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It's 8 a.m. and Susan, a prekindergarten teacher, is nervous. She checks to make sure that all the electrical sockets are covered, the daily schedule is posted, and the art supplies are well stocked. As the children arrive, she greets them warmly, hoping everyone is in a good mood. Today Susan's expecting an observer who will complete a rating scale on her classroom. The observer will evaluate how she teaches, the materials in her classroom, the schedule, and how well the children follow classroom routines. Susan's been to training and knows what the evaluator will be looking for, but she's still nervous.
The observer walks in, says hello, and starts looking around. He examines every nook and cranny of the room and observes Susan and the children for several hours. Later, Susan receives a report that shows her classroom's score and outlines what the evaluator noted as strengths and areas for improvement.
Sound familiar? For many teachers, the prospect of an observer evaluating the quality of their classrooms and teaching practices is becoming increasingly common. As of 2007, 14 states and several local communities had implemented quality rating systems (QRS), and at least 31 states were considering or developing a QRS (National Child Care Information Center 2007). As part of NAEYC's own process for accrediting programs serving children, NAEYC Assessors observe teachers using established standards and criteria to assess and acknowledge program quality. These and other quality rating systems share several features: observers use a formal process and results from the evaluation are used to draw conclusions about the quality of the educational environment, plan professional development, determine whether a program will be accredited, gauge whether a program meets licensing standards, assign a "level" of quality (such as the number of stars on their license), and/or determine program funding.
The early childhood field has learned a lot from the data collected through these evaluations-that some of our classrooms are of high quality, but some are not; that teachers with specialized training often have classrooms rated higher than untrained teachers, and much more (Shim, Hestenes, & Cassidy 2004; Hestenes et al. 2007). The goal of the evaluations is to improve the care children receive by providing information on the quality of their teacher's teaching practices and...