Fewer than half of Maryland children show readiness in language and early literacy domains when starting Kindergarten. We have been funded by the Unites States Office of Education to tackle this problem. To help solve this problem, we developed EA-SHELLS (Early Achievements-Shaping Early Language and Literacy Skills). EA-SHELLS is designed to strengthen children’s language-based literacy skills through teachers’ delivery of high-quality, evidence-based instructional strategies.
Tell me more…
EA-SHELLS was developed in collaboration with pre-K teachers over the course of three years. Teachers easily learned the EA-SHELLS strategies and their pre-K students showed significant improvement in just four months. Now, we are starting a project that will tell us whether children learn faster when their teacher is trained to use the EA-SHELLS strategies compared to when their teacher does not receive such training.
What is special about EA-SHELLS?
Teachers already have access to excellent approaches that enable children to ‘break the code’ of letters combined to form words. This is called decoding and involves skills such as alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness.
But decoding skills are not enough to become a competent reader. Children also must develop skills that enable them to understand the meaning of words, sentences, and stories that we read to them. Yet there is a gap in proven approaches for teaching these language-based literacy skills to pre-K children. EA-SHELLS is designed to fill this gap. EA-SHELLS is designed to strengthen the four main language-based skills pre-K children need to become successful readers. EA-SHELLS is for pre-K children with and without language delay.
Sounds great! What does the project involve?
In the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, we will invite about 60 teachers of inclusive pre-K classrooms and their students to join this research study. Teachers will be randomly (like by a toss of a coin) placed in one of two groups. Teachers assigned to the Teacher Training group will learn the EA-SHELLS instructional approach for teaching early language and literacy skills in group activities (book reading and play). Each week a professional from Kennedy Krieger Institute will coach those teachers. Teachers in the Quick Training group will receive a short version of the training (one workshop and two coaching sessions) about four months after starting the study. By comparing the outcomes of these two groups of teachers and their students, we will learn whether teachers’ use of EA-SHELLS strategies for four months results in greater language-based literacy learning in pre-K children.
Complete Our Interest Survey to Receive Updates
EA-SHELLS Training Group
- Virtual interactive workshop with a one-hour focus group
- 16 weekly coaching sessions
- Focus group to give feedback after the training period
- Complete questionnaires
- Our team assesses participating children
- $300 gift card at the end
EA-SHELLS Quick Training
- Complete questionnaires
- Our team assesses participating children
- Four months after starting the study, one virtual interactive workshop and two coaching sessions
- $300 gift card at the end
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens if I am in the EA-SHELLS Training group?
You will receive:
- The EA-SHELLS training: one virtual workshop and 16 weekly collaborative coaching sessions
- Free children’s books
- Free book-related props
- A gift card of $300 if you complete the study
Children will receive:
- Enriched oral-language instruction
- Interactive emergent literacy experiences
What happens if I am in the Quick EA-SHELLS Training group?
You will:
- Provide instruction as usual
- Receive one virtual EA-SHELLS workshop and two collaborative coaching sessions about four months after you start the study
- Receive free children’s books and book-related props
- A gift card of $300 if you complete the study
Can I still use my curriculum?
Yes! Teachers in both groups should continue to use their curriculum. EA-SHELLS is not a curriculum. It is a set of instructional strategies that may be embedded in any curriculum. Teachers in the EA-SHELLS group also will use evidence-based strategies, drawn from the science of learning, during book sharing and play activities.
Who is eligible to participate in the EA-SHELLS study?
Any early childhood educator/provider in inclusive classrooms having students with and without language delays between approximately 3 years, 9 months and 5 years, 5 months of age may be eligible to participate. Programs may include public and private classroom-based child care, Head Start, preschool and pre-K programs. Teachers do not have to be certified to be eligible. We are not able to enroll family child care programs in the project at this time.
What is the time-commitment?
EA-SHELLS will run through the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. Each set of teachers will be in the study for about four months. During EA-SHELLS training, we ask EA-SHELLS Training group teachers to use the EA-SHELLS strategies twice a week during book sharing and a book-related play activity. Teachers in both groups will be asked to complete some questionnaires during the study.
Can my students be enrolled?
Yes.
Are there any incentives available for participating?
Yes. Teachers who complete the project will receive $300. Teachers also receive books and book-related props.
This EA-SHELLS program is through the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI™) at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Does that mean everything is primarily related to serving and educating autistic children?
No. EA-SHELLS is for inclusive classrooms where children with and without language delay are enrolled. Our collaborative coaches and specialists have unique expertise in inclusive education and meeting the needs of diverse learners. It is our goal to promote and support high-quality educational environments for all children.
What should I do if I am interested? What are the next steps?
To learn more about this research study, please complete our interest survey. After we receive your information, we will reach out via email to tell you more about the EA-SHELLS project and answer any questions you might have.
I am an early childhood director or am in a leadership position. Can I sign up multiple classrooms/teachers?
Yes. Please complete our interest survey and let us know your role and number of classrooms/teachers. We will then connect with you to learn more about your context.