SCHOLARSHIP, CREATIVE PROJECTS & SERVICE
Scholarly Service to the State of Michigan's Department of Education:
Kassaday, C., Kottke, S., Paciorek, K. & Mirtes, C. (2019, May 31) Michigan Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Lower Elementary (PK-3) and Upper Elementary (3-6) Education: Professional Standards [Webinar]. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Webinar_Elem_Stds_Professional_656878_7.pdf
Co-Presenter of Michigan Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Lower Elementary (PK-3) and Upper Elementary (3-6) Education: Professional Standards to provide Teacher Preparation Providers access to critical information regarding PK-3 and 3-6 grade band standards and the implications for programs.
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Co-Presenter of Michigan Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Lower Elementary (PK-3) and Upper Elementary (3-6) Education: Professional Standards to provide Teacher Preparation Providers access to critical information regarding PK-3 and 3-6 grade band standards and the implications for programs.
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Co-Chairperson, lead researcher and co-author of Michigan Department of Education's Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Early Childhood General Education and Special Education (Birth-Kindergarten).
Key areas of the draft early childhood standards include sections for: Whole Child Development, Special Education (Natural and Inclusive Environments), Family and Community Relationships, and Content Knowledge and Pedagogy. Underlying these areas are a layer of standards focused on the foundational coursework required in order to enact the other sections. Coursework should be applied in a manner that relies on connected clinical experiences.
Proven Result: Approved January 14, 2020.
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Key areas of the draft early childhood standards include sections for: Whole Child Development, Special Education (Natural and Inclusive Environments), Family and Community Relationships, and Content Knowledge and Pedagogy. Underlying these areas are a layer of standards focused on the foundational coursework required in order to enact the other sections. Coursework should be applied in a manner that relies on connected clinical experiences.
Proven Result: Approved January 14, 2020.
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Moving From ZS to B-K: A Deep Dive of the Standards:
Stakeholders determined these elements were critical to B-K educator preparation and have used them as a framework to develop the B-K standards.
Foundational Coursework - focuses on what is established to be best practice in ECE, as outlined by NAEYC. Whole Child Development - reinforces that well prepared teachers understand all domains of development are influenced by the interactions (i.e. play) within the environment and with other people.
Relationships: Family and Community - recognizes that well-prepared teachers value families and community agencies as integral partners who can work together to support the development of the child.
Natural and Inclusive Environments & Special Education - highlights that well-prepared teachers are able to create safe, responsive and nurturing environments to best support the varying developmental needs of each child. Content Knowledge - adds a professional label to the work that ECE teachers and practitioners are already doing in terms of providing young children ongoing opportunities and intentional experiences that support cognitive/language development during the formative years.
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Committee Member of Michigan Department of Education Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) for Great Start to Readiness Program (GSRP) (2018-2022).
The state does not identify one best curriculum model. Instead, the MDE uses its curriculum approval process and the Great Start Readiness Program Preschool Curriculum Model Evaluation Rubric to assess a curriculum’s alignment with Michigan’s preschool standards. Michigan’s rubric was developed based on a 2015 national survey of state curriculum review rubrics and processes conducted by the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education. This resulted in a review of 16 state responses, and elements to create Michigan’s rubric were taken from roughly five of the responses. Missouri’s rubric was the primary source from which best practices were pulled. Michigan’s rubric includes five major areas: • Valid research: Is the curriculum grounded in sound theory and research? • Evaluation results: What evidence exists that the curriculum is effective? • Professional development: How does the curriculum support educators’ professional learning? • Developmental appropriateness: Is the curriculum developmentally appropriate for four-year-olds? • Alignment with state standards: Is the curriculum aligned with Michigan’s ECSQ-PK and the General Education Leadership Network’s Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy - Pre-K. For a list of approved curricula, visit the GSRP website https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/CurriculumADAUpdated_550561_7.pdf).
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SERVICE at Eastern Michigan University: Curriculum Development
Elementary Education Re-envisioning Steering Committee (Spring 2018 - present)
The Charge: Using feedback from stakeholders, partners, and program completers, and in consideration of new program standards from the Michigan Department of Education, envision new elementary education programs that bring our College beliefs/values to life, are focused on candidate needs, and prepare candidates to meet the educational needs of the PK-12 students they will serve as professional educators. As a member of the steering committee this incredibly large task must take the following into consideration: MDE requirements for Grades PK-3 & 3-6 Standards for Elementary Teacher Preparation, 2018 Professional Standards”, High Leverage Practices from TeachingWorks, the new requirements for clinical experiences, feedback from stakeholders, partners, and program completers regarding the quality of elementary programs at EMU.
The Process: The committee is incorporating the Guiding Principles, College of Education Core Beliefs, and the Teaching Collaborative to create a cutting edge degree program for two adjacent grade bands with approximately 120 credit hours (as accredited elementary programs at other Educator Preparation Institutions (EPIs) that are also doing 120 credit hour programs). Additional considerations include faculty workload issues, University structure, collaborating with folks from CAS, transfer agreements, forthcoming Birth-Kindergarten grade band (which Dr. Mirtes serves as a lead researcher and writer on the MDE B-K Standards committee) and eventually 5-9 band and are designing a program that partners with local districts within the community. Upon analyzing data from stakeholders and faculty, the following themes emerged regarding areas we can further support our well prepared teacher candidates: greater attention to working with English learners, assessment, students with disabilities and other at-risk students, more emphasis on classroom and behavior management, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed practices, pedagogy/ best practice, relationships and faculty collaboration/field experiences. These identified areas are being strategically addressed within the new program as outlined in the Executive Summary of the Faculty Feedback for Elementary Certification Restructuring Survey, which was drafted and presented to the Teacher Eduction Department by Dr. Mirtes. To accomplish this charge, the Steering Committee meets regularly each week and members are assigned duties on a continual basis. This work includes but is not limited to: meet with various stakeholders (teachers, superintendents, principals) gather data, analyze completer survey data, design faculty survey, using thematic analysis to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement, draft a letter to recruit faculty to join Workgroup, create new courses in the area of ECE, participate in the Math Workgroup to create two of the four math courses.
Adding PK standards: MDE later included Preschool (with PK standards) as a part of the PK-3 endorsement - as opposed to traditionally beginning with Kindergarten or First Grade. Preschool pedagogy looks quite different than school-aged practice and content is often intentionally woven in during authentic adult-guided and child-guided play experiences with the children. This is something that was not included in our current Elementary Education program. Therefore, Dr. Mirtes serves as a consultant with ECE expertise on the course development for many of our new courses. Examples include: PK-3 Math, PK-3 Literacy, PK-3 Writing.
Birth-Kindergarten (ZN: Early Childhood General and Special Education): MTTC 134 at EMU: Lastly, Dr. Mirtes led the creation of the new program and courses for the Birth-Kindergarten Teaching and Learning certificate at EMU. Her integral leadership in drafting MDE's Standards for Preparation of Teachers for the Birth-Kindergarten General Education and Special Education teaching certificate directly benefited this new program creation at EMU. While this is a new stand alone teaching certificate, EMU strongly suggests students select two majors (i.e B-K and PK-3 bands).
Proven Result: The newly created Eastern Michigan University's Early Childhood and Elementary Education Teaching and Learning Certificate Program Approved by EMU and MDE. Offered to students beginning Fall 2021
Co-Chair Committee to Create New Foundational Eduction Course TED/EDUC 101
EDUC 101: Teaching and Learning for a Diverse and Democratic Society
Number of credit hours: 3
Pre-requisites: None
Catalog Description: This course explores historical perspectives and cultural influences in education impacting today’s classroom and school practices. Students will examine sociocultural and constructivist theories and practices as they relate to relationships and child-centered teaching and learning within school communities, while exploring the path to becoming a professional educator. Field experiences required.
Proven Result: Course approval and offered to students beginning Fall 2021.
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SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY: Eagle Style Career Closet (2021-22)
Diversity Committee Member (2017-2021)
Rising Together for Justice - MLK Day Celebration, 2022 - Contributor
Love is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer
Rising Together for Justice - MLK Day Celebration, 2022 - Contributor
Love is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer
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SCHOLARLY RESEARCH THEMES: Contemporary Play, Emergent Literacy, Inclusive Early Childhood Environments, Elevating the Early Childhood Education Profession
MiAEYC Annual Conference Presentation 2022 (Mirtes & Muchmore, 2022)
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MiAEYC Annual Conference Presentation 2022 (Grimone-Hopkins & Mirtes, 2022)
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OAEYC Annual Conference Presentation 2022 (Mirtes & Grimone-Hopkins, 2022)
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NAEYC Annual Conference Presentation 2021, Orlando, Florida, (Mirtes, 2021)
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Concepts to Go!: Early Literacy Supporting Intentional Learning Experiences in Early Childhood Settings By: Christina Mirtes
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NAEYC Annual Conference Presentation, Nashville TN. (Mirtes, 2019)
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High Scope International Conference Presentation, 2017
Adrian College - Institute for Education - Volume 4, Issue 1
Dr. Mirtes' Research on iPad® Learning, 2016
(excerpted from Adrian College Institute for Education)
With the rapid onset of technology (such as the iPad®) being integrated in classrooms, there is very little empirical evidence on the short term and long term effects of such use among children during their formative years. Dr. Christina Mirtes, Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education Department at Adrian College, received a Faculty Research Grant to conduct research titled “Contemporary Play: An Analysis of Preschool Discourse During Play Situations while using Technology and using Traditional Play Materials” investigating if there is a difference in children’s language output while pairs of children were engaged in two play contexts – playing with a block building application on an iPad® and playing with traditional wooden blocks.
After data collection and discourse analysis was complete, Dr. Mirtes concluded that there was a significant difference in the two play contexts with the children’s language being longer, more complex and used a greater number of different words while playing with traditional wooden blocks as compared to the iPad®. These findings are significant and underscore the relevance of The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s position statement regarding best practice while using technology in Early Childhood. Dr. Mirtes stated, “Technology is culturally relevant to today’s techno-savvy children and should be infused into the curriculum in a developmentally appropriate manner to support the diverse needs of our young learners. However, during the formative years, young children should be monitored in terms of the frequency and length of time they are playing with technology tools. Additionally, such tools should supplement, not replace, existing materials which facilitate language, social and cognitive development in young children.” She further adds, “It’s very exciting to offer this new contribution to the pool of authoritative research in Early Childhood Education."...
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Other Publicly Engaged Scholarship in the Media
Lenawee County Media - The Daily Telegram: The Third & Fourth Grade After School Language Arts & Social Studies Enrichment Program at Lincoln Elementary School - Adrian Public Schools & Adrian College - Dr. Christina Mirtes
Retrieved from: http://www.lenconnect.com/photogallery/MI/20150422/PHOTOGALLERY/422009999/PH/1?refresh=true
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Student Association of Early Childhood Education (SAECE)
Student Executive Board - Pictured above: back row from left to right - Faculty Advisor, Dr. Christina Mirtes; Communications, Kyle Bell; Treasurer, Paige VanAtta; Secretary, Thomas Hoffman. Front row from left to right - Vice President, Julia Torey & President, Emily Fracassa.
Adrian College’s newly formed organization in December 2015, the Student Association
of Early Childhood Education (SAECE), is in full swing this semester. With the purpose,
“To inspire pre-service teachers to explore the importance of high quality early childhood
education, engage with and support local early childhood programs and to
participate in professional development that will enhance our understanding of best
practice in the education of young children”, a group of more than 25 students have
joined this cause. Under the leadership of Emily Fracassa, President, and Faculty
Advisor, Dr. Christina Mirtes, this organization is open to any interested student
currently enrolled at Adrian College. Meetings are held on Thursdays at 12:00 in
Caine Student Center.
This student lead organization is in the initial stages of planning a variety of
activities that will assist future educators in academic opportunities within the
community that will enable them to obtain knowledge, skills and experience in the
field of Early Childhood Education. According to SAECE’s President, Emily Fracassa,
“Some suggestions from student members include: working with and raising money
for local preschools such as Mini-Maples and attending Early Childhood Education
professional conferences. This is a fun group!” Faculty Advisor, Dr. Mirtes, adds,
“This is an excellent opportunity for students who are interested in learning more
about high quality programs for young children during the formative years (Birth –
Age 8).”
Adrian College’s newly formed organization in December 2015, the Student Association
of Early Childhood Education (SAECE), is in full swing this semester. With the purpose,
“To inspire pre-service teachers to explore the importance of high quality early childhood
education, engage with and support local early childhood programs and to
participate in professional development that will enhance our understanding of best
practice in the education of young children”, a group of more than 25 students have
joined this cause. Under the leadership of Emily Fracassa, President, and Faculty
Advisor, Dr. Christina Mirtes, this organization is open to any interested student
currently enrolled at Adrian College. Meetings are held on Thursdays at 12:00 in
Caine Student Center.
This student lead organization is in the initial stages of planning a variety of
activities that will assist future educators in academic opportunities within the
community that will enable them to obtain knowledge, skills and experience in the
field of Early Childhood Education. According to SAECE’s President, Emily Fracassa,
“Some suggestions from student members include: working with and raising money
for local preschools such as Mini-Maples and attending Early Childhood Education
professional conferences. This is a fun group!” Faculty Advisor, Dr. Mirtes, adds,
“This is an excellent opportunity for students who are interested in learning more
about high quality programs for young children during the formative years (Birth –
Age 8).”
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