Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 78-22-6 - Accountability Measures6.1. Evaluation. 6.1.a. Child care settings that voluntarily apply for a higher star rating shall be evaluated by the Division of Early Care and Education to determine if the setting meets the additional quality standards established for each type of care at each of three additional levels of quality.6.1.b. Applicants for a two-star rating shall be evaluated by the Division of Early Care and Education through a combination of on-site inspection for compliance with program standards or written documentation, and a self-assessment with a valid and reliable observation instrument designated by the Secretary, such as the nationally recognized set of Environmental Rating Scales for different age groups and types of care.6.1.c. Three-star program applicants shall be evaluated by the Division of Early Care and Education on an annual basis, as funding allows, through a combination of an on-site inspection for compliance with program standards, written documentation and an on-site evaluation with the designated observation tools by a trained and reliable evaluator.6.1.d. Four-star program applicants shall submit documentation that the program has been evaluated by a national accrediting body designated by the Secretary and the QRIS Advisory Council and is nationally accredited. A trained and reliable evaluator may evaluate the program on an annual basis with the designated observation tool.6.2. Assessment Tools. 6.2.a. The Secretary shall, with advice from the QRIS Advisory Council, designate valid and reliable tools to assess program quality from an assortment of observation tools that have been tested and determined to assess various components of quality.6.2.b. The QRIS Advisory Council shall conduct periodic surveys of available observation tools to determine the continuing effectiveness of the tools being used for observation and self-assessment.6.3. Evaluators.6.3.a. The secretary, with advice from the QRIS Advisory Council, shall establish criteria and a process for approval of evaluators to ensure consistency of program assessments. Evaluators shall have adequate early childhood education, training on the evaluation tool and an inter-rater reliability of 85% on the selected tool.6.3.b. Evaluators shall have their reliability on the designated assessment tool re-assessed every two years using the process established by the Secretary with advice from the QRIS Advisory Council.6.4. Program Improvement Planning.6.4.a. Programs with a two-star rating or higher shall use the results of either an internal self-assessment or an external on-site assessment, as applicable, using the selected evaluation tool to develop a program improvement plan.6.4.b. Program improvement plans shall be an ongoing tool used by child care programs to continuously improve quality.