Foundations Of Environment Rating Scales

Foundations of Environment Rating ScalesPresented By:1

1WELCOMEIntroductionsFormat of the day

2

2Introduce instructors and if time permits participantsReview contents of the folder

Types of ScalesInfant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale - Revised (ITERS R) Birth through 36 monthsEarly Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised (ECERS R) 37 months through entrance into 1st gradeSchool Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) 1st grade though 12 yearsFamily Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised(FCCERS-R) Mixed age group in a home setting3

3 Explain that the scale is one tool to use to assess quality. Consists of a series of yes and no answers to assess strengths and areas of improvementTell participants they will receive books at the Scale specific PD sessions. Additional copies can be purchased from Teachers College Press, NAEYC, Amazon.com, and Red Leaf College Press to name a few.Mention that PA has developed PA Position Statements for each scale that further clarify expectations. Some of these relate to certification regulations for child care centers.Let them know that the authors have given us permission to use portions of their scales in our PD seminars. Foundations isRequired for all Early Childhood Programs participating in PA quality initiatives.

Prerequisite for Professional Development of the ITERS-R, ECERS-R and SACERS44Foundations is part of the Core Series and a prerequisite for PD seminars on specific rating scales, unless they had a prior ERS. NOTE: Foundations is not a prerequisite for FCCERS-R.

Objectives are toreceive a scale overview.learn how the scales measure quality.learn how to use the scale to conduct a self assessment.prepare participants for specific scale Professional Development.55Explain what you want participants to learn based on the bullets on the slideBasic needs of children

1. Health and safety62. Building positive relationships3. Opportunities for stimulation and learning

Take out the Matching Facts Game6Explain that this slide and the next two are the three basic needs of children. Not one is more important than the other. Children need all three of these pieces for healthy development.

Activity: Prompt them to think about which one may be covered by other entities (certification in child care; performance standards in Head Start; local regulatory agencies, etc.Take out Matching Facts Game; remind participants that these facts can be used as resources for staff meetings and parent info sessions.Methods of Measuring QualityRegulations StandardsProcess quality assessments- ERS7

7Explain that all ECE programs participating in quality initiatives receive direction and guidance from outside entities; some are based on state regulations and/or federal regulations. Programs participating in PA Early Learning Initiatives will have one or more other resources to use including Keystone STARS and/or Head Start performance standards, Pre K Counts requirements, Accreditation, etc.Methods of Measuring Quality8 Regulation Requirement for legal operation Minimum or floor below which no program should operate Regulations vary state to state

8Stress that regulations are part of regulatory statutes that are expected to be followed at all times, regardless of setting and situation. A Standard

Defines a goal of practice. Carries great incentive for universal compliance. Based on scientific research and represents consensus on high quality practices.9Methods of Measuring Quality

9Standards are not regulatory statutes. They are goals of practice incorporated into quality initiatives and have a research base.

Activity: Ask participants if they can think of standards (ERS, Keystone STARS, NAEYC, NAA, AAP, etc.)

If you have Caring for Our Children, you could hold up the book and tell participants that the book has standards related to health & safety. They are not law, but a resource and guide to turn to for information on best practice. Process Quality Assessments Are important for continuous quality.

Measure success and identify areas for growth.

Help set goals for high quality programs

10Methods of Measuring Quality

10Pennsylvania and ERSThe scales:are reliable with one anotherhave the same format with the way the data is collected and scoredare internationally normedare used in all PA quality early learning initiatives

11

11The ERS were selected by the state of PA as a way of measuring the quality of our early learning environments. The scales are reliable with one another with the same type of format and same kind of rubric and are internationally and nationally normed for all age groups.

The ERS is used throughout the nation and all around the world. The scales are translated into several different languages.

Process Quality Assessments areA way to collect data of the day to day practices

Take out the Policy vs. Practice Activity1212Activity: Have participants get out the Policy vs. Practice activity. Give them 5 minutes to answer scenarios. Use the talking points at the bottom to guide conversation. Limit follow up discussion to 5 minutes.

You will not have time to go into specifics of sites late pick-up policies. Instead, focus discussion on whether the policy as followed.

Probing questions for the talking points might be: Would others in your facility look at the scenarios in the same way? How do you decide whether to follow your policy or not? Are your policies practiced?

What Does the ERS Measure?

1313Point out that there is a handout that incorporates much of the information that we will be going over.14Schedule

What does ERS Measure? Provides needed consistency for childrens emotional well-being.

Requires intentional planning

Scheduling activities around curriculum

Flexibility within the schedule

14As an adult it is reassuring to us to know what the day has in store for us. For example, participants know that the training started at X oclock and that it will be over in two hours. We like to know when breaks are and that well be getting out in time. Children appreciate the same consistency. They may not be so concerned with the actual times, but appreciate knowing what to expect.

May have discussion about planning curriculum around childrens developing needs rather than a theme for the week/month.

Schedules should be adjusted according to the needs of the children on any given day. For example, if children are engaged in an activity, allow extra time. If they seem bored, end the activity sooner than you had anticipated.Cognitive

15EmotionalPhysicalIndividual Interests

15Children learn best and think differently from one another. Providing time in the schedule for a variety of learning opportunities increases the likelihood that you will be meeting all of the childrens cognitive, emotional, physical, and individual needs.

Encourage participants to think whether their schedule offers a variety of opportunities for children.

Interactions areinterwoven throughout the scale and have their own subscale16

16Interactions17

Staff-childParent-staffChild-childStaff-staff17The scale considers all of the interactions mentioned on the slide. These interactions are measured through listening to communication around you while you are doing the assessment. They are also evaluated based on questions asked of the teachers during the interview portion of the interview. Interaction/communication may be formally (parent hand book, conferences, staff evaluations, etc.) or informally (tone of voice, willingness to share information, eye contact, etc.) measured.Interaction Implications18PositiveNegativeNeutral

18All interactions affect the environment to some degree. Unfortunately negative interactions have a much greater chance of impacting the environment than positive ones. For this reason, the scale measures how often (if at all) negative interactions occur. Negative interactions are addressed within different quality levels. When determining whether an interaction has negatively affected the group, attention will be paid to consider the child/childrens response, the severity of the interaction, and the impact that it had on the group.

If an adult (substitute, volunteer, director, TSS, etc.) who is not typically in the classroom has a negative interaction, this will still be considered based on the childs response, the severity of the interaction, and the impact that it had on the group.

Activity: Have participants think about and possibly role play what a negative, positive, and/or neutral interaction in a certain scenario might look like.Accessible Materials arematerials that children can help themselves to19

19Accessible has a couple of different definitions within the ERS depending on the age and abilities of the children in the group being assessed. Generally it means that the children can reach and use the materials independently. Younger children who do not have a developed sense of object permanence will need to be able to see the materials in order to know they exist and thus use them. More in depth discussions about the term accessibility will be covered in the specific ERS PD sessions.Space Managementplaces centers conveniently20

Analyzes traffic patterns Provides the ability to move freely and20Materials should be stored where they are intended to be used. Children get distracted and lose focus if they have to walk away from their play area to find more materials. Convenient spacing of interest areas is a benefit to teachers as well. For example, an art area is easiest to clean up if it is in an area near running water and on a surface that can be easily cleaned.Space ManagementQuiet and noisy centers separated21

21Children and adults can be easily distracted by visual and auditory stimuli in areas outside where they are playing. Being aware of this and attempting to minimize distraction will help children concentrate and focus on tasks. For example, children benefit from reading in a book area away from noise and movement of children in more active areas such as blocks or music.Space ManagementPlaces for children to be alone22

22Sometimes children are in child care for long periods of the day. Children may need a break from the pressures of group play and activities. Providing an opportunity for children to play on their own is an indicator of high quality. It may be a quiet corner of the room, a computer set up for 1 or 2 children, a loft with a comfy pillow, or many other examples. In order for the space to qualify as space for privacy, staff must enforce the limits to the number of children allowed to play. For example, if a computer is considered space for children to be alone, then only 1-2 children should be using the space. If other children are allowed to stand behind them and watch, the space would not be considered private.Space ManagementSupervision is easy23

23Supervision is crucial to protect childrens health and safety. The way a room is arranged may determine the ease with which adults can supervise. Adults can intervene to protect childrens safety and also when teaching moments arise and are observed by staff.Health and SafetyCleanliness, hand washing, sanitizing, safe equipment, and safe environment 24

24Childrens immune systems are not fully developed. People bring with them different germs from the different places that they have been. Being aware and attempting to reduce the spread of germs helps protect the childrens health. Checking the spaces used for play for safety hazards is a way to protect children from injury.

Combination of allHow children interact with people, space and materials.25

25Summarize that all of the pieces that the ERS measure are important to childrens development.General Scale Organization26

26Scale Structure2727Tell them to take out pages 9 and 14 of ECERS

The specific scale is broken down into subscales which combine similar items together into one group. Page 9 of the hand out is the list of subscales. You can think of them as chapters you might find within the table of contents for a novel.

All of the scales look at the physical space. The physical space subscale may be called something different depending on the scale, but in all scales it consists of Items that are more specific to what you might find in the physical space. All scales include: indoor space, furnishings, displayed materials, gross motor space, etc. to some degree. Items are broken down into indicators which are indicators of quality. Some are high indicators of quality and some are lower indicators of quality. What are indicators and how are they organized?3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort12345671.1No soft furnishing.3.1Some soft furnishings.5.1Cozy area accessible for a substantial portion of the day.7.1Soft furnishings in addition to cozy area accessible to children.1.2No soft toys.3.2Some soft toys.5.2Cozy area is not used for active physical play.7.2Many clean, soft toys accessible to children.5.3Most soft furnishings are clean and in good repair.2828This slide is an example of what a page of the ERS looks like.

#3 Furnishings for relaxation and comfort is the name of the Item.The phrases across the slide are the indicators. The phrases are all indicators of quality. Some are indicators of high quality, others are indicators of lower quality.

You may notice that the indicators are organized in columns. The indicator number correlates to the number of the column that it is in. You can see that the indicators range from 1 to 7. How are the items scored?7 point scale1 Inadequate- Children may be at risk

3 Minimal- Basic health and safety

5 Good- Developmentally appropriate

7 Excellent- Enhanced developmental care2929The columns represent a level of quality. A score of 1 means that the children may be at risk. The risk may be one that threatens: health, safety, cognitive development, social development, or emotional well being.

Activity: Have all the participants who think they will get some 7s raise your hand. Acknowledge the hands and tell them to all raise their hands. All will get some 7s. Then have all the participants who think they will get some 1s raise your hands. Tell them to all raise their hands.

Activity for TOT only: Think of what you might tell a group to help them understand that we arent looking for perfection, good mother who never takes kids to the dentist; good boss with messy desk, etc.

Explain that getting All 7s is like climbing Mt. Everest and the climb should be rewarding even though very few get the top. Explain that although we may want to have scores of all 7s, if we are working towards an average of a score of 5, that means that we have some Items with scores of 6s and 7s, but also some that are lower.

Scrambled Indicator Activity30

30Do first one together and then let them do the next one by themselves.May have to limit to only one due to time Should be here at midway point ( 1 hour)

Methods of ScoringThe Rules31

135731Rule #1All indicators in column 1 must be scored NO (False) to move up, if any are YES (True), score is 1.STOP SCORING.

32

32Remind participants that indicators in the ones are usually the absence of something and represent inadequate care that may put children at risk.

If you turn the indicator into a question, you can see how an answer of no represents higher quality. You may also use the language true/false to have this make sense.

Helpful hint when explaining: Use the catch phrase No to go to remind participants that in order to score higher indicators of quality they must say no in the 1s column. Double negative means you can move on to the 3s column.

All indicators in #1 must be scored NO to move up, if any are YES score is 1. STOP SCORING3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort12345671.1No soft furnishings. NO3.1Some soft furnishings.5.1Cozy area accessible for a substantial portion of the day.7.1Soft furnishings in addition to cozy area accessible to children.1.2No soft toys.YES

3.2Some soft toys.5.2

5.3Cozy area is not used for active physical play. Most soft furnishings are clean and in good repair.

7.2Many clean, soft toys accessible to children.3333Ask participants to decide on the score before clicking a second time. Discuss.Clicking a second time circles the answer.

When further explaining scoring In the ones column, you may use the phrase NO to GO.May also use true or false instead of yes and no

Do not use the terms right, wrong, good, or bad when discussing scoring. Instead say something like, To get past the ones, you must score no.Rule #2To receive a score of 3, 5, or 7 all indicators for those columns must be scored YES. CONTINUE TO NEXT LEVEL.

34

34Indicators in the 3s, 5s, and 7s are written in a positive way. In these columns an answer of yes is required in order to look towards higher levels. When the indicators are posed as questions, an answer of true makes sense that it would represent higher levels of quality. All indicators in column 1 must be scored NO to move up. To receive a score of 3, 5, or 7 all indicators for those columns must be scored Yes. CONTINUE TO NEXT LEVEL3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort12345671.1No soft furnishings. NO3.1Some soft furnishings.YES5.1Cozy area accessible for a substantial portion of the day. YES7.1Soft furnishings in addition to cozy area accessible to children. YES1.2No soft toys. NO

3.2Some soft toys. YES5.2

5.3Cozy area is not used for active physical play. YES

Most soft furnishings are clean and in good repair. YES

7.2Many clean, soft toys accessible to children. YES

3535Check for understandingRule #3When you answer NO (False) to any indicators in columns 3, 5, or 7 finish ONLY that column and score:

If HALF or MORE are YES (True), go back one point.

If LESS than HALF are YES (True), go back two points.

36

36Remember that you are not going to receive scores of 7 in all Items. When you get to an indicator in the 3s, 5s or 7s column that is scored no, finish scoring only that column.

Looking only at the column where you stopped scoring, ask yourself if half or more are yes. If they are, then go back one point from the column that the indicators are in. If less than half are yes, go back two points.

Helpful hint when explaining: If half or more are yes, you are halfway to the next level. If less than half are answered yes, than you go back to the column where you had the more solid score. When you answer NO to indicators under the 3, 5, or 7, finish scoring ONLY the indicators under that column. If HALF or MORE are answered YES, go back one point.3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort12345671.1No soft furnishings. NO3.1Some soft furnishings.YES5.1Cozy area accessible for a substantial portion of the day. YES7.1Soft furnishings in addition to cozy area accessible to children.1.2No soft toys.NO

3.2Some soft toys.YES5.2

5.3Cozy area is not used for active physical play. YES Most soft furnishings are clean and in good repair. NO7.2Many clean, soft toys accessible to children.3737Ask what the score would be. How did they know? Check for understanding.38When you answer NO to indicators under the 3, 5, or 7, finish scoring ONLY the indicators under that column. If less than half are answered YES, go back two points.3. Furnishings for relaxation and comfort 12345671.1No soft furnishings. NO3.1Some soft furnishings.YES5.1Cozy area accessible for a substantial portion of the day. YES7.1Soft furnishings in addition to cozy area accessible to children.1.2No soft toys. NO

3.2Some soft toys. YES5.2Cozy area is not used for active physical play. NO7.2Many clean, soft toys accessible to children.5.3Most soft furnishings are clean and in good repair. NO38Practice Scoring ActivityDirectionsCircle the correct score for each itemreproduced.

Remember to start reading from 1 (inadequate) and upward to the correct score.NAs do not count in the computation of 50% or more or in calculating the items score.39

39Discuss NA here. Explain that NAs do not count for you or against you. You can only NA an indicator of an Item if the scale gives you the option.

Explain that the practice score sheet has all indicators checked yes and no. This is done so that the activity is challenging and also to show them that scoring the entire Item will probably give them valuable information. For scoring purposes, we explain to stop scoring only that column once they answer yes in the ones or no in the 3, 5, and 7s columns. However, for CQI, it is beneficial to score the entire item.

Have participants get out their Practice Scoring handout.Discuss the first two as a group.Leave the cheat sheet up while doing practice activity.

Environment Rating Scale ScoringAll indicators in column 1 must be scored NO (False) to move up, if any are YES (True), score is 1.STOP SCORING.

To receive a score of 3, 5, or 7 all indicators for those columns must be scored YES. CONTINUE TO NEXT LEVEL.

When you answer NO (False) to any indicators in columns 3, 5, or 7 finish ONLY that column and score:

If HALF or MORE are YES (True), go back one point.

If LESS than HALF are YES (True), go back two points.4040Keep this slide up for participants to reference during the activity.

Activity takes about 10 minutes depending on the prior knowledge the participants have. Walk around the room to check for understanding. Participants may choose to work with a partner or independently.Subscale and Final Scores41PRACTICE:Calculate the Activities subscale score.Calculate the final score.

Transfer the subscale score to the last page of the score sheet.

Items scored NA do not count in the subscale or final score.

41Mention that not all ECE settings will be scored on all items. This may be due to individual room specifics (such as the group does not use TV or computers) but it may also be due to the setting and type of quality initiative(s) that the program is participating in. There is some variation between expectations for the STARS program and the Pre K Counts program. Questions about the specifics should be addressed to the programs Stars specialists or Pre K Counts specialist.Subscale Score Sample Subscale Activities has 10 items

4219. Fine Motor424. Dramatic play120. Art725. Nature/science521. Music/movement426. Math/number322. Blocks327. Use of TV, video, computer723. Sand/water628. Promoting diversity1Total41

Total score is 41 Total items scored = 10 41 divided by 10 = 4.10 4.10 is the score for this subscale42Tell them to add the scores put in box A out number of items in box B divideFinal Score Sample Score # Items AverageSpace and Furnishings38 8 4.75Personal Care15 6 2.50Language/Reasoning24 4 6.00Activities41 10 4.10Interaction25 5 5.00Program Structure 10 3 3.33Parents & Staff35 6 5.83________________________________________________________ADD each column 188 42

DIVIDE total score by total number of items188 divided by 42 equals 4.48FINAL score = 4.48

4343Explain that the sample score is based on scoring all items and all subscales.Based on the sample, ask where those responsible for this class might want to channel their energy into making some changes. What areas do they see strengths?

Help participants understand the importance of decision making. While they want to focus on subscales and items with low scores, there may be reasons that they choose not to. These may include structural barriers that prevent improvement, philosophical attitudes from staff and parents, finances etc. The goal is to provide the best quality care conceivable given the situation at that time. Star Quality Activity44 1._____________2 ._________ 3.___________ 4.__________5.__________Activity-Take out STAR Quality handout..Ask group to brainstorm ideas on what makes a quality Childcare environment. On handouts ask participants to write their ideas on lines on top of page. Ask for discussion to share ideas. Put top 5 on numbered Star points and dont forget to fill in the middle with other as important ideas44PA Early Learning Initiatives and the ERS45

45Next slides and the handout describe the process for using the ERS in PA quality initiativesAssessment Process Designation Visit

46

46Each program must verify readiness for the ERS assessment with the STARS or Pre K Counts specialist. PA Key assessors will schedule assessments after conferring with the appropriate STARS or Pre K Counts specialists.Assessment Process ERS Validation Forms

47

47Once these requirements are complete, the appropriate specialist will give the facility ERS Validation forms to fill out.The forms will be sent to the ERS Assessor. Upon receipt of these forms, the ERS Assessor will contact the facility and determine a 4 week window in which the assessment(s) will be conducted.

It is important to note that paperwork for each group of children is collected (not necessarily just for the physical space). If a room is used for an morning and afternoon session, there will be two forms reflecting information about the children in the group.

Assessment Process 4 Week Window

48

48The ERS Assessor contacts the program to establish a four week window in which the assessment(s) will occur. Generally the assessor will attempt to establish a particular month (i.e. your window will be the month of October) for the window. The facility may have up to 4 black-out dates for the facility. The Assessor will honor the request and not plan to do an observation on the specified dates. Remind participants that quality is supposed to be every day.Important: Black out dates must be determined at the time the 4 week window is established. Requests to change dates after the three week window has been established may result in a change of the window. Black out dates cannot be changed once the window beginsAssessment Process Day Of Observation

49

49On the day of the observation, the assessor will arrive in the morning for a full day program and stay for up to 4-5 hours. through the beginning of rest time for child care ITERS, ECERS, and FCCERS assessments. SACERS assessments are completed in the afternoon portion of their program during the school year. If designation occurs in the summer, then SACERS observations will occur in the morning.The assessor will need to take a short tour of the facility and common areas used by staff and children A sample selection is pulled to determine which classroom (s) will be assessed. Multiple assessments may be conducted at a site depending on the number of classrooms per site, ages of the children enrolled, quality initiative requirements, etc. One assessor can only do one assessment a day but it is possible two assessors may come on the same day to conduct a reliability assessment. To maintain reliability across the state, assessors go out with another assessor/supervisor at least quarterly. The two assessors must be reliable with one another at least 85% of the time.

The Assessor may not interact with the children or staff in the room during the observation. She will stay out of the way as much as possible while still shadowing all activities. She will need to look in closets, drawers, cabinets, etc. This is done to check for extra materials the children may have opportunities to use and also to check for safety hazards.

There are many things within the scales that cannot be observed. The Assessor will need time to talk with the teacher to complete the assessment. Interviews will be conducted at a mutually agreeable time; in child care centers, this is frequently during nap. It is the preference of the assessor that the interview take place when the teacher is not responsible for the children in the room.

Assessment Process Summary Report

50

50The assessor cannot offer feedback on the day of the observation. Approximately two to four weeks after the assessments for the entire site have been conducted, the facility and other appropriate entities will receive will receive summary reports which outlines the programs strengths and areas for improvement. The report does not include suggestions for improvement, rather it includes only what was observed and rationales for scoring. If the assessor observes a situation that could compromise the safety of children in care a conversation may need to take place between the assessor and the appropriate regulatory offices, such as child care certification representatives. CQI FOCUS..CQI is the abbreviation for Continuous Quality Improvement51

Star 4Star 3Star 2Star 151No one is expected to be perfect. The goal is to use multiple types of data to assure that continuous quality improvement is built into all aspects of the program..

Point out that there is a hand out available to them called The 5 things that impact quality. This handout is to use as a reflection tool.CQI isa Team Approach to.Evaluating early learning environmentsEstablishing plans for improvementImplementing plans for improvementMeasuring progressReflecting and re-evaluating

5252The ERS is a great tool to be able to help you on the path of CQI.CQI is notA Band-aid or a quick fixA plan that is not implementedA plan driven only by one personA plan that is put in place to only meet requirementsA performance 53

53

54Every Day is High Quality 54Participants are now are\ready for specific scale PDAnswer questions that participants may have. Pass out and collect Evaluations and Act 48 forms.