State-Funded PreK Policies on External Classroom Observations: Issues and Status. Policy Information Report

Autor/in	Ackerman, Debra J.
Institution	Educational Testing Service, Policy Information Center
Titel	State-Funded PreK Policies on External Classroom Observations: Issues and Status. Policy Information Report
Quelle	(2014), (33 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Preschool Education; State Policy; Observation; Validity; Reliability; Best Practices + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Pre-school education; Vorschulerziehung; Beobachtung; Gültigkeit; Reliabilität
Abstract	Early education programs are increasingly being promoted by states and the federal government as an integral part of their efforts to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn. As these programs and their enrollments have grown in recent years, so too have efforts to monitor their quality and performance. A common focus is on documenting the quality of children's learning experiences through the collection of classroom observation data. In order for these data to be useful for informing the monitoring process, however, they need to demonstrate evidence of being appropriate and defensible for their intended interpretation and subsequent uses. In this new Policy Information Report, the author examines the variety of state PreK classroom observation policies on program decisions that are informed by observation score data, the protocols being used, and how often such data are collected from classrooms. Just as important, the author reminds the reader of the particular validity and reliability challenges that are inherent in relying on classroom observation score data for a variety of low- and high-stakes decisions. It is the hope that this report will cause policymakers, school leaders, and practitioners to reflect on their early education program classroom evaluation policies, whether they meet acceptable levels of validity and reliability, and what actions they can take to improve the usefulness of data collected to improve the quality of children's early learning experiences. As federal and state efforts to improve access to high quality early education continue to grow, it will be increasingly important to monitor this critical segment of our education pipeline. A chart with PreK Program Reporting Observation Policies (n = 27) is appended. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Educational Testing Service. Rosedale Road Mailstop 19R, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001. Tel: 609-921-9000; Fax: 609-734-5410; Web site: http://www.ets.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01