Documents: Program Effectiveness/Program Quality

Assessing Kindergarten Children: What School Systems Need to Know (2001)

PDF - 1,156 KB

Catherine Scott-Little, Ph.D., SERVE and Judith Niemeyer, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

2001

A resource book written for SERVE designed to guide school systems through a decision-making process to design an assessment system that is best suited to their particular needs. It is a planning guide and tool to help make decisions about assessments based on “best practices" in early childhood assessment The principles outlined in the guide are based upon recommendations from the National Education Goals Panel Early Childhood Assessments Resource Group (1998) in the publication Principles and Recommendations for Early Childhood Assessments.

Assessing the State of State Assessments: Assessing Young Children (2003)

PDF - 7,044 KB

SERVE

2003

A special report from SERVE on wide-scale early childhood assessment systems, this document presents a special report on common challenges and possible solutions for state that are putting wide-scale early childhood assessment systems into place and examines wide-scale early childhood assessment systems designed to address four critical areas—design issues, instrumentation issues, implementation issues, and data utilization issues.

Building Professional Development Partnerships for Inclusion, FPG Snapshot

PDF - 184 KB

Frank Porter Graham Center

February 27, 2009

Describes lessons learned from the Child Development Institute Natural Allies project which studied challenges faced by states in training early childhood teachers to teach and care for young children with disabilities.

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)

HTML Web Link

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The CLASS is an observational instrument developed to assess classroom quality. It describes multiple dimensions of teaching that are linked to student achievement and social development. The CLASS measures these three domains of classroom quality: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.

Discover the Possibilities: A tool to support local areas in planning and implementing effective family support efforts.

PDF File - 105 KB

Minnesota Technical Assistance for Family support

2002

A planning tool to assist in planning and implementing effective family support efforts in communities. The document contains worksheets and other tool to assist with conducting an inventory of current existing family supports, obtaining feedback from participants, and considering the various community influences that impact local decision.

Considerations Related to Developing a System for Measuring Outcomes for Young children with Disabilities and Their Families

PDF File - 398 KB

Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center

April 2004

Examination of issues to consider (conceptual, measurement, analytical, logistical, and infrastructure) when developing child and family outcomes.

Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8.

PDF File - 68 KB

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) & National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE)

2003

Joint position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) on program evaluation.

Early Childhood Programs and Evaluation

PDF File - 467 KB

Harvard Family Research Project

Summer 2004

Provides a historical overview of early childhood programming and evaluation over nearly half a century. Contributing authors offer a range of views on how best to communicate the importance of investing in a child's early years and how to improve early childhood programs and policies.

Early Childhood Programs and Evaluations: A Decision-Maker’s Guide.

PDF File - 150 KB

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

December 2007

Guide from the National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation to help decision-makers be better prepared to interpret data about whether or not a specific early childhood program is effective and worth investing in.

Effective Curriculum, Assessment & Program Evaluation

PDF - 199 KB

National Association for the Education of Young Children

2003

Handout from Mary McLean at Prekindergarten ESE Coordinators' Meeting (October 14, 2004)

Family and Child Outcomes for Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

PDF File - 137 KB

Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center

April 2005

Description of the child and family outcomes developed by the ECO center.

Finding High Quality Pre-K

PDF File - 73 KB

Pre-K Now, PTA

A checklist from the National Parent Teacher Association and Pre-K Now, designed to help parents choose a quality pre-k program for their child. Includes program qualities and components most important for a child’s growth and development, supported by research.

Funding the Future: States' Approaches to Pre-K Finance

PDF File - 428 KB

Diana Stone, J.D. - Pre-K Now Research Series

2006

Report is designed to assist policymakers and advocates in examining the range of pre-k funding options available and to highlight the national leaders who have proven how to get it done.

Getting To Outcomes 2004: Promoting Accountability Through Methods and Tools for Planning, Evaluation, and Accountability

PDF File - 2,357 KB

M. Chinman, P. Imm, & A. Wandersman

January 2004

Manual using a ten step process which incorporates traditional evaluation, empowerment evaluation, results-based accountability, and continuous quality improvement to enhances practitioners' substance abuse prevention skills. Useful material for program planning. Text and worksheets address needs and resources assessment; goals and objectives; choosing programs; ensuring program 'fit'; capacity, planning, process, and outcome evaluation; continuous quality improvement; and sustainability.

The Head Start National Reporting System: A Critique

PDF File - 182 KB

S. J. Meisels, & S. Atkins-Burnett

January 2004

Public Policy Viewpoint focusing on issues related to the assessment of young children and the new assessment requirements for children in Head Start programs. Head Start programs now use a federally created test to assess the language, literacy, and math knowledge of all four-year-old children enrolled in Head Start. The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, Program Performance Standards, and teacher qualifications requirements have influenced child care and state prekindergarten programs.

Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A user Friendly Guide

PDF File - 137 KB

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Services, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

December 2003

A guide to provide educational practitioners with user-friendly tools to distinguish practices supported by rigorous evidence from those that are not.

IDEA 2004: Definition of Scientifically Based Research

PDF File - 44 KB

Pennsylvania Training & Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)

2005

Discusses the alignment of IDEA 2004 with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and its definition of the term 'scientifically based research'.

Inside the Content: The Breadth and Depth of Early Learning Standards

PDF File - 1,905 KB

C. Scott-Little, S. L. Kagan, & V.S. Frelow

March 2005

Summary of Early Learning Standards collected from 36 states that were analyzed to determine to what extent they addressed various dimensions and indicators of child development and early learning. Findings indicate that standards vary greatly across states, as does the degree to which these standards address important elements of learning and development.

Issues in Designing State Accountability Systems

PDF File - 4,295 KB

G. Harbin, B. Rous, M. McLean

August 2004

A resource for state policy makers and researchers who are interested in collaboratively designing and implementing rigorous and systematic accountability models that yield accurate data.

Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Systems and Service Utilization: Summary of Findings and Recommendations

PDF File - 159 KB

Center for Evidence-based Practice

2003

Fact sheet summarizing major findings and recommendations from two literature reviews of empirical literature conducted related to systems of service delivery.

NAEYC/NAECS/SDE Position Statement on Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation

PDF - 67 KB

NAEYC/NAECS/SDE

2003

This joint position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education addresses the importance of high-quality programs for all young children.

Prekindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Prekindergarten Programs

PDF File - 225 KB

Walter S. Gilliam, PhD

May 2005

FCD Policy Brief Series No.3

Rand Research Brief: Scaling Up High Quality Pre-K

PDF File - 120 KB

The Rand Corporation

This report describes some of the progress states have made in implementing high-quality pre-kindergarten programs on universal scale, and identifies significant policy and practice issues.

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