1. Curriculum Development
Kelli Cordova
EDU652 Instructional Design & Delivery
Dr. Ashley Berger
August 13, 2012

2. Basic 3 Star Requirements
• Average score of 4 on the Environmental
Ratings Scale ( ECERS, ITERS, SACERS, FCCERS)
~ a word about ERS scoring and use as self-
assessment
• Evidence of Curriculum Spiral, documented
and maintained as part of the daily rhythm of
the childcare setting.

3. 3 Star
3 Star Licensure is based on practices that are considered
to be a higher quality level than basic licensing. These
practices are defined in the Essential Elements.
• Essential Element 3A: Staff Qualifications, Evaluation and
Communication
• Essential Element 3B: The Program’s Environment
• Essential Element 3C: Observation and Documentation of
Children’s Progress and Curriculum Planning
• Essential Element 3D: Staff Professional Development
• Essential Element 3E: Family Involvement
• Essential Element 3F: Administrative Policies
• Essential Element 3G: Employee Compensation and
Benefits

4. 3 Star
This presentation will
focus on Essential Element
3B and 3C; the
environment, curriculum
and assessment. These
elements encompass The
Curriculum Spiral- which is
the heart and soul of the 3
Star quality rating.

5. Essential Element 3B: The Learning
Environment
The environment affects
the way children behave,
develop and learn. It also affects the
quantity and quality of
interactions between
adults and children. It
includes tangible aspects,
such as appropriate
materials and equipment.

6. The Learning Environment
For a program to be
verified at the 3 Star level,
the program must achieve
and maintain an average
score of 4 on the
applicable Environmental
Rating Scale. Staff must
have knowledge and
familiarity with these
scales, and refer to them
for ongoing guidance in
program and environment
design.

7. Materials and Equipment
Materials and
equipment should be
rotated and adapted on a
regular basis to conform
to curriculum goals and to
meet the needs of
children with various
abilities.

8. Essential Element 3C: Curriculum and
Assessment
The 3 Star Level denotes an advanced level
of quality in all areas of Child Care, especially in
the area of Curriculum and Assessment.
Programs that achieve and maintain the 3 Star
level have incorporated a system of planning
that is based on the children’s individual
developmental stages and needs.

9. Curriculum Development Spiral
The Curriculum The components:
Development Spiral is • Assess/observe
a continuous process • Develop short and long
of observing, term goals
documenting, • Develop activities
planning, • Implement activities
implementing, • Observe outcomes
activities and routines, • Re-assess/observe
observing and • Redo goals and or redo
assessing outcomes. activities.

10. Commercial Curriculum and
Assessment Systems
There are many these systems are generic and
commercial Curriculum and not modified to reflect the
Assessment systems that can individual program’s specific
be purchased. These are goals, values or areas of
based on the ideas presented emphasis.
in the Curriculum
Development Spiral. These Some popular commercial
systems usually include forms,
checklists and milestone
systems include:
charts. However, since they are • Focused Portfolios
created for commercial use by • Creative Curriculum
any child care provider,

11. Basis for 3 Star
3 Star Curriculum is
based on evidence
gathered from teachers
using the information
gained from the use of
an assessment instrument
to plan curriculum based
on the individual children’s
needs.

12. Gathering Evidence
“For infants and toddlers, anecdotal observations
should be completed three times a year and a
developmental checklist completed three times a year
accompanied with written observations conducted
during the interim time period.”
– 3 Star Verification Tool

13. Gathering Evidence
developmental checklist
completed at least twice
a year accompanied with
written observations that
are conducted during the
interim time period.”
– 3 Star Verification Tool
“For preschoolers,
anecdotal observations
should be completed
(at least) two times a year
and a

14. Communicating
Information regarding
each child’s assessment
and development must be
shared with parents. This
can be in the form of:
• Family handbook
• Letters to families
• Family conferences
• Children’s portfolios

15. Weekly Lesson Plans
Weekly lesson plans must be posted and
organized around an appropriate
curriculum that incorporates a posted daily
schedule and written description of the
role of the teachers and the teaching
strategies used.

16. Lesson Plans
For infants: lesson plans are written to be
flexible and meet the individual needs.
For toddlers: lesson plans continue to be flexible
while introducing consistency in schedule and
routines.
For preschoolers: schedule and routines
continue to be consistent

17. Role of Teacher in Lesson Plans
Lesson plans should include a description
of what the teacher does with the
children. Examples include:
• Teacher will provide choices…
• Teacher will challenge children to solve
problems…
• Teacher will demonstrate…
• Teacher will interact in dramatic play…
• Teacher will ask open-ended questions…
• Teacher will model balance in block area…
• Teacher will read aloud…
• Teacher will nurture and provide children
with a sense of purpose and belonging…
• Teachers will observe, document and assess
to support children’s learning
• Teachers will plan activities…

18. Classroom Rules
Together with older
toddlers, preschool and
school-age children, teachers
will identify appropriate
classroom rules. Some
examples include:
• We use inside voices
• We use walking feet inside
• We use gentle touches
Teachers will establish and
enforce clear rules, limits and
consequences for behavior.
Classroom rules are posted
and reviewed often.

19. Knowledge of Child Development
Evidence of knowledge of Staff provide experiences
child development is that match children’s
demonstrated by having developmental abilities.
appropriate expectations for Teachers will repeat activities
children, including those with for children who need to
special needs. master a skill. Increase
Milestone charts are posted complexity of activities for
in each classroom children who are ready for
Curricular themes are more challenge.
relevant and of interest to
children and are centered on
children’s real life experiences.

20. Areas of Development
The following areas of Multiple areas of development
development must be evident in the
can be incorporated into an
activity. An example of this could
daily program: be a child-centered dramatic play
• Physical: Fine and Gross Motor area where children learn to
(including health) communicate and negotiate with
• Social (including self and others)
peers and use props to learn
about their world. A dramatic
• Emotional (including self-help) play activity could encompass all
• Language (including of the areas of development.
communication, literacy and
numeracy)
• Cognitive (including problem
solving, thinking, and reasoning)

21. A Variety of Learning Experiences
A 3 Star program must
offer a variety of learning
experiences appropriate for the
age of the children. Examples
may include:
• Sand/water play
• Literacy activities such as
reading , writing, storytelling,
puppet play
• Art activities with different
media such as crayons,
pens/pencils, watercolors,
easel painting, chalk , glue,
paper recycle items,
exploration, etc.

22. A Variety of Learning Materials
3 Star curriculum
should incorporate materials
that range from simple to
complex and involve cause
and effect. Examples of this
may include:
• Gradual increase in
number of pieces in
puzzles
• Addition of props in the
block area over time.
• Addition of writing
instruments to writing
area

23. Opportunities to Make Choices
Children develop a
sense of autonomy through
opportunities to make choices.
• Daily schedule has
designated time where
children can choose from a
variety of interest centers.
• Children are allowed to
Children need to have
make choices that are
opportunities to make choices.
meaningful to them they
This promotes reasoning and
are not forced to play in all
self- help skills.
centers.

24. Transitions
Teachers ensure • Transition activities are built
smooth transitions from one into programming so
activity to another. This can be children do not have to
verified by: spend excessive time not
• Teachers provide warning to engaged or waiting
children prior to transition
• Classrooms utilize visual
schedules, cues and
prompts
• The schedule is maintained
and deliberately taught to
children
• Children are taught the
expectations associated
with the transitions

25. Opportunities to Experiment and
Explore
Part of children’s opportunity to
make choices involve
experimentation and exploration.
The learning environment and the
curriculum should have materials
and activities set out that
encourage children to expand
their experiences. For toddlers
and preschoolers, this can often
be achieved by offering a variety
of sensory and science
experiences.

26. Daily Schedule
The daily schedule • Quiet activities include
should offer a balance of cozy area for books or
active/quiet, storytelling
individual/small group/ • Small group activities
large group activities and consist of 2-3 toddlers
indoor/outdoor time. or 4-6 preschoolers.
• Active activities include • Large group or Circle
gross motor skill Time should be
activities like dancing, determined by the
jumping, running, and specific age of the
hopscotch group and children’s
cues.

27. Social Emotional Foundations
A positive Caregivers support positive
social/emotional foundation emotional development by:
is valued as essential for the • Being consistently
development of lifelong responsive to children’s
positive interpersonal needs
relationships and the • Giving comfort to children
growth in all other when they appear hurt,
developmental domains. upset, afraid or
disappointed
• Creating an environment
where children are not
belittled, teased or
mistreated.

28. Social skills are intentionally taught.
• Teachers create • Teachers promote
structures and identification and labeling
activities to of emotions in self and
encourage and teach others.
sharing, turn taking, • Teachers use posters,
requesting items, photographs and pictures
working that portray people in
cooperatively various emotional states.
• Teachers model • With children, teachers
appropriate social explore the nature of
skills through role- feelings and the appropriate
playing ways they can be expressed.

29. Peer Learning
3 Star Curriculum places • Space for small group of
an emphasis on the value of children to work together
social interaction through • Teachers help children
peer learning. This value can express their feeling to
be seen in how the room is each other
arranged and the • Staff model conflict
interactions. resolution
• Staff only intervenes in
children’s conflict when it
appears that they can’t
solve it on their own.

30. Curriculum for Infants
Curriculum for infants
is unlike that for preschool
children. It is based on their
daily routines. Infant
curriculum is based on
routines first and then
caregivers add activities and
games to stimulate and the
challenge the infant to the
next stage of development.

31. Curriculum for Infants
• Routines are used for Awake time
teaching. Teachers talk, should be balanced
and sing during feeding, between child-
bathing, and diapering. initiated exploration
of the environment
• Caregivers describe (toys and other
what is taking place materials) and one-
during routines, (“I am on-one
play/interaction with
going to pick you up.”) the caregiver.
• Caregivers have eye
contact with infants.
• Teachers play simplified
games with infants,
imitating baby’s sounds,
facial expressions and
names body parts and
other items.

32. Curriculum for Infants
Appropriate toys
are introduced at each
stage of development.
Toys and other materials
are rotated on a regular
basis, maintaining a mix of
the familiar and the novel.

33. Curriculum for Toddlers
Curriculum for toddlers
is similar to that for
Preschool, with a few
exceptions. There is more
flexibility in the daily
schedule to accommodate
each toddler’s needs (for
eating, sleeping, toileting.)
Teachers must be familiar
with the development of
toddlers. Milestone charts
should be posted in the
room.

34. Curriculum for Toddlers
Duplicate toys and other
items are recommended
because of toddler’s
inability to share. Enough
toys, based on enrollment
and children’s needs, are
available. Toys should be
rotated. Classroom should
be arranged into learning
areas that allow the children
to explore.

35. 3 Star Curriculum
3 Star Curriculum, when created following
the Curriculum Spiral, is a developmentally
appropriate, individualized learning plan for
each child. It is inherently inclusive. It is
education that meets children where they are
and provides the next developmental challenge
while creating a foundation for more advanced
learning in each of the learning domains.

36. 3 Star Curriculum for Early Childhood

37. 3 Star Curriculum Development
Step 1: Create a file for each child that
includes:
• Developmental milestones for the child’s age
group
• Developmental checklist
• Examples of the child’s work, art and photos.
This file will grow as the year
progresses.

38. Developmental Milestones
Developmental Milestones
New Mexico Children, Youth and
are lists of skills that typically Families Department has created the
developing children will attain NM Early Learning Guidelines: Birth
through Kindergarten.
within a given age range. An
example of a skill on the list These Guidelines “give
would be, “sits unsupported reasonable expectations for children
at different ages so that teachers and
for short periods of time” for a others can have criteria to refer to as
6-8 month old baby. they observe children in action,
determine their levels of
Developmental Milestone performance and plan curricular
lists can be found in published interventions to help them grow,
develop, and learn to their fullest
curricula, such as Focused potential.”
Portfolios or Creative - NM Early Learning Guidelines:
Birth through Kindergarten.
Curriculum.

39. NM Early Learning Guidelines
These guidelines
provide a common
vocabulary to describe
development and
learning. They are
formatted as a continuum
to remind us that children
do not develop at the
same rate or pace, but
rather that each does so
in his or her unique way.

40. NM Early Learning Guidelines
The guidelines reflect
current research on brain
development and best
practices. They represent a
growing consensus among
early childhood professionals
that a greater emphasis be
placed on young children’s
conceptual learning, social and
emotional development and
participation in relevant and
meaningful learning
experiences.

41. Developmental Checklists
Developmental Checklists As teachers observe
are similar to milestones or children attain mastery of
guidelines. The checklists are skills, the date that mastery is
working documents for use by observed is noted on the
teachers which contain a checklist. Over time a record
sampling of key competencies of the child’s development is
(milestones) for a given age created. From this record, a
group. Teachers use these teacher can identify the next
checklists to document when a skills toward which the child is
skill or behavior is observed as developing.
“in progress” or “mastered”. Developmental Checklists
can also help teachers and
parents to spot “red flags” in
development- areas of
development that may be
delayed.

42. Demonstration of Competency
Each child’s file should
contain examples of:
• Art work
• Writing samples
• Photographs
• Dictated speech
• And any other tangible
form of demonstration
of competency or
mastery of skills.

43. Focused Observations
Step 2: Begin conducting Conduct weekly informal,
ongoing focused anecdotal observations on
observations for each child. sticky pads for each child. If
there is support (planning
(For more information about the time and/or supervision
different types of observations,
see Focused Observations by coverage) schedule more
Gronlund and James, Redleaf formal observations to
Press, 2005.) target specific skills or
domains. These
observations get transferred
to the Developmental
Checklists to form a long
term picture of
development for each child.

44. Goals
Step 3: Based on the Observations may reveal
developmental picture that that there is a sub-group in
emerges from the the class that needs to
observations and checklists, “work on holding a pencil in
create long and short term writing position.”
goals for each child. This fine motor skill may
If the children are within the become a short term goal
same age-range, many of for these children. If this
the children will have the skill is very challenging for a
same developmental goals. child, “work on fine motor
For example, children skills” may become a long
between 2 and 3 are term goal.
developing fine motor skills.

45. Short Term Goals
Step 4: Create class lists of
children’s short term goals.
Then group children’s goals
by learning domain/s.
For example: Zoe’s goal- to
begin to utilize “please” and
“thank you” at appropriate
times.
This goal is in the Language
and/or Social Emotional
domain/s.

46. Learning Domains
Step 5: Number the Different sources
domains: identify the domains
1- Language differently. Sometimes
Language is called
2- Fine Motor Communication, for
3- Gross Motor example.
4- Pre-literacy
5- Social Emotional
6- Cognitive/Reasoning

47. Goals by Domain
Step 6: Group the 2- Fine Motor Skills
children’s individual goals • Mara- learn to use
by the domain number. scissors
Example: • Philip- learn to use
1- Language scissors
• Zoe- please/thank you • JT- learn to pick up
• Chris- respond to verbal small items with pincer
directions grasp.
• Felicita- learn more
vocabulary in English

48. Goals Guide Curriculum Planning
Step 7: On weekly curriculum, plan activities that will
give children opportunities to work toward their
individual goals. On curriculum, put the number of the
domain next to the activity/ies in which that domain
and goals will occur. Example:
Art- Mother’s Day Cards Dramatic Play- Household
Teacher will explain what a card is Teacher will interact with play to
and show examples of different suggest expansion of activity (i.e.
cards. Teacher will provide making pizza, shopping, giving the
materials: paper, writing baby a bath) to expand and model
materials, scissors, paint, collage language and role play.
items.
#1 and 2 #1 and 5

49. For each activity in the weekly curriculum, list the
domains addressed in the activity. Art- Mother’s Day Cards
In this activity, Art, the teacher is Teacher will explain what a card is
and show examples of different
presenting an opportunity for cards. Teacher will provide
materials: paper, writing
children to use materials that will materials, scissors, paint, collage
items.
utilize their fine motor skills. As #1 and 2
The teacher works with the children to create the
cards, she also engages with them in language
expansion, which addresses the language goals for each
child. So on the curriculum, #1 (language domain) and
#2 (fine motor skills) are the learning domains
addressed by this activity. On the back of the lesson
plan, the list of children’s Goals by Domain can be kept.

50. Curriculum will then include: Art- Mother’s Day Cards
Lesson Plans (front) Teacher will explain what a card is
• Content area and name of activity and show examples of different
• Brief description and role of cards. Teacher will provide
teacher materials: paper, writing
materials, scissors, paint, collage
• Materials list items.
• Domains addressed within activity
#1 and 2
Short-term goals (back) 1- Language
• Short-term goals for each child
• Zoe- please/thank you
grouped by learning domain
• Each child should have two short
• Chris- respond to verbal
directions
term goals in different domains
• Each child should have multiple
• Felicita- learn more vocabulary
in English
opportunities throughout the day
2- Fine Motor Skills
to work on these goals
• Short-term goals should be • Mara- learn to use scissors
reviewed every two-three weeks • Philip- learn to use scissors
• JT- learn to pick up small items
with pincer grasp.

51. In the second activity,
Dramatic Play- Household
Dramatic Play, the teacher
Teacher will interact with play to
actively engages in play with suggest expansion of activity (i.e.
the children. In doing so, she making pizza, shopping, giving the
baby a bath) to expand and model
can direct the play to expand language and role play.
on language, model language #1 and 5
and appropriate
social/emotional interaction.
The teacher can guide the
interactions through her
involvement to address the
language and social
emotional short term goals of
the children.

52. Short-term goals should be reevaluated at
least monthly based on ongoing
observations.
Activities should be based on children’s
short-term goals.
The short-term goals should culminate in
mastery of the long-term goals for each child.
There should be a balance between
teacher directed activities and free
time to explore learning centers.
Teachers can still direct free time (and
address short-term goals) by making
deliberate choices about what
materials are placed in the centers.
Teachers can also direct free time and
address short-term goals by actively
interacting in the learning centers with
the children.