Reading Skills Improve
for Elementary Students
in Collaborative AfterSchool Program ......................... 4
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit
Union Pledges $500,000
Naming Gift to the College
of Education ............................... 6
Moving a City Closer
to College ................................... 7
Issue Five // Winter 2014
News from the College of Education
Teaching the Teachers About Common Core
The California Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an integrated model of
literacy in English language arts, history, social studies, science, and technical
subjects, are taking root in the state this year. Designed to build critical thinking,
problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills, the standards are
expected to prepare all students for success in college and the workplace. Now,
teaching the teachers how to implement and leverage the standards is a primary
initiative at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education.
Developing the framework for
CCSS and English Language
Development Standards
Center for the Advancement of Reading,
to write chapters for the state’s Curriculum
Framework and Criteria Committee.
After California adopted the CCSS, the
state began the process of developing
a framework to provide guidance on
implementation, and a Cal State Fullerton
College of Education faculty member was
tapped to help draft the potentially highly
influential document. Hallie Yopp Slowik,
professor of Elementary and Bilingual
Education, worked with Nancy Brynelson,
with whom she co-directs the CSU system’s
“I immersed myself in the standards and
drew upon my background in research and
practice to write, in collaboration, more than
1,100 pages of text,” explains Yopp Slowik.
“It was a rewarding opportunity to contribute
to the development of the first attempt to
create a framework that integrates standards
for the English Language Arts (that is, the CA
CCSS for ELA/Literacy) with California’s new
English Language Development Standards.”
The framework is now with the Instructional
Quality Commission, which will suggest edits
or changes, and then the document will be
posted for public review.
“Comments will be reviewed and revisions,
as appropriate, will be made,” explains
Yopp Slowik. “The updated draft will undergo
a second round of review. Then, it will be
forwarded to the State Board of Education
where it will, hopefully, be adopted.” Yopp
Slowik will be involved throughout the process.
Yopp Slowik is optimistic about the standards,
particularly if they are implemented as outlined
by the framework.
“I think we will see subjects that have not,
in recent times, been in the forefront of our
schools, such as social studies, science, and
the fine arts, reemerging to take the important
place they should have. That is very exciting!
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2…
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
Issue Five // Winter 2014
1
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1…
I also think we will see
more collaboration among
professionals, which
enhances what we can
offer more children and
youth,” she projects.
Professional
development
around CCSS
To help implement
CCSS quickly, efficiently,
and effectively,
Cal State Fullerton
From left: Marilyn Leuer, Kim Elliott, Alex Gonzalez, and Maria Grant
adopted an intensive
demonstrated how technology can facilitate the incorporation of Common Core
capacity-building
into all curriculums, during a Cal State Fullerton literacy seminar for credential
and professional
candidates and teachers from local school districts.
development program
for college faculty to
help them understand
how the standards will help students and
how to develop curricular material in order
to reshape teacher training. In October 2012,
a group of education leaders from the college
attended a Project CORE Common Core
Conference and returned to their departments
to share with their colleagues an overview
of CCSS and how to implement teaching the
new standards to pre-service teachers.
“We want to help students
process what they learn
in our classroom each day.
We want to build critical
thinkers. To do that, we
can blend creative strategies
and modern technology
to help them interpret,
process, and preserve
their knowledge.”
— M
arilyn Leuer
Department of Secondary Education
2
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
“The conference provided us with the
big picture regarding the shifts within the
standards,” says Kim Case, lecturer, Elementary
and Bilingual Education. “We were then able to
come back to the department and focus on the
K–8 implications in snapshots. We divided up
into content areas so that we had team leaders
for faculty to go to with more questions. We
also provided some additional resources and
created a Titanium Site on which we house
common core resources and updates.”
Implementing the standards across
all content areas
This past summer, Maria Grant, associate
professor, Secondary Education, and
Marilyn Leuer, faculty, Secondary Education,
co-directed a literacy seminar for credential
candidates and teachers from local school
districts, and emphasizing how the new CCSS
can be embedded across all content areas.
“Teachers can be apprehensive about
implementing common core standards.
Our seminar demonstrated that Common
Core offers an opportunity to enhance
learning by going deeper and connecting
disciplines,” says Grant.
The sessions featured presenters Cynthia
Gautreau, assistant professor of Elementary
and Bilingual Education, and veteran
teachers Alex Gonzalez and Kim Elliott, who
demonstrated how technology can facilitate
the incorporation of common core into
all curriculums. Chris Street, professor of
Secondary Education, also offered examples
of how CCSS and academic writing connect
to all disciplines. Additionally, Minerva
Chavez, assistant professor of Secondary
Education, shared her work in high schools
connecting Common Core and reading, and
Leuer shared how to use art as a creative
way to apply CCSS across all subject areas.
“We want to help students process what
they learn in our classroom each day. We
want to build critical thinkers. To do that, we
can blend creative strategies and modern
technology to help them interpret, process,
and preserve their knowledge,” explains
Leuer (see Illustrated Journaling on page 3).
Teaching veteran teachers
Many veteran teachers are interested in
merging instruction based on state content
standards with curriculum driven by the new
CCSS. “The CSUF literacy seminar provided
tools and strategies to support these veterans
in their quest to access the tenets of CCSS,
which include processing content through
reading, writing, listening, and speaking,”
says Grant.
These ideas build on knowledge that
pre-service teachers have already accrued
during their course of study at Cal State
Fullerton. “We are finding that teaching our
pre-service teachers to understand Common
Core, and then partnering them with veteran
teachers in classrooms, helps both new and
experienced educators hone instructional
methodology,” says Grant.
Mark Ellis, associate professor of Secondary
Education and director at-large of the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM),
finds that veteran educators have a unique
ILLUSTRATED JOURNALING
AND THE COMMON CORE
Combining art and technology to help students
grasp and clarify new concepts is just one way
to implement Common Core State Standards.
”When teachers use a more diverse and creative
thinking assignment like illustrated journaling,
they find that students thoroughly process the
material taught and become life-long learners
who better understand the world and their place
in it,” says Marilyn Leuer, lecturer, Department
of Secondary Education.
Marilyn Leuer, lecturer, Department of Secondary Education, shared with her colleagues the fine points of using art
in the Common Core Standards.
understanding about what Common Core
can do for students, especially if CCSS are
implemented with a focus on ensuring
education equity.
“I think many teachers have a growing
understanding that Common Core standards
represent more than a rearranging of
content standards, and they also understand
the need for collaboration and ongoing
opportunities for professional learning,” says
Ellis. “As schools and districts transition to
Common Core, there must continue to be
attention to issues of access and equity.”
Championing equity and access
for all stakeholders
The new standards demand more from both
students and teachers, so implementing
them with adequate support for students
and teachers is imperative, Ellis says.
“What will take time and require ongoing
opportunities for professional development
and collaboration to fully understand are
the learning trajectories within the Common
Core standards intended to provide students
with connected learning across grade levels
and the instructional strategies that will be
necessary to support students’ development
of proficiency,” he explains.
Addressing equity concerns related to
the Common Core is a priority for Sharon
Chappel, assistant professor of Elementary
and Bilingual Education, who works with
teachers in social studies, diversity, and
bilingual education courses.
“For me, implementing CCSS is less about
getting kids ready for a test and more about
asking them to use language as a tool
to investigate the world,” she says. She
challenges her teacher candidates to think
more deeply about the new standards in
relation to the students they are likely to have
in their classrooms: English learners, also
called emerging bilingual youth.
“In our courses at CSUF, teacher candidates
examine strategies that make school more
meaningful and relevant to communities and
students,” she says. “Common Core standards
are exciting in that they offer an opportunity
for inquiry and project-based learning in
communities, which helps engagement. Our
teachers are dedicated to supporting emerging
bilingual youth in the classroom, through
the Common Core goals and new English
language development standards, while at the
same time supporting home languages and
cultures. Our job as teachers is not only to help
all students learn challenging material, but also
to examine the just, equitable, and inclusive
structure of any educational reform movement.
The common core is no exception.”
Leuer recently taught credential candidates
and teachers about illustrated journaling and
its use in all subject areas. By formulating a visual
of material learned, students are able to cement
and clarify concepts and respond to written
or spoken questions.
“Common Core aims for interdisciplinary connections
and deep understanding. Illustrated journaling
accomplishes both of those goals,” she says.
Seminar attendees like Cal State Fullerton
Secondary Education teacher candidates Jennifer
Eckert-Toler and Darlene Dzul-Baron were able to
take the examples of illustrated journaling back to
their classrooms and put them to use immediately.
“It is nice to have an alternate form of assessment
for students to express themselves,” says EckertToler. “It helps students who are struggling with
content or academic vocabulary express the main
idea. I can easily see if students ‘get it’ by their
drawings, even if they struggle with writing or
content vocabulary.”
For Dzul-Baron, who is undertaking her first
semester of student teaching in 9th grade English
classes, seeing the concept of illustrative journaling
at work has been transformational.
“I am observing classes composed of students
who require additional support. At times, during
classroom discussion, it is apparent that the
students are capable of conducting the literary
analysis required in the Common Core State
Standards. However, many of the students –
including English language learners – do not
yet have the academic language to convey their
analysis and thoughts on the reading,” she explains.
“By illustrating those thoughts, the students can
demonstrate their literary observations without
the pressure of searching for academic language
or struggling with being grammatically correct.”
Issue Five // Winter 2014
3
Reading Skills Improve
for Elementary Students
in Collaborative AfterSchool Program
Ask most kids if they want to stay after school, and the response is likely
a resounding “No!” But for certain third- and fourth-graders at Melrose
Elementary School in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
and graduate students in the Cal State Fullerton Read 516 course, after
school is where the learning – and fun – happens. Once a week, these
unique teams collaborate for the express purpose of reading improvement.
Pictured above: Melrose Elementary students are proud of their success in the after-school program that helped
them improve their reading skills. Students (top row) Eric Alvarez, Betzayda Mejia, Sergio Ramos-Escatel,
Sergio Gonzales, Celia Barrios, and (bottom row) Alfredo Hernandez, James Bedolla, and Adrian Rodriguez
were tutored by Read 516 course participants from Cal State Fullerton.
4
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
“At Cal State Fullerton, we prepare our pre-service teachers for the real world
by providing them with opportunities to serve actual students with real reading
needs. The mission of the Hazel Miller Croy Reading Center is to serve children
from the local community. Bringing these together through partnerships like the
one we have with Melrose help us achieve both ends. It’s really a win-win for all.”
— Erica Bowers, associate professor and chair,
Department of Reading, director of the Hazel Miller Croy Reader Center
“Our school motto is Pointing to Success and our school mission
statement is Whatever It Takes to Get Our Students to Succeed,”
says Vivian Cuesta, Melrose principal. “We believe that strong literacy
skills are the key to success. This program gave us the opportunity
to have other professionals work with our lowest-performing readers
and provide additional information we can use to meet their needs.
We saw this as another level of intervention for our students.”
“In walking from room to room, I could feel the energy and see kids
working hard and enjoying their time with our Cal State Fullerton
students,” says Keisler. “This experience supported growth in children’s
motivation for, and interest in, reading.”
“Melrose Elementary and the principal, Vivian Cuesta, could not
have been a better match for our program,” exclaims Erica Bowers,
associate professor, chair of the Department of Reading, and the
director of the CSUF Hazel Miller Croy Reading Center. “Our program
strives to serve children in high-need areas where we can make the
greatest impact, and Melrose is the perfect fit!”
“Both the Melrose students and the Cal State Fullerton students
were sad to see their sessions come to an end,” says Keisler.
That sentiment was echoed by Cuesta.
“Our program requires two practical experiences; one for the Reading
Certificate level and one for the Reading and Language Arts Specialist
Credential level,” explains Laura Keisler, who teaches the Read
516 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Teaching of Reading program. Once
Cal State Fullerton master’s candidates are matched with their
third- and fourth-grade Melrose students, they work together for
a five-week period, and Keisler oversees the experience.
“I guide our graduate students in assessing their students in various
elements of literacy and help them provide the school and the students’
parents with reports that document results, identify areas for further
investigation, and recommend necessary intervention,” she says.
With the first sessions complete, feedback from Melrose students
and their Cal State Fullerton reading teachers was positive.
“When I asked the students what had changed since they received
reading help, their answers showed an increase in confidence
and pride,” she says. “They told me things like ‘I now speak more
English,’ ‘I now know how to read hard words,’ and ‘I can read
chapter books.’”
The collaborative program also benefits the Cal State Fullerton students.
“Our Cal State Fullerton students are gaining experience with two
children at two different levels, which helps them put into practice what
they’re learning in a safe space with the guidance of an experienced
professor,” explains Bowers. “This experience will really benefit these
master’s candidates as they begin their careers.”
By carefully matching students with the Cal State Fullerton reading
teachers, an effective synergy was established early in the sessions.
Issue Five // Winter 2014
5
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Faculty and staff
of the College
of Education are
committed to being
transformational
leaders who advance
the readiness of all
learners to actively
participate in an
ever-changing,
diverse, and digital
world. This issue of Impact illustrates just how
we are accomplishing that.
Schools throughout the nation this year are
transitioning to the new Common Core standards.
True to the College mission, CSUF faculty have
been deeply engaged in supporting this transition,
through efforts that range from redesigning
coursework for our teacher candidates to playing
key roles in state and national efforts to articulate
the standards and curriculum frameworks.
We are proud of the influential roles that they
continue to play.
The transformational impact of the College
and how we are making a significant difference
for students in local communities throughout
our region is evident in each of the stories in this
issue. Inspirational alumni and faculty projects,
including several major grants, show great
promise of making a difference in the quality
of education for all learners. And of course, I am
tremendously pleased to note the announcement
of the SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union gift that
will continue to support the named Center for
Creativity and Critical Thinking for the next eight
years. Watch for a more detailed story about the
Center in our next issue of Impact.
I offer thanks to the CSUF faculty, staff, students,
and alumni who dedicate their efforts to being
transformational leaders in education. I hope
you will agree that we are well on our way toward
achieving that vision.
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit
Union Pledges $500,000 Naming
Gift to the College of Education
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union has continued its longstanding support
of the College of Education by pledging a new naming gift of $500,000 to
the Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking.
“SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union is very much interested in supporting teacher
development and advancing education and we are proud to partner with them in those
efforts,” says Claire C. Cavallaro, dean of the College of Education.
In 2009, the credit union pledged $50,000 every year for five years to establish the Center
at CSUF, which promotes educational approaches and methods that infuse the arts,
science, and technology as central components in school curriculum. To accomplish
that, the SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking
focuses on developing effective education models that promote ingenuity and reflective
processing. It also builds partnerships with local schools, working with teachers to develop
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students need in order to thrive in and influence
a global economy.
“This funding from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union means we have the opportunity
to expand the reach of the Center to serve more teachers, schools, districts, and community
organizations, especially those that serve high-need populations,” says Teresa Crawford,
director of the Center. “This gift comes at a crucial time when schools are in need of highquality teacher-development services to ensure teachers have the skills to understand
and teach using the new Common Core State Standards. Thanks to SchoolsFirst Federal
Credit Union, the Center is poised and ready to meet this need, as well as to expand our
services in the arts, technology, and STEM education.”
In its first five years, the Center has provided direct service to nearly 600 teachers and
future teachers and to nearly 8,000 students.
“The Center could not have a more perfect partner than SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union,”
says Crawford. “They have not only recognized the potential of the Center to positively
impact educators and students, but have made it a priority to help us expand our reach
and services.”
Dr. Claire Cavallaro
Dean, College of Education
Left to right: Teresa Crawford,
Andrea Guillaume, and
Ginger Geftakys
6
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
PHOTO BY MATT GUSH
Jessica Barco, second from left, with John Hoffman, Dawn Person, and Eugene Fujimoto
Moving a City Closer to College
With more than 65 percent of its residents failing to complete high school
and about a quarter of its population falling below the poverty line, the City
of Maywood is a careworn community, oft-forgotten by outsiders. Despite
the city’s deficiencies, Jessica Barco (MS ’10) has always believed in its –
and her own – potential to achieve more.
“My passion to make a difference is grounded
in my faith and life experiences,” she says,
recalling her journey of hope and hardships.
“I was the first in my family to graduate from
high school and aspire to attend college.
My efforts were met with adversity; I had no
support models and the reality of college was
an overwhelming unknown.”
Spurred on by her natural gifts and abilities,
Barco remained college-bound, determined
to succeed. In high school, her motivation
was evidenced by her exceptional academic
performance, regular involvement in school
and community activities, and strong
leadership as student body president.
“I had a lot of ambition, but it was almost no
match for my internal struggle. I feared that by
going to college, I was putting myself before
the needs of my family. I wanted to contribute,”
Barco says. “Against all odds, I did make it
to college, but I still found myself wanting to
contribute in greater ways.”
In 2009, while attending CSUF, Barco did
just that when she created the Maywood
Education Fair, an event designed to
encourage Maywood residents to pursue
college education. Through a continued
partnership between CSUF’s Department of
Educational Leadership’s Master of Science
in Higher Education program and the City
of Maywood, the fair has become an annual
autumnal mainstay.
“I’m thrilled by the long-term success of the
Maywood Education Fair because I know all
too well what first-generation students in the
City of Maywood and many other cities can
face,” she says. “In the event’s conception,
I had high hopes and big dreams to provide
an education resource within the community’s
unique context and culture. Having the
opportunity to watch this dream come to life
has truly been a blessing.”
Five years since its inauguration, the Maywood
Education Fair continues to grow. This fall’s
event included food, prizes, and informative
CSUF student-organized workshops that
drew more than 500 parents, students,
and community members. Barco still offers
support, attending every year to engage the
community and provide a closing keynote
speech. She credits CSUF for helping the fair
thrive and informing her own career path.
“My experience with the Maywood Education
Fair has provided me with a greater understanding of how ideas can impact communities
by putting theory into practice,” she says.
“CSUF and the fair have given me the resolve
to stand up and provide a voice for what
I believe in. Moreover, CSUF provided me
with the framework I needed to objectively
measure what I manage, and manage what
I measure.”
Today, Barco remains dedicated to leading
with courage and conviction. In addition to
being the assistant director of financial aid at
Biola University, she and her husband Luis
Fernando Barco serve as youth pastors at
Iglesia Betania church in Maywood.
“We’ve done exciting work at the church,
providing interactive and bilingual financial aid
workshops, college admission workshops,
and more,” she says. “I’m grateful for the ability
to see people as invaluable individuals beyond
the context of any projects. In doing so, I can
sustain my passion and continue to assist in
shaping the next generation of leaders.”
Issue Five // Winter 2014
7
Faculty Members Secure Nearly
$3 Million in New Education Grants
Securing grants to fund education
projects is highly competitive, and
only a small number of projects
are funded annually. The College
of Education at Cal State Fullerton
is in the national spotlight with three
new grants awarded to faculty
totaling close to $3 million.
Reaching for the STARs
Pictured above, from left: Amy Kim, Jennifer
Diogostine, Mary Liska, Janice Myck-Wayne,
Tanesha Taylor, and Lisa Brantley.
Janice Myck-Wayne,
associate professor of
Special Education, has
successfully landed a
$1.25 million
.S. Department of
U
Education grant to fund
her Supporting Teacher
Advancement and
Retention (STAR) project.
After countless hours and 200 pages
of text, Janice Myck-Wayne, associate
professor of Special Education, has
successfully landed a $1.25 million U.S.
Department of Education grant to fund
her Supporting Teacher Advancement
and Retention (STAR) project. Project
STAR will help 32 teacher candidates –
called Project STAR Scholars – from
diverse and underrepresented backgrounds
complete the required credential programs
for special education preschool teachers. The grant also funds the development of seminars
that promote the successful inclusion of children with special needs into the general education
preschool setting as well as the development of new course modules to enhance the credential
program with evidence-based practices.
Project STAR partners include general education preschool teachers in the Cal State Fullerton
Children’s Center and the Santa Ana Unified and Anaheim Unified school districts.
“This grant provides funds for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) credential candidates
who may not otherwise be able to obtain the credential,” she explains. “Their evaluation
of the developed material and our observation of the effectiveness of the content will inform
the program regarding whether the activity should be incorporated into the overall ECSE
credential program.”
Many states already offer blended credential programs for early childhood and early childhood
special education. “While California has a long way to go before we offer that credential, offering
joint training seems to be a great start,” she says.
The grant is for five years, and Myck-Wayne has an aggressive first-year plan, including
developing ECSE modules for credential coursework, matching STAR Scholars with
mentors, and creating a framework for the joint seminars. The first joint seminar is
scheduled for the spring. In addition, the first eight STAR Scholars have been chosen
and are already hard at work.
“Grant scholars are participating online with students from eight other countries in the
International Project on Education, which addresses the cultural competence aspect of the
grant,” she says. “In addition, several scholars have also participated in local professional
development workshops.”
8
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
From left: Natalie Tran, Sam Behseta, Mark Ellis, and Armando M. Martinez-Cruz.
Helping students excel in math
through dual-language education
A passion for equitable education underpins
almost everything Mark Ellis, associate
professor of Secondary Education and
director at-large of the National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics, does as
a professional educator. That passion
landed him a $1.5 million National Science
Foundation grant to examine the effect
of dual-language programs on increasing
mathematics and science achievement
among Latino junior high students.
The Transforming Academic and Cultural
Identidad through Biliteracy (TACIB) project
targets bilingual students transitioning from
elementary school to junior high school.
These students will be taught mathematics
and science in both English and Spanish
during seventh and eighth grades. The
project will draw upon students’ linguistic,
familial, and cultural resources to foster
a strong sense of identity (“identidad”
in Spanish) toward learning and excelling
in these disciplines.
“I was fortunate to be part of a collaborative
team that includes professors Armando
Martinez-Cruz and Sam Behseta in
Mathematics and Natalie Tran in Educational
Leadership, as well as Michael Matsuda from
the Anaheim Union High School District and
Janet Yamaguchi at the Discovery Science
Center,” Ellis says. “These folks were on
board from the beginning with the idea for
this project and are deeply committed to
seeing it successfully implemented.”
TACIB project partners include the Anaheim
Union High School District, the Discovery
Science Center, the Anaheim City School
District, and the California Association for
Bilingual Education. Ellis expects to spend
the first year of the project recruiting and
working with teacher partners to create
instructional materials, as well as working
with parents to learn how math and science
are important to them and how to support their
children’s science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) education.
“We will also set up after-school STEM learning
activities in collaboration with the Discovery
Science Center and recruit Cal State Fullerton
students who are planning to earn math or
science credentials and who are bilingual in
English and Spanish to work with the teachers
in the field as paid Fellows,” he explains.
This project comes just as new curriculum
standards have been adopted in California
for math (Common Core State Standards)
and science (Next Generation Science
Standards), which emphasize students not
only learning content, but also becoming
proficient with the disciplinary habits of doing
math and science. For this reason, Ellis
says, “We also plan to identify CSUF faculty
in mathematics and science who want to
partner with the teachers in our project, to
exchange ideas about how to support students
in learning the habits of mind important to the
disciplines of mathematics and the sciences.”
Securing this grant enables Ellis to continue
his focus on helping all students learn.
“This project demonstrates a commitment
to collaborate with school district partners,
in particular those serving students from
high-need communities, to prepare teachers
who have the disposition and skills to support
all learners,” he says.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10…
Issue Five // Winter 2014
9
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9…
“With my prior experience
as a teacher of children with
autism, I saw the power of
behavioral, communicative,
social, and sensory interventions
in improving the quality
of life for my students.”
Erica Howell, assistant professor of Special Education and co-director of the Cal State Fullerton Center for Autism,
has secured a $50,000 grant to equip medical professionals to better serve children with autism.
Equipping medical professionals
to better serve children with autism
When children with autism and related
disorders must undergo cancer treatments,
their difficulty in communicating and in
understanding treatment protocols can lead
to stress and subsequent behavior problems,
often leaving medical professionals feeling
ineffective. Erica Howell, assistant professor
of Special Education and co-director of the
Cal State Fullerton Center for Autism, has
secured a $50,000 grant to teach these
medical professionals how to more effectively
support children with autism as they undergo
cancer treatment.
“With my prior experience as a teacher
of children with autism, I saw the power
of behavioral, communicative, social, and
sensory interventions in improving the quality
of life for my students,” explains Howell.
“There is a strong need for these supports
to be applied in medical settings: medical
staff need help navigating autistic characteristics
in order to accurately diagnose children
with medical problems and apply the
corresponding treatment.”
10
REACH. TEACH. IMPACT.
Howell will work in collaboration with
co-principal investigator Dr. Leonard Sender,
medical director of the Hyundai Cancer
Institute at Children’s Hospital Orange
County (CHOC) and director of clinical
operations and program development at the
Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center,
UC Irvine Medical Center. The grant is part
of a P20 grant funded through the National
Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes
of Health. It was awarded by CSUF’s Health
Promotion Research Institute, in partnership
with The Chao Family Comprehensive
Cancer Center.
“The work that Dr. Sender and I are
completing is novel and highly needed,”
she says. “Not only does it allow for strong
collaboration between the Center for Autism
and CHOC’s Hyundai Cancer Institute,
it also integrates the knowledge we have
as education specialists in the College
of Education within the medical field.”
Howell will conduct focus groups with
families of children with autism who receive
treatment at CHOC and also with doctors,
nurses, and child life specialists.
“The content of the observations and
the focus groups will help me design and
implement an oncology staff training that
equips medical professionals to increase
procedural understanding and reduce
treatment-related anxiety for children
with autism receiving cancer treatment,”
she explains.
Qualitative follow-up research will be
conducted on the efficacy of the training
and the implementation of the strategies
taught. Howell also expects to involve
Cal State Fullerton Center for Autism student
associates in the project, giving them the
opportunity to actively serve members of
the autism community who are undergoing
treatment at CHOC.
“Our long-term goal is to apply for additional
external funding and disseminate the
information to CHOC’s 220 Children’s
Oncology Group partners at medical
institutions across the United States and
Canada so that the developed curriculum
can have widespread impact,” she says.
Faculty Members Develop Materials for New Transitional
Kindergarten Teacher Preparation Programs
“This work is grounded in an understanding
of child development and instructional
practices that are developmentally appropriate
for young children,” explains Norman. “Several
themes are integrated throughout the eight
modules, including the role of exploration
and play in building conceptual understanding
as well as social-emotional and language
development. Other themes include teacherstudent and peer interaction, practices that
are inclusive and meet the needs of individual
learners, and the critical role of partnerships
with families and communities.”
College of Education faculty members involved in the project to prepare future teachers to teach in transitional
kindergarten classrooms are, from left: Kimberly A. Norman, project coordinator; Hallie Yopp Slowik;
Lisa D. Kirtman; Sharon V. Chappell; Ruth Yopp-Edwards; and Shelia Arnold.
As California embarks on the new
transitional kindergarten program –
a modified kindergarten curriculum
that is age and developmentally
appropriate – Cal State Fullerton
is helping to prepare future teachers
for these classrooms.
Kimberly A. Norman, professor of Elementary
and Bilingual Education, will coordinate
development of transitional kindergarten
instructional materials for CSU teacher
preparation programs along with other Fullerton
faculty. These faculty include Lisa D. Kirtman,
Hallie Yopp Slowik, Ruth Yopp-Edwards,
and Sharon V. Chappell, all professors of
Elementary and Bilingual Education, and Shelia
Arnold, a part-time faculty member and an
Early Childhood Education Coordinator with
the Orange County Department of Education.
“The six Cal State Fullerton faculty selected
for the project are recognized nationally for
their expertise in early childhood teaching and
learning, child development, teacher education
and development, as well as language and
literacy, mathematics, the arts, science, and
social studies,” says Norman.
The project supports the development of
innovative, scalable designs and resources
that integrate transitional kindergarten into
pre-service teacher preparation. It also
provides support for candidates in CSU’s
15 doctoral programs in Educational
Leadership to conduct research on
transitional kindergarten and related topics.
“This work is important because it draws
attention to a change that is happening
in California and helps to ensure that
transitional kindergarten will be included
in teacher education,” says Kirtman. In fact,
education experts across the country are
watching the program for lessons on how
the Obama Administration’s proposal for
universal Pre-K could work.
The project provides teacher candidates with
another layer of information and experiences
regarding the education of young children.
The CSU Transitional Kindergarten Modules
being developed address child development,
English learners, literacy, mathematics,
science, social studies, and the arts.
This past spring and summer, the project
team developed and field tested the
instructional modules. This fall, undergraduate
and Multiple Subject Credential Program
faculty at Cal State Fullerton and Cal State
Channel Islands are piloting the instructional
materials in their courses.
“The feedback from students, instructors,
and stakeholders throughout the state has
been extremely positive,” says Norman.
In spring 2014, the project team will
disseminate the modules to programs
throughout the CSU system through the
CSU Teaching Commons website and
webinars. These and other events are
designed to foster rich discussion on the
preparation of teachers for working with
young children.
The collaborative aspect of the project
has included discussions with colleagues
from other CSU campuses, county offices
of education, the California Department
of Education, as well as policy, research,
and professional organizations.
“Being part of this initiative has helped me
reflect on my work and think about the
importance of active, hands-on, standardsbased work at all levels,” says Kirtman.
The project is funded by a $75,000
award, made possible by the David and
Lucile Packard Foundation, to the CSU
Chancellor’s Office.
Issue Five // Winter 2014
11
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
FULLERTON, CA
PERMIT #487
College of Education
P.O. Box 6868
Fullerton, CA 92834-6868
Address Service Requested
Please note: If recipient is no longer at this
address, please contact Kim Naujokas at
[email protected] or call 657.278.4021.
STAY CONNECTED.
Whether your contact information needs to be updated or you want to share
a story deserving of recognition, we want you to keep in touch.
• Has your personal contact information changed?
•Are you, other students, or alumni impacting the education community in a special way?
•Is there an educational initiative or CSUF College of Education program
you are interested in reading about?
Send an email to [email protected] to share your message.
FOLLOW US.
www.facebook.com/
CSUFofficial
twitter.com/csuf
ed.fullerton.edu