurturing interactions.
• Curriculum and Learning 1B: Teacher-Child Relationships and Interactions: Level 4 Educators engage children in meaningful conversations, as age and developmentally appropriate, use open- ended questions and provide opportunities throughout the day to scaffold their language to support the development of more complex receptive and expressive language, support children's use of language to share ideas, problem solve and have positive peer interactions; Educators utilize teaching strategies that ensure a positive learning environment, engage children in learning and promote critical thinking skills.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice:

• (2) Teaching to enhance development and learning B.2 Teachers continually gather information about children in a variety of ways and monitor each child’s learning and development to make plans to help children progress.
• (2) Teaching to enhance development and learning E.4 Teachers provide experiences, materials, and interactions to enable children to engage in play that allows them to stretch their boundaries to the fullest in their imagination, language, interaction, and self-regulation as well as to practice their newly acquired skills.
• (2) Teaching to enhance development and learning F.2 To stimulate children’s thinking and extend their learning, teachers pose problems, ask questions, and make comments and suggestions.
• (2) Teaching to enhance development and learning F.3 To extend the range of children’s interests and the scope of their thought, teachers present novel experiences and introduce stimulating ideas, problems, experiences, or hypotheses.
• (3) Planning curriculum to achieve important goals A.1 Teachers consider what children should know, understand, and be able to do across the domains of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development and across the disciplines, including language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health.
• (3) Planning curriculum to achieve important goals D.1 Teachers plan curriculum experiences that integrate children’s learning within and across the domains (physical, social, emotional, cognitive) and the disciplines (including language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health).

Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy

Speaking and Listening Standards for Pre-Kindergarteners:

• Comprehension and Collaboration MA.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.
• Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas MA.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas.