Massachusetts’
Quality Rating and
Improvement System
(QRIS)
Overview of revised standards and
initial pilot design
Overview

Process for Development of the Standards

Content of the Standards

QRIS Pilot

Next steps
Process for developing QRIS
Standards

Guidance from EEC Board and EEC
Advisory Team

Group of internal and external
stakeholders created a draft

Draft posted for public input
Heard that the Standards were complicated
 Concerns about whether truly evidence-based


3
Standards were reviewed and revised in
order to ensure that they are clear,
evidence-based and measurable.
MA QRIS Standards
4

Standards Categories:
 Curriculum and Learning
 Environment
 Workforce Qualifications and Professional
Development
 Family Involvement
 Leadership, Management and Administration

Customized for:
 Center and School Based
 Family Child Care
 After-School and Out of School Time

Rating: Blocks – Must do everything at Level 1
before progressing to Level 2, etc.
QRIS Standards - Categories

5
Topics covered within each category:

Curriculum and Learning: curriculum, assessment,
teacher child relationships and interactions, special
education, children with diverse language and
cultures

Environment: indoor, outdoor, health and safety

Workforce Qualifications and Professional
Development: directors, teachers, teacher
assistants, consultants

Family Involvement

Leadership, Management and Administration:
administration, management and leadership,
supervision, evaluation, community involvement
Example: Center-Based: Curriculum and Learning - Curriculum
Level
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Standard
Meets Licensing regulations
Meets Requirements of Level 1 PLUS
Program uses a written comprehensive curriculum that reflects diversity
in its approach, is developmentally appropriate for the children served,
and is aligned with the "MA Guidelines for Preschool Learning
Experiences"
Measurement
License in good standing
Curriculum from an approved list or submission of the
curriculum for review
Schedule includes specific time each day for reading to children either
individually or in small groups
Teacher uses Materials Checklist in Early Childhood
Program Standards for 3 and 4 year olds.
Materials are sufficient, in good condition, reflect the language and
culture of the children in the classroom and are appropriate to the age of
the children in the class
Meets Requirements of Level 2 PLUS
Staff has received formal training in the curriculum and uses the MA
Guidelines for Preschool Learning Standards to guide their planning of
the written weekly lesson plans
Use of the ITERS (if appropriate) and ECERS
Daily schedule includes individual, small group, child initiated and
teacher directed activities
Level 4
Meets Requirements of Level 3 PLUS
Alignment of the Curriculum with the MA Guidelines for Preschool
Learning Standards is documented in the daily/weekly lesson plans
Staff receive ongoing training and supervision with feedback to ensure
fidelity to the curriculum model
Program supports reflective teaching practices for staff through the use
of peer groups, coaches and /or mentors.
Schedule includes built-in staff planning time
Level 4 +
Level 5
6
Meets Requirements of Level 4 PLUS
Accredited by a national organization
TBD
Daily schedule includes a time allotment of at least 15
minutes for reading to children
Documentation of the staff training in the MA Guidelines
for Preschool Learning
Documentation of the staff training in the curriculum and
a review of the lesson plans
An outside reliable rater administers the ITERS (if
appropriate) and the ECERS with a total score of 4.0 or
better with a sub-score of at least 3.0 in all areas
Documentation of the training (Registry), review and
documentation of the process for supervision, feedback
and reflective practices.
Review of lesson plans and documentation of reflective
teaching practices such as videos, journals, meeting notes
or portfolios
An outside reliable rater administers either:
ITERS (if appropriate) and ECERS with a total score of 5.0
or better with a sub-score of at least 5.0 in all areas
OR
CLASS with a total score in the high range
Current accreditation certificate
TBD
Highlights: ERS tools
7

Many states have a strong role for the ERS tools in their
QRIS standards

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
Highlights: National Accreditation
8

We heard concerns about:
 the reliability of national accreditation measuring quality;
 the costs of pursuing national accreditation; and
 the lack of research studies that validate the value of
national accreditation

We also heard support for national accreditation
 Because it’s a national model
 The benefit of programs going through a standardized
process
 The state’s investment to date in national accreditation

Revised the standards to:
 Have a Level 4 + for accreditation, because of block
system will still need to document evidence of meeting
earlier criteria

Programs who are pursuing accreditation will likely have an
advantage in being able to document meeting the Standards
Highlights: Workforce Qualifications
9

We heard feedback about:
 The QRIS standards needed to lay out a pathway
for workforce qualifications
 How would the career lattice and QRIS align?

Revised the standards to:
 Provide a pathway describing the workforce
qualifications for Directors, Teachers, Family Child
Care Providers, Assistants, and Consultants
Center-Based: Workforce Qualifications and PD: Teacher
Level 1
Level 2
Standard
Meets Licensing Regulations
Meets Requirements of Level 1 PLUS
Child Development Associate's credential for the age of the children served, with a minimum of 12
credits in early childhood education/child development/special education.
Measurement
License in good standing
Registry
Review of the PDP
Teacher has in Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) that is developed in conjunction with the
Supervisor that addresses the identified training needs of that teacher.
IPDP ensures that the teacher is trained in the MA Guidelines for Preschool Learning, diversity, oral
language development, supporting children's literacy development, and the Strengthening Families
protective factors.
Level 3
Teacher IPDP addresses the actions and timelines that are required to move to the next level
Meets Requirements of Level 2
PLUS
Meets National Association of Early Childhood Education teacher requirements or timelines
Or
Associate's degree, with a minimum of 30 credits in early childhood education/child development/special
education and enrolled in a program leading to a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education/child
development or a related field.
Registry
Review of the PDP
IPDP ensures that the teacher receives training in the components of the assessment process including
screening, observation, use of assessment tools and IDEA processes
Level 4
Teacher IPDP addresses the actions and timelines to move to the next level
Meets Requirements of Level 3
PLUS
Meets National Association for the Education of Young Children teacher requirements or timelines
Or
Baccalaureate degree in early childhood education/child development/early childhood special education
including certification as a Teacher of Young Children with Special Needs or Early Intervention Specialist
(DPH) or a related field with 36 credits in early childhood education/child development/early childhood
special education
Registry
Review of the PDP
PDP ensures that the teacher receives training in selection and use of screening and assessment tools,
collection and interpretation of data and strategies for teaching children with special needs and diverse
languages
Level 4 +
Level 5
10
Meets Requirements of Level 4 PLUS
Accredited by a national organization
TBD
Current accreditation
certificate
TBD
Family Child Care: Workforce Qualifications and PD: FCC Provider
Level 1
Level 2
Standard
Meets Licensing regulations
Meets Requirements of Level 1 PLUS
Measurement
License in good standing
Registry
High school diploma or GED
Review of the IPDP
Child Development Associate's credential (CDA); (or higher i.e. AA or BA) for the age of the children
serve
Has a minimum of 24 months experience as a Family Child Care Provider
Provider has an Individual Professional Development Plan (IIPDP) that addresses their identified training
needs.
IPDP ensures that the provider is trained in the MA Guidelines for Preschool Learning, diversity, oral
language development, supporting children's literacy development, and the Strengthening Families
protective factors.
Level 3
Provider’s IPDP addresses the actions and timelines that are required to move to the next level.
Meets Requirements of Level 2 PLUS
CDA (or higher i.e. AA or BA) with 15 college credits in early childhood education, child development,
and/or special education.
Registry
Review of the IPDP
Has a minimum of 36 months experience as a Family Child Care Provider
IPDP ensures that the provider receives training in the components of the assessment process including
screening, observation, use of assessment tools and IDEA processes
Level 4
Provider’s IPDP addresses the actions and timelines to move to the next level
Meets Requirements of Level 3 PLUS
Associates Degree in early childhood education, child development, early childhood special education or a
related field with 24 credits in early childhood
Registry
Review of the IPDP
Has a minimum of 60 months experience as a Family Child Care Provider
Level 4 +
Level 5
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IPDP ensures that the Provider receives training in selection and use of screening and assessment tools,
collection and interpretation of data and strategies for teaching children with special needs and diverse
languages
Meets Requirements of Level 4 PLUS
Accredited by a national organization
TBD
Current accreditation
certificate
TBD
Highlights: License-Exempt
programs
License exempt programs = public school preschool, some
Montessori and or religious elementary schools
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
We heard concerns about:
 Having different entry points into the QRIS for license
and license-exempt programs at Level 1
 Concerns about not having license-exempt programs
meet basic health and safety standards as codified in
licensing at Level 1

Revised the standards to:
 Rely on precedent in Income Eligible re-procurement
 License-Exempt programs will use the Center and
School-Based standards. They will have to demonstrate
they can meet licensing standards at Level 1.
Highlights: Strengthening Families
13

We heard feedback about:
 How could we incorporate the work Massachusetts was
doing as a state on Strengthening Families into the QRIS
standards?

Revised the standards to:
 Include the Strengthening Families framework as a
training topic for Directors, Teachers, Family Child Care
Providers and Assistants
 Added criteria that starting at Level 2, programs and
providers must use the Strengthening Families selfassessment tool
Highlights: Measurement
14

Majority of measurement will be done through having a license in good standing,
document submission, verification in the workforce registry, and onsite
monitoring using the ERS tools (ECERS, ITERS, FCCERS, and SACCRS)

Additionally named measurement tools that are required, include:
 Curriculum: Materials Checklist in the 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 using the 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 of a 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
QRIS Pilot – Spring 2010
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
The pilot will be open to these groups:
 Current UPK grantees
 Head Start programs, and
 Income eligible contract providers (center-based,
public school, family child care and school-age)

Through the pilot EEC will test out the rating system
and the monitoring tools

EEC will work to develop fiscal incentives from ARRA
and other sources for FY2011 to encourage programs
to maintain and continue to improve their quality

Still need to figure out Family and Consumer
Engagement component

Will evaluate process
QRIS Pilot Timeline

March – May 2010
Train reviewers to reliability on ERS tools
 Invite selected programs to submit documentation
for rating


June 2010


July – September 2010


Do onsite reviews, primarily for ERS ratings
Concurrently
Rebidding Professional Development
 Programs will continue to receive EEC funding, of
which a portion could become dependent on
completing the rating process

16
EEC staff review documentation and determine
eligibility for ratings
Program and Practitioner Supports:
Linkage with Professional Development
Procurement
In FY11 EEC will put out a procurement for professional
development that will:
 Combine current PD funding into a single procurement
 Purchase professional development that supports both
individual educators on a pathway and programs’ efforts
to attain higher levels of quality through QRIS.
EEC’s goals for the procurement are:
 Educators: Address two primary pathways, both with
mentoring, coaching and other supports, to:
• move educators towards degrees in early education
or a related field and
• increase educator competency as evidenced in the
attainment of CDAs and other certifications.
 Programs: Support providers in developing their staff,
moving up QRIS scale, and obtaining accreditation.
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To achieve these goals in the PD Procurement…
EEC will focus resources on three areas:
1. Career and Provider Planning
 individual educators and programs, and/or
 program leadership training to support career planning for their
individual staff.
2. Coaching and Mentoring
 support the academic success of individual educators in higher
education,
 implement a career plan for educators to attain specific skills,
knowledge and abilities, and/or
 Support improvements by programs that result in achieving a
higher level on QRIS or accreditation.
3. Competency Development
 attain an associates, bachelors or masters degree in early
childhood education or a related field;
 attainment of specific competencies by educators;
 attainment of increasing levels on QRIS by programs.
18
Will likely require selected vendors to prioritize working with
programs and providers participating in QRIS
QRIS Next Steps:
19

Moving forward with the pilot this spring
 Pilot rating and monitoring process
 Ensure connection between PD
procurement and QRIS
 Complete workforce registry

There will be an opportunity after the
pilot to step back and consider any
necessary changes to the Standards or
Rating process.