ECERS Assessment -Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
SEI 516
Assessment Report
January 26, 2013
Background Information
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) was conducted within the Davis Road Head Start/Child Development Services (CDS) collaborative classroom. This classroom services student’s ages three to five years of age. Within this classroom there can be up to four students enrolled per session that have disabilities and Individual Education Programs (IEP). The classroom can serve up to 10 students per session, 60% of which qualify for Head Start and 40% of which are children with disabilities who have been referred by CDS. This program is open five days a week, three hours and 15 minutes per session. There is both a morning and an afternoon session run daily.
The classroom itself is small. It has a number of exterior windows in the far corner of the classroom, allowing for a great deal of natural light. There is a bathroom within the classroom, to the right hand side as you walk into the room. This bathroom is separated from the classroom by a half door, allowing for ample privacy for students. There is also a gross motor room available when students are unable to go outside, due to inclement weather. This room is large and open, allowing for gross motor activities to occur safely. There is a great deal of portable gross motor equipment available within this area, which allows for a variety of activities for students.
The student’s cubbies are directly outside of the classroom, offering enough room for children to store their personal items. Children are not allowed in the cubby area without some form of adult supervision. There is a playground located at the back of the school. This playground is completely fenced in and offers a variety of gross motor activities, weather permitting. It has been noted that there are not as many activities for students to access on the playground during winter months.
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) is the tool that was implemented to assess the classroom environment. This observation was conducted in two sessions. The first session was an hour, from 1:00-2:00, in which there were 5 staff present and 7 students. The second observation was conducted from 12:00-3:00, allowing opportunity to observe a full session. During this observation, there were 4 adults present and 6 students. According to the lead teacher, both observations were conducted on ‘typical’ days, meaning no substitutes in attendance, no changes in daily routine, etc.
The ECERS-R utilizes direct observation and teacher report to assess specific areas within the classroom setting.
Findings
Space and Furnishings: Subscale score of 52, equaling a total score of 6.5
The classroom has the correct number of child sized chairs and tables within the room. There are beanbag chairs, blankets and pillows in the quiet area, as well as a child sized couch in the reading center. There are some stuffed animals within the classroom as well. There is a defined circle time area, which includes calendar activities, daily jobs, and song choices, as well as finger play materials and musical instruments. The circle area is nicely bordered and clean of distraction. Other than the circle area, there are at least five areas that are clearly defined for play, instructional opportunity, and quiet/reading. These areas are separated by toy shelves, book shelves, and other furnishings. There is an area for sand and water play, housekeeping, block play, library, listening, crafts, and discovery. The two tables that are set up in the center of the classroom are also used as a snack/lunch area and an art/small group activity area. When looking around the classroom, there is some artwork created by the students posted on the walls.
Strengths: The classroom is broken up and structured quite nicely, for being such a small space. There is a great deal of opportunity for students to interact and engage with one another. There is both a quiet area for students to relax when needed, and areas in the classroom that allow for extended play opportunities. Within each defined area, there is a posting of the number of students allowed to be in one particular space at a time, alleviating the potential for congestion in one area versus another.
Challenges/recommendations: Because the classroom is so small, it is recommended that staff continue to take into consideration how to best maintain and organize classroom materials when they are not being utilized. The classroom can very easily become disorganized due to the lack of space. It is recommended that staff is very aware of how the classroom space is being utilized and continue to maintain a high standard of organization of materials.
Personal Care Routines: Subscale score of 27, equaling a total score of 5.4
Each child is taken to the classroom by parents and/or caregivers upon arrival. All parents and caregivers are required to sign their children in at the start of each session as well as signing them out at departure. This sign in procedure takes place prior to bringing them into the classroom. The lead teacher and support staff take this opportunity to talk with parents briefly to see how the children are doing and how their day has gone up to this point. At this time, there are no children being transported to the program by volunteer drivers, i.e. Lynx transportation, therefore the classroom staff have daily opportunity to meet and talk with parents/caregivers. The students put their personal belongings, i.e. coat, backpack, etc. into their cubbies prior to transitioning into the classroom, as the cubbies are located directly outside of their classroom. The school appears safe and accessible for all students. The teacher-child ratio is appropriate for the needs of the children in this classroom.
Strengths: The student’s daily routine is well structured. The children appear to understand their expectations around the daily schedule and routine, structure and organization of center areas, hygiene, mealtime, etc. It is nice that the toileting/sink area is located within the classroom, allowing for easy access, yet offering privacy for all students.
Challenges/Recommendations: If space was better equipped, it would be recommended that the cubbies be inside the classroom, allowing students to have access to their personal belongings throughout the day, as well as being more efficient for teaching staff to monitor students.
Language-Reasoning: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
The classroom has a reading area that has been created for the students. There is a book shelf with a variety of age-appropriate books. The books are rotated based on child interest and themes that are implemented each month. There is a child-sized couch in the reading area for students to relax and comfortably read a book. There is a circle time area in the classroom, which has books available as well. During circle time, the students are asked to read a daily letter, sing songs, and conduct a variety of educational and learning activities. Staff does an excellent job of exposing students to language, as well as shaping and developing a child’s language and communication skills.
Strengths: Because of the teacher to child ratio in the classroom, staff is able to meet individual needs, working and supporting children to build upon their developing communication skills. The TS Gold Curriculum which has been adopted within all Head Start programs is also a great strength. Every week up to two students are given time and attention to work on and build upon individual needs.
Challenges/Recommendations: There do not appear to be any recommendations at this time, as there is a great deal of support and learning opportunity incorporated into the classroom. It has been observed that speech providers come into the classroom based upon need, to work with individual students.
Activities: Subscale score of 61, equaling a total score of 6.8
Although the classroom is rather small, there are many areas designated to specific centers within the classroom. There is a reading/library area, a block area, sand and water, crafts, housekeeping, a listening center, and discovery. There are a number of age-appropriate toys and games that are available to students at scheduled times throughout the day. All toys and materials are rotated according to monthly themes and child interest. There is a sand and water table that incorporates a variety of different materials for the students to engage in. This table is sometimes filled with water, sand, rice, or moon sand, just to name a few. The students have access to this at different times during the day; otherwise it remains covered.
There is a daily art activity that is created for the students to experiment with texture, different materials and classroom tools. They also have access to music on a daily basis.
Strengths: The classroom is nicely structured for students to interact and engage in a variety of educational and social opportunities throughout their day. Daily activities are interactive, individualized as needed, and engaging. The teaching staff incorporates child interest and revolving themes to enhance teaching opportunities and exposure to new and exciting topics.
Challenges/Recommendations: Due to the structure of the Head Start program and the curriculum that is implemented and overseen, there are no recommendations at this time. The overall classroom structure is highly engaging, well-organized, and nurturing.
Interaction: Subscale score of 35, equaling a total score of 7
The staff is very accessible to support peer interactions, based on the needs and exchanges of each child. Classroom staff continuously engage and interact with the students, as well as model appropriate behavior and social interactions. The teaching staff takes the time to interact with each student, offering positive supports, encouragement, and opportunity for growth and independence.
Strengths: The staff interact very nicely with the students. They are supportive, patient, and work with compassion to offer the appropriate amount of support necessary for each child to be successful.
Challenges/Recommendations: This area is a strength, therefore I have no recommendations at this time.
Program Structure: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
This classroom has a structured daily routine that is posted on a visual schedule within the classroom. It appears that staff remains very aware of each child’s individual needs and temperament, mood, and behaviors, allowing for flexibility in the schedule when necessary. There is a ‘safe space’ that is available to all students as needed, when a child feels they need a place to calm and regroup. According to the lead teacher, individual students tend to utilize this space quite frequently. Transitions from one daily activity to the next appear to happen with little to no lag time. There is ample opportunity for free play and social interaction among peers. Activities and materials are continuously rotated to maintain a high level of interest.
Strengths: The classroom staff is very nurturing, supportive, and engaging with the children. The staff also appears to support each other nicely as a team, in order to conduct a well-organized classroom environment.
Challenges/Recommendations: It could become a challenge at times to incorporate all that would benefit classroom and student needs, when working in such a small environment.
Parents and Staff: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
The school and classroom offer parents a handbook of all policies and procedures at the start of the school year. Parents receive a monthly newsletter that is sent home to communicate the activities and topics for the upcoming month. Parents and/or caregivers are greeted at the start and end of each session by the lead teacher and support staff, allowing time to discuss specifics or just for a friendly hello. There are in home visits scheduled twice a year; as well as parent-teacher conferences that occur three times per year. The program also conducts family support groups one time per month.
Strengths: There is an excellent communication between the classroom staff and the parents within this community. It is a great strength of this program that the teachers schedule up to three parent-teacher conferences, as well as in-home support visits.
Challenges/Recommendations: No new recommendations at this time. This program appears to do an excellent job of maintaining an open dialogue between classroom staff and parents/caregivers.
Summary:
The final score for the Davis Road classroom was 259 out of a total of 39 scored items. This program offers a safe and healthy environment for all students being served within the program. There is a great deal of communication and appropriate interaction taking place between the staff and students, helping to support children as they continue to develop and grow intellectually and socially. The daily schedule incorporates a nice balance of play opportunities and hands on learning experiences encompassed throughout the day. The program has a strong curriculum base and offers a great deal of opportunity for family involvement. Other than the physical space of the classroom being quite small, this is an effective, well run classroom. There is an incredible amount of staff support and team work that can be felt when walking into this environment.
Assessment Report
January 26, 2013
Background Information
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) was conducted within the Davis Road Head Start/Child Development Services (CDS) collaborative classroom. This classroom services student’s ages three to five years of age. Within this classroom there can be up to four students enrolled per session that have disabilities and Individual Education Programs (IEP). The classroom can serve up to 10 students per session, 60% of which qualify for Head Start and 40% of which are children with disabilities who have been referred by CDS. This program is open five days a week, three hours and 15 minutes per session. There is both a morning and an afternoon session run daily.
The classroom itself is small. It has a number of exterior windows in the far corner of the classroom, allowing for a great deal of natural light. There is a bathroom within the classroom, to the right hand side as you walk into the room. This bathroom is separated from the classroom by a half door, allowing for ample privacy for students. There is also a gross motor room available when students are unable to go outside, due to inclement weather. This room is large and open, allowing for gross motor activities to occur safely. There is a great deal of portable gross motor equipment available within this area, which allows for a variety of activities for students.
The student’s cubbies are directly outside of the classroom, offering enough room for children to store their personal items. Children are not allowed in the cubby area without some form of adult supervision. There is a playground located at the back of the school. This playground is completely fenced in and offers a variety of gross motor activities, weather permitting. It has been noted that there are not as many activities for students to access on the playground during winter months.
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) is the tool that was implemented to assess the classroom environment. This observation was conducted in two sessions. The first session was an hour, from 1:00-2:00, in which there were 5 staff present and 7 students. The second observation was conducted from 12:00-3:00, allowing opportunity to observe a full session. During this observation, there were 4 adults present and 6 students. According to the lead teacher, both observations were conducted on ‘typical’ days, meaning no substitutes in attendance, no changes in daily routine, etc.
The ECERS-R utilizes direct observation and teacher report to assess specific areas within the classroom setting.
Findings
Space and Furnishings: Subscale score of 52, equaling a total score of 6.5
The classroom has the correct number of child sized chairs and tables within the room. There are beanbag chairs, blankets and pillows in the quiet area, as well as a child sized couch in the reading center. There are some stuffed animals within the classroom as well. There is a defined circle time area, which includes calendar activities, daily jobs, and song choices, as well as finger play materials and musical instruments. The circle area is nicely bordered and clean of distraction. Other than the circle area, there are at least five areas that are clearly defined for play, instructional opportunity, and quiet/reading. These areas are separated by toy shelves, book shelves, and other furnishings. There is an area for sand and water play, housekeeping, block play, library, listening, crafts, and discovery. The two tables that are set up in the center of the classroom are also used as a snack/lunch area and an art/small group activity area. When looking around the classroom, there is some artwork created by the students posted on the walls.
Strengths: The classroom is broken up and structured quite nicely, for being such a small space. There is a great deal of opportunity for students to interact and engage with one another. There is both a quiet area for students to relax when needed, and areas in the classroom that allow for extended play opportunities. Within each defined area, there is a posting of the number of students allowed to be in one particular space at a time, alleviating the potential for congestion in one area versus another.
Challenges/recommendations: Because the classroom is so small, it is recommended that staff continue to take into consideration how to best maintain and organize classroom materials when they are not being utilized. The classroom can very easily become disorganized due to the lack of space. It is recommended that staff is very aware of how the classroom space is being utilized and continue to maintain a high standard of organization of materials.
Personal Care Routines: Subscale score of 27, equaling a total score of 5.4
Each child is taken to the classroom by parents and/or caregivers upon arrival. All parents and caregivers are required to sign their children in at the start of each session as well as signing them out at departure. This sign in procedure takes place prior to bringing them into the classroom. The lead teacher and support staff take this opportunity to talk with parents briefly to see how the children are doing and how their day has gone up to this point. At this time, there are no children being transported to the program by volunteer drivers, i.e. Lynx transportation, therefore the classroom staff have daily opportunity to meet and talk with parents/caregivers. The students put their personal belongings, i.e. coat, backpack, etc. into their cubbies prior to transitioning into the classroom, as the cubbies are located directly outside of their classroom. The school appears safe and accessible for all students. The teacher-child ratio is appropriate for the needs of the children in this classroom.
Strengths: The student’s daily routine is well structured. The children appear to understand their expectations around the daily schedule and routine, structure and organization of center areas, hygiene, mealtime, etc. It is nice that the toileting/sink area is located within the classroom, allowing for easy access, yet offering privacy for all students.
Challenges/Recommendations: If space was better equipped, it would be recommended that the cubbies be inside the classroom, allowing students to have access to their personal belongings throughout the day, as well as being more efficient for teaching staff to monitor students.
Language-Reasoning: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
The classroom has a reading area that has been created for the students. There is a book shelf with a variety of age-appropriate books. The books are rotated based on child interest and themes that are implemented each month. There is a child-sized couch in the reading area for students to relax and comfortably read a book. There is a circle time area in the classroom, which has books available as well. During circle time, the students are asked to read a daily letter, sing songs, and conduct a variety of educational and learning activities. Staff does an excellent job of exposing students to language, as well as shaping and developing a child’s language and communication skills.
Strengths: Because of the teacher to child ratio in the classroom, staff is able to meet individual needs, working and supporting children to build upon their developing communication skills. The TS Gold Curriculum which has been adopted within all Head Start programs is also a great strength. Every week up to two students are given time and attention to work on and build upon individual needs.
Challenges/Recommendations: There do not appear to be any recommendations at this time, as there is a great deal of support and learning opportunity incorporated into the classroom. It has been observed that speech providers come into the classroom based upon need, to work with individual students.
Activities: Subscale score of 61, equaling a total score of 6.8
Although the classroom is rather small, there are many areas designated to specific centers within the classroom. There is a reading/library area, a block area, sand and water, crafts, housekeeping, a listening center, and discovery. There are a number of age-appropriate toys and games that are available to students at scheduled times throughout the day. All toys and materials are rotated according to monthly themes and child interest. There is a sand and water table that incorporates a variety of different materials for the students to engage in. This table is sometimes filled with water, sand, rice, or moon sand, just to name a few. The students have access to this at different times during the day; otherwise it remains covered.
There is a daily art activity that is created for the students to experiment with texture, different materials and classroom tools. They also have access to music on a daily basis.
Strengths: The classroom is nicely structured for students to interact and engage in a variety of educational and social opportunities throughout their day. Daily activities are interactive, individualized as needed, and engaging. The teaching staff incorporates child interest and revolving themes to enhance teaching opportunities and exposure to new and exciting topics.
Challenges/Recommendations: Due to the structure of the Head Start program and the curriculum that is implemented and overseen, there are no recommendations at this time. The overall classroom structure is highly engaging, well-organized, and nurturing.
Interaction: Subscale score of 35, equaling a total score of 7
The staff is very accessible to support peer interactions, based on the needs and exchanges of each child. Classroom staff continuously engage and interact with the students, as well as model appropriate behavior and social interactions. The teaching staff takes the time to interact with each student, offering positive supports, encouragement, and opportunity for growth and independence.
Strengths: The staff interact very nicely with the students. They are supportive, patient, and work with compassion to offer the appropriate amount of support necessary for each child to be successful.
Challenges/Recommendations: This area is a strength, therefore I have no recommendations at this time.
Program Structure: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
This classroom has a structured daily routine that is posted on a visual schedule within the classroom. It appears that staff remains very aware of each child’s individual needs and temperament, mood, and behaviors, allowing for flexibility in the schedule when necessary. There is a ‘safe space’ that is available to all students as needed, when a child feels they need a place to calm and regroup. According to the lead teacher, individual students tend to utilize this space quite frequently. Transitions from one daily activity to the next appear to happen with little to no lag time. There is ample opportunity for free play and social interaction among peers. Activities and materials are continuously rotated to maintain a high level of interest.
Strengths: The classroom staff is very nurturing, supportive, and engaging with the children. The staff also appears to support each other nicely as a team, in order to conduct a well-organized classroom environment.
Challenges/Recommendations: It could become a challenge at times to incorporate all that would benefit classroom and student needs, when working in such a small environment.
Parents and Staff: Subscale score of 28, equaling a total score of 7
The school and classroom offer parents a handbook of all policies and procedures at the start of the school year. Parents receive a monthly newsletter that is sent home to communicate the activities and topics for the upcoming month. Parents and/or caregivers are greeted at the start and end of each session by the lead teacher and support staff, allowing time to discuss specifics or just for a friendly hello. There are in home visits scheduled twice a year; as well as parent-teacher conferences that occur three times per year. The program also conducts family support groups one time per month.
Strengths: There is an excellent communication between the classroom staff and the parents within this community. It is a great strength of this program that the teachers schedule up to three parent-teacher conferences, as well as in-home support visits.
Challenges/Recommendations: No new recommendations at this time. This program appears to do an excellent job of maintaining an open dialogue between classroom staff and parents/caregivers.
Summary:
The final score for the Davis Road classroom was 259 out of a total of 39 scored items. This program offers a safe and healthy environment for all students being served within the program. There is a great deal of communication and appropriate interaction taking place between the staff and students, helping to support children as they continue to develop and grow intellectually and socially. The daily schedule incorporates a nice balance of play opportunities and hands on learning experiences encompassed throughout the day. The program has a strong curriculum base and offers a great deal of opportunity for family involvement. Other than the physical space of the classroom being quite small, this is an effective, well run classroom. There is an incredible amount of staff support and team work that can be felt when walking into this environment.