Early Education and Program Improvement: Using Data to Increase Results and Success

1. Early Education and Program Improvement: Using Data to Increase Results and Success 2011 Families & Education Levy Workshop 13 July 2011 Caryn Swan Jamero MA/ABS Nicole Olsen MEd

2. Community Day School Association:Agency Snapshot Founded in 1977 Programs in Seattle Public Schools (SPS): 6 City of Seattle Step Ahead preschool programs 9 school age after school programs 1,000 youth ages 3-12; 125 pre-k served in 2010-2011 Demographics: 70% low income youth 75% students of color; 65% staff of color 20% ELL; staff speak 14 of 18 languages in program 2003 Opened 1st preschool; 2005 SEEC Funding began; had not done Head Start or ECEAP 2

3. Finance Annual Budget (2009-2010): $2,750,000 70% of revenue is fee based; private pay, DSHS, City. Provide $250,000 of uncompensated care annually 3

4. Program Goals The overall goal of CDSA and SEEC is to support each child and his or her family to ensure the child is ready for kindergarten. We establish and maintain a well-managed preschool program that offers comprehensive services promoting the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, cultural, and linguistic growth of children. We support parents or guardians in their role as primary caregivers and educators of their children. We provide leadership to the broader community in collaborating to support families. Assessment and Data Analysis: We will support the program, classroom and child assessment process. We will participate in a data analysis process and use assessment results comprehensively in order to improve program quality and teacher practice. 4

5. CDSA and Data Collected for United Way of King County (UWKC) UWKC agency in 1995 Quantitative data Logic Model showing Inputs/Outputs Outcomes and Indicators Pre and Post Surveys Focus groups 5

6. Step Ahead Funding Begins � Lots of Learning Steep learning curve Hiring staff who want to and are willing to learn to use data for continuous quality improvement Professional development (PD) for CDSA staff; new and continuing; finding qualified teachers reflective of and from the community we are serving (languages � 18 spoken) Quality improvement planning Learning to do written observations of children Learning to type observations into a computer Learning to work with coaches Learning to be observed and given feedback frequently 6

7. Milestones(Can be Intimidating) What it is: Milestones are established to assist the agency and the City in determining progress toward the performance commitments in time to make course corrections. They are intended to guide the agency toward attaining the performance payments. Each activity shall be completed according to the guidelines in the Seattle Early Education Collaborative Pre-K Program Manual. Every Month children will attend 85% of contracted program days. The agency will develop an attendance plan with the family to increase the child�s attendance for children who continue to fall below 85% attendance and/or children with excessive unexcused absences. 85% of children will receive two (2) Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 4th edition (PPVT-4) assessments: 1st - by November 15, 2011; 2nd - by May 15, 2012. By October 31, 2011 (or within 30 calendar days from the child�s first service date), the agency will complete a development screening using one of the following tools: ESI, Ages and Stages, or the Dial 3. Children identified with concerns will be referred, with the parent�s permission, for additional screening and services. By November 15, 2011 the agency will work in partnership with a City consultant to complete the first Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 4th edition for each child. By November 30, 2011 (or within 60 calendar days of child�s first service date), the agency will have accurately completed 1st Teaching Strategies Gold TM child assessment portfolio and entered it into TeachingStrategies.com, including observational records to support the assessment of each child. By December 15, 2011 the agency will work in partnership with a City assessor to complete the first ECERS for each classroom. By December 15, 2011 100% of program classrooms will participate in the first ECERS assessment. Program classrooms who received an average score of less than 4.0 in any of the seven subscales will participate in the second ECERS assessment. 7

8. Milestones, cont. By December 30, 2011 (or within 90 calendar days of child�s first service date), the agency will work in partnership with the Seattle-King County Public Health Department to complete health screenings for each child. By February 15, 2012 the agency will participate in a data meeting sponsored, organized and facilitated by Child Care Resources. By February 29, 2012 (or within 150 calendar days of child�s first service date), the agency will have accurately completed 2nd Teaching Strategies Gold TM child assessment portfolio and entered it into TeachingStrategies.com, including observational notes to support the assessment of each child. By May 31, 2012, the agency will work in partnership with a City assessor to complete the second ECERS for each classroom that received an average score of less than a 4.0 in any of the seven subscales on the first ECERS assessment. By May 31, 2012, all program classrooms will meet the average score of a 4.0 in all seven subscales on the ECERS assessment. By May 15, 2012, the agency will work in partnership with a City consultant to complete the final Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 4th edition for each child. By May 15, 2012, 85% of assessed children will meet the standard score or demonstrate progress on the Growth Scale Value (GSV) on the PPVT. By May 31, 2012, the agency will have accurately completed the 3rd Teaching Strategies Gold TM child assessment portfolio and entered it into TeachingStrategies.com, including observational records to support the assessment of each child. By May 31, 2012, 85% of children who receive 2 or more assessments by the end of the program year will meet the development and learning expectations for their age range on the Teaching Strategies Gold TM curriculum embedded assessment. 8

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10. ECERS and Creative Curriculum Implementation Checklist 10

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12. Assessment Tools Embedded Curriculum Assessment Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4) Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS-R) 12

13. Embedded Curriculum Assessment (Developmental Continuum) What it is: An assessment embedded within the core curriculum, Creative Curriculum is completed based on weekly observations of the child in four domains of development: Physical, Social/Emotional, Cognitive, and Language; with 50 different objectives. Goals (Came from Milestones): A minimum of 95% of children enrolled at the time of assessment and who have been enrollled for 30 days will be assessed. A minimum of 85% of the children will have three accurate assessments. All completed assessments will be entered into cc.net (TeachingStrategies.com beginning Fall 2011) including observational notes to support the assessment of each child. 85% of children who receive 2 or more assessments by the end of the program year will meet the development and learning expectations for their age range on the curriculum embedded assessment. Actions: Observe child weekly Use the initial assessment done within first 30 days to begin specific planning Type weekly observations Discuss observations with team; Plan activities for large & small group and individuals based on observations Continue to observe progress weekly 13

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15. CDSA Data Breakouts, 2009-2010 15

16. CDSA Data Breakouts, 2009-2010, cont. 16

17. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4) What it is: A twice yearly assessment that evaluates preschool students� receptive vocabulary skills, which involves no reading or writing. Goals: 85% of children, who are not English Language Learners, will meet the standard score of 85 or higher as measured on the final PPVT-4 assessment. 85% of English Language Learner children will demonstrate progress on the Growth Scale Value (GSV) in their receptive vocabulary skills. Actions: Peabody provides action plan Plan for activities with individual children with more knowledge about what they need in language acquisition and vocabulary Choose different books; point to pictures Plan rhyming and guessing games Work with parents and families on home games or books most appropriate for level Keep looking for progress/results Talk to children 17

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20. Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS-R) What: ECERS-R scaling system is designed to assess the quality of early childhood centers. This scale assesses the child care environment through interactions and relationships, health and safety, opportunities for learning, the physical environment, etc. Goals: Each classroom will meet the average score of 4.0 in all seven subscales on the ECERS assessment by May 31st Actions: Teachers work with coaches to develop Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) Teachers select areas of highest need from a point system Done in November; receive feedback in December/January to begin changes 20

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23. Continuous Quality Improvement Course Corrections 23

24. The key is not how much information/data is made available to us by assessors and coaches, but what we do with it. CDSA has learned increasingly to love the active use of data. 24