8084M0D4 DISCU

3

RESPONSE 1

Simon Kim 

RE: Discussion - Module 4

COLLAPSE

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Initial Post

After conducting several different interviews with program leaders at two different childcare facilities and one preschool facility, helpful insights and information were gained from the interviewees about their use of program evaluations and how they benefit from the findings of these program evaluations. All three program leaders emphasized the value and importance of program evaluation for their facilities and how critical it was to derive accurate findings and results from the evaluation process to make the necessary adjustments and changes for program improvements.

One of the daycare facilities’ program leaders who can be referred to as Mr. C for confidentiality purposes, the program evaluation process he undertook was a continuous one with data gleaned from his staff members’ observation logs and portfolio assessments to decipher how the program is working for the young learners ranging from 1 to 3 years of age. His emphasis on data collection, aggregation, and analysis as the program leader was directly reflective of what was presented in one of the resources from the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. For example, Mr. C pointed out the processes of data collection, aggregation, and analysis as instrumental to his success in making meaning out of the assessments from staff members on young learners (National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement, 2019). Mr. C says he undertook his program evaluation process at the end of each week, met with staff members to discuss his findings and discussed with them what they can do to improve the program for young learners, and then he took the time to meet with the parents at pick-up to discuss their importance in this process of improving the learning program and what adjustments they can make to benefit their young learners. Mr. C was the only program leader of the three interviewees who did this program evaluation process on a weekly basis and provided meaningful feedback to both staff members and parents. It was evident to him that the staff members and parents found his weekly updates and discussions on program evaluation and program improvement to be clear indicators of his involvement as the program leader and oversaw the program the way it needed to be through data analysis in the broad context of the program’s goals and objectives. He then interacted with staff members and parents to review any issues in these learning areas and then improved the content and approach at times when appropriate to benefit the young learners. 

The program evaluation process in the preschool facility done by Mrs. V was an important one valued by her and the teachers as well as the preschool children’s parents, but it was only done on a monthly or bi-monthly basis based on the assessment data. An interesting element of this program leader’s approach was the use of the HighScope Curriculum (2021). Mrs. V explained that HighScope Preschool Curriculum not only allowed children to achieve their cognitive and language learning goals but also instructed them on cooperation, problem solving, creativity, cooperation, and independent thinking. It was a curriculum that emphasized active participatory learning and deeply involved the parents and teachers with the children's learners to track their progress. Mrs. V pointed out that her program evaluation process was based mostly on the teachers’ and parents’ assessments and that she engaged in data aggregation and analysis to help clarify the program’s effectiveness. For example, she told the educator that her data sets were divided into different categories and domains to assess the progress of each child while also aggregated to clarify the group’s progress in terms of cooperation, collaboration, and working in team arrangements.  

The third interviewee, Mrs. R, was probably the least enthusiastic and ambiguous about the importance of program evaluation as a highly valued progress for her as the program leader. She asserted that her trust and rapport with her staff members at the childcare facility with their assessment processes and data collection was more important. Because she believed these youngest learners between one and three are not always quantifiable in terms of progress and improvements, she only engaged in a program evaluation every three or four months to allow staff members to provide feedback and insights for improvements. This lack of value in the program evaluation process was a personal decision by Mrs. R but the evidence in other program leaders and with the information discussed in this module clarified that program evaluation on a consistent, constant basis was important to maintain program integrity and quality. These points were made to Mrs. R who listened attentively to the educator and then she admitted that she would review her approach to program evaluation because of the enlightening interview. The educator’s suggestions included an explanation of how to use data aggregation and analysis in the assessments and then clarified possible broader areas of change and improvement from it.

Based on these three interviews with two daycare center program leaders and one preschool program leader, the program evaluation process was most accurate and useful when data driven. This data must be gleaned from the assessments provided from teachers, staff members, and parents on the children as learners. By aggregating and analyzing the data, a program leader can put into perspective what the data sets mean for the effectiveness of the program. Improvements can be made through studying the data sets in the context of these meanings.

References

HighScope. (2021). Preschool Curriculum.  Preschool (highscope.org)

National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. (2019). Measuring what matters: Exercises in data management.  Measuring What Matters: Exercises in Data Management Exercise 3: Aggregate and Analyze (hhs.gov)

 

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RESPONSE 2

Taylor Thomas 

RE: Discussion - Module 4

COLLAPSE

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To complete my Module 4 assignment, I decided to interview a few different people from a preschool. When interviewing each person, they expressed the importance of program evaluation based on both pre-evaluation assessment measures and post-evaluation reflection. From this data, the program is able to aggregate data to find stories and patterns about their program into how services are being delivered and perceived (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, n.d.).

The first person I interviewed was the program leader of the preschool. When discussing the interview questions with him, a consistent theme he kept referring back to was the importance of using data to drive future decisions. He discussed how data was derived from pre-evaluation assessment measures and post-evaluation reflection. For example, he discussed how the preschool has its own evaluation system to assure they are meeting all required standards and expectations. Additionally, he discussed how the preschool has a collection of community stakeholders who are continually briefed on the decision-making process of the school and provide constant feedback on areas the school could show improvement in and areas they feel are successful. Furthermore, he credited much of his success with the evaluation process to the teachers in his program. This mirrored the sentiments of Chris Amirault from the media presentation. Amirault discussed how adequate staff support from administrators reviewing data and from teachers during the documentation process led to a smooth and successful program evaluation process (Walden University, 2016d).

The second person I interviewed was a faculty member at a preschool. When discussing the interview questions with her, she discussed how the preschool constantly asks teachers to help the administration track and document data. Data types recorded include student growth measures in social-emotional learning skills, oral language skills, and motor skills. This data is recorded on a spreadsheet that teachers are required to update quarterly based on student growth. The teacher then explained how the data must then be shared with families quarterly as well. She explained how this sharing of data helps keep families informed. Additionally, she said that families of students displaying greater difficulties are informed on progress more frequently. Furthermore, the teacher expressed how the school also trains teachers on required practices to meet accreditation guidelines. This is expressed by Christy Opsommer as a potential issue with some programs. Regardless of turnover, teachers coming into schools must be kept informed of the process (Walden University, 2016d).

From this interview process, I was able to learn ways to assist me in positively implementing data-driven change. A lesson I learned that might assist me going forward in implementing data-driven change is that data collected by teachers should be primarily used to report progress to parents and to inform instructional practice (Zweig, 2015). This is eye-opening because as an elementary classroom teacher, my data communication to parents comes in the form of graded tasks, progress reports, and parent-teacher conference communication. The lesson learned is that additional data should be shared with families more frequently to keep them informed and to help them stay involved in their child’s progress.

References

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center. (n.d.).

Measuring what matters: Exercises in data management-Exercise 3: Analyze and aggregate: Dig into the data. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/measuring-what-matters-exercises-03.pdf

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016d). Voices from the field: Implementation experiences [Audio

file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Zweig, J., Irwin, C. W., Kook, J. F., & Cox, J. (2015). Data collection and use in early childhood education

programs: Evidence from the northeast region. Education Development Center, Inc. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2015084.pdf

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