Kindergarten PAVEd for Success (K-PAVE)

Kindergarten PAVEd for Success (K-PAVE) is a 24-week vocabulary instruction program designed to increase students' expressive vocabulary in kindergarten. The program is built around three instructional components: Explicit Vocabulary Instruction (New Vehicles), which involves explicit instruction of 240 target vocabulary words using word-learning strategies, exposure to vocabulary words embedded in storybooks through repeated reading, and hands-on extension activities; Interactive Book Reading (CAR Talk), which involves teacher engagement of children during story reading through questions that promote comprehension and oral language skills; and Adult-Child Conversations (Building Bridges), which involves frequent teacher conversations with individual or small groups of students to provide opportunities for teachers to use new vocabulary and for students to increase their productive use of new vocabulary and oral language skills. K-PAVE is implemented as a supplement to regular kindergarten literacy instruction. Teachers receive two days of initial group training, three follow-up telephone conference calls, and up to three rounds of classroom observation and remediation support.