Massachusetts’ Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

1. Massachusetts’ Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

2. Early Education and CareMixed Delivery System

3. The System: A Series of Coordinated Activities

4. Early Education and Care System Components Like any “system”, the education and care system is comprised of a set of connected components, forming a complex unit with an overall purpose, goal, or function that is achieved only through the actions and interactions of all the components. Below is a visual representation of what EEC would like to build with key partners. Accountability

5. Standards, Assessment and Accountability Teacher Quality Program Quality(QRIS) Child Outcomes (formative and summative assessment)

6. Workforce and Professional Development EEC Core Competencies Area 1: Understanding the Growth and Development • Understanding how children and youth learn, supporting individual growth and development, early brain development, applying research/development theories. • Creating a safe, nurturing, and challenging environment that encompasses developmentally appropriate practices, establishes foundations for future growth, and engages young people in building social skills and knowledge. Area 2: Guiding and Interacting • Using appropriate guidance techniques based on age, development and realistic expectations for the behavior of children and youth. • Recognizing factors that impact behavior and implementing strategies to help foster develop self-regulation, self-concept, coping mechanisms, self-comfort skills, and positive interactions with peers and adults.

7. Workforce and Professional Development (cont’d) Area 3: Partnering with Families and Communities • Understanding diverse family structures and influences, using culturally competent practices to support and communicate with individual children and families. • Building respectful, reciprocal relationships with families through shared understanding and family and community involvement. • Connecting families to community resources; developing collaborations with family, school, community services. Area 4: Health, Safety, and Nutrition • Ensuring children and youth’s safety, promoting sound health practices, recognizing and responding to child abuse and neglect, providing nutritious meals/snacks. • Implementing appropriate prevention, preparedness, and health and safety practices. • Maintaining confidentiality.

8. Workforce and Professional Development (cont’d) Area 5: Learning Environments/Implementing Curriculum • Recognizing high quality environments and utilizing consistent schedules and routines, transition activities, age-appropriate materials and activities, and arranging a classroom to enhance learning. • Understanding developmentally appropriate curriculum models that prepare children and youth for school success. Area 6: Observation, Assessment, and Documentation • Understanding goals, benefits and uses of observation and assessment. • Using systematic observations, documentation, and other appropriate assessment strategies in partnership with families and other professionals serving the same children.

9. Workforce and Professional Development (cont’d) Area 7: Program Planning and Development • Understanding the importance of relationships and positive communication among colleagues in creating a nurturing learning environment. • Planning, organizing, and implementing best business practices including a shared understanding with staff and families of regulations, applicable laws, policies, staff supervision, and quality standards. • Modeling behaviors, supporting staff through professional development plans, building healthy relationships with colleagues and families, providing developmentally appropriate practices, connecting w/community resources Area 8: Professionalism and Leadership • Adhering to ethical guidelines and professional standards. • Practicing continuous, collaborative learning that relies on reflective practice, integrates knowledge from variety of sources, advocates for best practices • Mentoring to help others develop leadership skills.

10. Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS): Purpose • Parents have easily accessible information about the quality of early care and education programs. • Programs and providers use one streamlined set of standards that are connected to supports and fiscal incentives to help them meet and maintain the standards. • Programs receive feedback and are involved in continuous quality improvement. • Policymakers understand where and how to invest additional resources.

11. Overview of the Standards

12. QRIS Standards Massachusetts’ QRIS Standards are organized into 5 categories (many also have subcategories): • Curriculum and Learning: curriculum, assessment, teacher child interactions, special education, children with diverse language and cultures • Workforce Qualifications and Professional Development: directors, teachers, teacher assistants, consultants • Environment: indoor, outdoor, health and safety • Leadership, Management and Administration: supervision, management, community involvement, supervision and leadership  • Family Involvement

13. QRIS Standards –Program Types There are Standards for the following three program types: • Standards for Center and School Based Programs (also for use by license-exempt preschool programs (i.e. public school preschools, Montessori schools, or religiously affiliated schools) • Standards for Family Child Care Programs • Standards for After School and Out of School Time Programs (to be used by all After School and Out of School Time programs, in all settings, including schools)

14. QRIS Standards – Block System Massachusetts Standards are now a Building Blocks System – Must do everything at Level 1 before progressing to Level 2, etc. Is this common nationally?* • Building blocks - All standards in a level must be met to move to the next level: 13 states - DC, DE, IN, KY, MD, ME, MT, NH, NM, OH, OK, PA, TN • Points systems - Standards are assigned a point value, which are calculated to determine ratings: 3 states - CO, NC, VT • Combination - A combination of building blocks and points used to determine ratings: 2 states - IA, LA * From NCCIC presentation at the 2009 Smart Start conference http://www.smartstartnc.org/conference/2009/Handouts09/528.ppt

15. National Accreditation and Head Start Performance Standards • Debate about how best to recognize value of national accreditation and the Head Start Performance Standards and temper any possible weakness in each system • Nationally other states include NAEYC in the following ways to reach the top level: • Must be NAEYC accredited: 2 states • NAEYC + Additional Criteria: 8 states • NAEYC + Additional Criteria OR Separate Set of Criteria: 3 states • NAEYC in points scheme: 4 states • No recognition of NAEYC: 2 states • Recommendation is: • At Level 4, Programs may provide evidence of meeting the criteria detailed at Level 4 in the QRIS Standards, OR • Programs may provide evidence of being currently nationally accredited AND providing evidence of meeting a set of MA specific criteria from the previous levels • Programs may substitute being currently accredited with meeting the Head Start Performance Standards (having no deficiencies during their PRISM review)

16. Highlights: Measurement • Programs can meet the standards via: license in good standing, document submission, use of tools, use of workforce registry, onsite monitoring using the ERS tools (ECERS, ITERS, FCCERS, and SACCRS) • Move to use of common tools. Many of these tools are available free of charge and EEC will work to make them available on its website. Tools now in the standards include: • Curriculum: Materials Checklist for Early Childhood Program Standards or NAFCC (Level 2); Optional: CLASS (Center/School, Level 4) • Teacher Child Relationships: Self-assessment tool to monitor classroom climate such as Arnett (Level 2); Arnett Scale completed by outside reviewer (Level 4) • Children with Diverse Languages: Self-assessment via ECERS or ELLCO (Center/School, Level 3); Use of the Pre-Las or other valid instruments to determine child’s primary language (Level 4) • Outdoor: Use certified playground inspector (Center/School, Level 3) • Health and Safety: Use of the California Health Scale as a self-assessment (Center/School, Level 3) • Family Involvement: Strengthening Families self-assessment tool (Level 2) • Leadership, Management and Administration: Optional: Program Administration Scale by outside validator or NAEYC validation visit

17. Highlights: ERS tools • Many states have a strong role for the ERS tools in their QRIS standards – 14 of 18 states include. Variations in way included*: • ERS Scores are used to determine rating levels: 7 states • Program can earn rating points for ERS scores: 4 states • Program must be assessed with ERS, but does not tie particular scores to ratings: 2 states • Self-assessment tool: 1 state • MA Standards have a strong role for the ERS tools • Level 2 – use the tools for self assessment • Level 3 – score of 4.0 or higher, with no sub-score below 3.0, by outside reliable administrator • Level 4 – score of 5.0 or higher in all areas by outside reliable administrator • ERS vs. CLASS • ERS is more broadly focused on the environment, whereas CLASS focuses on instructional practice, teacher child interactions and the content of the teacher's instruction in the classroom • Decided to use ERS tools as foundational building blocks and self-assessment tools, and introduce CLASS at higher levels and through professional development * From NCCIC presentation at the 2009 Smart Start conference http://www.smartstartnc.org/conference/2009/Handouts09/528.ppt

18. Resources Available on EEC Website EEC has provided links and resources for each program type at each QRIS level on our website at (to be updated as materials become available): http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eoeterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Early+Education+and+Care&L2=Workforce+and+Professional+Development&L3=Quality+Rating+and+Improvement+System+(QRIS)&sid=Eeoe&b=terminalcontent&f=EEC_qris_qris_standards&csid=Eeoe

19. Current QRIS Initiatives Intent to Participate Survey • Available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W8CB9HY • Allows EEC to understand the types of programs and level of interest in both the Pilot and the Grant in order to better plan for the implementation of these initiatives. • Encouraged, but not mandatory. • Submitting a survey is not an application for the Pilot or Grant. QRIS Pilot • Programs only interested in the Pilot (not grant) or if not eligible for the grant, have until June 30, 2010 to submit materials that will be used by EEC to rate the program. QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grant • Eligible programs may submit an application (requirements outlined in RFP) to EEC by April 12th which includes a self assessment of QRIS level, and funding request that should support their advancement at least one level on the QRIS. • One grant requirement is participation in the Pilot – materials due by April 12th with all grant materials.

20. EEC WEB SITE SCREEN SHOTwww.mass.gov/eec To learn more about the QRIS Intent Survey, Pilot and Grant:

21. Intent to Participate Brief Survey

22. Intent to Participate On-line Survey: due April 1, 2010

23. QRIS Pilot

24. QRIS Pilot • QRIS Pilot will provide opportunity to continue refining standards, asking questions about equivalencies and efforts needed to implement, and validity. • As part of this pilot, EEC hopes to provide program quality improvement grants to eligible programs as an incentive to participate in the pilot and to help them make targeted progress on the QRIS, directly linked to the QRIS Standards.

25. What do we want to learn in the Pilot? • Parts of the process that worked well • Items that need to be changed about the forms and/or the process • Any criteria that need to be clarified • Effort and time required of programs to participate • Is there equivalency between the accreditation systems and the environmental rating scales • Inform us about the question of separating licensing from raters and technical assistance providers • Collect information to address questions of cultural responsiveness. Are there barriers for specific segments of the population? • Support programs need to move up to next level

26. QRIS Pilot – Spring 2010 • Invite programs to participate in the pilot • Any interested program • Set quotas for setting type • During review process, prioritize programs where state already invested • Through the pilot EEC will test out the rating system and the monitoring tools • EEC will work to develop fiscal incentives to encourage programs to move up to the next level • FY10: program quality improvement grants, ERS tools • FY11: ARRA and other sources • Will continuously reflect on pilot, seeking ways to improve in preparation for full implementation • Family and Consumer Engagement campaign will be part of full implementation, not pilot, because need to have enough programs involved

27. QRIS Pilot – Approximate Timeline

28. Model for Pilot Self Assessment to Be Submitted to EEC • Each program participating in the QRIS Pilot will use the Application and Worksheet document on EEC’s website for their program type (which are directly aligned with the QRIS Provisional Standards) • This will help programs identify which standards they currently meet and provide documentation that will allow EEC to assess the program’s actual QRIS level. • This document also includes a one page application. • Reminder: Programs must self-assess that they can meet all of the criteria in all of the categories in Level 1 before they can apply for Level 2, and so on up the levels.

29. Pilot Application

30. Example of Application and Worksheet forQRIS Pilot

31. QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants

32. Model for QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants Self Assessment • Each program applying for the grant will use the Program Self Assessment and Program Improvement Template (for their program type and self-assessed level) to complete a program self-assessment and identify which standards they currently meet. Program Improvement Plan • Using the same template programs will use their self-assessment to complete the program improvement plan column which will address how they would use grant funds to make targeted advancements of at least one level on the QRIS. • Applicants will be required to demonstrate the ability to receive/implement resources between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010.

33. Eligibility for QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants • All programs must be at a self-assessed QRIS level 1, 2 or 3 to be eligible to apply (not level 4), as they must use these funds to advance one level on the QRIS system. • Any EEC licensed educator/program that was serving at least one child receiving financial assistance on March 1, 2010; or • Any EEC license-exempt educator/program that meets EEC licensing requirements and submits a document which attests to meeting those requirements and agrees to a future EEC licensing visit and that was serving at least one child receiving financial assistance on March 1, 2010.

34. Programs that are not currently vendors with MA will submit a set of required forms to become a vendor, in order to receive grant funds (as outlined in the RFP).

35. Grant Funding Levels • EEC is making up to $4,000,000 of CCDF quality funds available for the program quality improvement grants. • Programs may apply individually for grants, or lead agencies, school districts and family child care systems may apply for grants on behalf of multiple sites/providers within their agency/system • Educators / Programs within the mixed delivery system will be eligible for individual grants up to $10,000 each. • Lead Agencies may apply for up to $100,000 ($10,000 cap per site applying for) • Whether applying as a lead agency or individual application -- all sites must complete an application and required RFP materials, as grants will be site specific (not classroom specific or lead agency specific) based on the program types provided in QRIS Standards (Center/School Based Programs, Family Child Care Programs and After School and Out of School Time Programs)

36. Eligible Grant Fund Use Eligible fund use will be tied to QRIS Standards; allowable expenses for CCDF Quality Funds and may include: • Professional development for educators and/or parents/families linked to QRIS. • Substitutes to allow for staff/educator planning time to build collaborative agreements, engage more deeply with health consultants, to develop policies named in the QRIS standards etc. • Costs associated with Certified Playground Inspection • Accreditation facilitation support or accreditation fees • Appropriate materials that support QRIS progress (for staff or parent resource centers, portable sink with running water for hand washing etc.) • Purchase of screening or assessment tools • Annual financial review conducted by a CPA

37. Eligible Grant Fund Use (continued) Eligible fund use will be directly tied to QRIS Standards and allowable expenses for CCDF Quality Funds and may include: • Consultant regarding environmental design of space to meet requirements in the “Environment” section of the QRIS • Application/renewal costs for Child Development Associate (CDA) credential • Annual consultations by a Health Consultant to monitor records, update health care policies and practices, identify program issues, assist programs in complying with health and safety requirements and provides a written report to the program • Administrative costs (not to exceed 5% of total grant award or any subcontract)

38. Priorities for Awarding Grant Funds • EEC will ensure funding is allocated in a manner which ensures diversity in terms of geographic and program/provider type representation to the extent possible based on applications received. • Once geographic and mixed system representation are ensured, if EEC receives applications for funding beyond $4M, EEC will next prioritize programs where 50% or more of the children are receiving financial assistance (definition used ensures public schools would also be eligible).

39. Example of QRIS Self Assessment and Improvement Plan: Grant

40. Grant – Estimated Timeline March 22, 2010 Grantees Submission of Written Inquiries March 29, 2010  EEC Will Post Responses to Written Inquiries (Estimated) April 1, 2010   Interested Applicants Submit Intent Form/Survey April 12, 2010  QRIS Pilot Application and Materials Deadline for Grant April 21, 2010        EEC Selects Grantees (estimated; to be posted) ~May 1 Grantees receive payment June 30, 2010 All goods and services purchased by grantees with these funds must be received on or before June 30, 2010  July EEC will review Pilot rating materials submitted by programs to determine rating Aug-Oct EEC will visit programs whose rating requires on-site visit