Table 3.

Description of Major Indicators of Low, Mid, and High Quality Language Modeling and Literacy Focus

	Low (1, 2)	Mid (3, 4, 5)	High (6, 7)
Language Modeling Indicators
Frequent Conversation	Teacher rarely converses with students	Teacher sometimes converses with students	Teacher often converses with students
Student-Initiated Language	When conversations occur they are teacher-controlled	Conversations between teachers and students are sometimes teacher-controlled and sometimes more student initiated	Although there is a mix of teacher and student talk, there is a clear and intentional effort by the teacher to promote students’ language use
Open-Ended Questions	The majority of the teacher’s questions are close-ended	Teacher asks a mix of close-ended and open-ended questions	The teacher asks many open-ended questions
Repetition and Extension	Teacher rarely, if ever, repeats or extends students’ responses	Teacher sometimes repeats or extends students’ responses	Teacher often repeats or extends students’ responses
Self & Parallel Talk	Teacher rarely maps his/her own actions and the students’ actions through language and description	Teacher occasionally maps his/her own actions and the students’ actions through language and description	Teacher consistently maps his/her own actions and the students’ actions through language and description
Advanced Language	Teacher does not frequently use advanced language with students	Teacher sometimes uses advanced language with students.	Teacher often uses advanced language (e.g., abstract vocabulary and concepts) with students.
Literacy Focus Indicators
Explicit	Teacher rarely uses terms and strategies that make clear the relationship between oral or written language and the names of specific units or tasks (e.g., letter, rhyme, sound, word).	Teacher inconsistently or only occasionally uses terms that make clear the relationship between oral or written language and the names of specific units or tasks (e.g., letter, rhyme, sound, word).	The teacher uses terms and strategies that make clear the relationship between oral or written language and the names of specific units or tasks (e.g., letter, rhyme, sound, word).
Purposeful	Teacher does not make clear the connection between code-based activities and the broader purpose of written or spoken communication.	Teacher occasionally relates code-based activities to the broader purpose of written or spoken communication.	Teachers link the code-based activities (learning to read and write letters, knowing which words rhyme, knowing how many syllables are in a word) to the broader purpose of written or spoken communication
Systematic	Activities are not well planned to engage children in letters, words, or phonemes; the linkage between the current goals and previously learned goals is not specified or evident	Activities are sometimes planned and organized in a way that engages children in letters, words, or phonemes, and occasionally links the current goals to previously learned concepts or skills	Activities are well-planned and sequenced and teachers link the current goals to previously learned concepts or skills