Oct 29, 2012
8:30-12:30
Self Assessment after lunch
8:30 Welcome and review Agenda

What is the PQA

PQA Statewide Data Report 2008-09, 2009-10 (Mid Year Report)

Michigan’s roadmap to Early Care and Education Program Quality Improvement (Paris)

Descriptor scramble handout Pages 1-7 in small groups

Steps for completing the PQA handout Page 8-11

Scoring the PQA HO Page 11-14/ page 4 of PQA Booklet
Break



Uses for the PQA HO Page 15
Plan for improvement HO page 16-20
PQA Implementation Plan



Classroom based on self evaluation and ECS
Local school – based on several classrooms in a school
WMISD Consortium


PQA Goal A- Improve Small Group Instruction (2010)
PQA Goal B- Increase membership in early childhood professional organizations (2010)
Dec 3 set goals for WMISD GSRP Consortium (10-12)

Look at Program Evaluation Plan for GSRP

Online PQA instruction - get computers and start your own after lunch break
Questions and Answers/ Evaluations for AM session
Lunch Break
Return after lunch and complete the PQA Self Assessment on line

In order to evaluate and understand children's performance and progress, we
need to measure the educational experiences that the programs they attend
are providing.
Programs, rather than children, should be held accountable for learning. To
help programs meet these obligations, educators need valid tools to assess
how well their programs promote learning in all areas of development.
Valid assessment instruments can guarantee that we are looking at the right
ingredients of quality. They give us the information to evaluate whether we
are achieving appropriate levels of quality, and if not, where and how we can
improve.
HighScope has comprehensive program quality assessment tools for the preschool and youth levels.
High Scope -http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=79
Program quality, like child development, has many dimensions.
It includes:
Structural components — the classroom:
how the learning environment is set up and what happens during the
program day.
Process — how adults interact with children and plan and carry out
meaningful learning experiences. Ways in which staff relate to
parents, one another, and the community can affect children and are
part of the quality process. Finally, agency-wide factors influence
what happens in the classroom and directly or indirectly impact
children.
The Preschool Program Quality Assessment (PQA) is a rating instrument
designed to evaluate the quality of early childhood programs and identify
staff training needs.
The Preschool PQA is reliable and valid and is appropriate for use in all
center-based early childhood settings, including but not limited to those
using the High Scope educational approach.






The Preschool PQA is an all-in-one program evaluation system with the following
features:
Assesses key aspects of program quality
Reflects research-based and field-tested best practices in early childhood education
and care
Can be aligned with the Head Start Program Performance Standards
Provides reliable, scientifically validated assessment proven in a wide range of
early childhood programs and settings
Can be used as a basis for program accreditation, reporting, monitoring, and
training






Program Quality Assessment (PQA)
Appropriate for use in all center-based settings
Research – based and field-tested
Comprehensive tool
Administered by independent evaluators or
used as a self- assessment tool
Defines quality along a continuum



Individual sections can be used to focus on program
components
Examples can illustrate best practice
Providing specific implementation strategies
Identify areas for further development and training
 Quality control for single & multiple sites
 Objective and quantitative
 Provides a numerical and anecdotal record of
progress




Used to acknowledge strengths
Identify areas for improvement
Develop a plan of action (goals)



Documentation
Comparison
Evaluation


Effective tool to share information with parents,
agencies, funders and public
Information about the PQA can be easily
communicated & disseminated
Great Start to Quality
Northwest Resource Center
Paris Philo
Quality Improvement Consultant

Each item begins with a statement followed by
a series of indicators defining the lower, middle
and upper ends of the 5-pont quality
continuum or rubric.
Divided into 7 sections
 Room arrangement diagram page
 Daily routine page
 Series of indicator rows
 Space to record anecdotal notes
 Final Score for each item is at top of page
 Summary score sheet at the end of each form (
classroom & agency- level)



Based on Sound Principles of a High Quality
Preschool Classroom and 40 years of research
in the Perry Preschool Project
http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219


Ypsilanti, MI
PQA Describes a high quality preschool
program

Annual GSRP Mid Year Reports

Reporting risk factors
Reporting staff qualifications
Reporting PQA statewide data

www.michigan.gov/gsrp

Look for commonalities in the statewide data to our
local data – Venn Diagram



View preschool video clips





Take non judgmental and non biased anecdotal
notes on exactly what you – sticky notes
See
Hear
They say/ quotes
Activity- Chart what you notice about the 2
clips

Categorize by learning environment/ daily routine/
adult child interaction/ curriculum, planning,
instruction

Read the across the rows
Decide what level each descriptor represents
Place a #1, 3 or 5 by the indicators in the box

Complete pages 1-7 of handout







Step 1: Observe. Record supporting evidence.
Step 2: Read each row of descriptors and check
one box per row
Step 3: Circle the corresponding level (1, 2, 3, 4,
or 5)
Pages 8-11 of Handout
Review Page 4 of PQA Booklet – Scoring Guide

Video Clips of Preschool Classrooms

http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=381

Adult Child Interaction – “Eating Snakes”

Small Group Time- “Using Pipe Cleaners and Paper Clips”

Recall/ Planning - “Talking with the Caterpillar”

Large Group Time – “Singing Punchinello”


Observe- Take Anecdotal Notes – Write in the PQA booklet
Score the anecdotes, discuss scores

Self Assessment

Supervision , Observation & Feedback

Research and Evaluation

Handout -page 15

Identify the item you’d like to improve

Choose II-K or V-G (P. 17)

With a partner come up with a plan for
improvement (P. 18 or 19)

Share your plans

Handout P. 16-20

GSRP – 3 times per year

Self Evaluation in Fall

Fall PQA observation with goal setting

Follow up with Goal Setting, support, coaching


Follow up visit by Administration and Early
Childhood Specialist
Formal PQA Observation in Spring by Early
Childhood Specialist- for MDE/ GSRP office

Online PQA home

http://www.onlinepqa.net/
Webinar
http://www.onlinepqa.net/Default.aspx?id=18
Moving from Good to
Great!
Developing High Quality Learning
Environments for all children!