EARLY HEAD START/HEAD START PROCEDURES
Binder 1, Section: Education
2013-2014
Head Start Classroom Observation Procedure
Each classroom is observed by the center director a minimum of 3 hours once each month
during the school year (with the exception of August and December). Early Head Start
classrooms should also be observed once during the summer term. For centers where there is
no center director, the child development coordinator observes once a month. For center
directors who are also teachers, the child development coordinator will complete the
observation.
Teachers are observed using an approved observation instrument. The approved instruments
include those in the Education Service Plan, a general summary of the observation period
noting strengths and areas for improvement, or a published observation tool approved by the
child development coordinator. All observations must include written comments by the
observer, and teachers always have the right to add their own comments.
The observations are sent each month by the center director/child development coordinator to
the education administrative assistant. The education administrative assistant ensures that
each child development coordinator reviews the observations for her assigned centers and the
head start director reviews the observations completed by the child development coordinators.
After the observations are signed by the child development coordinator, the head start director
reviews each observation. The Checklist will be sent back to the center, so the center director
can meet with teachers to review observations and give feedback. Once teachers have signed
the observation form the center director will make a copy for the education administrative
assistant who maintains a binder of all monthly observations by center. The education
administrative assistant notifies center directors if they are delinquent in turning in their
observations. The original copy of the classroom observation it is placed in the Education
Book.
The observations are used to determine training needs for individual teachers as well as for
individual centers and the program as a whole. Areas for improvement that are noted in
formal observations during the school year should be used to help develop a professional
development plan for the teacher(s); professional development plans may be developed based
on only one observation if the center director and child development coordinator agree such a
plan is needed. Professional development plans will be developed by the center director and
teacher(s) in consultation with the child development coordinator. Professional Development
plans should be documented in writing on the teacher’s annual performance evaluation and
kept in the teacher’s training file at the center. Progress on the Professional Development
plan should also be documented on the teacher’s annual evaluation.
Each year as part of the program’s annual self-assessment, each head start classroom will be
observed by one of the two head start child development coordinators or CLASS reliable center
director who is not the one assigned to the center. The CLASS (Classroom Assessment
Scoring System) instrument will be used at least once in each head start classroom during the
program year. Head Start Child Development Coordinators are reliable on the CLASS
instrument. The Early Head Start Child Development Coordinator will observe each early head
start classroom annually using the ITERS (Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale)
Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas – Head Start Program (Birth –Five)
Copyright 2013
Education - Procedures
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observation instrument. These formal observations will be included with other self-assessment
observations to help inform our program planning and planning for annual training.
Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas – Head Start Program (Birth –Five)
Copyright 2012
Education - Procedures
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