Making Long-Lasting Changes with the Environment Rating Scales

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/making-long-lasting-changes-with-the-environment-rating-scales/5019112/

An assessment with the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) is designed to give early childhood administrators and teaching staff much more than a set of quality scores. Appropriately used, an ERS assessment can provide a blueprint for planning and carrying out both immediate and long-range program improvements. Unfortunately, programs often complete assessments on their classrooms, but don’t use them to inform their program improvement efforts in a systematic way. Whether the assessment is a self-assessment or was done by an outside observer, such as the official assessor of a state-run Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) or a technical assistance specialist, it is essential for the teaching staff to understand the specific requirements for each item in the scale in order to make meaningful changes. The classroom quality score is an average score, and by itself, is not helpful to guide program improvement. Giving the staff a copy of the score sheet completed by the assessor is not sufficient feedback either, because it is hard to figure out. In order to use an ERS assessment as a basis for planning and implementing program improvement, frontline staff must be given specific information in an easy-to-read format that points out program strengths, and gives ...