Institutions of Higher
Education Mapping Project
Board of Early Education and Care
Bridgewater State University
March 8, 2011
1
IHE Mapping Project: Speakers
2

Ravitha Amarasingham (panelist)
 Bristol Community College

Phil Baimas
 Department of Early Education and Care

Melissa Cardelli (panelist)
 Bristol Community College

Katie DeVita (presenter)
 Department of Early Education and Care

Erin Oldham LaChance (presenter)
 Oldham Innovative Research

Greg Nelson (panelist)
 Bridgewater State University

Francesca Purcell (panelist)
 Department of Higher Education
Why the Higher Ed Mapping Project?
Identified as an objective in the MA Head Start
Collaboration Office FY10 Strategic Plan:
 Develop outreach strategies and statewide
partnerships with IHEs to promote increased
access to ECE degree programs and assist
educators with degree attainment
 Ensure information about (degree) programs is
available to educators
 Map existing degree programs and areas not
aligned to create plan to assist educators
 Assess capacity of IHEs to support early
educators regarding: articulation agreements,
professional development and career
advancement plans and practices
 Supporting work of State Advisory Council (SAC)
facilitating Higher Education Workforce Preparation
Partnerships around data infrastructure and access
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Workforce Task Force: Articulation and
Credit for Prior Learning Committee
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Goal…“to help students succeed in
meeting their educational goals.”
Articulation and transfer agreements are
a shared responsibility among IHE
leaders, faculty and administrators;
state agencies and legislatures; and
students (and employers)
Recommended strengthening statewide
transfer policies and practices
Staff Qualifications
Head Start
NAEYC
QRIS*
Assistant
Teacher
Minimum of CDA and
enrolled in associate’s
degree program or
higher, or enrolled in a
CDA to be completed
within 2 years
(nationwide)
50% have CDA or
equivalent, working on
CDA or equivalent, or meet
NAEYC requirements for
teacher
Level 2: High school diploma or
GED, minimum of 3 college
credits in ECE or related field;
50% of classrooms have
educator with bachelor’s degree
or higher who work for the full
program day
Teacher
At least 50% of teachers
nationwide have a
minimum of a bachelor’s
degree by September
2013
75% have CDA or
equivalent, or minimum of
associate’s degree, or
working towards
associate’s degree or
higher
Level 3: 75% of classrooms
have educator with a bachelor’s
degree or higher who work for
the full program day
Minimum of bachelor’s
degree and 9 creditbearing hours of
specialized college-level
coursework in
administration, leadership,
or management, and at
least 24 credit hours in
ECE or related field
Level 2: CDA or higher, or
enrolled in associate’s degree or
higher in ECE or related field
Program
Administrator
5
Education Coordinator:
Bachelor’s degree or
higher in related field
*QRIS level 1 meets licensing requirements
Level 4: 100% of classrooms
have educator with a bachelor’s
degree or higher who work for
the full program day, minimum
of 30 credits in ECE or related
field
Level 3: Minimum of bachelor’s
degree and 9 credit hours of
specialized coursework in
administration, leadership, or
management, and at least 24
credit hours in ECE or related
field
IHE Mapping Project: Phase I
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In April 2010 EEC in collaboration with the
MA Head Start Collaboration Office
contracted with Oldham Innovative
Research, Inc to:
 Create a single repository of information
for higher ed. programs that lead to
certificates and degrees in ECE or
elementary education;
 Map current network of 2 and 4 year
public and private IHEs in MA;
 Create program profiles
Bridgewater State University
This information was provided by staff at Bridgewater State University and/or taken from their website. This information was
accurate as of June 2010 but may have changed since then. Please see Bridgewater’s website at http://www.bridgew.edu/ for
the most up-to-date information
Program Characteristics
o
Degrees: Bachelor of Science in Education: Early Childhood Education PreK-2 (Licensure)
o
Bachelor of Science in Education: Early Education and Care, PreK-K
o
Post Baccalaureate Program: Early Childhood Teach (PreK-2, Initial Licensure)
o
Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Early Childhood Education (Professional Licensure)
o
Certificate Programs: None
o
Related Degrees: Elementary Education, Psychology with a concentration in Child Psychology, M.Ed in Counseling with a concentration in School Counseling
o
Accreditation: Licensure program NCATE
o
Faculty: 6 full time, 1 part time, 11 adjunct
o
Field Placement Information: For licensure program, student field placement in public preschool, first or second grade classroom. For Early Education and
Care, assigned or work setting placement (Toddler-PreK)
Student Demographics
o
Students in program: ECE Licensure 295. Early Education and Care 89. Masters in Early Childhood 21. Early Childhood Post Baccalaureate 5
o
Age range: 16-68
o
Percent female: 62%
o
Percent Caucasian: 79%
o
Percent English as a Second Language: 1% (of first time freshman)
o
Percent who receive financial aid: 63%
o
Number of matriculated students: 100%
Supports for Non-Traditional Students
o
Course options: No non-traditional course offerings for licensure program. Early Education and Care courses are available evenings or weekends. Evening,
weekend, or summer options are available to fulfill other degree requirements
o
Average number of years for non-traditional, part time student to complete Early Education and Care degree: If entering with an Associate’s degree, 6 years
o
Mentoring Opportunities for ELL/ESL Students: Resources through Academic Achievement Center, Reading Center, and Writing Center
o
Guidance supports offered in languages other than English: Yes
Credit Transfer Information
o
ECE courses taught in other languages count toward degree: Yes
o
Credits for CDA Credential: None
o
Credit for Prior Learning Experience: None
o
Criteria for earning credit: NA
o
Accept CEU’s from other entities: Unknown
Bridgewater State University
Massachusetts Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education Transfer Compact
The following community college Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education programs are part of the transfer compact with
Bridgewater State University:
Early Childhood Education

Berkshire: ECE Liberal Arts degree into all Liberal Arts Majors *see notes
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Bristol: ECE Transfer into all majors except those noted
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Cape Cod: ECE transfer into all majors except those noted
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Greenfield: ECE into all liberal arts majors *see notes
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Massachusetts Bay: Liberal Arts ECE into all liberal arts majors
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Middlesex: ECE transfer into all majors except those noted
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Mt. Wachusett: ECE transfer concentration into all majors except those noted.

North Shore: Early Childhood Development into all majors except those noted

Northern Essex: ECE into all except those noted

Quinsigamond: ECE transfer into all majors except those noted
Elementary Education

Bristol: Elementary transfer into all majors except those noted

Bunker Hill: General Concentration into Elementary Education*see notes

Cape Cod: Elementary Education transfer into all majors except those noted

Greenfield: Elementary Education into all liberal arts majors *see notes
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Massachusetts Bay: Liberal Arts Elementary Education into all liberal arts majors

Massasoit: Liberal Arts studies: Elementary Education option into all majors except those noted
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Middlesex: Elementary Education transfer into all majors except those noted
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Mt. Wachusett: Liberal Arts and Sciences: Elementary Education concentration into all liberal arts majors
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North Shore: Elementary Education transfer program into all majors except those noted
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Northern Essex: Elementary Education into all majors except those noted
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Quinsigamond: General Studies Elementary Education transfer into all majors except those noted

Individual articulation agreement with Holyoke Community College
For more information on Bridgewater State University, please see the Department of Early Education and Care website
[1]
Information from MA Department of Higher Education Admission and Transfer site http://www.mass.edu/forstudents/admissions/transfercompacts.asp
Phase I:
Key Findings from 28 IHEs
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Degree programs include: 14 associate’s, 9
bachelor’s, and 11 master’s;
15 offer a concentration in ECE and 14 have
ECE related certificates;
89% offer evening coursework for nontraditional students;
11% offer courses taught in languages other
than English; and
57% of two-year and 50% of four-year align
courses with EEC Core Competencies
Further coordination and collaboration
around the Mass Transfer Compact is
needed.
Phase I: Recommendations for EEC and
Accomplishments
Recommendation: Provide a current inventory of ECE
certificate and degree programs
Action Step: Phase I final report and fact sheets online
Action Step: OIR continuing to map ECE Certificate
and degree programs
Recommendation: Provide objective and professional
educational consultation services through local entities
Action Step: EPS grantees provide academic
and career counseling and help educators to
develop IPDPs at the local level
Recommendation: Continue to collaborate with DHE and IHEs
Action Step: Transfer Compact, EPS grant, course
development (ARRA funds), Readiness Centers
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Phase I: Recommendations for
EEC and Accomplishments contd.
Recommendation: Map alignment of accreditation
standards, core competencies, and IHE courses
Action Step: Phase II includes alignment of core competencies
Recommendation: Share best practices and the need for
providing supports for ELL students
Action Step: EPS grant provides opportunities for
grantees to share best practices; grant supports ESOL,
ABE, and developmental coursework
Action Step: Dual Language Education Policies and Guidelines
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Recommendation: Explore demand for school age certificate
and degree programs and options for OST educators
Action Step: EPS grant has shown an increase in PD
opportunities for school age/ OST educators
Action Step: Low demand for certificates continues
Phase I: Recommendations for the
System and Accomplishments
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Increase number of ECE bachelor’s
degree programs
Increase availability of intensive and online classes for bachelor’s and master’s
degrees
Utilize Ed Specialist/Career Counselors
Host information sessions for students
Disseminate ECE Transfer Compact fact
sheets
Facilitate focus groups to gather more
detailed information
IHE Phase II Mapping Project: Course Alignment
Preliminary Findings
Dr. Erin Oldham LaChance
Purpose of IHE Phase II Study
 Second Phase of IHE Project focused on identifying ways to increase
transferability of early childhood courses across Institutes of Higher
Education (IHE) by examining and identifying courses common to IHEs so
as to encourage and ease the process of transferability.
 The ultimate purpose is to make it easier for students to transfer
courses from one institution to another and to create a clear pathway
towards degree attainment.
 A secondary purpose was to map the identified common courses to one
or more EEC Core Competency
 A special project was to determine whether it is possible to compare
syllabi as a better way of determining transferability between courses.
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Scope of IHE Phase II Study

Scope of Study: The intention of the study was to look broadly across 33 IHEs at
early childhood degrees to identify courses that would be candidates for transfer and
then to examine those courses in some depth to encourage and ease the process of
transferability.

Lessoned Learned from Phase I: Information gathered from IHEs needs to be
verified by an actual person (not from websites which are often out of date) especially
as all of this information is considered politically sensitive.

Because we knew we had limited time and money (4 months, $15k), to ensure
that we focused on the courses with the strongest potential for transferability we
targeted our study by:
•Focusing on Early Childhood Education degrees (not Out of School Time or
K-12).
• Focusing on required courses (not general education, elective, practicum, or
seminar courses). Initial review included 1000 courses. Final categorization
includes 378 courses.

Research phase is complete; verification phase is on-going; summary of findings
continuing.
19
Targeted Methodology for Phase II
1. Reviewed required courses for Early Childhood Education degree and
certificate programs at 33 IHEs
2. Identified common course themes within the reviewed courses
3. Gathered in-depth information on targeted courses from course catalogs and
websites
4. Analyzed course descriptions to determine potential transferability
Analysis process: Two team members separately read course descriptions by
theme (e.g., all “Intro to ECE” courses) to determine course objectives and key
terms. Then a team of three came together to determine which courses were
similar in content and objectives. Any courses that did not align were removed
from the category. Some themes were further divided into subthemes.
5. Aligned courses with one or more EEC Core Competencies
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Targeted Methodology Phase II (Continued)
6. Contacted ECE department heads to:
a) Verify accuracy of collected data and garner additional information
b) Collect syllabi for targeted courses
c) Identify institutional policies on transferability
7. Conducted preliminary analysis of syllabi of one course to determine usefulness
of syllabi in determining transferability.
8. Created theme-based fact sheets on potentially transferable courses for use by
EEC, IHEs, and students.
9. Developed sortable database with detailed course information on 378 courses
across 33 IHEs. Sortable by multiple variables including: degree, school name,
EEC course competency address, theme, and number of credits.
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Preliminary Phase II Findings
Related to the ECE Compact
 Our findings are in alignment with the Early Childhood Education Compact
(2011 revision). In an independent examination, we found common course themes
that were closely aligned with the course requirements for the early childhood
education compact.
 Thus, IHEs should not have to make many changes or additions to their course
load for the compact to work at their school.
 As noted in the ECE Compact, a coordinating committee will assist campuses in
developing courses that meet the ESE and EEC core content knowledge
requirements. Information from this project can be used by the coordinating
committee.
 This project also provides evidence of transferability between private and public
schools. This has the potential to expand students’ options for a clear pathway
towards achievement of a degree.
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Preliminary Phase II Findings
Transferability Policies and Procedures
 IHEs have policies and procedures around transferability, but transfer of ECE
credits and courses is mainly individualized from institution to institution.
However, we are able to identify some trends from an online survey/interviews
with 19 IHEs.
• Certain foundational/introductory courses (e.g., Introduction to Early
Childhood Education, Child Growth and Development) were accepted for
credit, many of which are outlined in articulation agreements; and
• Many institutions consider the possibility of prior coursework being counted
as an elective
• When IHEs are considering transferability, they tend to look at

the content of the course, which typically includes a transcript review, an examination of
the course descriptions, one-on-one discussions with individual students about courses and if
necessary, a review of syllabi;

whether or not the credits obtained were from an accredited institution; and
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whether the student achieved a grade of a C or better in courses that were deemed
transferable.
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Preliminary Phase II Findings
Trends in Course Transferability
 Course descriptions are the most effective method for
determining transferability
 Course numbers are not a clear indicator of
transferability
 Syllabi are not a clear indicator of transferability
 There are course themes with common courses that
clearly lend themselves to transferability across IHEs.
These are areas where IHEs could be encouraged to create or
expand their articulation agreements.
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Example: Course similarity within theme of
“Guiding and Interacting with Children”
“In this course, students will look at the relationship of physical space, time, curriculum and
instruction in creating the positive and effective learning environments for young children,
birth to age 12. Introducing practical principles and techniques for providing
developmentally appropriate guidance for all children, emphasis is placed on encouraging
self-esteem, cultural awareness, effective communication skills, direct/indirect
techniques/strategies and observation to understand the underlying causes of behavior.
Upon completion, students will demonstrate appropriate interactions with children and
families and promote conflict resolution, self-control, self-motivation, and self-esteem in
children.”
“This course focuses on teacher’s attitudes and effective communication in guiding
behavior. Emphasis is placed on techniques which help children build positive self
concepts and individual strengths within the context of appropriate limits and discipline.
The course will customize and meet the specific needs of infant toddler and/or preschool
settings.”
“This course covers the study of effective communication in guiding behavior. The course
emphasizes techniques that help children build positive self-concepts and individual
strengths within the context of appropriate limits and discipline.”
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Preliminary Phase II Findings
Core Competency Alignment
 There is a cohesiveness between five core competencies and the required courses in the
areas below. These are areas that are ripe for transferability.
#1:
#2:
#3:
#5:
#6:
Growth and Development of Children and Youth
Guiding and Interacting with Children and Youth
Partnering with Families and Communities
Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum
Observation, Assessment, and Documentation
 There are two common course themes (i.e. Introduction to Early Childhood Education &
Working with Children with Special Needs) that cross multiple core competencies. These
are also areas where there is good transferability.
 Transferability may be more complex for the curriculum courses. There is a great
variety of courses from math and science curriculum to encouraging creativity in children.
 Three EEC Core Competencies are not consistently represented in required courses.
However, these are areas that are likely covered by professional development (e.g. training
for providers). It may be duplicative to cover these areas in higher education.
#4: Health, Safety, and Nutrition
#7: Program Planning and Development
#8: Professionalism and Leadership
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Preliminary Phase II Findings
Core Competency Alignment
Number of IHEs with Courses Related to Core Competency
18
17
16
16
Certificate, n=12
14
14
12
14
Bachelors, n=17
12
11
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11
10
10
10
8
8
6
5
8
5
5
5
4
3
2
2
0
Associates, n=16
3
2
1
1
1 1
0
Growth and
Development of
Children
Guiding and
Interacting with
Children
Partnering with
Families and
Communities
Health, Safety,
and Nutrition
Learning
Observation, Program Planning Professionalism
Environments Assessment, and and Development and Leadership
and Curriculum Documentation
EEC Core Competency Area
Preliminary Phase II Findings
Trends across Degree Programs
 Required courses for associates and certificate degrees are generally
more similar than bachelor programs. This is likely related to the short,
concentrated timeframe and focus of the ECE degrees. This results in
many courses being easily transferable between certificate and associates
degrees.
 There is less overlap between required courses within bachelors
degrees and across AA and BA degrees. This is likely related to to
specificity and specialization of programs, courses, and concentrations.
BA degree programs are likely purposely distinct and unique
considering their desire to attract a limited number of students.
Additionally, with four years worth of courses, BA programs can afford
to offer distinct and unique courses that likely do not lend themselves to
being transferred to other institutions.
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Methodological Limitations
 Findings are preliminary! Still receiving information from IHEs and still
verifying course information.
 Findings only represent trends among required courses due to the scope of the
study. There are additional courses (elective, practicum) that address EEC core
competencies and would be eligible for transfer among IHEs.
 Collection of course syllabi from IHEs was partially successful
•
Syllabi seen as professors’ “intellectual property.” Unable to obtain syllabi from all
IHEs.
• Syllabi are not necessarily up to date. (Some required courses not currently offered due
to low enrollment, for example.)
• Syllabi are very individual and difficult to compare (e.g., course objectives vary in
length from one paragraph to two pages). Could not determine a means of comparing the
syllabi in an objective manner (e.g. How do you compare the merits of two different
textbooks or one group of articles to another group of articles in an objective manner)
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Next (Action) Steps…
 Action Step: Work with private and public IHEs to increase
transferability of courses across those institutions.
 Action Step: Use information from this project to bolster the reasons for
IHEs to comply with ECE Transfer Compact.
 Action Step: Place an emphasis in EEC conversations on transferability
between two and four year institutions as there is less consistency in
transfer polices despite state initiatives.
 Action Step: Build upon best practices being used at some IHEs to
clearly explain to students which courses transfer and which are required
to be taken at the particular IHE (e.g., Gregory Nelson’s work at
Bridgewater State)
30
Next (Research) Steps…
 Research Step: Examine elective courses for transferability and alignment with
core competencies. Include information in database.
 Research Step: Examine practicum courses for transferability and alignment with
core competencies. Especially important now that practicum courses are included in
the ECE Compact. Include information in database.
Research Step: Determine how and to what extent the following core competencies
are being met by professional development: Health, Safety, and Nutrition; Program
Planning and Development; and Professionalism and Leadership
Research Step: Continue to include IHEs in the development of this process.
Continue to gather IHEs concerns and innovations to build buy-in and increase the
likelihood of compliance and appreciation of efforts to increase transferability
between courses.
Research Step: Consider including students in the development of this process.
Consider gathering students’ opinions on usability of information provided on EEC’s
website and in working with IHEs on course transfer.
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Next Steps for OIR…
 To complete this project, OIR will:
1. Call department heads who have not yet responded to
our questions about institutional policies and procedures
for transfer
2. Contact all IHEs for second verification of cataloged
course information
3. Complete analysis of findings and submit final report by
April 1, 2011
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