The influence of respecting the individual child's learning system on early academic development

Abstract

Analyzing the effect of Structure of the Intellect (SOI) Certified Learning Kindergarten (CLK) on the academic development of five kindergarten classes in five elementary schools, in a small urban, Title I school district located in the southwestern United States was the purpose of this study. Ninety-four students from the five campuses were randomly selected to participate in the CLK pilot program. Their Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) prescreening and post participation scores were compared with the TPRI prescreening and post participation scores of the 289 non-participating students in sixteen other traditional (TRD) kindergarten classrooms. The end of year (EOY) summary screening results showed a minimal growth advantage (1%) of CLK classes over TRD classes.^The EOY listening comprehension scores showed a moderate growth advantage (7%) in CLK classes as compared to TRD classes.^The retention rate for the CLK classes was lower (4 out of 94 students or 4.3%) than that of the TRD classes (22 out of 289 or 7.6%). The CLK classes had no special education referrals. The qualitative data collected from weekly meetings, classroom observations, and teacher interviews suggested four significant conclusions. First, the CLK teachers believed that knowing the individual needs of their students and having prescriptive support for addressing those needs made them more effective teachers. Second, the CLK teachers agreed that CLK changed their philosophy of teaching towards a more child-centered approach, making them teachers of one instead of teachers of many. Third, the success the students experienced as individual learners resulted in an increase in the students' self-investment and responsibility in learning.^Fourth, CLK changed the learning culture in the classrooms by fostering a community of support.^Students demonstrated acceptance of individual differences, recognizing responsibility for their own learning and the shared responsibility of supporting a classmate's learning. The teachers concluded that CLK positively impacted both the teacher-student and student-student relationships in the class.