Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment

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Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional

Development Assessment Report

June 2013

OLDHAM INNOVATIVE RESEARCH 267 BRACKETT ST. PORTLAND MAINE 04102 207-415-6754

OLDHAMRESEARCH.COM

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 4

Goals of the Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment ...................................................................... 4

Glossary of Terms ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................. 5

Strengths ................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Gaps .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Key Recommendations .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment Report .................................... 9

Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 14

Professional Development Opportunities ............................................................................................................... 14

Professional Development Funding ........................................................................................................................ 21

Professional Development Quality Assurance ....................................................................................................... 22

Professional Development Utilization .................................................................................................................... 24

Professional Development Alignment .................................................................................................................... 27

Professional Development Policies ......................................................................................................................... 29

Professional Development, Employment, and Compensation Parity ..................................................................... 29

Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................... 31

Appendix A: Full Aggregate Report of the Early Childhood Professional Development

Survey ......................................................................................................................................................... 35

Appendix B: Research Brief: Demographics ........................................................................................ 79

Appendix C: Research Brief: Professional Development Opportunities ......................................... 84

Appendix D: Research Brief: Professional Development Funding ................................................... 95

Appendix E: Research Brief: Professional Development Quality Assurance .................................. 99

Appendix F: Research Brief: Professional Development Utilization ............................................... 105

Appendix G: Research Brief: Alignment and Professional Development ..................................... 113

Appendix H: Research Brief: ProfessionalDevelopment Policies .................................................... 120

Appendix I: Research Brief: Employment and Compensation Parity ............................................. 124

Appendix J: Comparisons by Type of Organization: Professional Development ......................... 127

Appendix K: Comparisons by Type of Organization: Quality Assurance ..................................... 132

Appendix L: Comparisons by Type of Organization: Utilization ................................................... 138

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Appendix M: Comparisons by Type of Organization:Alignment ................................................... 143

Appendix N: Comparisons by Type of Organization: Policies ........................................................ 145

Appendix O: Certificate, Credential andDegree Programs of OK IHE’s ....................................... 148

Appendix P: Other Forms of Professional Development Supports ................................................ 154

Appendix Q: Professional Development Opportunities ................................................................... 165

Appendix R: Professional Development:Type of Offerings ............................................................. 180

Appendix S:Recommendations At-A-Glance ..................................................................................... 190

Appendix T: Interviews with Professional Development and Workfore Workgroup ................. 193

Appendix U: Literature Review of National Trends in Professional Development

Assessment ............................................................................................................................................... 200

Appendix V: Professional Development Assessment Survey .......................................................... 207

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Executive Summary

Goals of the Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment

The goals of the Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment

were to:

1) attain a comprehensive assessment of the availability and effectiveness of

professional development activities for the early childhood education (ECE)

and child development degree graduates and other professionals in the early

childhood workforce;

2) identify the availability and effectiveness of the following components of

professional development: professional development opportunities, funding,

quality assurance, utilization, alignment, policies, and employment and

compensation parity;

3) and use the essential elements of professional development highlighted in

NAEYC’s Workforce Design, a Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional

Development Systems to guide the assessment process and the recommendations

for future work related to early childhood professional development.

Glossary of Terms

Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Child Development Professional

Development: is professional development that focuses on the learning, growth, and

development of children ages birth through age eight.

Institutions of Higher Education (IHE’s): include public colleges and universities (both

two- and four-year), independent colleges and universities, and proprietary institutions.

Professional development: is defined as training and education opportunities available

specific to early childhood or child development. Training is defined as a learning

experience (s) specific to a topic in early childhood that is delivered by a trainer(s) with

subject matter knowledge that is not necessarily credit-bearing. Education is defined as

formal coursework in which credit is given for courses completed.

Relationship-based professional development: refers to the assistance a program or

provider receives that may accompany training and/or education. Coaching,

mentoring, consultation, peer-to-peer networking and advising are examples of this

type of professional development.

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Methodology

The methods that helped inform the Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional

Development Assessment included a:

Professional Development Assessment Survey;

web site inventory of OK’s IHE’s, community-based organizations that provide

professional development, OK’s early childhood associations that provide

professional development and OK’s career technical centers;

series of interviews with members of the Professional Development and

Workforce work group;

collection of data sets from the Center for Early Childhood Professional

Development, the OK Scholars Program, the OK State Regents Office, and

NAEYC1 Accreditation of Associate Programs as well as NAEYC-recognized

IHE’s through NCATE2;

and a literature review of national trends in early childhood professional

development systems and assessment of those systems.

Strengths

Much strength was determined when concluding the OK Early Child Professional

Development Assessment.

Professional development opportunities specific to early childhood education or child

development are available through certificate and credential programs as well as degree

programs in 37 IHE’s throughout the State of Oklahoma. Professional development

opportunities also exist through community-based organizations and associations as

well as career technical centers. The professional development provided is closely

aligned with OK’s Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners and OK’s Early

Learning Guidelines.

In terms of systemic professional development supports programs like the OK Scholars

Program, articulation and credit transfer agreements, and a high degree of alignment

between core competencies, the professional development career ladder, and teacher

licensing were noted as being especially helpful to students.

Other notable strengths include the promising rates of degree and course completion

with the time it takes to complete a degree or a credential being on par with national

averages. Also, increases in enrollment in Early Childhood Education and Child

Development programs are encouraging. Policies related to professional development 1 NAEYC=National Association for the Education of Young Children 2 NCATE=national Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

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at the IHE’s, career technical centers, and community-based organizations are reviewed

and revised. NAEYC accreditation of Associate’s programs and recognition at the

Bachelor’s and Master’s level were noted as being areas of strength for the IHE’s

throughout Oklahoma. Employment and compensation parity is an area where many

providers of professional development note as a concern, which is in line with the

concerns of the Professional Development and Workforce work group (PDWW);

additionally gaps were determined during the assessment process as well.

Gaps

In terms of availability of programs for those seeking further education in ECE or child

development opportunities exist throughout Oklahoma. However, accessibility seems

to be more of an issue in regard to offering flexible class schedules, convenient

locations, and different modalities of professional development. Professional

development delivery presents challenges to accessibility with the majority of offerings

being conducted face-to-face. Financial supports can be more accessible by ensuring

that requirements related to eligibility are easily understood by all stakeholders (i.e.,

advisors, program administrators, students, funders).

Areas that exist but could be enhanced included relationship-based professional

development like targeted coaching, mentoring and advising; the trainer approval

process to ensure that all providers of professional development have appropriate

education and experience that is specific to early childhood education or child

development; data tracking, collection, sharing, and dissemination to better understand

professional development utilization rates; the review and revision process of

professional development policies; and strengthening alignment between community-

based training and higher education to ensure that all professional development counts

toward a certificate, credential or degree.

Other gaps to address: increased knowledge of the barriers to accessing professional

development and financial supports; development of a measure to better understand

early childhood competency; increased input from stakeholders and the public,

including families, regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of early childhood

professional development; examination of providing professional development support

for those speaking languages other than English; and continued efforts to examine the

issues pertaining to employment and compensation parity.

Key Recommendations

Based on the findings, several recommendations for improvement can fall within the

policy principles as described in the NAEYC’s Workforce Design, a Policy Blueprint for

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State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems 3. These policy principles include:

1) integration; 2) quality assurance; 3) diversity, inclusion, and access; and 4)

compensation parity.

Those recommendations specific to integration include:

1) Consistent, systemic alignment of training and education with core competencies

and career ladder pathways.

2) Workforce data reports gathered from workforce surveys that give a sense of

professional development needs and gaps.

3) Explicit articulation agreements and credit transfer agreements that the

workforce can understand.

4) Examination of the different types of articulation models to help increase the

number of articulation agreements4.

Recommendations specific to quality assurance consist of:

1) Trainer and training approval systems that ensure that those providing

education and training have at least 18 credit hours in ECE or child development.

2) Consistent evaluation of professional development as well as trainers or

educators.

3) Relationship-based professional development opportunities available at all levels

(certificates, credentials, degrees), including mentoring, coaching and peer-to-

peer networking to help transfer knowledge into practice.

4) Promotion of individualized professional development plans to ensure that

professional development is leading to progression in the field.

5) Promoting IHE-level accreditation specific to early childhood like NAEYC

Accreditation for Associate Programs and NAEYC recognition through NCATE

for baccalaureate and graduate programs.

6) Demonstration of competencies beyond quizzes, tests, and standardized tests.

7) Collect information from IHE’s on course content, practicum expectations,

faculty characteristics, and institutional changes that could affect ECE or child

development education and/or degree attainment.

3 LaMoine, S. (2008). Workforce designs: a policy blueprint for state early childhood professional development systems: NAYEC public policy report. Retrieved from NAEYC’s web site: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/ecwsi/Workforce_Designs.pdf. 4 Faculty-to-faculty: based on relationships between faculty members who know and trust one another and have first-hand knowledge of programs and graduates; course-to-course: based on common course libraries throughout the State; program-to-program: based on common courses with a unifying framework for defining student outcomes that is shared across IHE’s with agreements that rewards associate degree completion; and accreditation-to-accreditation: shared student outcomes defined by national standards with the added component of an external accreditation review

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In regard to diversity, inclusion, and access, recommendations that could be elucidated

from the findings entailed:

1) All training and education must count toward career progression (e.g., a

certificate, credential, degree) especially when costs are involved.

2) Periodically examine the extent to which offering support in other languages is

meeting the needs of the workforce.

3) Training calendars for all regions of the State.

4) Scholarship opportunities for all sectors and all levels of professional

development.

5) Targeted outreach to underserved populations.

6) Training and courses offered in easily accessible locations and at times that are

helpful to working students.

7) Coupling basic education courses with relevant coursework related to ECE or

child development.

8) Transparency of early childhood professional development funding and

eligibility.

9) System of strategic investments that blend local, state, and federal resources to

ensure that needs of the workforce are being met.

10) Examine data to make sure that investments are being spent accordingly; look at

data by roles, setting and regions.

11) Examine utilization data by role; certificate, credential, degree type; setting; and

region.

12) Examine utilization data from IHE’s of certificate and degree completion rates as

well as enrollment rates.

Lastly, recommendations specific to compensation parity included:

1) Incentives for students to participate in the early childhood professional

development system.

2) Track and disseminate data on compensation, benefits, incentives, retention,

turnover and professional development.

3) Specific and adequate financing in all sectors that considers compensation.

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Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional Development

Assessment Report

Rationale

The purpose of the Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment Study was

to assess the effectiveness of Oklahoma’s Institutions of Higher Education (IHE’s) and

other educational entities in supporting professionals to enter and succeed in the early

childhood workforce. Effectiveness was analyzed in terms of: (1) professional

development opportunities offered, including training and education; (2) funding

offered to students and funding of the professional development system overall; (3)

quality assurance; (4) utilization of existing professional development opportunities; (5)

alignment with other early childhood efforts (i.e., core competencies, early learning

guidelines, career ladder); (6) professional development policies; and (7) consideration

of employment and compensation parity in relationship to professional development.

Recommendations for best practice that guided the design of the professional

development assessment survey and the interpretation of the results were based on the

essential elements of professional development highlighted in NAEYC’s Workforce

Design, a Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems 5.

The research questions used the guide the study included:

Primary Research Question: How effective are private and public Institutions of Higher

Education and other educational settings in meeting the needs of early childhood

professionals to enter and succeed in the early childhood workforce?

Secondary Research Questions (Professional Development Opportunities):

1. How is professional development structured and delivered (e.g., online, face-to-

face)?

2. What are the content of the professional development and the qualifications of the

trainers delivering the training?

3. What is the capacity for delivering professional development?

4. How is professional development supporting career ladder progression?

5. What instructional strategies and/or philosophies are being promoted?

Secondary Research Questions (Funding):

1. How is the professional development system funded?

2. What degree of comprehensiveness does that funding allow for professional

development?

5 LaMoine, S. (2008). Workforce designs: a policy blueprint for state early childhood professional development systems: NAYEC public policy report. Retrieved from NAEYC’s web site: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/ecwsi/Workforce_Designs.pdf.

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Secondary Research Questions (Quality Assurance):

1. How is professional development effectiveness measured?

2. What systems are in place to evaluate the professional development system and how

are employers and/or families included in that process?

Secondary Research Questions (Utilization):

1. What are the rates of professional development utilization?

2. Who is taking advantage of professional development opportunities?

Secondary Research Questions (Alignment):

1. How does professional development support the workforce in providing

environments to support appropriate developmental expectations as noted in

Oklahoma’s early learning guidelines?

2. How does professional development support the workforce in providing program

quality?

3. How does professional development support the workforce in meeting core

competencies and progression through the career ladder?

Secondary Research Questions (Professional Development Policies)

1. What policies are in place that promote a quality professional development system?

2. What policies hinder a quality professional development system and need to be

revised?

Secondary Research Questions (Employment and Compensation Parity)

1. What is the impact of professional development on employment opportunities?

Glossary of Terms

Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Child Development Professional

Development: is professional development that focuses on the learning, growth, and

development of children ages birth through age eight.

Institutions of Higher Education (IHE’s): include public colleges and universities (both

two- and four-year), independent colleges and universities, and proprietary institutions.

Professional development: is defined as training and education opportunities available

specific to early childhood or child development. Training is defined as a learning

experience (s) specific to a topic in early childhood that is delivered by a trainer(s) with

subject matter knowledge that is not necessarily credit-bearing. Education is defined as

formal coursework in which credit is given for courses completed.

Relationship-based professional development: refers to the assistance a program or

provider receives that may accompany training and/or education. Coaching,

mentoring, consultation, peer-to-peer networking and advising are examples of this

type of professional development.

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Methodology

In order to assess the effectiveness of Oklahoma’s Early Childhood Professional

Development the following methods were employed to gather information:

Professional Development Assessment Survey. The PD Assessment Survey

covered the outlined research questions. The survey was developed using (1)

The Landscape: A Statewide Survey for Providers of Professional Development in Early

Childhood6, (2) guidance from national consultants7, (3) and feedback from the

Professional Development and Workforce work group (PDWW). The survey

was sanctioned by the Executive Director of Oklahoma Smart Start and the

Oklahoma Secretary of Education. A list of potential survey participants was

gathered from members of the PDWW that included the two- and four-year

IHE’s, community-based organizations offering professional development (e.g.,

Oklahoma’s Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies), Oklahoma associations

offering professional development and Oklahoma’s career technical centers.

Individuals (n = 119) were emailed a letter inviting them to participate in the

survey along with a link to the electronic survey. Those receiving an invitation

to the survey were asked to share the invitation with their colleagues. The survey

was open from March 15 to April 9; an incentive of $50 gift cards to Amazon was

awarded to four individuals through a lottery.

Web site inventories. The websites of eighty-two (82) individual IHE’s,

organizations, associations, and career technical centers were examined for

information on: 1) the type of professional development offerings available

(certificate programs, credential programs, degree programs); 2) accreditation

status of the organization; 3) other professional development offerings available;

4) the format of professional development offerings; 5) the type of relationship-

based professional development available (mentoring, coaching, consultation,

and academic advising); 6) the type of technical assistance provided (phone,

email, site visits); 7) articulation/credit transfer agreements; 8) supports in other

languages; and 9) other supports offered. All information gathered was entered

6 Buysse, V., Hollingsworth, H., & West, T. (2011). The landscape: a statewide survey for providers of professional development in early childhood. Retrieved from Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute from: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/resources/landscape-statewide-survey-providers-professional-development-early-childhood. 7 National consultants from NAEYC were part of the OIR team in developing and implementing the professional development assessment; these consultants provided input and feedback based on their experiences nationally in early childhood professional development

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into a database; these inventories were cross-referenced with results from the

survey and cross-checked by representatives from each organization.

Interviews with members of the Professional Development Workforce Work

Group (PDWW). Interviews were conducted after the survey results were

shared with members. Questions focused on reactions to the survey results

(pleasant surprises, calls for action, cautions), priorities for the next six months

using the components from the NAEYC Early Childhood Workforce Initiative: State

Policy Blueprint Planning Guide, barriers to addressing early childhood

professional development and workforce issues, opportunities for designing

and/or implementing changes to the early childhood professional development

and workforce system, and other thoughts, suggestions, and questions. Four

members of the PDWW responded to the interview questions.

Data from the Center for Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD).

Data was obtained on the number of professionals with professional

development hours in (1) ECE only, (2) ECE Administrative/Business hours

only, (3) both areas, and (4) neither area. Data was provided by role (directors,

assistant directors, teachers, assistant teachers, and family child care providers).

Data from the Oklahoma Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program.

Enrollment data from the Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program were

gathered. Data included enrollment information by regions of Oklahoma, by

time period (summer/fall/spring of 2012-2013), by institution, and by setting

(centers, family child care). A breakdown of Child Care Resource & Referral

regions and the institutions within those regions offering early childhood

professional development professional development was also provided.

Data from the Oklahoma State Regents Office. Data on the Oklahoma IHE’s that

offer certificates and degrees in Montessori, Child Development, Child Care,

Early Care, Early Childhood, and K-12 (if specified K) was also provided to

inform this report. Other information offered helped inform other supports like

articulation agreements, academic advising, and technical assistance.

Literature review of national trends. A literature review of national trends in

early childhood professional development systems and the assessment of those

systems were used to inform recommendations.

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Data from NAEYC Accredited Associate Programs. Data on Oklahoma IHE’s

who have achieved NAEYC accreditation for their associate degree programs or

have been NAEYC recognized through NCATE for their baccalaureate or

graduate programs were examined through the NAEYC and NCATE databases.

Methodological Caveats

1. In select cases, representatives from the same agency or IHE provided conflicting

answers. Information from both sources was included.

2. The survey was directed at those providing professional development and did

not gather information from those in the early childhood workforce receiving the

professional development.

3. Not all organizations completed the survey. For those IHE’s, organizations,

associations, or career technical centers not responding to the survey,

information was sought through the web site inventory process as well as

information obtained from the Oklahoma State Regents Office.

4. The interviews with PDWW members were limited to four responses. It should

be noted that these interviews were conducted at the time of the Oklahoma

tornados, which impacted additional responses. Additionally, the interviews

were conducted at the end of the semester and the end of the school year, which

had an impact on gaining more responses.

Report Format

The report begins with the findings from the assessment process, strengths, gaps and

recommendations based on the results. A series of research briefs were also produced

to be “stand alone” documents that informed the results and recommendations. The

appendices include these research briefs. The professional development assessment

survey and a full report of the professional development survey results are included at

the end of the report, which adds to the length of the report. To assist with

understanding the results presented below, the findings are separated into the seven

components of early childhood professional development (as seen in the research

questions above), which are as follows:

1) Professional Development Opportunities

2) Professional Development Funding

3) Professional Development Quality Assurance

4) Professional Development Utilization

5) Professional Development Alignment

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6) Professional Development Policies

7) Professional Development Employment and Compensation Parity

The research questions guide the reporting of the results and are presented below as

well.

Results

All sources are noted within the findings below. The Professional Development

Assessment Survey was the main source of information in reporting the findings. The

survey represents 67 responses from 41 different Institutes of Higher Education, Career

technical centers, and community-based organizations that provide professional

development. Twenty (20) responses came from IHE’s; four responses came from

Career technical centers; and seventeen (17) came from community-based organizations

or associations.

Professional Development Opportunities

Findings

How is education/training structured and delivered (e.g., online, face-to-face)?

The most common type of professional development opportunities offered were:

1) workshops, 2) professional development that assists with certification or re-

certification, and 3) professional development that leads to credits or credential

hours (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Face-to-face delivery of professional development is the most common manner

of delivering professional development to early childhood professionals

followed by on-site professional development and online options. Career

technical centers (88%) were more apt to offer on-line professional development

compared to IHE’s (53%) and community-based organizations (35%) (Source:

Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Face-to-face technical assistance was noted as being offered by 70% of

community-based organizations; 50% of career technical centers; and 50% of

IHE’s (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey and OK Scholars for Excellence in Child

Care Program).

Relationship-based professional development (e.g., mentoring, coaching,

academic advising, and technical assistance) is delivered to early childhood

professionals in Oklahoma (Source: web site inventories). Other forms of support that

assist professionals in their professional development include articulation or

credit transfer agreements, supports in other languages, and various other forms

of support (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

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Mentoring, Coaching, Consultation and/or Advising were explicitly

mentioned as a support to professionals on 20 IHE’s and 4 community-

based organizations web sites (Source: web site inventories and OK Scholars for

Excellence in Child Care Program).

Technical assistance by phone, email, and site visits were explicitly

mentioned as being available on 6 IHE’s, 3 career technical centers, and 17

community-based organizations web sites (Source: web site inventories).

Specifically at the community colleges where the Scholars for Excellence

in Child Care Programs exist, Scholar Coordinators make recruitment

visits where they discuss the scholarship program and help complete

applications (scholarship and college), assist in applying for financial aid,

and provide academic and career advisement (Source: OK Scholars for Excellence

in Child Care Program).

Scholar for Excellence in Child Care Program Coordinators are required to

make a minimum of two site visits during the semester to check on how

scholars (recipients of scholarships) are doing in their classes and answer

any questions the scholar may ask (Source: OK Scholars for Excellence in Child Care

Program).

Articulation agreements or credit transfer agreements were explicitly

noted as being in place at 27 IHE’s and ten Career technical centers web

sites (Source: web site inventories and OK State Regents Office).

Supports in other languages are typically in Spanish or American Sign

Language and exist at three IHE’s and eight community-based

organizations (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Other supports that were noted include: information and links to research

and best practice to teaching children with autism, Strengthening Families

Initiative and Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting

Program, peer-to-peer networking, providing tips on earning a CDA

credential, student organizations (i.e., Family, Career and Community

Leaders of America) and Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program

(Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

What are the content of the professional development and the qualifications of the trainers

delivering the training?

A little more than half (53%) of those delivering education and training indicated

they were aware of the trainer/educator approval process (e.g., OK Center for

Early Childhood Professional Development Registry Approved Educators).

Knowledge of a formal trainer approval process was more common at

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community-based organizations and career technical centers than at IHE’s (Source:


Those that indicated an approval process was required noted an advanced

degree (either a Master’s or a Doctorate) was required with the following

preferred: Master’s in ECE, Child and Family, Early Learning, Child

Development, or Psychology; Master’s in Education; and Doctorate emphasizing

ECE. In addition to advanced degrees, other requirements included, significant

years of experience in ECE (ten plus years), demonstrated understanding of ECE,

adult teaching experience, work in schools (minimum of 10 hours per year),

work with ECE organizations (i.e., serving on boards, providing in-service to

teachers) and/or a certain number of hours toward an advanced degree specific

to ECE courses (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

The majority of professional development is offered in English only. The only

other languages that were reported were American Sign Language and Spanish


At least eight out of ten respondents reported delivering professional

development that covers the following early childhood content areas:

Professionalism and Leadership; Program Planning, Development, and

Evaluation; Family and Community Partnerships; Health, Safety, and Nutrition;

Learning Environment and Curriculum; Child Growth and Development; and

Interactions with Children (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

The content areas covered most often include Interactions with Children and

Child Growth and Development while those least covered were professionalism

and leadership followed by program planning, development, and evaluation


There are seven approved Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines trainings and 39

approved college courses where the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines are

utilized throughout the course (Source: Center for early Childhood Professional Development).

Eighty-five percent (85%) of those delivering education/training use Oklahoma’s

Early Learning Guidelines in their planning of education/training with 100% of

technical center respondents reporting its use; 78% of community-based

organizations reporting use; and 61% of IHE’s reporting use (Source: Professional

Development Assessment Survey).

Other common standards used to guide professional development of early

childhood professionals include NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate

Practices, Oklahoma’s Core Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals and

NAEYC’s Accreditation Standards. IHE’s reportedly used NAEYC’s

accreditation standards and the Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early

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Childhood Programs more often than other standards (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

When asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=no consideration or promotion and 5-

always considered and promoted) special needs of children and families,

supporting cultural competence, and supporting the Oklahoma Early Learning

Guidelines were rated highest as being considered and promoted during the

planning process for professional development opportunities (Source: Professional


What is the capacity for delivering professional development?

Credentials/Certificates

Thirty-seven (37) of Oklahoma’s Institutes of Higher Education (IHE’s) offer

certificate, credential and degree programs specific to Early Childhood

Education and/or Child Development (Source: Oklahoma State Regents Office).

-15 IHE’s offer certificate programs like a Certificate of Mastery, a School-Age

Certificate of Mastery, a Director’s Certificate of Completion, and a Director’s

Certificate of Mastery

-18 IHE’s offer coursework to be used toward a credential with the most common

being the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential

-17 offer an Associate’s degree in ECE or Child Development that is credible

toward a BS degree

-Another 5 offer an Associate’s degree that is not wholly credible toward a BS

degree

-17 offer a Bachelor’s degree in ECE

-7 offer a Master’s degree in ECE

Oklahoma’s career technical centers offer a variety of certificate programs

specific to ECE (11 out of 12 career technical centers). Another 8 out of 12 offer

courses to assist in obtaining a CDA credential (Source: web site inventories).

The following certificate, credential and college degree programs are supported

through scholarships by the Scholars for Excellence in Child Care program

(Source: Oklahoma State Regents Office):

…Early Education: Pathway to Your National Credential – The Pathway to Your

National Credential is a comprehensive curriculum available through career technology

centers that provides both CDA and CCP training and prepares child care professionals

for a national credential.

…Pathway Competency Certificate – The Pathway Competency Certificate is awarded

to individuals who have completed the Early Education: Pathway to CDA training taken

through technology centers leading toward the national CDA Credential.

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…CDA Credential – The CDA is a national credential awarded by the Council for

Professional Recognition to child care professionals who have successfully completed

the CDA assessment process. The education component for the CDA can be met

through Pathway to Your National Credential training or nine credit hours of child

development/early childhood education.

…CCP Credential – The Certified Child Care Professional is a credential earned by

teachers who demonstrate their knowledge of early childhood development and their

skills in working with young children. The CCP authenticates teaching skills and

professionalism. The CCP is recognized by The NECPA Commission, Inc. through the

awarding of this national credential.

…CoM – The Certificate of Mastery in child development or early childhood education

is a minimum eighteen credit hour certificate awarded by the community college.

…SACoC – The School-Age Certificate of Completion is an eighteen credit hour

certificate awarded by the Scholars Program and is only available for teachers and

directors of year-round school-age programs.

…DCoC – The Director’s Certificate of Completion is a minimum twenty-four credit

hour certificate awarded by the Scholars Program and is available for directors, assistant

directors, and family child care home providers only.

…DCoM – The Director’s Certificate of Mastery in Early Care Education Administration

is a thirty-three credit hour certificate available only through OSU-Oklahoma City for

directors, assistant directors, and family child care providers.

…Associate Degrees – Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), or Associate in

Applied Science (AAS) degree in child development, early childhood education, or a

related field of study require a minimum of 60 credit hours and may be obtained

through the community colleges.

…Bachelor Degrees – Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in child

development, early childhood education, or a related field of study require additional

college credit and specialized study and may be obtained through the universities.

Other Professional Development Offered

Oklahoma’s Competency Certificate in Early Care and Education is a Master

Teacher certificate typically available to high school students through gaining

1,050 hours of child care training at a technical center (Source: Oklahoma State Regents

Office).

Other educational organizations and associations throughout Oklahoma offer

professional development opportunities that include the following (Source:

Professional Development Assessment Survey):

Training that leads to certificates or re-certification (12)

Training that leads toward credentials (17)

Training that leads toward credit hours (14)

Training that leads to CEU’s (10)

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Training that lead to clock hours (9)

Conferences (13)

Workshops (12)

In-service training (6)

Pre-service training (6)

Various trainings (entry –level and/or specific to a topic) (10)

CPR/First Aid(3)

Leadership Academies or Institutes (2)

How is professional development supporting career ladder progression?

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1=no consideration or promotion and 5=always considered

and promoted), career ladder progression was rated at a 4.1 when planning

professional development opportunities (Source: Professional Development Assessment

Survey).

What instructional strategies and/or philosophies are being promoted?

The most common strategies used in professional development included (1)

small and large group discussions, (2) print materials (e.g., readings, books,

course packets, handouts), (3) small and large group activities and (4) lectures


The most helpful types of support according to survey participants (in priority

order) are financial assistance, flexible class schedules, and convenient locations

for professional development (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

There are currently 15 NAEYC recognized baccalaureate and graduate level

programs and seven NAEYC associate degree accredited sites in Oklahoma

(Source: NAEYC and NCATE search)8.

-Connors State College, Langston University, OK City Community College, OK

State University-OK City, Seminole State College, Tulsa Community College and

Western OK State College are all NAEYC associate degree accredited sites

-Those NAEYC recognized (by NCATE) baccalaureate and graduate level

programs include: Cameron University, East Central University, Langston

University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern State University, OK

Baptist University, OK Christian University, OK State University, Oral Roberts

University, Southeastern OK State University, Southern Nazarene University,

Southwestern OK State University, the University of OK, University of Science &

Arts in OK and University of Central OK

8 Information on baccalaureate and graduate level from NCATE at: http://www.ncate.org/tabid/165/Default.aspx and information on NAEYC associate degree accreditation from: http://www.naeyc.org/ecada/ecada_programs#o.

http://www.ncate.org/tabid/165/Default.aspx

http://www.naeyc.org/ecada/ecada_programs#o

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Strengths

There are various places throughout Oklahoma to help the early childhood workforce

earn a credential, certificate, or degree. Whether at an Oklahoma IHE, technical center,

or community-based organization, professionals are able to pursue a certificate,

credential, an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree specific to

early childhood education and/or child development.

Early childhood content delivered at Oklahoma’s IHE’s, career technical centers, and

community-based organizations are closely aligned with the Core Competencies for

Early Childhood Practitioners. Oklahoma’s Early Learning Guidelines are also used in

the planning of early childhood or child development coursework or training. There is

also a high rate of NAEYC associate programs accredited in Oklahoma, which means

that those IHE’s are meeting a high level of early childhood professional standards

within associate programs.

Articulation agreements and/or credit transfer agreements are in place in many of

Oklahoma’s institutions. A fine example of this is between Oklahoma’s career technical

centers and two-year institutions throughout the State. These were noted as being one

of the supports that assist professionals in their ongoing professional development.

Gaps

While availability is a noted strength, accessibility is an area to examine. Flexible class

schedules and convenient locations are needed for professionals to be successful.

Traditional offerings of face-to-face courses/training are not always the most accessible

way for those in the field to continue with ongoing professional development.

Strategies to deliver coursework/training will need to adapt to the changing needs of

students. For example, small and large group discussions may be replaced by chat

rooms for courses offered online.

While relationship-based professional development exists throughout Oklahoma’s early

childhood professional development system (a fine example of this is through the

Oklahoma Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program) this component was

recognized as an area that needs to be a stronger component of early childhood

professional development. Really helping professionals understand where their

coursework and/or training is leading through targeted coaching, mentoring, academic

advising, and peer-to-peer networking are forms of relationship-based professional

development that can enhance and support professional development and career ladder

progression.

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Trainer approval for those delivering professional development is an area to improve to

ensure that trainers/faculty are adequately prepared to deliver professional

development that is specific to early childhood education and/or child development.

Professional development in other languages is minimal and should be examined

regularly to determine if these supports are adequate for the population working in the

field.

Professional Development Funding

Findings

How is the professional development system funded?

Survey respondents indicated that the most common ways that students are

paying for their education are through Pell and other government

grants/subsidies, the Oklahoma Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program,

and self-pay (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

The Oklahoma Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program in the summer

(2012), fall (2012), and spring (2013) semesters helped 1,934 individuals pursue

their education (Source: Oklahoma Scholars Program).

-82 percent of those taking advantage of the Scholars for Excellence in

Child Care Program were from child care centers and the 18 percent were

family child care providers.

-Those regions most represented by the Scholars for Excellence in Child

Care program (in order) are the Oklahoma City Metro region, the

Northwest region, and the Tulsa Metro region.

-Almost half (47%) of those utilizing the Scholars for Excellence in Child

Care Program are using the support to attend a community college. Those

institutions with the greatest number of Scholar’s participants are: Rose

State College, Northern OK College, Redlands Community College, Tulsa

Community College, and Carl Albert State College.

What degree of comprehensiveness does that funding allow for professional development?

According to survey participants, the most common ways in which workplaces

support employees are: increasing compensation for educational attainment,

providing education/training on-site at the workplace, and providing release

time. Least common supports are incentives for professional development

milestones, purchase of materials/equipment for professional development,

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availability of mentors/coaches, and hiring substitutes (Source: Professional


When asked to rate the adequacy of the funding for professional development

(where 1=not adequate and 5=more than adequate) the highest rated statement

had a “minimal” rating at 3.3 out of 5. The highest rated statement, which

received a minimal rating, was providing resources that are understood as they

relate to availability and eligibility requirements. The lowest rated statements,

which receive a low rating of 2.5, were examining compensation parity

throughout the professional development system and the adequacy of the

professional development system being financed (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

Strengths

Even though funding for professional development is an ongoing issue, Oklahoma’ s

Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program is utilized and was noted as a valuable

resource for professionals to pay for their ongoing professional development.

Workplace support and compensation parity are issues being closely monitored and

reviewed by the Professional Development and Workforce workgroup as they relate to

the personal and systemic concerns of financing early childhood professional

development in Oklahoma.

Gaps

More information regarding the adequacy of financing professional development is

needed. Providing easy-to-understand information for students, IHE’s, early childhood

program administrators and funders related to accessing professional development

funding can be improved as eligibility requirements are not always easily understood.

Professional Development Quality Assurance

Findings

How is professional development effectiveness measured?

Professional development opportunities are evaluated most often through:

assessments at the completion of the course or training, tests/quizzes of

competencies and/or learning objectives and projects. Career technical centers

most often use assessments at the completion of a course; community-based

organizations reported using satisfaction surveys most often; and IHE’s reported

mainly using tests or quizzes (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

More than half of those responding indicated that professional development

offerings are linked to measureable outcomes. 63% of career technical centers,

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62% of community-based organizations and 59% of IHE’s reported they link their

professional development offerings to measureable outcomes (Source: Professional


When asked if there is a measure to determine competency in order to articulate

prior knowledge or skills to higher education, most often exams or test were

used to do so. 75% of career technical centers reported using specific exams/tests

(i.e., competency certification tests, ODCTE State competency exam, TABE and

SAGE tests, WorkKeys test); 32% of IHE’s indicated using exams/tests (i.e.,

pre/post tests, assessments required by NAEYC/NCATE certifications tests,

other exams/tests); and 19% of community-based organizations do the same.

The second most reported measure was using education related references,

transcripts, and/or certificates as a measure of competency (Source: Professional


What systems are in place to evaluate the professional development system and how are

employers and/or families included in that process?

Currently, seven Oklahoma Community Colleges offer NAEYC accredited

associate degree programs; fifteen IHE’s have NAEYC recognized baccalaureate

and graduate programs through NCATE accreditation. This means that all of

these offer professional development in child development, family and

community relationships, child observation and assessment, developmentally

effective teaching strategies, curriculum development and implementation, and

professional ethics, regulations, and standards. To be accredited or recognized by

NAEYC means that all IHE’s assess performance of students in these categories,

collect data on student performance, and then use that data for quality assurance

and improvement (Source: NAEYC Accredited Associate Degree Programs and NCATE accredited

programs).

A large majority of faculty and trainers who completed the survey indicated they

are evaluated at least annually and receive some form of supervision (Source:


Using a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1=no involvement/expectations/action and 5=high

involvement/expectations/action) the highest rated statement with an average

score of 3.9 was the degree to which OK’s early childhood program standards

(e.g., pre-K, QRIS, Early Childhood, home visiting, licensing) encompass

professional development expectations. The lowest rated statement with an

average score of 3.3 was the degree to which stakeholder and public input

(including families) is sought regarding the professional development of early

childhood professionals (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

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Strengths

Accreditation at Oklahoma’s IHE’s is a priority and there is recognition of the

importance of becoming NAEYC accredited or NAEYC recognized through NCATE.

Having national accreditation status of this kind ensures that programs are committed

to quality assurance through requiring specific criteria such as assessing the

performance of students, collecting and tracking data on student performance, and then

using that data for quality assurance and improvement. Trainers and faculty receive

evaluations and supervision assuring that courses and training delivery is conducted at

a high level of quality.

Gaps

Measuring competency of prior knowledge and skills is not consistently done in a

standardized way. Additionally, most coursework and training are assessed through

tests and quizzes, which do not always fully evaluate the student’s level of competency.

Stakeholder and public input, including that of families, needs to be genuinely

considered when assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of early childhood

professional development.

Professional Development Utilization

Findings

What are the rates of professional development utilization?

In the past three years, about a third (35%) of programs offering professional

development to early childhood professionals noted an increase in enrollment;

another third reported no change in enrollment. Almost a quarter (23%)

reported a decline in enrollment (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

For those that have seen an increase in enrollment, reasons noted were: the type

of education or training offered, change in requirements, availability of

affordability or financing options, increases in job opportunities, advertising,

reputation of the organization and demand. 50% of career technical centers have

seen an increase; 40% of community-based organizations have seen an increase;

and 30% of IHE’s have seen an increase (Source: Professional Development Assessment

Survey).

For those that have seen no change in enrollment the reasons noted were: the

economy, scholarship or funding limitations, certification requirements, job

opportunities, strictness of evaluation for teacher candidates, limited employer

release time of employees and location. 38% of career technical centers have seen

no change in enrollment; 37% of IHE’s have seen no change; and 35% of

community-based organizations have seen no change (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

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For those that reported a decline in enrollment, reasons reported were: the

economy, competitive job market, decreased opportunities, decreased pay,

closure of facilities and centers, lack of owners or directors seeking qualified

staff, funding, accessibility or change in eligibility for scholarships, lack of

incentives or motivation and time. 26% of IHE’s have seen a decline in

enrollment; 15% of community-based organizations have seen a decline; and 13%

of career technical centers have seen a decline (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

The table below shows what percentage of students complete the professional

development necessary to earn a certificate, credential, or degree (Source: Professional


Table 1. Percentage of Students Completing a Certificate or Degree

% of students

completing

certificate or

degree

75%

51-75%

26-50%

0-25%

IHE’s 41% 51% 7% 0%

Career technical

centers 57% 29% 14% 0%

Community

Organizations 29% 24% 34% 24%

IHE’s reported that the time in which it takes to earn a credential ranges from

less than a year to two years with 47% of IHE’s reporting that it takes a year to

obtain a credential. To earn an Associate’s degree IHE’s reported that it takes

students anywhere between one and four years with 37% of IHE’s indicating that

it takes an average of two years9. IHE’s also reported a range of two to four plus

years to earn a Bachelor’s with 90% indicating that it took four to four plus years.

In order to earn a graduate degree IHE’s reported it taking between two and four

plus years with 46% of IHE’s responded that it typically takes four plus years


Career technical centers reported that the time it takes to earn a credential ranges

from less than a year to two years with 76% indicating that it takes less than a

year to a year to do so. Career technical centers also reported that the time it

takes students to complete an Associate’s degree takes one to four plus years,

9 These statistics on credentials and associate degrees align with national averages especially for part-time students as well as student who need additional courses to prepare for college level English, Math, and Science.

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with 63% indicating it takes two to three years (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

Community-based organizations reported that the time it takes to earn a

credential ranges from less than a year to four years with 93% reporting that it

takes between a year and two years to do so. Community-based organizations

also reported that it takes two to four plus years to complete an Associate’s

degree, with 70% reporting that it take two to three years to do so (Source:


Barriers to completing professional development were funding, scheduling, and

time (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Who is taking advantage of professional development opportunities?

1) Over half of Directors and Assistant Directors listed within the OK Professional

Development Registry have hours in either ECE or Administration/Business.

Almost a quarter (24%) of Directors and Assistant Directors have zero ECE or

Administration/Business hours (Source: Center for Early Childhood Professional Development).

2) Over half of teachers listed within the OK Professional Development Registry

have zero hours in ECE or Administration/Business. A little more than a third

(34%) of teachers have hours in either ECE or Administration/Business and

another 12% of teachers have hours in ECE only (Source: Center for Early Childhood

Professional Development).

3) Seven out of ten assistant teachers within the OK Professional Development

Registry have zero hours in either ECE or Administration/Business. Two out of

ten have hours in both ECE and Administration/Business and 6% have hours in

ECE only (Source: Center for Early Childhood Professional Development).

4) Almost a quarter (23%) of family child care providers within the OK Professional

Development Registry have zero hours in either ECE or

Administration/Business. 17% have hours in both ECE and

Administration/Business and another 12% have hours in ECE only (Source: Center

for Early Childhood Professional Development).

5) Those who work in centers are more likely to participate in professional

development opportunities with early childhood teachers taking most advantage

of professional development followed by assistant teachers and early childhood

directors (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

6) When looking at the diversity of those attending professional development

specific to early childhood (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey) :

21-50% represent diverse races/ethnicities

0-10% represent English-language learners

0-10% represent men

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Strengths

Degree and course completion rates in Oklahoma are promising. The time it takes to

complete a certificate, credential, or degree are on par with national averages. More

programs than not have seen an increase or steady enrollment in the past three years.

Gaps

The data shows that professionals having professional development hours specific to

early childhood education or early childhood administration/business areas are lacking

for teachers, family child care providers, and assistant teachers. More information from

the Registry is needed to better understand the numbers who have completed

certificates, credentials and degrees. Barriers most often noted for not completing

professional development is funding, scheduling, and time.

Professional Development Alignment

Findings

How does professional development support the workforce in providing environments to support

appropriate developmental expectations as noted in Oklahoma’s early learning guidelines?

Oklahoma’s Early Learning Guidelines are utilized by 85% of those delivering

education/training with 100% of career technical centers reporting its use; 78% of

community-based organization reporting its use; and 61% of IHE’s reporting its

use (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

How does professional development support the workforce in providing program quality?

Coordination of professional development across sectors is a way in which

students can be supported in providing program quality. 88% of career technical

centers indicated that the professional development they provide is coordinated

across sectors; 63% of IHE’s reported that they coordinate professional

development across sectors; and 58% of community-based organizations

indicated that they do so (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

The most commonly used program standards used to plan professional

development opportunities for career technical centers are OK’s Early Learning

Guidelines, NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood

Programs, and OK QRIS standards (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).


development opportunities for community-based organizations are OK’s Early

Learning Guidelines, OK’s Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners,

and OK’s QRIS standards (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

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development opportunities for IHE’s are NAEYC’s Developmentally

Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs, NAEYC Accreditation

Standards, and OK’s Early Learning Guidelines (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

How does professional development support the workforce in meeting core competencies and

progression through the career ladder?

Early childhood partnerships throughout the early childhood sectors help

support the early childhood workforce progress through the career ladder. A

majority of respondents indicated the most dynamic ways in which these

partnerships have been strengthened is through articulation agreements (Source:


When asked to rate the degree to which components of professional

development system are aligned on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1=not aligned and

5=highly aligned) there was a high degree of alignment between the core

competencies and child care licensing, the core competencies and the

professional development career ladder, core competencies with teacher

licensing, and professional standards with competency demonstration (Source:


When asked to rate the degree to which components of professional

development system are aligned on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1=not aligned and

5=highly aligned) there was lower rated degrees of alignment between data

collection, data sharing and data dissemination efforts and community-based

training with degree programs (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Strengths

High degrees of alignment exist throughout Oklahoma’s early childhood system

especially in regard to the core competencies, the professional development career

ladder, teacher licensing, program standards, and credential and degree programs. The

articulation agreements in place have been noted as strengthening early childhood

partnerships.

Gaps

Alignment between community-based training and those offering credentials and/or

degrees need to be strengthened. Data tracking, collection, sharing, and dissemination

between sectors as it relates to early childhood professional development utilization

also needs improvement to fully understand strengths, needs, and gaps.

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Professional Development Policies

Findings

What policies are in place that promotes a quality professional development system?

The most common policies in place in providing professional development

opportunities are those related to attendance, syllabi that outline expectations

related to assignments and grades, and articulation agreements (Source: Professional


Less than half (48%) of respondents indicated their policies are reviewed and

revised on an annual basis. Another 39% reported policies are reviewed and

revised as needed (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Of those reporting, the average rating for professional development policy

effectiveness was in the highly effective range (Source: Professional Development

Assessment Survey).

When rating the effectiveness of professional development policies (1=not

effective and 5=highly effective) those policies that were rated as being highly

effective were policies relevant to the most current regulations and policies

supporting the workforce in their everyday work in the field (Source: Professional


Strengths

Early childhood professional development policies within Oklahoma’s institutions are

in place and reviewed and revised. An example of a policy that helps foster articulation

agreements are eligibility requirements for scholarship programs.

Gaps

It is unclear if policies from the professional development system are reviewed and

revised to support local IHE’s, career technical centers, and community-based

organizations in their policy development and revisions.

Professional Development, Employment, and Compensation Parity

Findings

What is the impact of professional development on employment opportunities and compensation

parity?

When asked about long-term impacts of attaining a credential or a degree,

respondents indicated that increased wages and moving from one sector to

another were the most common (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

When asked to rate the degree to which employment and compensation parity

are considered (1=not considered and 5=highly considered) in professional

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development those areas that were rated highly included: employment and

compensation parity affects on education attainment; employment and

compensation parity affects on roles and responsibilities; and employment and

compensation parity affects on recruitment and retention. Those areas where

there was low consideration to employment and compensation parity were

related to employment and compensation parity affects on data tracking and

sharing and career pathway policies (Source: Professional Development Assessment Survey).

Strengths

Employment and compensation parity is considered in education attainment and is

recognized as having an impact on those that obtain a credential or a degree. This issue

is also a priority for the Professional Development and Workforce workgroup.

Gaps

Employment and compensation parity needs to be considered when tracking and

sharing data and when developing policies related to career pathways.

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Recommendations

Based on the findings, several recommendations for improvement can fall within the policy principles as described in the NAEYC’s Workforce Design, a Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems 10. Ms. LaMoine, the author of the blueprint, describes the principles as guideposts when developing policies for an integrated early childhood professional development system. The policy principle questions to reflect on include the following:

Integration-do the professional development policies increase integration among the early childhood sectors?

Quality Assurance-do the professional development policies include forms of quality assurances?

Diversity, Inclusion, and Access-do professional development policies support diversity, inclusion, and access?

Compensation Parity-do professional development policies recognize and/or increase compensation parity?

Table 2 below describes recommendations for the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Professional Development and Workforce Workgroup to consider based on the finding, strengths, and gaps elucidated from the assessment of the early childhood professional development system.

Table 2. Recommendations Based on Guiding Principles

Guiding Principle Reflective Questions to Consider

Recommended Activities

Integration …Is there consistent implementation of the core competencies? …Is there a clear pathway toward progression within the career ladder upon completion of professional development opportunities? …Is there articulation across training and education between the sectors (e.g., community-based training and IHE’s)? …What data is tracked, collected, and shared that can help to better understand

-Consistent, systemic alignment of training and education with core competencies and career ladder pathways -Workforce data reports gathered from workforce surveys that give a sense of professional development needs and gaps -Explicit articulation agreements and credit transfer agreements that the workforce can understand -Examination of the different types of articulation models (e.g., faculty-to-faculty, course-to-course, accreditation-to-

10 LaMoine, S. (2008). Workforce designs: a policy blueprint for state early childhood professional development systems: NAYEC public policy report. Retrieved from NAEYC’s web site: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/ecwsi/Workforce_Designs.pdf.

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early childhood professional development integration?

accreditation) to help increase the number of articulation agreements11

Quality Assurances …Is there a measure of professional development effectiveness? …Is there a measure of professional development quality? …What data is tracked, collected, and shared that can help with measures of quality and effectiveness?

-Trainer and training approval systems that ensure that those providing education and training have at least 18 credit hours in ECE or child development -Consistent evaluation of professional development as well as trainers or educators -Relationship-based professional development opportunities available at all levels (certificates, credentials, degrees), including mentoring, coaching, and peer-to-peer networking to help transfer knowledge into practice -Promotion of individualized professional development plans to ensure that professional development is leading to progression in the field -Promoting IHE-level accreditation specific to early childhood like NAEYC Accreditation for Associate Programs -Demonstration of competencies beyond quizzes, tests, and standardized tests -Collect information from IHE’s on course content, practicum expectations, faculty characteristics, and institutional changes that could affect ECE or child development education and/or degree attainment

Diversity, Inclusion, and Access …Has the penetration of early childhood professional development reaching all sectors of the early childhood profession? To more people in the workforce? To diverse populations? …Is the workforce aware of professional development opportunities?

-All training and education must count career progression (e.g., a certificate, credential, degree) especially when costs are involved -Periodically examine the extent to which offering support in other languages is meeting the needs of the workforce -Training calendars for all regions of the

11 Faculty-to-faculty: based on relationships between faculty members who know and trust one another and have first-hand knowledge of programs and graduates; course-to-course: based on common course libraries throughout the State; program-to-program: based on common courses with a unifying framework for defining student outcomes that is shared across IHE’s with agreements that rewards associate degree completion; and accreditation-to-accreditation: shared student outcomes defined by national standards with the added component of an external accreditation review.

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…Are underserved populations being reached by the opportunities that exist? Are new methods being used to do so? …Is there a concern about degree completion and the supports needed for completion? …What data is tracked, collected, and shared to help better understand strategies to access populations that are diverse or underserved so that they can feel included within early childhood professional development?

State -Scholarship opportunities for all sectors and all levels of professional development -Targeted outreach to underserved populations -Courses and training offered in easily accessible locations and at times that are helpful to working students -Coupling basic education courses with relevant coursework related to ECE or child development -Transparency of early childhood professional development funding and eligibility -System of strategic investments that blend local, state, and federal resources to ensure that needs of the workforce are being met -Examine data to make sure that investments are being spent accordingly; look at data by roles, setting and regions -Examine utilization data by role; certificate, credential, degree type; setting; and region -Examine utilization data from IHE’s of certificate and degree completion rates as well as enrollment rates

Compensation Parity …To what extent are compensation issues impacting professional development? …Are changes in administrator or teacher practice affected by low compensation and high turnover?

-Incentives for students to participate in the early childhood professional development system -Track and disseminate data on compensation, benefits, incentives, retention, turnover, and professional development -Specific and adequate financing in all sectors that considers compensation

While the recommendations presented above may seem like a daunting list, it is recommended that the Professional Development and Workforce work group develop a strategic plan with both short-term (in the next six months to a year) and long-term (more than a year) objectives and activities. For example, a short-term activity may be to examine data from the Registry to determine the extent to which professionals in the field are completing certificates, credentials, and degrees and how this varies by role

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setting or sector, and regions. Another short-term activity may be to examine the types of articulation agreements currently in place and determine what about the agreements is working well and where there may be room for improvement. An example of an activity that would be long-term would be looking at compensation over time to determine where there is the most turnover (i.e., is turnover occurring most often when professionals get their associates degree or when they get their bachelors degree) and to create strategic investments so that all early childhood professionals despite where they work receive incentives for progression in the field. Whenever short- or long-term plans are being considered, the guiding principles reflective questions to consider can be used to guide objectives and activities. Appendix S presents a graphic of the recommendations in guiding principle “buckets” in a one-page research brief to allow for easy reference to the reflective questions and activities when considering next steps in the professional development planning process.

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~Appendix A~ Full Aggregate Report of the

Early Childhood Professional Development Survey


Introduction: The following is a report of results from the Oklahoma Professional

Development Assessment survey that was administered to Oklahoma Institutes of Higher

Education (specifically Early Childhood Education or Child Development departments),

Oklahoma Early Childhood Associations, members of the Professional Development &

Workforce workgroup and other pertinent early childhood organizations offering

professional development opportunities. The survey was administered by Oldham

Innovative Research, an independent research and evaluation group. This survey was

conducted in March and April of 2013. In total, 70 people began the survey. 56 people

completed the survey (80% completion rate). Not all people who took the survey

answered all questions.

Purpose and Methodology: In the spring of 2013, the Smart Start Oklahoma Professional

Development and Workforce work group conducted an Early Childhood Professional

Development assessment to determine the degree to which Oklahoma's private and public

institutions of higher education and other entities that provide early childhood

professional development assist the early childhood workforce to enter and succeed in the

profession. The Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment survey examined the

following areas of professional development: existing opportunities, quality assurance,

utilization, funding, alignment, policies, employment and compensation parity. Due to the

comprehensiveness of this survey (comprised of 52 questions in 7 areas) it was expected to

take respondents between 30-45 minutes to complete. Respondents were informed they

could stop and restart the survey at any point. The survey was administered online.

Invitees had six weeks to complete the survey. Respondents were encouraged to forward

the survey link to colleagues who could offer insight into the survey effort. Survey

participants were informed they would receive the results of the survey.

The following definitions were made available to survey respondents to help them more

fully understand the survey questions. The definitions came from the 2011 NAEYC and

NACCRRA publication, "Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary.12"

Professional Development: continuum of learning and support activities designed to

prepare individuals to work with young children and their families; lead to improvements

in knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions; encompasses education, training and

technical assistance

12 http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/ecprofessional/NAEYC_NACCRRA_TrainingTAGlossary.pdf

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/ecprofessional/NAEYC_NACCRRA_TrainingTAGlossary.pdf


Training: learning experience(s) specific to an area of inquiry and related to a set of skill or

dispositions, delivered by a professional(s) with subject matter and adult learning skills

and knowledge. A planned sequence of training sessions comprises a training program.

Technical Assistance: provision of targeted and customized supports by professional(s)

with subject matter and adult learning skills and knowledge to develop or strengthen

processes, knowledge, application, or implementation of services by recipients (e.g.,

mentoring, coaching, consultation, professional development advising, peer-to-peer).

Education: more formalized experiences that lead to credit-bearing coursework that can

be applied to a credential and/or degree.

Sectors: institutions of higher education providing credentials and/or degrees in early

childhood education or related filed; community-based entities that provide professional

development opportunities to early childhood and school-age care professionals (e.g., Child

Care Resource and Referral Agencies); associations that provide support to the early

childhood and/or school-age care profession; and Head Start.

Methodological Limitations: The Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment

survey was open for invitees to complete during a time in which many colleges and

universities were on spring break. Due to low response rates after three weeks of being

open, the survey was extended by nine days and an incentive was offered for completion of

the survey (a drawing for four $50 gift cards from Amazon.com).

Approximately 20% of respondents did not fully complete the survey. Questions may not

have been applicable to some respondents due to their position. Other respondents may

have been unsure of how to answer certain questions.


I. Demographics

This section of the survey addressed questions about respondents’ demographics. The

specific questions asked were as follows13:

A. Name?

B. Employer?

C. Job Title?

D. Preferred way to contact you (please provide address, phone number, and/or email

address)

E. Length of time in current position?

Employment: The 67 respondents who answered a question about employment reported

being employed by a total of 41 different organizations. The largest employer was the

University of Central Oklahoma (5). The second largest was Tulsa Community College

(4).

The following organizations employed a total of 3 respondents:

Caddo Kiowa Technology Center

CARD Head Start– one respondent in this group reported working for the Early

Head Start division

Kiamichi Technology Center

Oklahoma State Department of Health

Oklahoma State University


Langston University

Northeastern State University

Northern Oklahoma College

Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

University of Oklahoma

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Lastly, the following organizations employed a total of 1 respondent:

Averill

Bristow Public Schools

13 The complete survey with full details of each question is included in the appendix.


Cameron University

Cherokee Nation

Child Care Inc.

Child Care Resource Center

Community Action Project

Community Service Council

Connors State College

Early Learning Innovations

East Central University

Eastern Oklahoma State College

Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Child Development Center

Integris Health

Murray State College

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Oklahoma Department of Human Services – Oklahoma Child Care Services

Oklahoma Child Care Association

Oklahoma Christian University

Oklahoma City University, Redlands Community College

Rose State College

Seminole State College

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

The Institute for Childhood Education

Tulsa Tech and the United Way of Stephens County

In addition, there were two respondents who reported being independent contractors. One

of these respondents indicated a connection with the Oklahoma Association of Infant

Mental Health.

Job Title: Of the 67 respondents who answered this question, a total of 23 different job

titles were reported. In a few instances respondents indicated having more than one job

title. Some of these job titles were quite broad. For example, the largest job title category

was “Coordinator” (11). Within this category there was a wide range of responses. These

included:

Coordinator

Coordinator of Early Childhood Education

Endorsement Coordinator

Executive Coordinator

Grant Coordinator


Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Coordinator

Curriculum Coordinator

Scholar Coordinator (2)

Smart Start Community Coordinator

Quality Enhancement Initiative Coordinator

The next most often reported job title by category was “Director” (10). Within the category

of Director, 2 respondents did not specify what they directed. The others reported the

following:

Director of Center Operations

Director Family Support & Prevention Service

Director Child Development Services/Child Guidance

Division Director

Executive Director

Program Director, Child Development

System Director

Assistant Director

“Assistant Professor” (9) and “Professor” (9) were the next most often reported categories.

Within the category of Assistant Professor, 7 gave no specific title. The remaining 2

reported their titles as Assistant Professor of Child Development and Assistant Professor of

Early Childhood Education. 1 of the Assistant Professors indicated that they were also a

Coordinator of Early Childhood Education. In the category of Professor, 5 were unspecified

and the remaining 4 included:

Professor of Child Development

Professor, Family Life Education

Professor, Human and Family Sciences

Professor/ Department Chair

“Associate Professor” (8) was the next largest category. In this category 3 respondents did

not list a specific affiliation. The remaining 5 listed the following affiliations:

Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education (3)

Associate Professor of Child Development (1)

Associate Professor/Director of Teacher Education (1)

In the category of Manger (5) respondents reported the following titles:

Child Development Center Manager

Education Manager

Early Head Start Manager

Manager of the Oklahoma Early Childhood Program


Quality Enrichment Manager

The remaining categories were:

Instructor (3)

Educator (2) – one non-specific and one responded as an Oklahoma Parent as

Teachers Educator

Early Care & Education Instructor (2)

Scholarship Administrator (2)

Academic Advisor (1)

Child Development /Nursing Department Chair (1)

Chairperson (1)

Dental Technical Supervisor (1)

Department Head of Early Care Education (1)

Early Learning Specialist (1)

Instructional Assistant (1)

Program Administrator (1)

Time in current employment position: Survey respondents were asked how long they

have worked in their current position. The greatest number of respondents (34%) have

worked in their position for between 5 and 10 years. 5% have been in their position for

less than a year.

18% 13%

34% 31%

1.1 to 3 years 3.1 to 5 years 5.1 to 10 years more than 10 years

Length of Time in Current Position


Professional Development

This section of the survey asked questions about the participants who take part in

professional development (PD) services offered by survey respondents. The specific

questions asked were as follows:

F. Who are the professionals that participate in the professional development

opportunities that you offer (check all that apply)?

G. What level of education is most representative of the early childhood practitioners

that participate in your professional development opportunities (check one)?

H. What type of early childhood professional opportunities do you offer (check all that

apply)?

I. How do you deliver your professional development opportunities (check all that

apply)?

J. Are professionals delivering education and/or training required to go through an

approval process (i.e., OK Center for Early Childhood Professional Development

Registry Approved Educators process)?

K. What are the requirements of the professionals delivering education and/or

training

L. What languages do you offer education/training in?

M. What content areas are covered in the professional development opportunities that

you offer (check all that apply)?

N. In rank order (with 1=most important), rank the top three supports that are

important to professionals involved in your professional development

opportunities.

O. What professional and program standards/competencies do you utilize when

planning education/training (check all that apply)?

P. Which specific strategies do you use in your education/training (check all that

apply)?

Q. To what degree do your professional development opportunities: support career

ladder progression as indicated through OK’ s Center for Early Childhood

Professional Development Registry; encompass the Core Competencies for Early

Childhood Practitioners; support the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines; support

cultural competence; address the special needs of children and families (1=no

consideration and 5=always considered and promoted)?

R. Other comments related to professional development opportunities.

Participation in PD: Respondents were asked who participates in the professional

development opportunities that they offer. The top four responses were: early childhood


teachers (57 responses), early childhood assistant teachers (53 responses), early childhood

directors (45 responses) and family child care providers (36 responses).

Additional professionals who were reported as participating in PD include:

Paraprofessionals (47%)

Home visitors (37%)

Special education/early intervention teachers (37%)

Pre-K Coordinators (27%)

Consultants (23%)

Mentors (22%)

School principals (10%)

Coaches (8%)

Speech-language pathologists (8%)

School psychologists (5%)

Some respondents selected “other” and noted the following: students in higher education

(5), administrators, owners, Family Support Representatives/Family Mentor Specialists,

residential care personnel and mental health professions.

Level of Education: The largest number of respondents (39%) indicated that the majority

of early childhood practitioners who participate in their professional development

95% 88%

75%

60%

Early Childhoodteachers

Early Childhoodassistant teachers

Early ChildhoodDirectors

Family Child Careproviders

Professionals Who Participate in PD


opportunities have a high school diploma. No respondents said that the majority of their

PD participants have a GED or a Graduate degree. Additional responses included:

Equal high school and bachelors since serving undergraduate and graduate students

(2)

Post secondary students

Bachelors, Associates and Graduate level

Type of PD offered: The most common responses to the question, “What type of early

childhood professional opportunities do you offer (check all that apply)?” were workshops

(34 responses at 54%), training that assists with certification or re-certification (33

responses at 52%) and training and/or education that leads to credits or credential hours

(32 responses at 51%). One respondent also noted they offer an alliance with their college

for college credit in Child Development. A second said they have student organization

associated with the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma.

39%

28%

21%

12%

High school diploma Some college Bachelors Associates

Level of Education of Those Who Participate in PD


What type of early childhood professional opportunities do you offer?

Delivery of PD: According to survey respondents, the most common way to deliver

professional development opportunities is face-to-face (94%). 61% of respondents offer

PD through on-site training and/or education. 57% offer PD online. Additionally, one

respondent said they offer conferences or leadership institutes.

10%

29% 33% 35%

51%

Masters degreeprogram

Bachelors degreeprogram

Associates degreeprogram

Early childhoodspecific

credentials

Training and/oreducation that

leads to credit orcredential hours

Degree and Credential Programs

38% 38% 44%

49% 52%

Training that leadsto clock hours only

Pre-service training In-service training Training and/oreducation that leads

to CEU's

Training that assistswith certification or

re-certification

Training Opportunities

37% 44%

54%

Technical Assistance Conferences Workshops

Other Opportunities


Educators/Trainers: When asked if professionals delivering training and/or education

are required to go through an approval process (i.e., OK Center for Early Childhood

Professional Development Registry Approved Educators process), 53% of respondents said

yes and 42% said no. Another 5% were not sure. One respondent who said no,

professionals are not required to go through an approval process gave more detail by

noting they use NCATE accreditation. Another said all educators have a Master’s or

Doctorate degree in the field of training. A third said, “We use professionals who are

knowledgeable in their training, such as CPR/Fire Safety Training and such.” A respondent,

who selected yes, said the approval process is “a blanket approval since it is done through

the agency.” Another said it depends on the type of training being offered.

Of the respondents who said yes, professionals delivering training and/or education are

required to go through an approval process, 59 gave more detailed descriptions of the

specific requirements. Some respondents indicated the requirements of the professionals

delivering education and/or training varied according to what was being taught or the

department conducting the education and/or training (therefore, the number of responses

is greater than the number of respondents). The majority of respondents indicated that an

advanced degree (either Master’s or Doctorate) is required (28). The specific degree’s

reported included:

Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Master’s degree in Education

Doctorate emphasizing in ECE

Master’s degree in Child and Family

Master’s degree in Early Learning

Master’s degree in Child Development

15%

36% 37% 40%

57% 61%

94%

Distance Learning(i.e., ITV)

Technicalassistance via

phone

Electronic technicalassistance (i.e.,email, web site

contact request,Facebook, Twitter)

Face-to-facetechnical assistance

On-line On-site trainingand/or education

Face-to-face

Mode of Delivery


Master’s in Psychology

In addition to an advanced degree some requirements of the professionals delivering

education and/or training also included:

Significant experience with ECE

o 10 plus years

A demonstrated understanding of ECE

Teaching experience

o ECE specific

o Community college

o University

On-going scholarship

Work in the schools

o Minimum of 10 hours per year

Work with ECE organizations

o Serving on boards

o Providing in-service to teachers

Philosophy compatible with that of a comprehensive urban community college

A certain number of hours taken toward achieving Master’s degree devoted toward

ECE courses

o 18 hours

A number of respondents indicated that a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required (13).

Specific Bachelor’s degrees reported include:

Bachelor’s in ECE

Bachelor’s in Education

Bachelor’s in Child Development

Bachelor’s in Marriage and Family

Along with a Bachelor’s degree, respondents reported the following additional

requirements:

A certain amount education focused on ECE

o 3 years and 12 hours

Experience in the following areas

o Teaching young children

o Training adults

o Mentoring adults

o Coaching adults

o Teaching adults

16 weeks


A few respondents indicated a minimum of an Associate’s degree (8). 5 of these

respondents indicated that an educator and/or trainer must be approved by the Center for

Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD). According to the CECPD, a minimum

of an Associate’s Degree in ECE or Child Development is required of all approved educators.

The highest level of education required by the CECPD is a Bachelor’s degree in ECE or Child

Development.

There were a number of more general requirement responses given as well. These

included:

Certified teachers (1)

Teachers aides (1)

Students enrolled in ECE programs (1)

Students enrolled in college (1)

Expertise and/ or some education in ECE (4)

Content area training, knowledge or experience (7)

o Examples given: CPR/Fire Safety Training; Parents as Teachers; Healthy

Families America; SafeCare; Nurse-Family Partnership

Head Start mandates (1)

Head Start Performance Standards (1)

OHS protocol (1)

OSU Extension trained and certified (1)

Certified by OK Career Tech. (1)

CCR&R employee pre-approved (1)

Endorsed or seeking endorsement through the Oklahoma Endorsement for

Culturally Sensitive Relationship Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health

(1)

Faculty at University (1)

Language: The majority of respondents indicated only English as the language offered

during education/training (49). The remaining 11 respondents reported offering the

following:

English and some Spanish (3)

Availability of translators (3)

English and Spanish (2)

English with print offered in English and Spanish (1)

English and ASL (1)

English; ESL students may utilize college resources for assistance (1)


Content areas: When asked to select which content areas are covered in the professional

development opportunities they offer, by selecting all that apply, all options were selected

by at least 82% of respondents. Interactions with children and child growth and

development were the top two content areas, chosen by 95% and 93% respectively.

Respondents additionally noted they offer “Key Train;” art and music; issues in family life

education, ethics, legal issues, parent training programs; infant mental health; and in-kind

and federal guidelines training.

Supports to PD Attendees: The top three supports that are important to professionals

involved in respondents’ PD opportunities are:

1. Financial assistance (most important)

2. Flexible class schedules

3. Convenient location

The additional five supports rank in the following order based on survey responses:

4. Support from faculty/trainers

5. Academic tutoring and assistance

6. Academic advising

7. Experience of being in a cohort

8. Assistance with technology (least important)

Standards to Plan Training: The most commonly used program standard used to plan

education and/or training was reported to be Oklahoma’s Early Learning Guidelines; 85%

of respondents use this standard when planning education and/or trainings. NAEYC’s

82% 84%

85%

90% 92%

93% 95%

Professionalismand Leadership

ProgramPlanning,

Developmentand Evaluation

Family andCommunity

Partnerships

Health, Safetyand Nutrition

LearningEnvironment

and Curriculum

Child Growthand

Development

Interactions withChildren

Content Area of PD


Developmentally Appropriate Practices in EC programs are used by 79% of respondents,

Oklahoma’s Core Competencies for EC Practitioners 74% and NAEYC’s accreditation

standards by 74% of respondents. A smaller percentage report utilizing DEC Personnel

Standards (3%) and DEC Recommended Practices (7%). Additional standards reported as

being used included:

Healthy Families America

Competencies in Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused

Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health

DHS licensing guidelines

NAC accreditation standards

NAEYC ethics statement

NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care)

NBPTS Standards

Nurse-Family Partnership

Oklahoma Christian University Teacher Competencies

Oklahoma Competencies for Licensure

Oklahoma Early Childhood Competencies

PAS

Parents as Teachers

SareCare

Strategies used in training: Respondents were asked to select from a list of strategies

which they use in education/training. All strategies were selected by at least 69% of

respondents. The most commonly used strategies are small and large group discussions

(97%), print materials (e.g., readings, books, course packets, handouts) (95%), small and

large group activities (94%), and lectures (92%). Additionally noted strategies included

36% 47% 48%

74% 74% 79% 85%

Head Start ChildOutcomes

Framework andPerformance

Standards

NAEYC personnelstandards

Oklahoma's QRISstandards

NAEYCAccreditation

Standards

Oklahoma's CoreCompetencies forEarly Childhood

Practitioners

NAEYCDevelopmentally

AppropriatePractices in Early

ChildhoodPrograms

Oklahoma's EarlyLearning

Guidelines

Utilized Standards and Competencies


methods instruction, laboratory experience in an early childhood classroom, reflective

experiences and mentor/coaching.

Content of PD opportunities: To determine the content of professional development

opportunities being offered by respondents, survey respondents were asked to rate to

what degree their PD opportunities incorporate specific themes. The scale was 1 to 5

where 1=no consideration and 5=always considered and promoted. Respondents who

answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. Addressing the special

needs of children and families was ranked the highest as a theme that is considered and

promoted in PD opportunities. This was followed by support cultural competence, support

the OK Early Learning Guidelines, encompass the Core Competencies for Early Childhood

Practitioners, and finally, support career ladder progression as indicated through OK’s

Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry. Other comments related to

professional development opportunities:

“There are 4 full time instructors that teach CDA and Child Development Courses for

college credits.”

68% 69%

71% 73%

79% 79% 79%

Fieldassignments

Networking Groupassignments

Role plays Videodemonstrations

Individualassignments

Case studies

Strategies for Teaching

92%

94%

95%

97%

Lectures Group activities Print materials Group discussions

Strategies for Teaching, continued


“As a Head Start, we also help staff attend college classes, in addition to the training

we provide.”

To what degree do your professional development opportunities:

(1=no consideration and 5=always considered and promoted)

Average

Rating

a. address the special needs of children and families 4.5

b. support cultural competence 4.4

c. support the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines 4.4

d. encompass the Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners 4.2

e. support career ladder progression as indicated through OK's Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry

4.1


II. Professional Development Funding

Along with the previous section, this section addresses questions regarding information

about participants who take part in professional development services offered by

respondents. However, in this section the questions specifically relate to how participants

attain access to PD and what financial supports are in place to support PD. The questions

asked in this section were as follows:

A. In rank order, rank how professionals finance their professional development.

B. According to those that participate in your professional development opportunities,

how do workplaces support practitioners (check all that apply)?

C. To what degree is Oklahoma’s early childhood professional development system:

(1=not adequate and 5=more than adequately financed)?14

D. Other comments related to professional development funding.

Financing of PD: Respondents were asked to rank in order how professionals finance their

professional development. Pell and other government grants or subsidies was marked as

the most common way in which professionals finance their professional development.

Employer helps subsidize cost was ranked as the least common option.

In rank order, rank how professionals finance their professional

development.

Average

Rating

1. Pell and other government grants or subsidies 2.6

2. Oklahoma Scholars Program 2.7

3. Pay on their own 3.5

4. Student loans 3.6

5. Employer helps subsidize cost 3.8

6. Other 5.0

Support of practitioners’ PD from workplace: Based on what survey respondents hear

from those who participate in their PD opportunities, 70% say workplaces support

practitioners by increasing compensation for educational attainment. 52% say workplaces

14 See appendix for complete list of indicators for this question


support PD by offering training on-site. 50% say workplaces offer release time. Additional

comments to this question include the following:

“I really don't think they do support much in the ways listed above- but they want

them to be trained.”

“There is minimal support. Often the students have to quit their jobs to do their

internships. Sometimes employers will adjust their schedules. Head Start tends to

be especially non-supportive.”

“Comp-ed work time or PTO”

We typically provide training while they are ‘on the clock’ but do not pay for their

time to attend college classes.”

“Support is highly variable and minimal. Most of the professional development is

held on Saturday due to no release time. Sometimes employers pay the fee but most

do not.”

Adequacy of OK’s PD system: Survey respondents were given a list of ten statements to

rate on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of the adequacy of Oklahoma’s early childhood

professional development system (where 1=not adequate and 5=more than adequate).

Those who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. The highest

rated statements about the adequacy of the system were related to providing

understandable resources about what is available and eligibility requirements to IHEs and

community based organizations (average rating 3.3 out of 5) and to early childhood

administrators (average rating 3.2 out of 5). The lowest rated item in terms of adequacy

was funding of the system (average rating 2.5 out of 5).

29% 32% 41% 43%

50% 52%

70%

Hire substitutes Teachermentors/coaches

Purchasematerials

equipment

Incentives,bonuses, rewardsfor PD milestones

Release time Training on-site Increase incompensation for

educationalattainment

How Workplaces Support Practitioners


To what degree is Oklahoma's early childhood professional

development system: (1=not adequate and 5=more than adequate)

Average

Rating

a. providing resources that are understood by institutions of higher

education and community-based organizations (what is available and

eligibility requirements)

3.3

b. providing resources that are understood by early childhood

administrators (what is available and eligibility requirements) 3.2

c. examining and addressing the barriers to financial aid and scholarships 3.0

d. providing resources that are understood by practitioners/participants

(what is available and eligibility requirements) 2.9

e. providing resources that are understood by funders (what is available

and eligibility requirements) 2.9

f. supported by state sources 2.9

g. supported by federal sources 2.7

h. supported by private sources 2.7

i. examining compensation parity (compensation equivalent to positions

within and across all sectors of the system) 2.5

j. adequately financed 2.5

Other comments related to professional development funding:

“Very little support at the Bachelors level that is ECED specific.”

“The federal government overfunds in some areas. Also, we have a lot of overlap--

several groups paid for doing a similar thing.”

“There is a misconception that Head Starts have funding to provide for all staff the

higher education support. The funding for this is limited and cannot be extended to

those who are working part time, in extended day, as permanent subs, etc. Higher

education overall is underfunded.”

“The rural areas are not fairly compensated. They have to meet the same regulations

from DHS Licensing, take the same amount of CEUs or college credit hours, and have

the same number of centers equipped with age appropriate materials as the

metropolitan areas.”


III. Quality Assurance

In this section of the survey respondents were asked about the evaluation and assessment

of professional development services they provided. The questions asked were as follows:

A. How are the professional development opportunities evaluated (check all that apply)?

B. Do you link your professional development offerings to measureable outcomes (e.g.,

Environmental Rating Scores)?

C. If you do link your professional development offerings to measureable outcomes, what

outcomes are measured?

D. Are faculty and/or trainers evaluated at least annually?

E. Do faculty and/or trainers receive any type of supervision?

F. For those able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a

measure(s) that is used to determine competency?

G. If there is a measure(s) to determine prior knowledge/skills, what is that measure(s)?

H. To what degree is/are: (1=not involvement/expectations/action and 5=high

involvement/expectations/action)?15

I. Other comments related to quality assurance.

Evaluation: Most often, survey respondents report professional development

opportunities are evaluated through assessments at the completion of the course or

training; this was true for 79% of respondents. 71% say they use tests or quizzes of

competencies and/or learning objectives. 59% use projects to evaluate training, 57% use

demonstrations of competencies met and 55% use satisfaction questionnaires. A smaller

percentage, less than 50% of respondents, use surveys (48%); papers (47%); course or

training follow-up after a certain period of time (35%); interviews with participants (26%);

and focus groups with participants (17%).


55% 57% 59% 71%

79%

satisfactionquestionnaires

demonstration ofcompetencies met

projects tests/quizzes ofcompetencies and/or

learning objectives

course/trainingassessment at the

completion of acourse and/or

training

Type of PD Evaluation


Measureable outcomes: 36 respondents (62%) reported they link their professional

development offerings to measureable outcomes (for example: the Environment Rating

Scores). 11 respondents (19%) do not link their professional development to measureable

scores and another 19% are not sure. Of those who said they do link PD to measurable

outcomes, 28 responded with more detail. In general most respondents referred to

program testing and evaluation (including: children, teachers, family and community). As

well, evaluation and testing of the students accessing professional development was

frequently mentioned. Some respondents indicated multiple outcomes; therefore the

number of measureable outcomes reported is greater than the number of respondents.

Many of the respondents indicated the outcomes measured are associated with

accreditation, certification and/or competencies (16). These include:

NAEYC Accreditation Standards (9)

NAFCC Accreditation Standards (2)

Oklahoma State Competencies (8)

o General reference to state competency testing (1)

o Oklahoma State Competencies for Licensure/Certification (1)

o Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation State Standards (1)

o Oklahoma General Competencies for Teacher Certification (1)

o Oklahoma Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners (2)

o Oklahoma Elementary and Early Childhood Competencies for Reading

Instruction (1)

o Oklahoma Christian University Competencies and Conceptual Framework (1)

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (CAEP) (3)

General knowledge of standards and competencies in ECE (1)

A few of the respondents mentioned the following classroom assessments (3):

ERS (3)

CLASS (3)

Teaching Strategies Classroom Ratings (1)

Arnett Caregiver Interaction Scale (1)

ELLCO (1)

PAS (1)

BAS (1)

More general responses included:

Child progress/performance (3)

Course competency and testing (4)

Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines (1)

Teacher qualifications and receipt of credentials (2)


Health and safety (facility and equipment) (2)

Adequate equipment to provide individualized education (1)

Staff and parent surveys (1)

Disability services (1)

Family needs (1)

Application of knowledge gained through professional development (examples:

designing effective workshops, programs and/or lessons plans; observation and

evaluation of program and children; demonstrate professionalism and communicate

effectively lessons learned) (3)

Dependant on training received (1)

Faculty/Trainers Administering Professional Development Opportunities:

Respondents were asked if the faculty or trainers of the professional development

opportunities they offer are evaluated annually. 90% said yes, 7% said no and 3% were

not sure. When asked if the faculty/trainers receive supervision, 89% said yes, 7% said

no and another 7% were not sure.

Measurement of prior knowledge/skills: In response to the question, “For those that are

able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a measure(s) that

is used to determine competency?,” 34% said yes, 22% said no and 44% were not sure. Of

those who said yes, 18 provided more detail. A few of the respondents indicated multiple

measures for assessing knowledge/skills; therefore the number of measures is greater than

the number of respondents. The most frequently reported measure in general was the use

of testing (9). Specific comments regarding testing as a measure were:

90% 87%

7% 7% 3% 7%

Get evaluated annually? Receive Supervision?

Do Faculy/Trainers of PD...

Yes No Not Sure


7 assessments required by NAEYC/NCATE, including three certification tests,

post program questionnaire of administrators, teachers and alumni (1)

Adjuncts utilize a pre/post test (1)

Competency certification tests (1)

Examinations/testing (2)

ODCTE State Competency Exam (1)

TABE and SAGE tests (1)

WorkKeys test (1)

Oklahoma Core Competencies (1)

The second most often reported measure was the use of education related references,

transcripts and/or certificates (including professional development) (7). A few

respondents referenced the use of portfolios/projects as a measurement to determine

prior knowledge (4). It is interesting to note that 1 respondent reported that prior

knowledge is “overwhelmingly difficult to measure”.

Involvement, expectations, action: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=no

involvement/expectations/action and 5=high involvement/expectations/action,

respondents were asked to rate to what degree a number of statements were true. Those

who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. The highest rated

statement, with an average rating of 3.9 was:

Oklahoma's early childhood program standards (e.g., pre-K, QRIS, Early Childhood,

home visiting, licensing) encompasses professional development expectations

Also rated highly, with average ratings of 3.8, respondents believe to a large degree that

accountability and monitoring are a part of the early childhood professional development

system and that Oklahoma's core competencies for early Childhood practitioners are

encompassed in professional development opportunities. The lowest rated statement,

although still rated at a high degree with an average of 3.3, respondents said that

stakeholder and public input (including families) are sought regarding the professional

development of early childhood professionals.


To what degree is/are: (1=no involvement/expectations/action and 5=high

involvement/expectations/action)

Average

Rating

a. Oklahoma's early childhood program standards (e.g., pre-K, QRIS,

Early Childhood, home visiting, licensing) encompassing professional

development expectations

3.9

b. accountability and monitoring a part of the early childhood

professional development system 3.8

c. Oklahoma's core competencies for early Childhood practitioners

encompassed in professional development opportunities 3.8

d. Oklahoma's early learning guidelines encompassed in professional

development opportunities 3.7

e. stakeholder and public input (including families) sought regarding

the professional development of early childhood professionals 3.3

A final comment related to quality assurance stated that, “There is a verbal commitment to

quality standards but there is such high variability in the interpretation of the standards

and what they look like in actual practice that I would say there is little consistency.”


IV. Professional Development Utilization

This section of the survey addresses questions related to enrollment, such as the position

participants who take part in PD hold, their diversity, as well as, completion of

courses/programs and barriers to participants success. The specific questions asked

include:

A. Over the past three years, how would you best describe your enrollment in professional

development opportunities?

B. What are the top three reasons as to why your enrollment has been affected?

C. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities, what

population is represented the most?

D. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities,

approximately what percentage represent diverse populations?

E. What percentage of participants/students follow through with completing the

training/coursework necessary to earn a credential or degree?

F. On average, how long does it take for a student to attain: (a credential, an Associate

degree, a Bachelors degree, a Graduate degree)?

G. What are the barriers in participants/students completing training and/or education

(check all that apply)?

H. Other comments to share related to utilization.

Enrollment in PD opportunities: When asked to reflect over the last three years, an equal

number of respondents (20 respondents, 35%) reported either no change or an increase

in enrollment in their professional development opportunities. 23% reported a decline.

7% were not sure. Additional comments: one respondent reported having a new program

and another said there has been in increase in enrollment, but attendance has remained the

same.

7%

23%

35% 35%

Not sure Decline Increase No change

Enrollment Over Last 3 years


Why has enrollment been effected? Respondents were asked to list the top three reasons

why their enrollment has been affected, therefore there is a greater number of responses

than respondents (however, some respondents indicated less than three reasons). Of the

20 respondents who reported an increase in enrollment 18 indicated at least one reason.

The reason most referenced had to do with the type of education/training offered (10).

These include:

Knowledge of trainers on-site compared to other locations (1)

The quality of training offered (example: class size) (4)

The courses offered (1)

The type of training offered (examples: hands on skills, site based, credentials

offered) (3)

Expansion of program (1)

The next two most often reported reasons for the increase was a change in requirements

(6) and financing options and/or affordability (5). Specific changes in requirements

indicated include:

CDA process/requirements (2)

Head Start/Early Head Start requirements (1)

Early Learning Guidelines requirements (1)

Oklahoma State Standards (1)

General increase in accredited programs requiring an assessment component (1)

The financing options and/or affordability mentioned as affecting increased enrollment

include:

Kaiser/Bridging the Gap Scholarships (1)

Tulsa Achieves Scholarships (1)

Financing (example: private funding) (2)

Affordability (1)

The next most often reported changes affecting enrollment were increases in job

opportunities (3) and need (2). Advertising and/or reputation of the organization was also

mentioned as a reason for increased enrollment (3).

Other general reasons indicated:

Policy change (1)

Change in status of those attending 2-4 year programs within staff (1)


Of the 20 respondents who reported no change in enrollment 7 indicated at least one

reason. The most often reported reason for no change in enrollment was the economy (4).

Interestingly, a number of the same reasons respondents indicated as increasing

enrollment were also mentioned as not affecting enrollment. These include:

Scholarships/funding (2)

Certification requirements (1)

Job opportunities (2)


Strictness of evaluations for teacher candidates (1)

College enrollment remains steady (1)

Employer release time of employees (1)

Location (1)

Of the 13 respondents who reported a decline in enrollment 11 indicated at least one

reason. In this analysis as well, a number of the same reasons reported as increasing

and/or not changing enrollment were also reported as reasons for declines in enrollment.

The most often reported reason for the decline was related to economic issues (11).

Economic issues (opportunities and need primarily)

o Economy in general (1)

o Competitive job market (2)

o Decreased opportunities (2)

o Decreased pay (1)

o Closure of centers/facilities (2)

o Lack of owners/directors seeking qualified staff (1)

o Saturated SDA of providers (1)

The second most often reported reason for the decline reported was associated with

funding (6). These include:

Funding in general (4)

Funding/accessibility of scholarships (2)

Other reasons reported include:

Change in eligibility requirements (1)

Program changes (1)

Increased high school graduating requirements (1)

Lack of incentives/motivation (1)

Instructor issues (1)

Difficulty navigating the system (1)


Marketing (1)

Time (1)

There were 4 respondents who reported being unsure of how to best describe their

enrollment in professional development opportunities, within this group 1 respondent

indicated a reason. The reason reported was:

Lower number of child care programs (1)

Population of PD attendees: Early childhood teachers in child care centers are the most

represented population in professional development opportunities offered by survey

respondents; 65% of respondents said this group is most represented. The next most

represented populations are early childhood teachers in Pre-K (14%), Head Start (12%),

family child care providers (6%) and home visitors (4%). Other responses included:

Secondary and post secondary high school students

High school and adult students wanting to work in day cares and Head Starts

Early Childhood Teacher in Pre-k through 3rd grade

University students (3 responses)

Pre-service teachers

School-age summer camp counselors

Diversity of PD attendees: Thinking about what percentage of those attending

professional development opportunities represent diverse populations, survey responses

indicated racial or ethnic diversity is the most represented in professional development

opportunities; 32% of survey respondents report that professionals from a diversity of

4% 6% 12% 14%

65%

Home visitors Family child careproviders

Early childhoodteachers in Head

Start

Early childhoodteachers in Pre-K

Early childhoodteachers in child

care centers

Populations in PD Opportunities


ethnicities represent between 21 and 50% of their PD attendance. English Language

Learners and men are the least represented. 71% of survey respondents reported English

Language Learners represent 10% or less of their PD attendees. 93% reported that men

represent 10% or less of their attendees.

0-10%

of

attendees

11-20%

of

attendees

21-50%

of

attendees

51-75%

of

attendees

75-100%

of

attendees

Racial/Ethnic

Diversity 19% 18% 32% 21% 11%

English-language

learners 71% 9% 4% 4% 13%

Men 93% 7% 0% 0% 0%

Attaining a degree or credential: When asked what percentage of participants or

students follows through with completing the coursework or training necessary to earn a

credential or degree, 40% of respondents said that at least 75% of their participants do so.

38% said that between 51-75% of participants complete training. 13% report that 26-50%

of their PD participants complete training. Only 9% said that 25% or fewer students

complete the training necessary to earn a credential or degree.

9% 13%

38% 40%

0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 75-100%

Percentage of Participants Who Complete Training in Order to Earn Credential or Degree


Time: 37% of survey respondents reported, on average, it takes a year for students to

attain a credential. 33% said it takes two years on average. Thinking about an Associates

degree, the largest number of survey respondents (40%) report that it takes an average of

three years to earn this type of degree. 50% of survey respondents say that it takes more

than four years to earn a Bachelors degree; 45% said it takes an average of four years. 72%

of survey respondents report that it takes more than four years for students to earn a

Graduate degree

Barriers: The most commonly reported barriers in participants or students completing

training or education were funding/cost and scheduling and time; 78% of survey

respondents noted these as barriers. Family commitments were cited as a barrier by 71%

of respondents. Less commonly noted barriers (reported by less than 50% of respondents)

include insufficient employer support (48%), participants are unsure of the value in higher

education attainment (43%), academics/expectations too rigorous (35%), and not enough

support (26%). Additional noted barriers included non traditional students and a note

that, “Due to low test scores, a student may have to take six remedial courses before taking

a child development course.”

26% 35%

43% 48%

Not enough support Academics/expectationstoo rigorous

Unsure of value in highered

Employer supportinsufficient

Common Barriers to Completing Training

71%

78% 78%

Family commitments Cost Scheduling and time

Common Barriers to Completing Training, Continued


Two final comments related to utilization of professional development opportunities are as

follows:

“Things unique to our scholarship program are: 1.) We go to them – to the child care

facility to recruit the provider for our scholarship to attend higher ed. (technology

center or community college) to earn a credential/degree so they can be more

knowledgeable of their work, become eligible for REWARD Oklahoma, potentially

earn more money and be more marketable too. 2.) We go to them – we are their on-

site academic advisor and personal connection for the scholarship and to the college

and we provide on-site technical assistance too, and 3.) Most scholarships the

individual has to seek them out on their own and then they are required to take a

minimum of 12 hours. Besides us seeking out the recipients for our scholarship and

then providing continued assistance through their education journey, our

scholarship is more self-paced. At the community college, once they complete the

first 15 hours under the guideline of 6/6/3 (enrollment may not exceed 6 hours in

the fall, 6 hours in the spring, and 3 hours in the summer semesters) they may take

up to 21 credit hours in three semesters. At the bachelor’s level, they must follow

the 6/6/3 rule each year. At the technology center level, it is self-paced – they can

take local classes as they are offered and/or take the classes on-line as they are

ready.”

As a note to a response to the previous question, “Do not believe that rigorous

academics are inappropriate, just that some caregivers are ill equipped for such

rigor.”


V. Alignment and Professional Development

This portion of the survey focused on issues related to the coordination and partnerships in

place with regard to professional development. The questions asked in this section include:

A. Is the professional development that you provide coordinated across sectors?

B. If your professional development is coordinated with others, who do you coordinate

with?

C. How have early childhood partnerships been strengthened in Oklahoma to assist with

professional development (check all that apply)?

D. Give example(s) of cross-sectors that have aligned

standards/requirements/articulation successfully.

E. To what degree are the following aligned: (1=not aligned and 5=highly aligned)?16

F. Other comments related to professional development alignment.

Coordination across sectors: Survey respondents were asked whether they thought the

professional development they provide is coordinated across sectors. Of the respondents

who answered this question, 64% thought the professional development they provide is

coordinated across sectors, 20% did not think there is coordination across sectors and 16%

were unsure. Of those who said yes, there is coordination, 31 people provided more

details. Some of the respondents who indicated coordinating with others in the area of

professional development reported more than one affiliation. The most often reported

affiliation was with institutions of higher education (colleges and community colleges)

(10). Many of the respondents indicated having an affiliation with more than one

institution of higher education. The specific responses include:

Articulation Agreements

o Non-specified agreements (2)

o Tulsa Technology Center

o Tulsa Community College (2)

o University of Oklahoma (2)

o Oklahoma State University (2)

o Northeastern State University (2)

o Langston University (1)

Community colleges

o Non-specified (2)


Colleges

o Non-specified (2)



o University of Central Oklahoma (1)

o Oklahoma State University – Stillwater (1)

o Murray State College (1)

The second most often reported affiliation was with Head Start (9), specifically:

Head Start (5)

Early Head Start (3)

National Head Start (1)

The two next most often reported affiliations were with CECPD (8) and OKDHS (8). 3 of the

7 respondents who indicated DHS reported a specific connection with OKDHS Child Care

Licensing. A coordinated effort with scholars was also reported by some of the

respondents (5). Other affiliations reported include:

Resource and Referral (3)

o Great Plains Child Care Resource and Referral (1)

Smart Start (2)

Local public schools (2)

Nursing education (1)

Lactation (1)

Wellness (1)

Community outreach (1)

Child Care Services (1)

Faculty/ institutions (1)

Other state agencies (1)

Child Development Associate National Credential program (1)

Connors (1)

STARS (1)

Early Learning Guidelines (1)

Success by 6 (1)

State Accreditation Standards (1)

State licensing (1)

State Department of Education (1)

Oklahoma Department of Career Tech. (1)

Early childhood partnerships: When asked how early childhood partnerships have been

strengthened in Oklahoma to assist with professional development (respondents were

asked to check all that apply), 66% of respondents selected articulation agreements as one

of the ways childhood partnerships have been strengthened. Local councils/groups made


up of a cross-sector of early childhood entities that meet and communicate regularly (38%)

and interagency agreements (36%) were the next most frequently selected. 29% selected

formalized cross-sector agreements and 24% selected involvement within Oklahoma’s

early childhood advisory council. Only a small portion of respondents indicated that there

has been no effort to strengthen early childhood partnerships to help with professional

development (6%). 13% of respondents were unsure. Additional comments from

respondents include:

“Those who lead early childhood partnership efforts tend to devalue the importance

of k-3/public school teachers as part of the profession”

“Maybe other areas but no for sure”

Examples of cross-sector alignment: Respondents were asked to give examples of cross-

sectors that have aligned standards, requirements and/or articulation successfully. Of the

23 respondents who answered this question, many indicated more than one example;

therefore there are more responses than the number of respondents. 18 mentioned

alignments with institutions of higher education. Specifically, 9 of the respondents

referenced articulation agreements. These include:

Non-specific articulation agreements (4)

Tulsa Technology Center (1)

Tulsa Community College (3)

University of Oklahoma (1)

Oklahoma State University (3)

Northeastern University (2)

Langston University (1)

Eastern Oklahoma State College (1)

24% 29%

36% 38%

66%

Involvement withinOK's EC advisory

council

Formalized cross-sectoragreements

Inter-agencyagreements

Local councils/groupsof a cross-sector of ECentities that meet and

communicate regularly

Articulation agreements

How Partnerships Have Been Strengthened


Oklahoma City University (1)

University Central Oklahoma (1)

Specific comments regarding alignments with institutions of higher education include:

“Common course offerings”

“DHS/OCCS partnering with Scholars Program and Higher Education keeping

college informed of course needs and education information”

“First, at the annual Course Equivalency Project (CEP) the CD and ECED faculty from

2-year and 4-year have tried to meet together. Then the CD group met and aligned

the CD classes”

“Murray State College Alliance”

“Murray State College”

“Particular courses which are equivalent in terms of competency and level of

scholarship have been included on approved lists to be taken at local, 2 year

institutions”

“Students may earn college hours in assessment through OSU/OKC when taking

Focused Portfolios”

“TCC & TTC FOR CDA WORK”

“The Early Childhood program at an urban community college with our urban

completion program in Early Childhood Education”

“Tulsa Tech (Career Tech) offers CDA, Tulsa Community College offers first 2 years

of college, OU Tulsa offers final 2 years, Northeastern offers Master's and OU Tulsa &

OSU Tulsa offer Doctoral programs. All work together for seamless transitions”

“Redlands Community College”

Other non-specific comments regarding general alignments include (within this group 7

mention Head Start):

“Seeking to be a sponsor site for the CECPD, work with local area agencies including

Head Start programs”

“Head Start and Child Care have worked together”

“Choctaw Nation Career Development, Head Start

“Professional development opportunities across sectors”

“The creation of Core Comps and ELG’s include HS, NAEYC, Public Pre-K, child care,

tribal care, CDA, etc.”

“The Oklahoma QRIS (STARS) has decided to allow completion and good standing

with all Federal Monitoring Requirements as Accreditation for Head Start

programs”

“Licensing, STARS program, Oklahoma Rewards, and the Scholars for Excellence in

Child Care are/have aligned their requirements to collaborate eligibility”


“Washita Valley Community Action Council, Kiowa Tribe Head Start”

“Work with the following groups: Washita Valley head Start and Early Head Start,

Kiowa Tribe Head Start”

Degree of alignment: Respondents were asked to what degree a list of systems related to

OK PD are aligned. Rating was on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=not aligned and 5= highly

aligned. Those who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis.

Alignment between core competencies for early childhood practitioners and OK's child care

licensing was rated, on average, the highest at 4.0 out of 5. Core competencies for early

childhood practitioners and OK’s professional development ladder and teacher licensing

were also rated as highly aligned (average of 3.9 out of 5). The lowest rated alignment was

between data collection, data sharing and data dissemination (2.7 out of 5.)

To what degree are the following aligned: (1=not aligned and

5=highly aligned)

Average

Rating

a. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

child care licensing 4.0

b. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

professional development ladder 3.9

c. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with

teacher licensing 3.9

d. professional standards with competency demonstration 3.8

e. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

QRIS: Reaching for the Stars standards 3.7

f. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with Pre-

K standards 3.7

g. professional development opportunities across sectors 3.6

h. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with

credential programs 3.4

i. community-based training with credential programs 3.3

j. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with Head

Start standards 3.3

k. community-based training with degree programs 3.2

l. data collection, data sharing and data dissemination 2.7


Other comments related to professional development alignment include:

“Oklahoma core competencies are grounded in NAEYC standards, and as such, are

aligned with teacher licensing and credentialing.”

“It appears to me that none of it is truly coordinated OR aligned. Each still works and

develops in their own silo which causes confusion for practitioners. if could just

follow one HIGH STANDARD of best practice that is already established nationally

and is already very well research based, then we wouldn't need so many entities

trying to vie for the same $$$ , thus putting those $$ back into the program/teachers

to be able to do what is best for our children.”

“It would be nice to have a chart for practitioners and educators to reference for

this.”

“Infant's, Toddler's and Two's content information is often over looked with

credentialing and licensing preparation programs.”

“Given the requirement and process of national accreditation of teacher education

programs, it is most difficult to coordinate any standards or competencies other that

licensing competencies, NAEYC standards, or the individual university

competencies.”


VI. Professional Development Policies

This section of the survey asked respondents questions regarding the policies they have in

place related to professional development. The following questions were asked:

A. What policies does your institution/organization have in place specific to professional

development (check all that apply)?

B. How often are your policies related to professional development reviewed and revised?

C. To what degree are your professional development policies: relevant to the most

current regulations; relevant to the most current research on professional

development best practices; promoting higher education attainment; clearly

understood and articulated to practitioners in the field; supporting practitioners in

their everyday work in the field; supporting high-quality professional development

opportunities (1=not effective and 5=highly effective)?

D. Other comments related to professional development policies.

Policies in place specific to PD: When asked to select from a list of policies their

institution/organization have in place specific to professional development (respondents

were asked to check all that apply), a majority of respondents selected attendance (81%),

syllabi that outline expectations related to assignments and grades (79%) and articulation

agreements (71%). Eligibility requirements (56%), practicum requirements (54%) and

prerequisite requirements (52%) were the next most often selected policies. Only 17%

selected technical assistance eligibility requirements. One respondent reported, “we have a

MOU with OU as a provider of training via the Oklahoma Registry.”

17%

52% 54% 56%

71% 79% 81%

TA eligibilityrequirements

Prereqrequirements

Practicumrequirements

Eligibilityrequirements

Articulationagreements

Syllabi that outlineexpectations

related toassignments and

grades

Attendance



Review of policies: Respondents reported that their policies related to professional

development are reviewed and revised on an annual basis (48%). 39% reported their

policies are reviewed and revised as needed. 6% said policies were reviewed every 3 years

and 7% were unsure.

Effectiveness of PD policies: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=not effective and 5=highly

effective, respondents were asked to respond to what degree their professional

development policies are effective. Respondents who answered N/A or not sure were

excluded from the analysis. In order from highly effective to not effective respondents

rated the degree to which their professional development policies are effective as follows:

To what degree are PD polices effective: (1=not effective and 5=highly

effective)

Average

Rating

a. relevant to the most current regulations 4.7

b. supporting practitioners in their everyday work in the field 4.7

c. relevant to the most current research on professional

development best practices 4.6

d. promoting higher education attainment 4.6

e. supporting high-quality professional development opportunities 4.6

f. clearly understood and articulated to practitioners in the field 4.3

48%

6%

39%

Annually Every 3 years As needed

Revision of Policies


Other comments related to professional development policies were:

“We follow BEST PRACTICE as stated through NAEYC. From Ethical Practices to

Curriculum Development, Leadership & Management and Physical Environment.

Why would one chose anything else when we want what is best for our children”

“For the scholarship program, only for the bachelor's scholarship do we require an

articulation agreement for those schools and the community college scholar

graduates to be eligible for the bachelor scholarship. Eligibility requirements must

be met for each scholarship. Admissions requirements must be met for the

institutions. Syllabi must be approved for course approval for a course to meet the

Oklahoma Early Learning Guideline approval for meeting the training requirement”


VII. Employment and Compensation Parity

This section addressed questions related to the long-term financial and employment

impacts of practitioners who partake in professional development. The specific questions

asked were as follows:

A. What are the long-term impacts of early childhood practitioners getting a credential

or degree (rate the top three where 1=most common impact)?

B. To what degree is employment and compensation parity considered in the following:

roles and responsibilities; education attainment; comparable salaries among the

different early childhood sectors; rewards for investing in professional development

opportunities; career pathway policies; articulation agreements; recruitment and

retention; data tracking and sharing (1=not considered and 5=highly considered)?

C. Other comments related to employment and compensation parity.

Long –term impacts: When respondents were asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 5 (where

1=most common impact and 5=least common impact) the long-term impacts of early

childhood practitioners getting a credential or degree, respondents indicated increased

wages to have the most common impact. In order from most to least common impact

respondents rated the long-term impacts as follows:

Rating of long-term impacts: (1=most common impact and 5=least

common impact)*

Average

Rating

a. increased wages 2.3

b. going from one sector (e.g., child care center to another (e.g., public

school) 2.5

c. new job 3.1

d. promotion to the next level within the organization 3.2

e. increased support to continue with education 3.9

*In this chart a lower average rating indicated a more common impact

Respondents were also asked to respond to the question, “To what degree is employment

and compensation parity considered in the following?” using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=not

considered and 5=highly considered. Respondents who selected N/A or not sure were


excluded from the analysis. In order from highly considered to not considered,

respondents rated the degree to which employment and compensation parity is considered

in the following order:

To what degree is: (1=not considered and 5=highly considered) Average

Rating

a. education attainment 4.2

b. roles and responsibilities 3.9

c. recruitment and retention 3.8

d. comparable salaries among the different early childhood sectors 3.7

e. rewards for investing in professional development opportunities 3.6

f. articulation agreements 3.5

g. career pathway policies 3.2

h. data tracking and sharing 2.8

One final comment related to employment and compensation parity:

“The biggest issue is the differing educational requirements for programs and

funding for compensation parity”

Demographics of 208

~Appendix B~ Research Brief: Demographics


Demographics of 208

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Demographics~

This section of the survey addressed questions about respondents’ demographics. The

specific questions asked were as follows17:

S. Name?

T. Employer?

U. Job Title?

V. Preferred way to contact you (please provide address, phone number, and/or email

address)

W. Length of time in current position?

Employment: The 67 respondents who answered a question about employment reported

being employed by a total of 41 different organizations. The largest employer was the

University of Central Oklahoma (5). The second largest was Tulsa Community College (4).


Caddo Kiowa Technology Center

CARD Head Start– one respondent in this group reported working for the Early

Head Start division

Kiamichi Technology Center

Oklahoma State Department of Health



Langston University




Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education


University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Lastly, the following organizations employed a total of 1 respondent:

Averill

Bristow Public Schools 17 The complete survey with full details of each question is an appendix to this report.

Demographics of 208

Cameron University

Cherokee Nation

Child Care Inc.





Early Learning Innovations


Eastern Oklahoma State College

Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Child Development Center

Integris Health


Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Oklahoma Department of Human Services – Oklahoma Child Care Services

Oklahoma Child Care Association


Oklahoma City University, Redlands Community College

Rose State College


Southeastern Oklahoma State University


Tulsa Tech and the United Way of Stephens County

In addition, there were two respondents who reported being independent contractors. One

of these respondents indicated a connection with the Oklahoma Association of Infant

Mental Health.

Job Title: Of the 67 respondents who answered this question, a total of 23 different job

titles were reported. In a few instances respondents indicated having more than one job

title. Some of these job titles were quite broad. For example, the largest job title category

was “Coordinator” (11). Within this category there was a wide range of responses. These

included:

Coordinator

Coordinator of Early Childhood Education

Endorsement Coordinator

Executive Coordinator

Grant Coordinator

Demographics of 208

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Coordinator

Curriculum Coordinator

Scholar Coordinator (2)

Smart Start Community Coordinator

Quality Enhancement Initiative Coordinator

The next most often reported job title by category was “Director” (10). Within the category

of Director, 2 respondents did not specify what they directed. The others reported the

following:

Director of Center Operations

Director Family Support & Prevention Service

Director Child Development Services/Child Guidance

Division Director

Executive Director

Program Director, Child Development

System Director

Assistant Director

“Assistant Professor” (9) and “Professor” (9) were the next most often reported categories.

Within the category of Assistant Professor, 7 gave no specific title. The remaining 2

reported their titles as Assistant Professor of Child Development and Assistant Professor of

Early Childhood Education. 1 of the Assistant Professors indicated that they were also a

Coordinator of Early Childhood Education. In the category of Professor, 5 were unspecified

and the remaining 4 included:

Professor of Child Development

Professor, Family Life Education

Professor, Human and Family Sciences

Professor/ Department Chair

“Associate Professor” (8) was the next largest category. In this category 3 respondents did

not list a specific affiliation. The remaining 5 listed the following affiliations:

Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education (3)

Associate Professor of Child Development (1)

Associate Professor/Director of Teacher Education (1)

In the category of Manger (5) respondents reported the following titles:

Child Development Center Manager

Education Manager

Early Head Start Manager

Manager of the Oklahoma Early Childhood Program

Demographics of 208

Quality Enrichment Manager

The remaining categories were:

Instructor (3)

Educator (2) – one non-specific and one responded as an Oklahoma Parent as

Teachers Educator

Early Care & Education Instructor (2)

Scholarship Administrator (2)

Academic Advisor (1)

Child Development /Nursing Department Chair (1)

Chairperson (1)

Dental Technical Supervisor (1)

Department Head of Early Care Education (1)

Early Learning Specialist (1)

Instructional Assistant (1)

Program Administrator (1)

Time in current employment position: Survey respondents were asked how long they

have worked in their current position. The greatest number of respondents (34%) have

worked in their position for between 5 and 10 years. 5% have been in their position for

less than a year.

18% 13%

34% 31%

1.1 to 3 years 3.1 to 5 years 5.1 to 10 years more than 10 years

Length of Time in Current Position

Professional Development of 208

~Appendix C~ Research Brief: Professional Development

Opportunities Early Childhood Professional Development Survey


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Professional Development Opportunities~

This section of the survey asked questions about the participants who take part in

professional development (PD) services offered by survey respondents. The specific

questions asked were as follows:

X. Who are the professionals that participate in the professional development

opportunities that you offer (check all that apply)?

Y. What level of education is most representative of the early childhood practitioners

that participate in your professional development opportunities (check one)?

Z. What type of early childhood professional opportunities do you offer (check all that

apply)?

AA. How do you deliver your professional development opportunities (check all that

apply)?

BB. Are professionals delivering education and/or training required to go through an



CC. What are the requirements of the professionals delivering education and/or

training

DD. What languages do you offer education/training in?

EE. What content areas are covered in the professional development opportunities that


FF. In rank order (with 1=most important), rank the top three supports that are

important to professionals involved in your professional development

opportunities.

GG. What professional and program standards/competencies do you utilize when


HH. Which specific strategies do you use in your education/training (check all that

apply)?

II. To what degree do your professional development opportunities: support career

ladder progression as indicated through OK’ s Center for Early Childhood

Professional Development Registry; encompass the Core Competencies for Early

Childhood Practitioners; support the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines; support

cultural competence; address the special needs of children and families (1=no

consideration and 5=always considered and promoted)?

JJ. Other comments related to professional development opportunities.


Participation in PD: Respondents were asked who participates in the professional

development opportunities that they offer. The top four responses were: early childhood

teachers (57 responses), early childhood assistant teachers (53 responses), early childhood

directors (45 responses) and family child care providers (36 responses).

Additional professionals who were reported as participating in PD include:

Paraprofessionals (47%)

Home visitors (37%)

Special education/early intervention teachers (37%)

Pre-K Coordinators (27%)

Consultants (23%)

Mentors (22%)

School principals (10%)

Coaches (8%)

Speech-language pathologists (8%)

School psychologists (5%)

Some respondents selected “other” and noted the following: students in higher education

(5), administrators, owners, Family Support Representatives/Family Mentor Specialists,

residential care personnel and mental health professions.

Level of Education: The largest number of respondents (39%) indicated that the majority

of early childhood practitioners who participate in their professional development

95% 88%

75%

60%

Early Childhoodteachers

Early Childhoodassistant teachers

Early ChildhoodDirectors

Family Child Careproviders

Professionals Who Participate in PD


opportunities have a high school diploma. No respondents said that the majority of their

PD participants have a GED or a Graduate degree. Additional responses included:

Equal high school and bachelors since serving undergraduate and graduate students

(2)

Post secondary students

Bachelors, Associates and Graduate level

Type of PD offered: The most common responses to the question, “What type of early

childhood professional opportunities do you offer (check all that apply)?” were workshops

(34 responses at 54%), training that assists with certification or re-certification (33

responses at 52%) and training and/or education that leads to credits or credential hours

(32 responses at 51%). One respondent also noted they offer an alliance with their college

for college credit in Child Development. A second said they have student organization

associated with the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma.

What type of early childhood professional opportunities do you offer?

39%

28%

21%

12%

High school diploma Some college Bachelors Associates

Level of Education of Those Who Participate in PD

10%

29% 33% 35%

51%

Masters degreeprogram

Bachelors degreeprogram

Associates degreeprogram

Early childhoodspecific

credentials

Training and/oreducation that

leads to credit orcredential hours

Degree and Credential Programs


Delivery of PD: According to survey respondents, the most common way to deliver

professional development opportunities is face-to-face (94%). 61% of respondents offer

PD through on-site training and/or education. 57% offer PD online. Additionally, one

respondent said they offer conferences or leadership institutes.



38% 38% 44%

49% 52%

Training that leadsto clock hours only

Pre-service training In-service training Training and/oreducation that leads

to CEU's

Training that assistswith certification or

re-certification

Training Opportunities

37% 44%

54%

Technical Assistance Conferences Workshops

Other Opportunities

15%

36% 37% 40%

57% 61%

94%

Distance Learning(i.e., ITV)

Technicalassistance via

phone

Electronic technicalassistance (i.e.,email, web site

contact request,Facebook, Twitter)

Face-to-facetechnical assistance


Face-to-face

Mode of Delivery


Professional Development Registry Approved Educators process), 53% of respondents said

yes and 42% said no. Another 5% were not sure. One respondent who said no,

professionals are not required to go through an approval process gave more detail by

noting they use NCATE accreditation. Another said all educators have a Master’s or

Doctorate degree in the field of training. A third said, “We use professionals who are

knowledgeable in their training, such as CPR/Fire Safety Training and such.” A respondent,

who selected yes, said the approval process is “a blanket approval since it is done through

the agency.” Another said it depends on the type of training being offered.

Of the respondents who said yes, professionals delivering training and/or education are

required to go through an approval process, 59 gave more detailed descriptions of the

specific requirements. Some respondents indicated the requirements of the professionals

delivering education and/or training varied according to what was being taught or the

department conducting the education and/or training (therefore, the number of responses

is greater than the number of respondents). The majority of respondents indicated that an

advanced degree (either Master’s or Doctorate) is required (28). The specific degree’s

reported included:

Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Master’s degree in Education

Doctorate emphasizing in ECE

Master’s degree in Child and Family

Master’s degree in Early Learning

Master’s degree in Child Development

Master’s in Psychology

In addition to an advanced degree some requirements of the professionals delivering

education and/or training also included:

Significant experience with ECE

o 10 plus years

A demonstrated understanding of ECE

Teaching experience

o ECE specific

o Community college

o University

On-going scholarship

Work in the schools

o Minimum of 10 hours per year

Work with ECE organizations

o Serving on boards

o Providing in-service to teachers

Philosophy compatible with that of a comprehensive urban community college


A certain number of hours taken toward achieving Master’s degree devoted toward

ECE courses

o 18 hours

A number of respondents indicated that a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required (13).

Specific Bachelor’s degrees reported include:

Bachelor’s in ECE

Bachelor’s in Education

Bachelor’s in Child Development

Bachelor’s in Marriage and Family

Along with a Bachelor’s degree, respondents reported the following additional

requirements:

A certain amount education focused on ECE

o 3 years and 12 hours

Experience in the following areas

o Teaching young children

o Training adults

o Mentoring adults

o Coaching adults

o Teaching adults

16 weeks

A few respondents indicated a minimum of an Associate’s degree (8). 5 of these

respondents indicated that an educator and/or trainer must be approved by the Center for

Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD). According to the CECPD, a minimum

of an Associate’s Degree in ECE or Child Development is required of all approved educators.

The highest level of education required by the CECPD is a Bachelor’s degree in ECE or Child

Development.

There were a number of more general requirement responses given as well. These

included:

Certified teachers (1)

Teachers aides (1)

Students enrolled in ECE programs (1)

Students enrolled in college (1)

Expertise and/ or some education in ECE (4)

Content area training, knowledge or experience (7)

o Examples given: CPR/Fire Safety Training; Parents as Teachers; Healthy

Families America; SafeCare; Nurse-Family Partnership

Head Start mandates (1)

Head Start Performance Standards (1)


OHS protocol (1)

OSU Extension trained and certified (1)

Certified by OK Career Tech. (1)

CCR&R employee pre-approved (1)

Endorsed or seeking endorsement through the Oklahoma Endorsement for

Culturally Sensitive Relationship Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health

(1)

Faculty at University (1)

Language: The majority of respondents indicated only English as the language offered

during education/training (49). The remaining 11 respondents reported offering the

following:

English and some Spanish (3)

Availability of translators (3)

English and Spanish (2)

English with print offered in English and Spanish (1)

English and ASL (1)

English; ESL students may utilize college resources for assistance (1)


development opportunities they offer, by selecting all that apply, all options were selected

by at least 82% of respondents. Interactions with children and child growth and

development were the top two content areas, chosen by 95% and 93% respectively.

Respondents additionally noted they offer “Key Train;” art and music; issues in family life

education, ethics, legal issues, parent training programs; infant mental health; and in-kind

and federal guidelines training.

82% 84%

85%

90% 92%

93% 95%


ProgramPlanning,

Developmentand Evaluation

Family andCommunity

Partnerships


LearningEnvironment

and Curriculum

Child Growthand

Development


Content Area of PD


Supports to PD Attendees: The top three supports that are important to professionals

involved in respondents’ PD opportunities are:

9. Financial assistance (most important)

10. Flexible class schedules

11. Convenient location

The additional five supports rank in the following order based on survey responses:

12. Support from faculty/trainers

13. Academic tutoring and assistance

14. Academic advising

15. Experience of being in a cohort

16. Assistance with technology (least important)

Standards to Plan Training: The most commonly used program standard used to plan

education and/or training was reported to be Oklahoma’s Early Learning Guidelines; 85%

of respondents use this standard when planning education and/or trainings. NAEYC’s

Developmentally Appropriate Practices in EC programs are used by 79% of respondents,

Oklahoma’s Core Competencies for EC Practitioners 74% and NAEYC’s accreditation

standards by 74% of respondents. A smaller percentage report utilizing DEC Personnel

Standards (3%) and DEC Recommended Practices (7%). Additional standards reported as

being used included:

Healthy Families America


Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health

DHS licensing guidelines

NAC accreditation standards

NAEYC ethics statement

NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care)

NBPTS Standards

Nurse-Family Partnership

Oklahoma Christian University Teacher Competencies

Oklahoma Competencies for Licensure

Oklahoma Early Childhood Competencies

PAS

Parents as Teachers

SareCare


Strategies used in training: Respondents were asked to select from a list of strategies

which they use in education/training. All strategies were selected by at least 69% of

respondents. The most commonly used strategies are small and large group discussions

(97%), print materials (e.g., readings, books, course packets, handouts) (95%), small and

large group activities (94%), and lectures (92%). Additionally noted strategies included

methods instruction, laboratory experience in an early childhood classroom, reflective

experiences and mentor/coaching.

36% 47% 48%

74% 74% 79% 85%



Standards



NAEYCAccreditation

Standards


Practitioners



ChildhoodPrograms


Guidelines


68% 69%

71% 73%

79% 79% 79%

Fieldassignments

Networking Groupassignments

Role plays Videodemonstrations

Individualassignments

Case studies

Strategies for Teaching

92%

94%

95%

97%

Lectures Group activities Print materials Group discussions

Strategies for Teaching, continued


Content of PD opportunities: To determine the content of professional development

opportunities being offered by respondents, survey respondents were asked to rate to

what degree their PD opportunities incorporate specific themes. The scale was 1 to 5

where 1=no consideration and 5=always considered and promoted. Respondents who

answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. Addressing the special

needs of children and families was ranked the highest as a theme that is considered and

promoted in PD opportunities. This was followed by support cultural competence, support

the OK Early Learning Guidelines, encompass the Core Competencies for Early Childhood

Practitioners, and finally, support career ladder progression as indicated through OK’s

Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry. Other comments related to

professional development opportunities:

“There are 4 full time instructors that teach CDA and Child Development Courses for

college credits.”

“As a Head Start, we also help staff attend college classes, in addition to the training

we provide.”

To what degree do your professional development opportunities:

(1=no consideration and 5=always considered and promoted)

Average

Rating

f. address the special needs of children and families 4.5

g. support cultural competence 4.4

h. support the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines 4.4

i. encompass the Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners 4.2

j. support career ladder progression as indicated through OK's Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry

4.1

Professional Development Funding of 208

~Appendix D~ Research Brief: Professional

Development Funding



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Professional Development Funding~

Along with the previous section, this section addresses questions regarding information

about participants who take part in professional development services offered by

respondents. However, in this section the questions specifically relate to how participants

attain access to PD and what financial supports are in place to support PD. The questions

asked in this section were as follows:

E. In rank order, rank how professionals finance their professional development.

F. According to those that participate in your professional development opportunities,

how do workplaces support practitioners (check all that apply)?

G. To what degree is Oklahoma’s early childhood professional development system:

(1=not adequate and 5=more than adequately financed)?18

H. Other comments related to professional development funding.

Financing of PD: Respondents were asked to rank in order how professionals finance their

professional development. Pell and other government grants or subsidies was marked as

the most common way in which professionals finance their professional development.

Employer helps subsidize cost was ranked as the least common option.

In rank order, rank how professional finance their professional

development.

Average

Rating

7. Pell and other government grants or subsidies 2.6

8. Oklahoma Scholars Program 2.7

9. Pay on their own 3.5

10. Student loans 3.6

11. Employer helps subsidize cost 3.8

12. Other 5.0

18 See appendix of final report for complete list of indicators for this question


Support of practitioners’ PD from workplace: Based on what survey respondents hear

from those who participate in their PD opportunities, 70% say workplaces support

practitioners by increasing compensation for educational attainment. 52% say workplaces

support PD by offering training on-site. 50% say workplaces offer release time. Additional

comments to this question include the following:

“I really don't think they do support much in the ways listed above- but they want

them to be trained.”

“There is minimal support. Often the students have to quit their jobs to do their

internships. Sometimes employers will adjust their schedules. Head Start tends to

be especially non-supportive.”

“Comp-ed work time or PTO”

We typically provide training while they are ‘on the clock’ but do not pay for their

time to attend college classes.”

“Support is highly variable and minimal. Most of the professional development is

held on Saturday due to no release time. Sometimes employers pay the fee but most

do not.”

Adequacy of OK’s PD system: Survey respondents were given a list of ten statements to

rate on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of the adequacy of Oklahoma’s early childhood

professional development system (where 1=not adequate and 5=more than adequate).

Those who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. The highest

rated statements about the adequacy of the system were related to providing

understandable resources about what is available and eligibility requirements to IHEs and

community based organizations (average rating 3.3 out of 5) and to early childhood

administrators (average rating 3.2 out of 5). The lowest rated item in terms of adequacy

was funding of the system (average rating 2.5 out of 5).

29% 32% 41% 43%

50% 52%

70%

Hire substitutes Teachermentors/coaches

Purchasematerials

equipment

Incentives,bonuses, rewardsfor PD milestones

Release time Training on-site Increase incompensation for

educationalattainment

How Workplaces Support Practitioners


To what degree is Oklahoma's early childhood professional

development system: (1=not adequate and 5=more than adequate)

Average

Rating

k. providing resources that are understood by institutions of higher

education and community-based organizations (what is available and

eligibility requirements)

3.3

l. providing resources that are understood by early childhood

administrators (what is available and eligibility requirements) 3.2

m. examining and addressing the barriers to financial aid and scholarships 3.0

n. providing resources that are understood by practitioners/participants

(what is available and eligibility requirements) 2.9

o. providing resources that are understood by funders (what is available

and eligibility requirements) 2.9

p. supported by state sources 2.9

q. supported by federal sources 2.7

r. supported by private sources 2.7

s. examining compensation parity (compensation equivalent to positions

within and across all sectors of the system) 2.5

t. adequately financed 2.5

Other comments related to professional development funding:

“Very little support at the Bachelors level that is ECED specific.”

“The federal government overfunds in some areas. Also, we have a lot of overlap--

several groups paid for doing a similar thing.”

“There is a misconception that Head Starts have funding to provide for all staff the

higher education support. The funding for this is limited and cannot be extended to

those who are working part time, in extended day, as permanent subs, etc. Higher

education overall is underfunded.”

“The rural areas are not fairly compensated. They have to meet the same regulations

from DHS Licensing, take the same amount of CEUs or college credit hours, and have

the same number of centers equipped with age appropriate materials as the

metropolitan areas.”


~Appendix E~ Research Brief: Quality Assurance



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Quality Assurance~



J. How are the professional development opportunities evaluated (check all that apply)?

K. Do you link your professional development offerings to measureable outcomes (e.g.,


L. If you do link your professional development offerings to measureable outcomes, what

outcomes are measured?

M. Are faculty and/or trainers evaluated at least annually?

N. Do faculty and/or trainers receive any type of supervision?

O. For those able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a


P. If there is a measure(s) to determine prior knowledge/skills, what is that measure(s)?

Q. To what degree is/are: (1=not involvement/expectations/action and 5=high

involvement/expectations/action)?19

R. Other comments related to quality assurance.

Evaluation: Most often, survey respondents report professional development


training; this was true for 79% of respondents. 71% say they use tests or quizzes of

competencies and/or learning objectives. 59% use projects to evaluate training, 57% use

demonstrations of competencies met and 55% use satisfaction questionnaires. A smaller

percentage, less than 50% of respondents, use surveys (48%); papers (47%); course or

training follow-up after a certain period of time (35%); interviews with participants (26%);

and focus groups with participants (17%).



Measureable outcomes: 36 respondents (62%) reported they link their professional

development offerings to measureable outcomes (for example: the Environment Rating

Scores). 11 respondents (19%) do not link their professional development to measureable

scores and another 19% are not sure. Of those who said they do link PD to measurable

outcomes, 28 responded with more detail. In general most respondents referred to

program testing and evaluation (including: children, teachers, family and community). As

well, evaluation and testing of the students accessing professional development was

frequently mentioned. Some respondents indicated multiple outcomes; therefore the

number of measureable outcomes reported is greater than the number of respondents.

Many of the respondents indicated the outcomes measured are associated with

accreditation, certification and/or competencies (16). These include:

NAEYC Accreditation Standards (9)

NAFCC Accreditation Standards (2)

Oklahoma State Competencies (8)

o General reference to state competency testing (1)

o Oklahoma State Competencies for Licensure/Certification (1)

o Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation State Standards (1)

o Oklahoma General Competencies for Teacher Certification (1)

o Oklahoma Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners (2)

o Oklahoma Elementary and Early Childhood Competencies for Reading

Instruction (1)

o Oklahoma Christian University Competencies and Conceptual Framework (1)

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (CAEP) (3)

General knowledge of standards and competencies in ECE (1)

A few of the respondents mentioned the following classroom assessments (3):

ERS (3)

CLASS (3)

55% 57% 59% 71%

79%

satisfactionquestionnaires

demonstration ofcompetencies met

projects tests/quizzes ofcompetencies and/or

learning objectives

course/trainingassessment at the

completion of acourse and/or

training



Teaching Strategies Classroom Ratings (1)

Arnett Caregiver Interaction Scale (1)

ELLCO (1)

PAS (1)

BAS (1)

More general responses included:

Child progress/performance (3)

Course competency and testing (4)

Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines (1)

Teacher qualifications and receipt of credentials (2)

Health and safety (facility and equipment) (2)

Adequate equipment to provide individualized education (1)

Staff and parent surveys (1)

Disability services (1)

Family needs (1)

Application of knowledge gained through professional development (examples:

designing effective workshops, programs and/or lessons plans; observation and

evaluation of program and children; demonstrate professionalism and communicate

effectively lessons learned) (3)

Dependant on training received (1)

Faculty/Trainers Administering Professional Development Opportunities:


opportunities they offer are evaluated annually. 90% said yes, 7% said no and 3% were

not sure. When asked if the faculty/trainers receive supervision, 89% said yes, 7% said

no and another 7% were not sure.


Measurement of prior knowledge/skills: In response to the question, “For those that are

able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a measure(s) that

is used to determine competency?,” 34% said yes, 22% said no and 44% were not sure. Of

those who said yes, 18 provided more detail. A few of the respondents indicated multiple

measures for assessing knowledge/skills; therefore the number of measures is greater than

the number of respondents. The most frequently reported measure in general was the use

of testing (9). Specific comments regarding testing as a measure were:


post program questionnaire of administrators, teachers and alumni (1)

Adjuncts utilize a pre/post test (1)

Competency certification tests (1)

Examinations/testing (2)

ODCTE State Competency Exam (1)

TABE and SAGE tests (1)

WorkKeys test (1)

Oklahoma Core Competencies (1)


transcripts and/or certificates (including professional development) (7). A few

respondents referenced the use of portfolios/projects as a measurement to determine

prior knowledge (4). It is interesting to note that 1 respondent reported that prior

knowledge is “overwhelmingly difficult to measure”.

Involvement, expectations, action: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=no

involvement/expectations/action and 5=high involvement/expectations/action,

respondents were asked to rate to what degree a number of statements were true. Those

who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis. The highest rated

statement, with an average rating of 3.9 was:

90% 87%

7% 7% 3% 7%

Get evaluated annually? Receive Supervision?

Do Faculy/Trainers of PD...

Yes No Not Sure


Oklahoma's early childhood program standards (e.g., pre-K, QRIS, Early Childhood,

home visiting, licensing) encompasses professional development expectations

Also rated highly, with average ratings of 3.8, respondents believe to a large degree that

accountability and monitoring are a part of the early childhood professional development

system and that Oklahoma's core competencies for early Childhood practitioners are

encompassed in professional development opportunities. The lowest rated statement,

although still rated at a high degree with an average of 3.3, respondents said that

stakeholder and public input (including families) are sought regarding the professional

development of early childhood professionals.

To what degree is/are: (1=no involvement/expectations/action and 5=high

involvement/expectations/action)

Average

Rating

f. Oklahoma's early childhood program standards (e.g., pre-K, QRIS,

Early Childhood, home visiting, licensing) encompassing professional

development expectations

3.9

g. accountability and monitoring a part of the early childhood

professional development system 3.8

h. Oklahoma's core competencies for early Childhood practitioners

encompassed in professional development opportunities 3.8

i. Oklahoma's early learning guidelines encompassed in professional

development opportunities 3.7

j. stakeholder and public input (including families) sought regarding

the professional development of early childhood professionals 3.3

A final comment related to quality assurance stated that, “There is a verbal commitment to

quality standards but there is such high variability in the interpretation of the standards

and what they look like in actual practice that I would say there is little consistency.

Utilization of 208

~Appendix F~ Research Brief: Professional

Development Utilization Early Childhood Professional Development Survey

Utilization of 208

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Professional Development Utilization~


participants who take part in PD hold, their diversity, as well as, completion of

courses/programs and barriers to participants success. The specific questions asked

include:

I. Over the past three years, how would you best describe your enrollment in professional


J. What are the top three reasons as to why your enrollment has been affected?

K. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities, what


L. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities,


M. What percentage of participants/students follow through with completing the


N. On average, how long does it take for a student to attain: (a credential, an Associate

degree, a Bachelors degree, a Graduate degree)?

O. What are the barriers in participants/students completing training and/or education

(check all that apply)?

P. Other comments to share related to utilization.

Enrollment in PD opportunities: When asked to reflect over the last three years, an equal

number of respondents (20 respondents, 35%) reported either no change or an increase

in enrollment in their professional development opportunities. 23% reported a decline.

7% were not sure. Additional comments: one respondent reported having a new program

and another said there has been in increase in enrollment, but attendance has remained the

same.

Utilization of 208

Why has enrollment been effected: Respondents were asked to list the top three reasons

why their enrollment has been affected, therefore there is a greater number of responses

than respondents (however, some respondents indicated less than three reasons). Of the

20 respondents who reported an increase in enrollment 18 indicated at least one reason.

The reason most referenced had to do with the type of education/training offered (10).

These include:

Knowledge of trainers on-site compared to other locations (1)

The quality of training offered (example: class size) (4)

The courses offered (1)

The type of training offered (examples: hands on skills, site based, credentials

offered) (3)

Expansion of program (1)

The next two most often reported reasons for the increase was a change in requirements

(6) and financing options and/or affordability (5). Specific changes in requirements

indicated include:

CDA process/requirements (2)

Head Start/Early Head Start requirements (1)

Early Learning Guidelines requirements (1)

Oklahoma State Standards (1)

General increase in accredited programs requiring an assessment component (1)

The financing options and/or affordability mentioned as affecting increased enrollment

include:

Kaiser/Bridging the Gap Scholarships (1)

Tulsa Achieves Scholarships (1)

Financing (example: private funding) (2)

Affordability (1)

7%

23%

35% 35%

Not sure Decline Increase No change


Utilization of 208

The next most often reported changes affecting enrollment were increases in job

opportunities (3) and need (2). Advertising and/or reputation of the organization was also

mentioned as a reason for increased enrollment (3).


Policy change (1)

Change in status of those attending 2-4 year programs within staff (1)

Of the 20 respondents who reported no change in enrollment 7 indicated at least one

reason. The most often reported reason for no change in enrollment was the economy (4).

Interestingly, a number of the same reasons respondents indicated as increasing

enrollment were also mentioned as not affecting enrollment. These include:

Scholarships/funding (2)

Certification requirements (1)

Job opportunities (2)


Strictness of evaluations for teacher candidates (1)

College enrollment remains steady (1)

Employer release time of employees (1)

Location (1)

Of the 13 respondents who reported a decline in enrollment 11 indicated at least one

reason. In this analysis as well, a number of the same reasons reported as increasing

and/or not changing enrollment were also reported as reasons for declines in enrollment.

The most often reported reason for the decline was related to economic issues (11).

Economic issues (opportunities and need primarily)

o Economy in general (1)

o Competitive job market (2)

o Decreased opportunities (2)

o Decreased pay (1)

o Closure of centers/facilities (2)

o Lack of owners/directors seeking qualified staff (1)

o Saturated SDA of providers (1)

The second most often reported reason for the decline reported was associated with

funding (6). These include:

Funding in general (4)

Funding/accessibility of scholarships (2)

Utilization of 208

Other reasons reported include:

Change in eligibility requirements (1)

Program changes (1)

Increased high school graduating requirements (1)

Lack of incentives/motivation (1)

Instructor issues (1)

Difficulty navigating the system (1)

Marketing (1)

Time (1)

There were 4 respondents who reported being unsure of how to best describe their

enrollment in professional development opportunities, within this group 1 respondent

indicated a reason. The reason reported was:

Lower number of child care programs (1)

Population of PD attendees: Early childhood teachers in child care centers are the most


respondents; 65% of respondents said this group is most represented. The next most

represented populations are early childhood teachers in Pre-K (14%), Head Start (12%),

family child care providers (6%) and home visitors (4%). Other responses included:

Secondary and post secondary high school students

High school and adult students wanting to work in day cares and Head Starts

Early Childhood Teacher in Pre-k through 3rd grade

University students (3 responses)

Pre-service teachers

School-age summer camp counselors

4% 6% 12% 14%

65%



Start



care centers

Populations in PD Opportunities

Utilization of 208

Diversity of PD attendees: Thinking about what percentage of those attending



opportunities; 32% of survey respondents report that professionals from a diversity of

ethnicities represent between 21 and 50% of their PD attendance. English Language

Learners and men are the least represented. 71% of survey respondents reported English

Language Learners represent 10% or less of their PD attendees. 93% reported that men

represent 10% or less of their attendees.

0-10%

of

attendees

11-20%

of

attendees

21-50%

of

attendees

51-75%

of

attendees

75-100%

of

attendees

Racial/Ethnic

Diversity 19% 18% 32% 21% 11%

English-language

learners 71% 9% 4% 4% 13%

Men 93% 7% 0% 0% 0%

Attaining a degree or credential: When asked what percentage of participants or

students follows through with completing the coursework or training necessary to earn a

credential or degree, 40% of respondents said that at least 75% of their participants do so.

38% said that between 51-75% of participants complete training. 13% report that 26-50%

of their PD participants complete training. Only 9% said that 25% or fewer students

complete the training necessary to earn a credential or degree.

9% 13%

38% 40%

0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 75-100%

Percentage of Participants Who Complete Training in Order to Earn Credential or Degree

Utilization of 208

Time: 37% of survey respondents reported, on average, it takes a year for students to

attain a credential. 33% said it takes two years on average. Thinking about an Associate’s

degree, the largest number of survey respondents (40%) report that it takes an average of

three years to earn this type of degree. 50% of survey respondents say that it takes more

than four years to earn a Bachelors degree; 45% said it takes an average of four years. 72%

of survey respondents report that it takes more than four years for students to earn a

Graduate degree.

Barriers: The most commonly reported barriers in participants or students completing

training or education were funding/cost and scheduling and time; 78% of survey

respondents noted these as barriers. Family commitments were cited as a barrier by 71%

of respondents. Less commonly noted barriers (reported by less than 50% of respondents)

include insufficient employer support (48%), participants are unsure of the value in higher

education attainment (43%), academics/expectations too rigorous (35%), and not enough

support (26%). Additional noted barriers included non-traditional students and a note

that, “Due to low test scores, a student may have to take six remedial courses before taking

a child development course.”

26% 35%

43% 48%

Not enough support Academics/expectationstoo rigorous

Unsure of value in highered

Employer supportinsufficient

Common Barriers to Completing Training

71%

78% 78%

Family commitments Cost Scheduling and time

Common Barriers to Completing Training, Continued

Utilization of 208

Two final comments related to utilization of professional development opportunities are as

follows:

“Things unique to our scholarship program are: 1.) We go to them – to the child care

facility to recruit the provider for our scholarship to attend higher ed. (technology

center or community college) to earn a credential/degree so they can be more

knowledgeable of their work, become eligible for REWARD Oklahoma, potentially

earn more money and be more marketable too. 2.) We go to them – we are their on-

site academic advisor and personal connection for the scholarship and to the college

and we provide on-site technical assistance too, and 3.) Most scholarships the

individual has to seek them out on their own and then they are required to take a

minimum of 12 hours. Besides us seeking out the recipients for our scholarship and

then providing continued assistance through their education journey, our

scholarship is more self-paced. At the community college, once they complete the

first 15 hours under the guideline of 6/6/3 (enrollment may not exceed 6 hours in

the fall, 6 hours in the spring, and 3 hours in the summer semesters) they may take

up to 21 credit hours in three semesters. At the bachelor’s level, they must follow

the 6/6/3 rule each year. At the technology center level, it is self-paced – they can

take local classes as they are offered and/or take the classes on-line as they are

ready.”

As a note to a response to the previous question, “Do not believe that rigorous

academics are inappropriate, just that some caregivers are ill equipped for such

rigor.”

Alignment and Professional Development of 208

~Appendix G~

Research Brief: Alignment and




Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Alignment and Professional Development~

This portion of the survey focused on issues related to the coordination and partnerships in

place with regard to professional development. The questions asked in this section include:

G. Is the professional development that you provide coordinated across sectors?

H. If your professional development is coordinated with others, who do you coordinate

with?

I. How have early childhood partnerships been strengthened in Oklahoma to assist with

professional development (check all that apply)?

J. Give example(s) of cross-sectors that have aligned

standards/requirements/articulation successfully.

K. To what degree are the following aligned: (1=not aligned and 5=highly aligned)?20

L. Other comments related to professional development alignment.

Coordination across sectors: Survey respondents were asked whether they thought the


who answered this question, 64% thought the professional development they provide is

coordinated across sectors, 20% did not think there is coordination across sectors and 16%

were unsure. Of those who said yes, there is coordination, 31 people provided more

details. Some of the respondents who indicated coordinating with others in the area of

professional development reported more than one affiliation. The most often reported

affiliation was with institutions of higher education (colleges and community colleges)

(10). Many of the respondents indicated having an affiliation with more than one

institution of higher education. The specific responses include:

Articulation Agreements

o Non-specified agreements (2)

o Tulsa Technology Center


o University of Oklahoma (2)

o Oklahoma State University (2)

o Northeastern State University (2)

o Langston University (1)

Community colleges

o Non-specified (2)




Colleges

o Non-specified (2)

o University of Central Oklahoma (1)

o Oklahoma State University – Stillwater (1)

o Murray State College (1)

The second most often reported affiliation was with Head Start (9), specifically:

Head Start (5)

Early Head Start (3)

National Head Start (1)

The two next most often reported affiliations were with CECPD (8) and OKDHS (8). 3 of the

7 respondents who indicated DHS reported a specific connection with OKDHS Child Care

Licensing. A coordinated effort with scholars was also reported by some of the

respondents (5). Other affiliations reported include:

Resource and Referral (3)

o Great Plains Child Care Resource and Referral (1)

Smart Start (2)

Local public schools (2)

Nursing education (1)

Lactation (1)

Wellness (1)

Community outreach (1)

Child Care Services (1)

Faculty/ institutions (1)

Other state agencies (1)

Child Development Associate National Credential program (1)

Connors (1)

STARS (1)

Early Learning Guidelines (1)

Success by 6 (1)

State Accreditation Standards (1)

State licensing (1)

State Department of Education (1)

Oklahoma Department of Career Tech. (1)

Early childhood partnerships: When asked how early childhood partnerships have been

strengthened in Oklahoma to assist with professional development (respondents were

asked to check all that apply), 66% of respondents selected articulation agreements as one


of the ways childhood partnerships have been strengthened. Local councils/groups made

up of a cross-sector of early childhood entities that meet and communicate regularly (38%)

and interagency agreements (36%) were the next most frequently selected. 29% selected

formalized cross-sector agreements and 24% selected involvement within Oklahoma’s

early childhood advisory council. Only a small portion of respondents indicated that there

has been no effort to strengthen early childhood partnerships to help with professional

development (6%). 13% of respondents were unsure. Additional comments from

respondents include:

“Those who lead early childhood partnership efforts tend to devalue the importance

of k-3/public school teachers as part of the profession”

“Maybe other areas but no for sure”

Examples of cross-sector alignment: Respondents were asked to give examples of cross-

sectors that have aligned standards, requirements and/or articulation successfully. Of the

23 respondents who answered this question, many indicated more than one example;

therefore there are more responses than the number of respondents. 18 mentioned

alignments with institutions of higher education. Specifically, 9 of the respondents

referenced articulation agreements. These include:

Non-specific articulation agreements (4)

Tulsa Technology Center (1)

Tulsa Community College (3)

University of Oklahoma (1)

Oklahoma State University (3)

Northeastern University (2)

Langston University (1)

24% 29%

36% 38%

66%

Involvement withinOK's EC advisory

council

Formalized cross-sectoragreements

Inter-agencyagreements

Local councils/groupsof a cross-sector of ECentities that meet and

communicate regularly


How Partnerships Have Been Strengthened


Eastern Oklahoma State College (1)

Oklahoma City University (1)

University Central Oklahoma (1)

Specific comments regarding alignments with institutions of higher education include:

“Common course offerings”

“DHS/OCCS partnering with Scholars Program and Higher Education keeping

college informed of course needs and education information”

“First, at the annual Course Equivalency Project (CEP) the CD and ECED faculty from

2-year and 4-year have tried to meet together. Then the CD group met and aligned

the CD classes”

“Murray State College Alliance”

“Murray State College”

“Particular courses which are equivalent in terms of competency and level of

scholarship have been included on approved lists to be taken at local, 2 year

institutions”

“Students may earn college hours in assessment through OSU/OKC when taking

Focused Portfolios”

“TCC & TTC FOR CDA WORK”

“The Early Childhood program at an urban community college with our urban

completion program in Early Childhood Education”

“Tulsa Tech (Career Tech) offers CDA, Tulsa Community College offers first 2 years

of college, OU Tulsa offers final 2 years, Northeastern offers Master's and OU Tulsa &

OSU Tulsa offer Doctoral programs. All work together for seamless transitions”

“Redlands Community College”

Other non-specific comments regarding general alignments include (within this group 7

mention Head Start):

“Seeking to be a sponsor site for the CECPD, work with local area agencies including

Head Start programs”

“Head Start and Child Care have worked together”

“Choctaw Nation Career Development, Head Start

“Professional development opportunities across sectors”

“The creation of Core Comps and ELG’s include HS, NAEYC, Public Pre-K, child care,

tribal care, CDA, etc.”

“The Oklahoma QRIS (STARS) has decided to allow completion and good standing

with all Federal Monitoring Requirements as Accreditation for Head Start

programs”


“Licensing, STARS program, Oklahoma Rewards, and the Scholars for Excellence in

Child Care are/have aligned their requirements to collaborate eligibility”

“Washita Valley Community Action Council, Kiowa Tribe Head Start”

“Work with the following groups: Washita Valley head Start and Early Head Start,

Kiowa Tribe Head Start”

Degree of alignment: Respondents were asked to what degree a list of systems related to

OK PD are aligned. Rating was on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=not aligned and 5= highly

aligned. Those who answered “not sure” or “n/a” were excluded from data analysis.

Alignment between core competencies for early childhood practitioners and OK's child care

licensing was rated, on average, the highest at 4.0 out of 5. Core competencies for early

childhood practitioners and OK’s professional development ladder and teacher licensing

were also rated as highly aligned (average of 3.9 out of 5). The lowest rated alignment was

between data collection, data sharing and data dissemination (2.7 out of 5.)

To what degree are the following aligned: (1=not aligned and

5=highly aligned)

Average

Rating

m. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

child care licensing 4.0

n. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

professional development ladder 3.9

o. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with

teacher licensing 3.9

p. professional standards with competency demonstration 3.8

q. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's

QRIS: Reaching for the Stars standards 3.7

r. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with Pre-

K standards 3.7

s. professional development opportunities across sectors 3.6

t. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with

credential programs 3.4

u. community-based training with credential programs 3.3

v. core competencies for early childhood practitioners with Head

Start standards 3.3

w. community-based training with degree programs 3.2

x. data collection, data sharing and data dissemination 2.7


Other comments related to professional development alignment include:

“Oklahoma core competencies are grounded in NAEYC standards, and as such, are

aligned with teacher licensing and credentialing.”

“It appears to me that none of it is truly coordinated OR aligned. Each still works and

develops in their own silo which causes confusion for practitioners. if could just

follow one HIGH STANDARD of best practice that is already established nationally

and is already very well research based, then we wouldn't need so many entities

trying to vie for the same $$$ , thus putting those $$ back into the program/teachers

to be able to do what is best for our children.”

“It would be nice to have a chart for practitioners and educators to reference for

this.”

“Infant's, Toddler's and Two's content information is often over looked with

credentialing and licensing preparation programs.”

“Given the requirement and process of national accreditation of teacher education

programs, it is most difficult to coordinate any standards or competencies other that

licensing competencies, NAEYC standards, or the individual university

competencies.”

Professional Development Policies of 208

~Appendix H~

Research Brief: Professional

Development Policies



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief

~Professional Development Policies~

This section of the survey asked respondents questions regarding the policies they have in

place related to professional development. The following questions were asked:

E. What policies does your institution/organization have in place specific to professional


F. How often are your policies related to professional development reviewed and revised?

G. To what degree are your professional development policies: relevant to the most

current regulations; relevant to the most current research on professional

development best practices; promoting higher education attainment; clearly

understood and articulated to practitioners in the field; supporting practitioners in

their everyday work in the field; supporting high-quality professional development

opportunities (1=not effective and 5=highly effective)?

H. Other comments related to professional development policies.


institution/organization have in place specific to professional development (respondents

were asked to check all that apply), a majority of respondents selected attendance (81%),

syllabi that outline expectations related to assignments and grades (79%) and articulation

agreements (71%). Eligibility requirements (56%), practicum requirements (54%) and

prerequisite requirements (52%) were the next most often selected policies. Only 17%

selected technical assistance eligibility requirements. One respondent reported, “we have a

MOU with OU as a provider of training via the Oklahoma Registry.”

17%

52% 54% 56%

71% 79% 81%

TA eligibilityrequirements

Prereqrequirements

Practicumrequirements

Eligibilityrequirements

Articulationagreements

Syllabi that outlineexpectations

related toassignments and

grades

Attendance



Review of policies: Respondents reported that their policies related to professional

development are reviewed and revised on an annual basis (48%). 39% reported their

policies are reviewed and revised as needed. 6% said policies were reviewed every 3 years

and 7% were unsure.

Effectiveness of PD policies: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=not effective and 5=highly

effective, respondents were asked to respond to what degree their professional

development policies are effective. Respondents who answered N/A or not sure were

excluded from the analysis. In order from highly effective to not effective respondents

rated the degree to which their professional development policies are effective as follows:

To what degree are PD polices effective: (1=not effective and 5=highly

effective)

Average

Rating

g. relevant to the most current regulations 4.7

h. supporting practitioners in their everyday work in the field 4.7

i. relevant to the most current research on professional

development best practices 4.6

j. promoting higher education attainment 4.6

k. supporting high-quality professional development opportunities 4.6

l. clearly understood and articulated to practitioners in the field 4.3

48%

6%

39%

Annually Every 3 years As needed



Other comments related to professional development policies were:

“We follow BEST PRACTICE as stated through NAEYC. From Ethical Practices to

Curriculum Development, Leadership & Management and Physical Environment.

Why would one chose anything else when we want what is best for our children”

“For the scholarship program, only for the bachelor's scholarship do we require an

articulation agreement for those schools and the community college scholar

graduates to be eligible for the bachelor scholarship. Eligibility requirements must

be met for each scholarship. Admissions requirements must be met for the

institutions. Syllabi must be approved for course approval for a course to meet the

Oklahoma Early Learning Guideline approval for meeting the training requirement”

Employment and Compensation Parity of 208

~Appendix I~

Research Brief: Employment and

Compensation Parity



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Employment and Compensation Parity~

This section addressed questions related to the long-term financial and employment

impacts of practitioners who partake in professional development. The specific questions

asked were as follows:

D. What are the long-term impacts of early childhood practitioners getting a credential

or degree (rate the top three where 1=most common impact)?

E. To what degree is employment and compensation parity considered in the following:

roles and responsibilities; education attainment; comparable salaries among the

different early childhood sectors; rewards for investing in professional development

opportunities; career pathway policies; articulation agreements; recruitment and

retention; data tracking and sharing (1=not considered and 5=highly considered)?

F. Other comments related to employment and compensation parity.

Long –term impacts: When respondents were asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 5 (where

1=most common impact and 5=least common impact) the long-term impacts of early

childhood practitioners getting a credential or degree, respondents indicated increased

wages to have the most common impact. In order from most to least common impact

respondents rated the long-term impacts as follows:

Rating of long-term impacts: (1=most common impact and 5=least

common impact)*

Average

Rating

f. increased wages 2.3

g. going from one sector (e.g., child care center to another (e.g., public

school) 2.5

h. new job 3.1

i. promotion to the next level within the organization 3.2

j. increased support to continue with education 3.9

*In this chart a lower average rating indicated a more common impact

Respondents were also asked to respond to the question, “To what degree is employment

and compensation parity considered in the following?” using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1=not

considered and 5=highly considered. Respondents who selected N/A or not sure were


excluded from the analysis. In order from highly considered to not considered,

respondents rated the degree to which employment and compensation parity is considered

in the following order:

To what degree is: (1=not considered and 5=highly considered) Average

Rating

i. education attainment 4.2

j. roles and responsibilities 3.9

k. recruitment and retention 3.8

l. comparable salaries among the different early childhood sectors 3.7

m. rewards for investing in professional development opportunities 3.6

n. articulation agreements 3.5

o. career pathway policies 3.2

p. data tracking and sharing 2.8

One final comment related to employment and compensation parity:

“The biggest issue is the differing educational requirements for programs and

funding for compensation parity”


~Appendix J~

Comparisons by Type of Organization:




Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Comparisons by Type of Organization: Professional Development Opportunities~

This section of the survey asked questions about the participants who take part

in professional development (PD) services offered by survey respondents. The specific

questions analyzed for this portion of the report are as follows:

KK. How do you deliver your professional development opportunities (check all that

apply)?

LL. Are professionals delivering education and/or training required to go through an



MM. What languages do you offer education/training in?

NN. What content areas are covered in the professional development opportunities that


OO. What professional and program standards/competencies do you utilize when


For this portion of the analysis, responses were analyzed by the type of organization to

which respondents belong. There were 36 respondents who belong to an “Institute of

Higher Education” (IHE), 21 respondents who belong to an “Other Education Organization”

(OEO), 8 respondents who belong to a “Technical Center” (TC), 2 respondents who belong

to an “Association” and 2 who were unknown. Because of the small number of Association

respondents, they were included in the OEO grouping during analyses. The unknowns are

not included in this report.

Delivery of PD: 100% of TC respondents and 83% of IHE and OEO respondents reported

they deliver professional development face-to-face. 88% of TCs and 87% of OEOs reported

delivering professional services through on-site training and/or education, while 28% of

IHEs reported delivering through this method. 88% of TCs reported delivering services

online compared to 53% of IHEs and 35% of OEOs. Face-to-face technical assistance and

technical assistance via phone were also areas that showed marked differences.

Additionally, one OEO respondent said they offer conferences or leadership institutes.




Professional Development Registry Approved Educators process), 77% of OEO and 75% of

TC respondents said yes, while only 28% of IHEs said yes. 9% of OEOs and 3% of IHEs

were unsure. One IHE respondent who said no, professionals are not required to go

through an approval process gave more detail by noting they use NCATE accreditation.

Another IHE respondent said all educators have a Master’s or Doctorate degree in the field

of training. One TC respondent reported, “We use professionals who are knowledgeable in

their training, such as CPR/Fire Safety Training and such.” An OEO respondent who

selected yes said the approval process is “a blanket approval since it is done through the

agency.” Another OEO said it depends on the type of training being offered.

Language: 100% of TC, 88% of IHE, and 70% of OEO respondents indicated only English

as the language offered during education/training. The remaining responses were as

follows:

14% 8%

19% 11%

53%

28%

83%

13%

65%

44%

70%

35%

87% 83%

0

38%

63% 50%

88% 88% 100%

Distance Learning Technicalassistance via

phone

Electronictechnical

assistance

Face-to-facetechnical

assistance


Face-to-face

Mode of Delivery

IHE OEO TC

28%

69%

3%

77%

14% 9%

75%

25%

0%

Yes No Not sure

Approval Process

IHE OEO TC


English and some Spanish (2 OEOs)

Availability of translators (1 IHE and 2 OEOs)

English and Spanish (2 OEOs)

English with print offered in English and Spanish (1 IHE)

English and ASL (1 IHE)

English; ESL students may utilize college resources for assistance (1 IHE)


development opportunities they offer by selecting all that apply TC respondents reported

covering almost all the content areas except family and community partnerships, health

safety and nutrition. The least covered areas by both the IHEs (72%) and OEOs (70%) were

professionalism and leadership followed by program planning, development and

evaluation. Additionally one TC respondent noted they offer “Key Train;” one IHE noted

“art and music”; another noted “issues in family life education, ethics, legal issues, parent

training programs”; 1 OEO reported “infant mental health”; another noted “in-kind and

federal guidelines training”.

Standards to Plan Training: The most commonly used program standard to plan

education and/or training by both the OEOs (78%) and TCs (100%) was reported to be

Oklahoma’s Early Learning Guidelines; 61% of IHE respondents use this standard when

planning education and/or trainings. The most commonly used program standard by IHEs

(78%) was NAEYC’s Accreditation Standards; this area was also one of the least common

used by OEOs (39%). A smaller percentage reported utilizing DEC Personnel Standards

(6% of IHEs) and DEC Recommended Practices (8% of IHEs and 4% of OEOs). Additional

standards reported as being used included:

Healthy Families America (1 OEO)

72% 72% 75% 72% 83%

75% 78% 70% 70% 74%

91% 74%

91% 91% 100% 100%

88% 88% 100% 100% 100%


ProgramPlanning,

Development andEvaluation

Family andCommunity

Partnerships


LearningEnvironment and

Curriculum

Child Growth andDevelopment


Content Area of PD

IHE OEO TC



Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health (1 OEO)

DHS licensing guidelines (1 IHE)

NAC accreditation standards (1 OEO)

NAEYC ethics statement (1 IHE)

NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care) (1 OEO)

NBPTS Standards (1 IHE)

Nurse-Family Partnership (1 OEO)

Oklahoma Christian University Teacher Competencies (1 IHE)

Oklahoma Competencies for Licensure (1IHE)

Oklahoma Early Childhood Competencies (1IHE)

PAS (1 IHE)

Parents as Teachers (1 OEO)

SareCare (1 OEO)

28% 39%

31%

78%

56% 75%

61%

39% 26%

57% 39%

70%

48%

78%

13%

75% 88%

63% 75%

88% 100%



Standards



NAEYCAccreditation

Standards


Practitioners



ChildhoodPrograms


Guidelines


IHE OEO TC

Quality Assurance of 208

~Appendix K~


Quality Assurance



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Comparisons by Type of Organization: Quality Assurance~



S. How are the professional development opportunities evaluated (check all that apply)?

T. Do you link your professional development offerings to measureable outcomes (e.g.,


U. Are faculty and/or trainers evaluated at least annually?

V. Do faculty and/or trainers receive any type of supervision?

W. For those able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a


X. If there is a measure(s) to determine prior knowledge/skills, what is that measure(s)?









Evaluation: Most often, TC (100%) survey respondents report professional development


training. OEOs (78%) reported using satisfaction questionnaires most often, while IHEs

(67%) reported using tests or quizzes of competencies and/or learning objectives most

often. A smaller percentage of respondents, use surveys (61% OEOs, 28% IHEs, 25% TCs),

papers (75% TCs, 53% IHEs, 9% OEOs), course or training follow-up after a certain period

of time (75% TCs, 26% OEOs, 17% IHEs), interviews with participants (63% TCs, 26%

OEOs, 11% IHEs), and focus groups with participants (50% TCs, 13% OEOs, 8% IHEs).

Additionally, one OEO commented they use “reflective practice to include observation of

skills on site then mentoring or coaching to build deficit areas.” One IHE noted “NCATE

Accreditation of programs” and another noted “observations and labs”.

28% 44%

58% 67%

11%

78%

44%

26% 39%

26% 38%

88% 88% 88%

63%

Satisfactionquestionnaires

Demonstration ofcompetencies met

Projects Tests/quizzes ofcompetencies and/or

learning objectives

Interviews withparticipants


IHE OEO TC

28%

8% 17%

53% 57% 61%

13% 26%

9%

70%

25%

50%

75% 75%

100%

Surveys Focus groups withparticipants

Course/training follow-up after a certain

period of time

Papers Course/trainingassessment at the

completion of a courseand/or training

Type of PD Evaluation, Continued

IHE OEO TC


Measureable outcomes21: 63% of TCs, 62% of OEOs and 59% of IHEs reported they link

their professional development offerings to measureable outcomes (for example: the

Environment Rating Scores). 38% of TCs, 19% of IHEs and 14% of OEOs are not sure.

Faculty/Trainers Administering Professional Development Opportunities22:


opportunities they offer are evaluated annually. 93%of IHEs, 88% of TCs and 86% of OEOs

said yes. When asked if the faculty/trainers receive supervision, 100% of TCs, 86% of

OEOs and 83% of IHEs said yes.

21 9 out of 36 IHEs did not answer this question. 22 7 out of 36 IHEs did not answer these questions.

59%

22% 19%

62%

24%

14%

63%

0%

38%

Yes No Not sure

Measurable Outcomes

IHE OEO TC

93%

7% 0%

86%

10% 5%

88%

13% 0%

Yes No Not sure

Annual Evaluation

IHE OEO TC


Measurement of prior knowledge/skills23: In response to the question, “For those that

are able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a measure(s)

that is used to determine competency?,” 75% of TCs, 32% of IHEs and 19% of OEOs said

yes. 36% of IHEs and 14% of OEOs said no; while 67% of OEOs, 32% of IHEs and 25% of

TCs were not sure. Of those who said yes, 18 provided more detail. A few of the

respondents indicated multiple measures for assessing knowledge/skills; therefore the

number of measures is greater than the number of respondents. The most frequently

reported measure in general was the use of testing. Specific comments regarding testing as

a measure were:


post program questionnaire of administrators, teachers and alumni (1 IHE)

Adjuncts utilize a pre/post test (1 IHE)

Competency certification tests (1 TC)

Examinations/testing (1 TC and 1 IHE)

ODCTE State Competency Exam (1 TC)

TABE and SAGE tests (1 TC)

WorkKeys test (1 TC)

Oklahoma Core Competencies (1 TC)


transcripts and/or certificates (including professional development) (2 TCs, 2 OEOs, 3

IHEs). A few respondents referenced the use of portfolios/projects as a measurement to

determine prior knowledge (4 IHEs). It is interesting to note that one OEO respondent

reported that prior knowledge is “overwhelmingly difficult to measure”.

23 8 out 36 IHEs did not respond to this question.

83%

14% 3%

86%

0% 14%

100%

0% 0%

Yes No Not sure

Supervision Received

IHE OEO TC


32% 36% 32% 19% 14%

67% 75%

0%

25%

Yes No Not sure

Competency Measurement

IHE OEO TC

Utilization of 208

~Appendix L~


Utilization


Utilization of 208

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Comparisons by Type of Organization: Utilization~


participants who take part in professional development hold, diversity of respondents,

completion of courses/programs and barriers to participants success. The specific

questions asked include:

Q. Over the past three years, how would you best describe your enrollment in professional


R. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities, what


S. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities,


T. What percentage of participants/students follow through with completing the


U. On average, how long does it take for a student to attain a credential, an Associate

degree, a Bachelors degree, a Graduate degree?








Utilization of 208

Enrollment in PD opportunities24: When asked to reflect over the last three years, 50%

of TCs, 40% of OEOs and 30% of IHEs reported an increase in enrollment in their

professional development opportunities. 26% of IHEs, 15% of OEOs and 13% of TCs

reported a decline. 38% of TCs 37% of IHEs and 35% of OEOs reported no change. 10%

of OEOs and 7% of IHEs were not sure. Additionally, 1 IHE respondent reported having a

new program and 1 OEO said there has been in increase in enrollment, but attendance has

remained the same.

Population of PD attendees25: Early childhood teachers in child care centers are the most


respondents; 100% of TC, 63% of OEOs and 57% of IHEs said this group is most

represented. Other responses included:

University students (3IHEs)

Secondary and post secondary high school students (1 TC)

High school and adult students wanting to work in day cares and Head Starts (1 TC)

Early Childhood Teacher in Pre-k through 3rd grade (1 IHE)

Pre-service teachers (1 IHE)

School-age summer camp counselors (1 OEO)

24 9 out of 36 IHEs and 3 out of 23 OEOs did not answer this question. 25 13 out of 36 IHEs and 4 out of 23 OEOs did not answer this question.

30% 26%

37%

7%

40%

15%

35%

10%

50%

13%

38%

0%

Increase Decline No Change Not Sure


IHE OEO TC

Utilization of 208

Diversity of PD attendees26: Thinking about what percentage of those attending



opportunities; 50% of TCs, 42% of OEOs and 21% of IHEs report that professionals from a

diversity of ethnicities represent between 21-50% of their PD attendance. English

Language Learners are the least represented by IHEs (79%) and OEOs (78%) representing

0-10% of their PD attendees. 71% of TC survey respondents reported English Language

Learners represent 75-100% of their PD attendees. Men are the least represented by all

respondents; 100% of TCs, 96% of IHEs and 83% of OEOs reported that men represent

10% or less of their attendees.

0-10%

of

attendees

11-20%

of

attendees

21-50%

of

attendees

51-75%

of

attendees

75-100%

of

attendees

Racial/Ethnic Diversity

25% IHE 0% TC

16% OEO

25% IHE 12% TC

11% OEO

21% IHE 50% TC

42% OEO

18% IHE 38% TC

16% OEO

11% IHE 0% TC

16% OEO

English Language Learners

79% IHE 29% TC

78% OEO

11% IHE 0% TC

11% OEO

0% IHE 0% TC

6% OEO

4% IHE 0% TC

6% OEO

7% IHE 71% TC 0% OEO

Men 96% IHE 100% TC 83% OEO

4% IHE 0% TC

17% OEO

0% IHE 0% TC

0% OEO

0% IHE 0% TC

0% OEO

0% IHE 0% TC

0% OEO

Attaining a degree or credential27: When asked what percentage of participants or

students follow through with completing the coursework or training necessary to earn a

credential or degree, 57% of TCs, 41% of IHEs and 29% of OEOs said that at least 75% of

their participants do so. 52% of IHEs, 29% of TCs and 24% or OEOs said that between 51-

75% of participants complete training. 34% of OEOs, 14% of TCs and 7% of IHEs report

26 8 out of 36 IHEs and 5 out of 23 OEOs did not answer this question. 27 9 out of 36 IHEs and 6 out of 23 OEOs did not answer this question.

0% 9% 13% 22% 57%

11% 5% 16% 5%

63%

0% 0% 0% 0%

100%



Start



care centers

Population of PD Attendees

IHE OEO TC

Utilization of 208

that 26-50% of their PD participants complete training. 24% of OEOs said that 25% or

fewer students complete the training necessary to earn a credential or degree.

Time: 38% of TCs and 33% of OEOs reported, on average, it takes less than a year for

students to attain a credential. 47% of IHEs and 38% of TCs reported it takes on average a

year. 33% of OEOs said it takes two years on average. Thinking about an Associate’s

degree, 37% of IHEs, 60% of TCs and 39% of OEOs report that it takes an average of three

years to earn this type of degree. 50% of IHEs and 60% of TCs say that it takes an average

of 4 years to earn a Bachelors degree; 69% of OEOs report that it takes more than four

years. 100% of TCs, 92% of OEOs and 46% of IHEs report that it takes more than four years

for students to earn a Graduate degree.

Less than

a year 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 4 years+

Credential

11% IHE

38% TC

33% OEO

47% IHE

38% TC

27% OEO

37% IHE

25% TC

33% OEO

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

0% IHE

0% TC

7% OEO

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

Associate’s

degree

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

5% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

37% IHE

60% TC

39% OEO

26% IHE

40% TC

31% OEO

16% IHE

0% TC

15% OEO

16% IHE

0% TC

15% OEO

Bachelors

degree

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

5% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

5% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

50% IHE

60% TC

31% OEO

40% IHE

40% TC

69% OEO

Graduate degree

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

0% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

39% IHE

0% TC

8% OEO

8% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

8% IHE

0% TC

0% OEO

46% IHE

100% TC

92% OEO

0% 7%

52%

41%

24% 24% 24% 29%

0%

14%

29%

57%

0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 75-100%

Percentage of participants who complete training in order to earn credential or degree

IHE OEO TC

Alignment of 208

~Appendix M~


Alignment


Alignment of 208


~Comparisons by Type of Organization: Alignment~

This section of the survey focused on issues related to the coordination and partnerships in

place with regard to professional development. The question asked in this section was:

A. Is the professional development that you provide coordinated across sectors?








Coordination across sectors28: Survey respondents were asked whether they thought the


who answered this question, 88% of TCs, 63% of IHEs and 58% of OEOs reported the

professional development they provide is coordinated across sectors.

28 9 out of 36 IHEs and 4 out of 23 OEOs did not answer this question.

63%

19% 19%

58%

26% 16%

88%

13% 0%

Yes No Not sure

Coordination Across Sectors

IHE OEO TC

Policies of 208

~Appendix N~


Policies


Policies of 208


~Comparisons by Type of Organization: Policies~

This section of the survey asked respondents questions regarding the policies in place

related to professional development. The following questions were asked:

A. What policies does your institution/organization have in place specific to professional


B. How often are your policies related to professional development reviewed and revised?









institution/organization has in place specific to professional development (respondents

were asked to check all that apply), 100% of TCs selected TA eligibility requirements and

88% selected syllabi that outline expectations related to assignments and grades. 72% of

IHEs selected syllabi that outline expectations related to assignments and grades and 67%

selected articulation agreements. 57% of OEOs selected attendance and 30% of IHEs

selected eligibility requirements. One OEO respondent reported, “We have an MOU with

OU as a provider of training via the Oklahoma Registry.”

6%

47% 58%

42%

67% 72%

58%

22% 17% 13%

30% 26% 26%

57%

25%

50% 38%

63% 75%

88%

75%

TA eligibility req't Prereq req't Practicum req't Eligibility req't Articulationagreements

Syllabi outlineexpectations for

assignments/grades

Attendance

Content Area of PD

IHE OEO TC

Policies of 208

Review of policies29: 75% of TCs, 50% of OEOs and 42% of IHEs reported that their

policies related to professional development are reviewed and revised on an annual basis.

46% of IHEs, 33% of OEOs and 13% of TCs reported their policies are reviewed and revised

as needed. 13% of TCs and 8% of IHEs said policies were reviewed every three years and

17% of OEOs and 4% of IHEs were unsure.

29 5 out of 23 OEOs and 10 out of 36 IHEs did not answer this question.

46% 42%

8% 4%

33%

50%

0%

17% 13%

75%

13%

0%

As needed Annually Every 3 years Not Sure


IHE OEO TC

Certificate, Credential and Degree Programs of 208

~Appendix O~

Certificate, Credential and

Degree Programs of OK IHE’s


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Certificate, Credential and Degree Programs of OK IHE’s~

KEY: W=information obtained from website; S=information obtained from Professional Development Survey; O=Oklahoma State Regents Office

Institutes of Higher Education

Certificate Programs

Credential Programs AA/AAS Degree BA/BS Degree

Advanced Degree

Bacone College

CD Cred30 (O) AA in CD (O)

ECE BA and EC Edu. & Dev. BA (O)

Cameron University

AAS in ECE & Care (O) BS in ECE (W)

Carl Albert State College

School Age CoM, CoM31, DCoC32 (O) CDA (O)

AA and AAS in CD (W) AA in Pre-Elem. Ed. (W)

City College, Inc.

CDA, CCP (W)


School-Age CoM, CoM, CDA (O)

AA/AAS33 in CD (W) AAS Child Care Admin. (W)


Teacher Ed. licensure/certification (W) Initial OK licensure ECE (W) CDA (O)

BS in ECE (W) BS in Elem. Ed. (W) BS in Sped. (W)BS in Family & Consumer Sciences

Eastern OK State College CoM, DCoC (O) CDA (O)

AA/AAS in CD and AAS in Tech Studies (O) AA in Pre-Elem. Ed. (W)

Langston University

EC specific credentials (S) CD Cred. (O)

AAS in CD (W) AS in CD (O)

BS in ECE (W) BS in CD, BS in Family and Consumer Science (O)

Mid-America Christian University

Teacher Ed. licensure/certification (W) Initial OK licensure ECE

BS/BA ECE (W) BS/BA Elem. Ed. (W) BS/BA Secondary Ed.

30 Child Development credential 31 CoM=Certificate of Mastery 32 DCoC=Director’s Certificate of Completion 33 AAS degree will no longer be an option after July 1, 2013.





Advanced Degree

(W) (W)

Midwestern Christian College34

Education Pre-teaching Cred.(O)

Education Pre-teaching AA (O)


School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC (O) CDA (O)

AA and AAS in CD (W)

Northeastern OK A&M College

CoM (W) ECE Cert. ECE Nanny Program Cert., School-Age CoM, DCoC(O) CDA (O) AA/AAS in ECE (W)


CDA (O)

BS in ECE (W) BS in Elem. Ed. (W) BS in Sped. (W); BS in Human and Family Sciences (O)

Masters in ECE (S); Masters in Teaching (O)


School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC (O) CDA (O) AA in CD (W)

Northwestern OK State University

BS in ECE (W)

Oklahoma Baptist University

BS in ECE (W) BA in Child Care Admin. (O)


BS in ECE (W); BS in Family Studies/CD (W); BA in EC/Elem ED, Fam. Life/CD, Fam. Life/CD-Psych., Fam. Life/Child Care Admin., Fam. Life/Family Relations, Fam. Life/ Social Serv. Adm. (O)

34 Midwestern Christian College merged with Ozark Bible College in 1985 to become Ozark Christian College, located in Joplin Missouri.





Advanced Degree


School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC, DCoM35 (O)

CDA Credential (W)

AA and AAS in CD (W)

Oklahoma City University

Certificate in Pre-K (W) Montessori certification (W)

EC specific credentials (S)

BS in ECE (W)

Montessori Masters in ECE (W) Masters in Children’s Theatre and ECE (O)


Montessori Teacher Ed. Cert. ECE & Admin Cert. ECE Infant/Toddler Cert. (O)

AA in ECE (O)

BS in Human Dev./Family Science (O)

Dual BS/MS in HDFS w/specialization in ECE (W)

Oklahoma Panhandle State University

AAS in Child Care (O)

Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Cred. in ECE (O) AA in ECE (O)

Oral Roberts University

BA in ECE (O) Masters ECE (O)

OSU-OKC

CoM (Child and Infant/Toddler), DCoC (O)

CDA Credential (W)

AAS in CD and ECE (W)

Redlands Community College CoM, DCoC (O) CDA (O)

AA in CD/FS and CD (W) AAS in CD and EC Center Management (O)

Rogers State University

AA in CD (O)

Rose State School-Age CoM, CDA (O) AA or AAS in CD

35 DCoM=Director’s Certificate of Mastery





Advanced Degree

CoM, DCoC (O) (W) Fam. Services/CD AA and AAS (O)


School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC (O)

CDA Credential (W)

AA in CD (W) CD Tech. (O)

Southeastern OK State University

BS in Elem. Ed. (S)

Southern Nazarene University

BS in ECE (W)

Southwestern Oklahoma State University

AAS in CD & Educ.; AS in Children’s Teachers (O) BS in ECE (O)

Masters in ECE (O)

St. Gregory’s University

Cred. in Family Life & Child Dev. (O)

AA in Family Life & Child Dev. (O)

BS in Social Sci-Child Dev. (O)

Tulsa Community College

School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC (O)

CDA; Head Start credential (W)

AS in ECE (W) AS in CD (W) AS in Child and Family (W) AS in Early Care (W) AAS Center Director (W) AAS in Early Childhood and Middle Childhood (W) AAS Infant/Toddler (W) AAS Teacher Assistant (W)

University of Central Oklahoma

Teacher Ed. licensure/certification (W) Initial OK licensure ECE (W) CDA (O)

BS in ECE (W) BS in Family Life Ed. for CD , Marriage & Family (W)

MA of Ed. in ECE (W) MS in Family & Child Studies (W)


Teacher Ed. licensure/certification (W) Initial OK licensure ECE (W)

BS in ECE (W)

Masters in ECE (W) Doctoral degree in ECE (W)

University of Science and Arts OK

Teacher Ed. licensure/certification (W) Initial OK licensure ECE (W)

BS in ECE (W)

University of Tulsa

BA in ECE, BA in ECE/CLS, BA in ECE/Elem

Masters in Educ/Early Childhood (O)





Advanced Degree

(O)

Western Oklahoma State College

School-Age CoM, CoM, DCoC (O) CDA (O)

AS in ECE (W) AAS in CD (W)

Other Forms of PD Supports of 208

~Appendix P~

Other Forms of Professional Development

Supports


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Other Forms of Professional Development Supports at OK IHE’s~

KEY: W=information obtained from website; S=information obtained from Professional Development Survey; O= Oklahoma State Regents Office

Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching

Consultation Advising36

Technical Assistance by Phone, Email,

Site Visits

Articulation or Credit

Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Bacone College X (W); Advising

X (W)

Cameron University

X(S) X(O) WOSC


X(W); Advising

X(O) SP37 Advising

X (O) X(O) NSU; UCO

Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program

City College, Inc.


X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) NSU; UCO



X(O) EOSC; SSC

X(W)

Eastern OK State College

X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) ECU;

NSU;UCO


Langston University

X(O) TCC


Midwest Christian College38


X(W); Advising

X(O) SP Advising

X(W) X(O)

X(O) ECU; NSU


Northeastern X(W); X(O) X(O) Scholars for

36 While it may be assumed that all IHE’s provide academic advising it was only noted in this document if it there was specific mention of academic advising as a support 37 SP=Scholars for Excellence in Child Care Program 38 Midwestern Christian College merged with Ozark Bible College in 1985 to become Ozark Christian College, located in Joplin Missouri.


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

OK A & M College

Academic Advising

X(O) SP Advising

NSU Excellence in Child Care Program


X(O) MSC; EOC; CSC; CASC; NOA&MC;

NOC; OCCC; OSU; RCC; RSC; SSC;

TCC; WOSC

Northern OK College

X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) NSU; UCO;

OSU



OK Baptist University

OK Christian U

X(W); Academic advising

X(W); General transfers

OK City Community College

X(W); academic advising

X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) NSU; UCO


OK City University


X(W); credits transfer to

school

OK State U (Main Campus)


X(O) TCC

Oklahoma Panhandle State University

OSU-OKC X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) UCO; NSU;

TCC


Oklahoma


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Wesleyan University

Oral Roberts University

Redlands Community College

X(O) SP Advising

X(W) X(O)

X(O) NSU; UCO


Rogers State University

X (W); Advising

X (W)

X (W)

Rose State College

X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) NSU; UCO

Scholars for Excellence participant


X(W); Academic Advising

X(O) SP Advising

X(W) X(O)

X(O) ECU; NSU;

UCO


Southeastern OK State U

Southern Nazarene U

Southwestern Oklahoma State University

X (W)

St. Gregory’s University

X (W); Mentoring

X (W)


X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) LU; NSU;

OSU-T; OSU, UO

X(S); English print offered in

Spanish


University of Central OK

X(S) X(O) CASC; CSC; ESC; NOC;

OCCC; OSC-OKC; RCC; RSC; SSC

University of OK

X(O) TCC

USAO X(S) X(S); ASL

University of Tulsa

X (W); Consultation

X(O) SP Advising

X (O) TCC

X (W)


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Western OK State College

X(O) SP Advising

X(O) X(O) CU; NSU;

UCO



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Other Forms of Professional Development Supports at OK Tech Centers~

KEY: W=information obtained from website; S=information obtained from Professional Development Survey

Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching

Consultation Advising


Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Tri-County Technical Center

X(W); College credit available through Coffeyville Community College, OK Wesleyan University, Tulsa Com. College

Chickasha X(W); College credit: 24 hours; cooperative agreement at Redlands Community College

El Reno X(W); College credit: 24 hours; cooperative agreement at Redlands Community College

Caddo Kiowa Tech Center

X(S) X(W); Part of State Regents Cooperative Alliance Program: earning college credits toward an AAS degree in ECE; Redlands Community College

KTC @ Atoka (Career Majors may not be available at all KTC campuses)

X(S) X(W); cooperative agreements with OSU Institute of Technology, Grayson County College, and Murray State


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

College which allow a student to earn a predetermined number of credit hours by completing technical training and general studies (all from web site) Alliance with college for college credit in Child Development (from Survey)

KTC @ McAlester (Career Majors may not be available at all KTC campuses)

X(W); cooperative agreements with OSU Institute of Technology, Grayson County College, and Murray State College which allow a student to earn a predetermined number of credit hours by completing technical training and general studies

KTC @ Hugo (Career Majors may not be available at all KTC campuses)

X(S) X(W); cooperative agreements with OSU Institute of Technology, Grayson County College, and Murray State College which allow a student to earn a predetermined number of credit hours by


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

completing technical training and general studies

Mid-Del Tech Center

Moore Norman Tech Center

Francis Tuttle Tech Center

Pioneer Tech Center

X(W); College credit: NOC (upon completion of CDA) Crowley College

Student organization: Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (W)

Gordon Cooper Tech Center

X(W); College credit: associate in applied science for family services and child development (12 hours)


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Other Forms of Professional Development Supports at Other Educational Organizations and Associations~


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits

Articulation or Credit Transfer

Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Bristow Public Schools

C.A.R.D. Head Start

X(S) X(S); English w/Spanish translation

Center for Early Childhood Prof. Devlm't

X(W); Spanish

Cherokee Nation

X(S)

Child Care Inc.


X(S) X(S); Spanish


X(S)


X(S) X(S); Spanish

Early Childhood Association of OK

X(S); peer-to-peer networking

Early Learning Innovations, LLC

X(S)

Head Start X(S); Consultation through national T/TA specialists

X(S)

Integris Health X(S)

ODMHSAS X(S)

OK Afterschool Network/OKAN

OK CCR&R X(W) X(W); CDA training in

Spanish

Provide tips on earning a CDA credential (W)

OK Child Care Association

X(S) Peer-to-peer networking


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

(W)

OK Dept. of Career & Tech Education

X(W); Career Clusters

X(W)

OK Family Resource Coalition

OK State Dept. of Health

X(S) X(S); Spanish

OK State Regents for Higher Ed.

X(S)

OK-AIMH

OKDHS-OCCS X(S) X(S); minimal Spanish

OSDH Family Support and Prevention (C1, Start Right, MIECHV)

Strengthening Families Initiative and MIECHV Program (W)

OSDH-Maternal & Infant Health

OSRHE/Scholars for Excellence in Child Care

Red River Early Childhood Association

Region VI Head Start Association


X(S) X(S); English with a Spanish

translator

The OK Autism Network: Tolbert Center for Developmental Disabilities

X(W) Information and links to research and best practice to teaching children with autism (W)

Tick Tock X(W)


Name of IHE

Mentoring Coaching



Site Visits


Support in Other

Languages

Other Supports

Training Tulsa Public Schools

United Way Stephens County

X(S)

Professional Development Opportunities of 208

~Appendix Q~

Professional Development Opportunities


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Professional Development Opportunities at Oklahoma’s Technical Centers~


Name of Tech Centers

Certificate Program

Credential Program

Accreditation Status

Other Offerings


ECE Diploma; Entry Level Child Care Training; Work Keys; Master Teacher (W)

CDA preparation (W)

Chickasha

Full-time Career Majors: ECE Director, ECE Infant/Toddler Care, ECE Master Teacher (W)

El Reno

Full-time Career Majors: ECE Director, ECE Infant/Toddler Care, ECE Master Teacher (W)


Early Care Master Teacher; Early Care Associate Teacher (W)

Early childhood specific credentials; training and/or education that leads to credit or credential hours; (S)

Training and/or education that leads to CEU's; Training that leads to clock hours only; training that assists with certification or re-certification; pre-service and in-service training; workshops (S)



Certificate Program

Credential Program


Other Offerings

KTC @ Atoka

(Career Majors may

not be available at

all KTC campuses)

Early Care &

Education Teacher

Assistant; Early

Care and Education

Associate Teacher;

Early Care and

Education Director;

Early Care and

Education Infant

and Toddler Care;

Early Care and

Education Master

Teacher; Entry

Level Teacher;

ParaProfessional-

Child Development;

Teacher Prep (W)

Early childhood

specific credentials

; training and/or

education that

leads to credit or

credential hours

(S)

Full-time and

short-time

educational

programs and

services. CPA/First

Aid training and

Special Education

Professional short

term job training

(all from web site)

Workshops, in-

service training

(from Survey)

KTC @

McAlester (Career

Majors may not be

available at all KTC

campuses)

Early Care &

Education Teacher

Assistant; Early

Care and Education

Associate Teacher;

Early Care and

Education Director;

Early Care and

Education Infant

and Toddler Care;

Early Care and

Education Master

Teacher; Entry

Level Teacher;

ParaProfessional-

Child Development;

Teacher Prep (W)


Certificate Program

Credential Program


Other Offerings


KTC @ Hugo

(Career Majors may

not be available at

all KTC campuses)

Early Care &

Education Teacher

Assistant; Early

Care and Education

Associate Teacher;

Early Care and

Education Director;

Early Care and

Education Infant

and Toddler Care;

Early Care and

Education Master

Teacher; Entry

Level Teacher;

ParaProfessional-

Child Development;

Teacher Prep (W)

Mid-Del Tech

Center

Introduction to

Parenting and

Early Care, Early

Care and Education

Teacher Assistant;

Early Care and

Education Master

Teacher; Early Care

and Education

Infant and Toddler

Care; Early Care

and Education

Director (W)

EARLY

EDUCATION:

Pathway to CDA;

Paraprofessional

Child Development

(W)

Moore Norman

Tech Center

Offer classes to

fulfill requirements

for the Early

Education:

Pathway to CDA

program (W)

Accredited by the

OK State Dept of

Education and the

OK Dept of Career

and Technology

Education (W)


Certificate Program

Credential Program


Other Offerings


Francis Tuttle

Tech Center

ECE entry level

teacher assistant;

ECE master teacher

(W)

CDA (W) 3 Star DHS

Licensing; National

Academy of Early

Childhood

Programs; National

Association for

Education of Young

Children (W)

Pioneer Tech

Center

OK Department of

Career and

Technology

Education

Department of

Human Services:

entry level child

care training;

master teacher;

infant and toddler;

child care director;

teacher assistant

(W)

OK Department of

Career and

Technology

Education

Department of

Human Services:

CDA (W)

Gordon Cooper

Tech Center

ECE Master

Teacher; ECE

Director (W)

CDA (W)


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Professional Development Opportunities through Other Educational Organizations & Associations ~


Name of Other Organizations & Associations

Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Bristow Public

Schools

Training and/or

education that leads

to CEU’s; Training

that lead to clock

hours; conferences;

workshops (S)

C.A.R.D. Head

Start

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training and/or


to CEU’s; training

that leads to clock

hours; conferences;

workshops; pre-

and in-service

training (S)

Center for Early

Childhood Prof.

Devlm't

Pathway to

CDA (W)

Entry Level Child

Care Training

(ELCCT), CPR and

First Aid Training,

Shared Reading,

Alphabet Knowledge,

Learning to Reading

Through the

Environment,

Behavior & Guidance,

Creating Effective

Learning

Environments,

Focused Portfolios

Training, Leadership

Academy I & II and

Leaders in Action (W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Cherokee

Nation

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training that leads

to clock hours;

workshops;

conferences; pre-

service training (S)

Child Care Inc. Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training that leads

to clock hours only

(S)

Child Care

Resource Center

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Conferences;

workshops; pre-

and in-service

training (S)

Community

Action Project

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Early

childhood

specific

credentials;

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Associates

degree

program;

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training and/or


to CEU’s (S)

Community

Service Council

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training

and/or

education

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or

education that

leads to credit

hours (S)

Training and/or


to CEU’s;

conferences;

workshops; pre-

service training; in-




Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Early Childhood

Association of

OK

Affiliate with

NCCA (W)

Annual conference;

Professional

development on the

Certified Childcare

Professional

Credential, the

National

Administrator

Credential,

Director's Advanced

Training, PD Video

series, Bus and Van

Driver training and

Conscious Discipline

training (W)

Early Learning

Innovations,

LLC

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Early

Childhood

specific

credentials

(S)

Training that leads

to CEU’s;

workshops, pre-

service and in-


Head Start Training funds

through HS T/TA to

address their own

program

improvement

efforts (W)

Integris Health Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training and/or


to CEU’s;

conferences;

workshops; pre-

and in-service

training (S); Baby

Care and CPR

classes (W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

ODMHSAS Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Conferences;

workshops (S)

OK Afterschool

Network/OKAN

Member of the

National

Network of

Statewide

Afterschool

Networks

funded by the

Charles Stewart

Mott

Foundation (W)

OK CCR&R CDA

Credential

training for

Family Child

Care

Providers,

CDA

Credential

training for

Child Care

Centers; CDA

Training

(Spanish

version); 45-

Hour CDA

Renewal

Training (W)

Community-based

training on topics

including health,

safety, and risk

management,

successful business

practices, reading,

games, crafts, and

more; CDA training;

and Child care

essential training

(W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

OK Child Care

Association

Training

and/or

education

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or

education that

leads to credit

hours (S)

Training that leads

to CEU’s and clock

hours; conferences

(S)

OK Dept. of

Career & Tech

Education

Early

childhood

programs at

many of the

tech centers

(W)

CDA

programs at

many of the

tech centers

(W)

Individual to

tech centers (W)

Individual to tech

centers (W)

OK Family

Resource

Coalition

Certification

as: Child &

Parenting

Assistant, Child

& Parenting

Practitioner

and Child &

Parenting

Specialist.

Recertification

available with

CEU (W)

Associated with

The Oklahoma

Institute for

Child Advocacy

(OICA) (W)

Family Matters

Conference held

each spring (W)

OK State Dept.

of Health

Training that

assists with

certification or

re-certification

(S)

Training that leads

to CEU’s and clock

hours; conferences;

workshops (S)

OK State

Regents for

Higher Ed.

Early

childhood

credentials;

training

and/or

education

that lead to

credential

hours (S)

Associates

and Bachelor

degree

programs;

training

and/or

education that

leads to credit

hours (S)

Training that leads

to clock hours (S)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

OK-AIMH

Trainings offered:

Foundations of Infant

Mental Health,

Reflective Practice,

Adverse Childhood

Experiences, Infant

Mental Heatlh

Endorsement,

Childhood Trauma,

Attachment, The

Impact of

Relationships on

Brain Development,

Infant Mental Health

& Adolescent Parent

OKDHS-OCCS Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Associates,

Bachelors

degree

programs;

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Training that lead to

clock hours;

conferences;

workshops; in-

service training;

agency funds

various PD (S)

OSDH Family

Support and

Prevention (C1,

Start Right,

MIECHV)

Child Abuse

Training (W)

OSDH-Maternal

& Infant Health

OK-Train-

Oklahoma

Infant Sleep

Saftey for Early

Care and

Education

Providers (W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

OSRHE/Scholars

for Excellence in

Child Care

Scholarship

can be used

toward:

Director’s

Certificate of

Mastery in

early care

education

administration;

Director’s

Certificate of

Completion;

Certificate of

Mastery in

child

development

or early

childhood

education;

Pathway

Competency

Certificate (W)

Scholarship

can be used

toward:

Pathway to

CDA; Child

Development

Associate

(W)

Scholarships

can be used

toward an

Associates or

Bachelors

Program awards

scholarships to

child care

professionals to

complete

coursework in the

area of child

development or

early childhood

education, as well as

the Child

Development

Associate (CDA) and

Certified Childcare

Professional (CCP)

Credential

Assessment (W)

Red River Early

Childhood

Association

Affiliated with

The National

Association for

the Education of

Young Children

(NAEYC) and

The Southern

Early Childhood

Association

(SECA) (W)

Annual Spring and

Fall Conferences

(W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Region VI Head

Start

Association

In conjunction

with ECLKC

Distance

Learning:

Associates in

Arts at

Northern

Oklahoma

College in

Child

Development

(W)

2nd National Birth

to Five Leadership

Institute (W)

The Institute for

Childhood

Education

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credential

hours (S)

Training

and/or ed.

that leads to

credit hours

(S)

Committed to

supporting

developmentally

appropriate

practice as

defined by the

National

Association for

the Education of

Young Children

(W)

Training

publications;

training kits to help

directors and

trainers lead

workshops; teacher

resources (W);

Training and/or


to CEU’s;

conferences;

workshops (S)

The OK Autism

Network:

Tolbert Center

for

Developmental

Disabilities

Church trainings

for church staff

working with

children with

autism. Also can

provide Autism

training for

Oklahoma School

Districts (W)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Tick Tock

Training

Certificates for

completion of

webinars.

Subjects:

Abuse; Art of

Management;

Stress

Management;

Emergency

Response;

ADHD;

Discipline and

Guidance;

Positive Verbal

Environments

(W)

Online or

class format

CDA; CDA

renewal

hours;

Director

credential;

Directorship

renewal (W)

Classes offered in

workshop form to

help professionals

get required yearly

clock hours for child

care licensing; Train

the Trainer clock

hour classes; CPR

and First Aid (W)

Tulsa Public

Schools

Links to national

professional

development

resources; WISE

Planning tool (W)

United Way

Stephens

County

Training and/or


to CEU’s; workshops

(S)



Certificate Program

Credential Program

Degree Program


Other Offerings

Wichita Tribe

Wichita

Higher

Education

program

assists tribal

members with

funding

college (W)

Job Placement and

Training program

provides tribal

members with a bi-

weekly stipend

assistance for

attending a

Vocational or

Technical Center.

Funding is available

to Wichita tribal

members required

by employment, to

enhance their job

skills and/or obtain

their GED. Motor

Fuels Tax Revenues:

The Higher

Education program

has received

assistance from the

MFTR funding. This

funding is to assist

full-time graduate,

college, and

vocational/technical

students (W)

Type of Offerings of 208

~Appendix R~

Professional Development:

Type of Offerings


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Format of Professional Development Opportunities through Other Educational Organizations & Associations ~



Face-to-Face

On-line Distance Learning

On-Site Training and/or

Education

Other

Bristow Public

Schools

X (S)

C.A.R.D. Head Start X (S) X(S)

Center for Early

Childhood Prof.

Devlm't

X (S) X(S)

Cherokee Nation X (S) X(S)

Child Care Inc. X (S) X(S)

Child Care

Resource Center

X (S) X(S)

Community Action

Project

X (S) X(S)

Community

Service Council

X(S) X(S) Conference or

Leadership

Institutes (S)

Early Childhood

Association of OK

X(S) X(S) Video (S)

Early Learning

Innovations, LLC

X(S) X(S) X(S)

Head Start Pre/ in-service

training (W)

Integris Health X(S) X(S) X(S)

ODMHSAS X(S) X(S)



Face-to-Face



Education

Other

OK Afterschool

Network/OKAN

OK CCR&R X(W) X(W)

OK Child Care

Association

X(W) X(W Video (W)

OK Dept. of Career

& Tech Education

29 technology

centers on 57

campuses (W)

OK State Dept. of

Health

X(S) X(S)

OK State Regents

for Higher Ed.

X(S)

OK-AIMH X(S)

OKDHS-OCCS X(S) X(S) X(S) X(S)

OSDH Family

Support and

Prevention (C1,

Start Right,

MIECHV)

OSDH-Maternal &

Infant Health

OSRHE-Scholars

for Excellence in

Child Care

X(S)

Red River Early

Childhood

Association

Region IV Head

Start Association



Face-to-Face



Education

Other

The Institute for

Childhood

Education

X(W) X(W)

The OK Autism

Network: Tolbert

Center for

Developmental

Disabilities

X(W) X(W) Conferences

and retreats

(W)

Tick Tock Training

X(W) X(W) Local

workshops,

courses,

seminars,

webinars (W)

Tulsa Public

Schools

United Way

Stephens County

X(S) X(S)

Wichita Tribe


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Format of Professional Development Opportunities through OK Tech Centers~



Face-to-Face On-line Distance Learning


Education

Other


Chickasha

El Reno


X(S) X(S) X(S)

KTC @ Atoka

(Career Majors

may not be

available at all

KTC campuses)

X(S) X(W) X(S)





Education

Other

KTC @

Durant

(Career Majors

may not be

available at all

KTC campuses)

KTC @

McAlester

(Career Majors

may not be

available at all

KTC campuses)

X(W)

KTC @ Hugo

(Career Majors

may not be

available at all

KTC campuses)

X(S) X(W)

Mid-Del Tech

Center

X(W) one class

only





Education Other

Moore

Norman Tech

Center

X(W) Online and

hybrid; short-

term classes on

weekdays,

evenings, and

Saturdays (W)

Francis Tuttle

Tech Center

Work with

young children

in Francis

Tuttle's Child

Development

Center (W)

Pioneer Tech

Center

X(W) Students work

in children's lab

and pre-school;

Online Child

Care &

Parenting on

ed2go (W)

Gordon

Cooper Tech

Center

X(W) through

Ed2go


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Format of Professional Development Opportunities through OK IHE’s~


Name of IHE Face-to-Face On-line Distance Learning

On-Site Training

and/or Education

Other

Cameron University

X(S) X(S)


X(W)

City College, Inc.


X(S) X(W) X(W)


X(W)

Eastern OK State College

X(W)

Langston University

X(W) X(S)


X(W) X(W)


X(S) X(W) X(W)

Northeastern OK A & M College

X(W)


X(S) X(S)

Northern OK College

X(S)


X(W) X(S) X(S)

OK Baptist University

X(W)

OK Christian U X(W) X(S) X(S)



On-Site Training

and/or Education

Other

OK City Community College

X(W) Saturdays and in evenings

OK City University

X(S) X(W)

OK State U (Main Campus)

X(S) X(S) X(S) X(S)

OSU-OKC X(S) X(W) On campus in evenings, online and hybrid format; DEVE Early Care and Education courses (W)

Redlands Community College

X(W) X(W) X(S)

Rose State College

X(S) X(S)


X(S) X(W)

Southeastern OK State U

X(S) X(S) X(S)

Southern Nazarene U

X(W) X(W)


X(S) X(S) X(S)

University of Central OK

X(S) X(S) X(S) Field experiences, practicum, internships (S)

University of OK

X(S) Evening and occasional weekend format helps meet needs of students with work and family commitments (Schusterman campus) (W)



On-Site Training

and/or Education

Other

USAO X(S)

Western OK State College

X(W) X(W)

Recommendations At-A-Glance of 208

~Appendix S~

Recommendations At-A-Glance


Quality

Assurance

Diversity,

Inclusion,

and Access

Integration

Compensation

Parity

Training and trainer approval systems

Faculty in-service

Consistent evaluation of professional development and of trainers/educators

Enhancing relationship-based professional development

Training calendars for all regions of the State

Scholarship opportunities for all sectors and all levels of professional development

Targeted outreach to underserved populations

Training and courses offered in easily accessible locations and at times that are helpful to working students

Ensuring that dual language support is meeting the need

Coupling basic education courses with relevant coursework related to ECE or Child Development

Transparency of early childhood professional development funding and eligibility

System planning and development with all early childhood sectors

Consistent, systemic alignment of training and education with the core competencies and career pathway as well as with licensing, QRIS, and pre-K standards

Workforce data reports

Professional development policies that value all professionals working with children and families that cover the birth to age eight age span

Gathering of information from stakeholders and the public to help inform future strategies for professional development

Incentives for students to participate in the early

childhood professional development system

Track and disseminate data on compensation,

benefits, incentives, retention, turnover and

professional development

Specific and adequate financing in all sectors that

considers compensation


Assessment Recommendations…



Guiding Principle Reflective Questions to Consider…

Is there a measure of professional development effectiveness?

Is there a measure of professional development quality?

What data is tracked, collected, and shared that can help with measures of quality and effectiveness?

Quality

Assurance

Has the penetration of early childhood professional development reached all sectors of the early childhood workforce?

Is the workforce aware of professional development opportunities?

Are underserved populations being reached by the opportunities that exist? Are new methods being used to reach these populations?

Is there a concern about degree completion and the supports needed for completion?

What data is tracked, collected, and shared to help better understand strategies to access populations that are diverse or underserved so that they can feel included within early childhood professional development?

Diversity,

Inclusion,

and Access

Is there consistent implementation of the core competencies?

Is there a clear pathway toward progression within the career ladder upon completion of professional development opportunities?

Is there articulation across training and education between the sectors (e.g., community-based training and IHEs)?

What data is tracked, collected, and shared that can help to better understand early childhood professional development integration?

Integration

To what extent are compensation issues impacting

professional development?

Are changes in administrator or teacher practice

affected by low compensation and high turnover? Compensation

Parity


~Appendix T~

Interviews with Professional Development

and Workforce Workgroup

Interviews of 208

OK Professional Development System Assessment ~Professional Development & Workforce Workgroup Interview Protocol~

Rationale As part of the Oklahoma early childhood professional development system assessment, interviews will be conducted with members of the Professional Development & Workforce workgroup to get feedback from members related to current policies and practices in early childhood professional development, what is working well with these policies and practices and what needs to be strengthened. The questions asked of the workgroup will reflect the components found in NAEYC’s Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative State Policy Blueprint Planning Guide. Information gathered from the interviews will be reflected aggregately in the Professional Development System assessment final report and will help inform the findings and recommendations for improvement. Methodology All members of the Professional Development & Workforce workgroup will be sent an email invitation to participate in the professional development assessment interviews. Scheduled options for telephone interviews as well as the interview questions will also be emailed to members of the workgroup. If members cannot participate at any of the scheduled times or prefer to provide written responses, a Survey Monkey link to the interview questions will be made available. Members will have a deadline to participate in the interview process as well as the option of using the survey posted on Survey Monkey. Interviews should take 30-45 minutes to complete. All interviews will be conducted and recorded by staff from Oldham Innovative Research. Recordings will be used for transcription purposes and will be erased after the information is transcribed. Identifying information will not be included in the final report. Interview Questions and Results The interview questions and the responses are highlighted below (in blue font). Four members of the Professional Development and Workforce workgroup responded to the questions.

1) After reading through the “Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment” Survey

results what stood out for you in terms of: a) Pleasant surprises or findings that don’t fit your experience?

…not sure that there were at first glance; so many different types of people that answered; analysis will allude to this more perhaps; interesting overall …The variety of respondents was impressive. …Given the large number of assistant, associate, and professor ranks of the respondents, I am not surprised that the majority of training is for early childhood teachers and teacher candidates. …I believe that the early learning guidelines are well represented in the standards area.

Interviews of 208

… Pleased to see the high percentages of early childhood teachers participating in PD. …Not really

b) Calls for action?

...one comment (interesting): HS not supportive; not sure that was representative; bring to mind one thing…HS funding assisting people to get degrees not explicit unless a part of PD plan (no one has had entire degree paid by HS); in fact, HS $ spent on degrees employees need to sign form to stay at HS program for three years especially important for monitoring (wrote into HS ACT law) …same thing could cause an increase as well as a decrease (p. 27) …barrier to State scholarship program is perception that HS has a lot of money so makes HS employees not eligible; money of 2001 really gone …other than HS only one with the mandate to have a ECE/CD degree …Continue to build PD for early childhood directors since they are the pivotal point for a program’s success or failure. …Didn’t see any that we didn’t already know about.

c) Cautions?

…study that we are meeting demand but view that we are not (increasing demand for staff as they leave the state); competing for a small group of people (HS and Pre-K-grade 2); more folks to work in 4 year old programs …takes a long time to get a two-year degree…help these folks to get closer to a four year degree; CDA not getting credit toward a two-year degree …compensation comparability; pressure on HS (costing more to have those teachers) …There are so many standards listed. As a group, we need to realize that every entity has a set of standards that must be met. …I question reliance on asking “stakeholders” about the degree of competence. The reliance should be within the profession and with parents. The term “stakeholders” indicates the person with the money who often times does not have the knowledge of child development necessary to make those judgments.

2) Referencing the chart below (from, NAEYC Early Childhood Workforce Initiative: State

Policy Blueprint Planning Guide) what are the top three to five questions that the Oklahoma Professional Development and Workforce Workgroup should prioritize for work in the next six months to a year based on what has been learned from the survey as well as what you are hearing from the field? (The highlighted questions were noted as priority areas to explore further)

Integration

Quality Assurance

Diversity, Inclusion, and Access

Compensation Parity

Professional Are competencies designed for all

Do the competencies

Do the competencies address and support

Do competencies explicitly tie adult

Interviews of 208

Integration

Quality Assurance


Compensation Parity

Competencies early childhood professionals regardless of role or work setting? Do competencies align with licensing, state-based credential, Head Start, pre-K, and other related standards from the various early childhood sectors? (2 responses)

require mechanisms and processes to ensure that they are appropriate and current based on the latest research on best practices, skills, and knowledge? (2 responses) (State tests are really are not that good for EC or CD…disconnect) These two points are highlighted because there needs to be more tolerance or recognition of professional competencies that are not contained the Early Learning Guidelines.

diversity, inclusion, and access? Is there a focus on cultural competence and language acquisition? Do they integrate special and general education? Do they incorporate or value adult learners’ previous knowledge and skill acquisition?

learners’ proficiency in or mastery of professional standards to increased compensation (through connections to career pathways, salary scales, wage supplements)?

Career Pathways doing well…but not public school involvement; needs to be tied to all different types of PD

Do pathways include and align professional opportunities across early childhood sectors and roles? (2 responses)

Are there specifications for systems to verify, record, update, and track individuals’ qualifications and ongoing development? Placement on career pathways? Evaluate such efforts?

Are there specifications that require processes to inform professionals about professional growth and career opportunities? Are there varied entry points and qualification alternatives?

Are there specifications as to advancement on career pathways linked to increased compensation or compensation comparable to other professions with similar requirements? Compensation/pay is always a concern.

Articulation Do articulation agreements support qualification requirements for all sectors? Do articulation agreements connect IHE’s to each other and to community-based

Do articulation policies include time specifications for implementation of agreements? Requirements for review and revision of courses or agreements? Reports on progress?

Do articulation policies require processes to inform students about and advise them on education options and requirements (e.g., student advising)? Include alternative methods of course and degree

Do articulation policies address student financial aid, scholarships, attendance, and degree completion incentives and/or other monetary support? Attention to career opportunities and

Interviews of 208

Integration

Quality Assurance


Compensation Parity

or non-credit training?

Evaluation of efficacy?

completion? Include other requirements specifically aimed at supporting, recruiting, or retaining minorities?

salary prospective?

Advisory Structure

Does policy for advisory structure include representatives from the various early childhood sectors, across agencies and quality initiatives?

Does the advisory structure have mechanisms or processes in place to ensure accountability (strategic planning, research/evaluation tied to planning process, reviews/reports of progress, stakeholder input tied to planning or recommendations)?

Does the advisory structure include perspectives representing the diversity of the field (racial, ethnic, ability, role, etc)?

Does the advisory structure explicitly address compensation related issues (as part of planning, as an objective)?

Data Tracking and Collection Foundation of all the problems; can’t get one data system to talk to each other

Are there methods for collecting, sharing, and disseminating cross-sector data to stakeholders, funders, and the public?

Does the system verify, record, update, and track individuals’ qualifications and ongoing development? Placement on career pathways? Professional development offerings? Evaluate such efforts?

Does the system collect workforce data by role, program setting, credential, demographic characteristics, experience in the field, population and age of children served, and compensation? Data related to program sustainability, stability, and other access and support related issues? Is data shared with those it represents and who need it?

Is data collected and analyzed specific to compensation (salaries and benefits)? Data collected on other professions for which parity is sought for early childhood professions? Retention data by role?

Financing Public-private partnership should be continued to be fostered

Are federal, state and/or private sources coordinated to fund professional development system needs?

Is there transparency in where and how resources are being directed and why? Are review processes and other accountability measures tied to financial programs or spending?

Do funders, administrators, participants, and families know what fiscal resources are available? Are barriers to financial aid and scholarships are examined and policies crafted to increase access? Is financing of the governance and

Does funding explicitly address workforce compensation and/or include financing in all sectors of the system to support compensation equivalent to positions within and across fields

Interviews of 208

Integration

Quality Assurance


Compensation Parity

I am not aware of any ways that funding is used, so I would naturally believe that there needs to be more transparency.

institutional aid to higher education included in the system?

requiring similar preparation and experience?

3) What are the barriers that get in the way of addressing early childhood professional development and workforce issues? …different systems and standards …Child Care licensing biggest barrier right now; especially with blended rates (esp. with EHS); not enough money (cannot do HS and then wraparound); dollars do not work; exception is home-based…doesn’t work for working parents …There is little understanding or tolerance of individual or various program roles. …The field of early childhood is so broad that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Public schools are vastly different from child development centers, from Head Start, from higher education teacher preparation programs. …Dealing with such a broad range of ages is difficult. Programs for infants cannot be rightfully compared to programs for eight-year-olds. …Articulation between community colleges and universities need to be better. Financing for supporting PD as well as salaries for those working in early childhood need to be increased. In addition, agencies need to collectively work to facilitate funding avenues. …There is a stronger sense of collaboration. However, sometimes we get caught in hearing only what Head Start might be able to offer. What about State Department of Education? …There is not enough cross-system discussion and coordination. …Pay inequities exist and make standardization difficult to pursue …Sometimes we get caught in hearing only what Headstart might be able to offer. What about State Department of Education?

4) What opportunities exist (and are ripe right now) for designing and/or implementing changes to the early childhood professional development and workforce system? …removing barrier of EHS and child care funding; national discussion (present at SmartStart) …model in Illinois …continuing to get HS in the Registry to formulate better PD for HS; need to do training that folks are getting credit for; mine to see what the needs are …Registry now requiring all licensees to be on Registry …people care about working together; a place to work on issues like OSPE workgroups

Interviews of 208

…Cross-walks of standards have been made between standards and programs, but there is still little acceptance of specific program requirements. Now would be a good time to inform each other of our roles. …There is a stronger sense of collaboration. …Keep talking, Early Learning Guidelines have been updated. Now we need to try and get everyone on the same page.

5) Are there other priorities that you feel should be addressed there were not captured in

question 2? …CDA thing; don’t know about CDA’s leading to a 2 –year degree; if they do not lead to something then eliminate; waste of time for practitioners unless it leads to somewhere; need credit and to get recognized …practitioners need to know what they are paying for and what the differences are …Smart Start often overlooks partners that are needed in the process.

6) Other additional thoughts, suggestions, questions, etc.? …While this process is a beginning, we need regular opportunities to do this type of review (every other year would be quite helpful). I think it would build trusts between those who are working on these efforts as well as help ALL to see the bigger system effort rather than what one or two agencies or entities might provide.

Literature Review of 208

~Appendix U~

Literature Review of National Trends

in Professional Development Assessment


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment Research Brief ~Review of National Trends in Early Childhood Professional Development~

Nationwide, an increasing number of states have implemented policies or are beginning to formally address strategies with regard to professional development systems for early childhood professionals. Research points to the knowledge and skills of an early childhood workforce as the cornerstone of high quality early childhood programs and states and taskforces have begun to organize their efforts with this in mind.

The following review includes a summation of two key articles as well as three framework overviews of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and the National Professional Development Center of Inclusion Survey of Providers of Professional Development. The articles include information from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and the state of Rhode Island. Key items gleaned from the articles include (1) purpose of the study, (2) methodology, (3) results, and (4) discussion points. The framework overviews include the states of Iowa, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Key items gleaned from the frameworks include (1) impetus for development of framework, (2) key personnel involved in development (3) components of framework, and (4) lessons learned.

A Policy Framework for an Early Childhood Iowa Professional Development System39

Impetus for Development of Framework

Designed to empower early childhood professionals in order to improve the quality of services provided to young children and their families.

The report depicted Iowa’s Early Childhood Professional Development System as fragmented, duplicative, and lacking in essential recourses. According to the report early childhood professionals need preparation, ongoing development, and support to ensure that Iowa’s youngest children and their families have quality early childhood experiences.

The impetus for the development of their framework was due to Iowa’s professional development system requiring the support of public policies.

Key Personnel

A 14-member Steering Committee provided guidance on the development of the framework.

Key Components

The goal of Iowa’s integrated professional development system is to encourage diversity while minimizing discrepancies in individual and sector access to resources and opportunities, while providing equally access to the early childhood workforce. With regard to its goal, the framework also referenced that policies may need to be developed that ensure cross-sector coordination to better align the precise nature of the competencies themselves and any professional development activities.

39 A Policy Framework for an Early Childhood Iowa Professional Development System, 2009, adapted from the National Association for the

Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Workforce Designs initiative, LeMoine, S. (2008).


Lessons Learned

Iowa’s Early Childhood Professional Development System requires supportive policies to ensure its goals are attainable and successful. The following six essential policy areas make it possible to build and support a comprehensive professional development system: (1) Professional Standards, (2) Career Pathways, (3) Articulation, (4) Advisory Structure, (5) Data, and (6) Financing.

Pennsylvania Professional Development System Framework for Early Care and Education40


The impetus for the current PA Keys to Professional Development System began during development of the QRIS in 2001. The QRIS planning group was Pennsylvania’s first attempt to address early childhood quality issues comprehensively.

Key Personnel

Representatives from Head Start, child care, early intervention programs, and advocates were involved. With input from community stakeholders, OCDEL, and the PA Key, this collective group worked collaboratively to set and implement strategies.

Key Components

Mission: Pennsylvania is committed to providing quality learning opportunities for Pennsylvania’s children and their families by creating an integrated system of outreach, support and resources for early childhood, and school-age educators and their programs.

Identified and defined the following Guiding Principles which reflect the essential components of a quality improvement system designed to improve child outcomes:

o Leadership o State, Regional and Local Coordination o Commitment to Quality Content o All Practitioners and Programs o Focus on Credentials and Professionalism o Systems Coordination, Integration and Accountability o Compensation, Funding and Financing o Public, Stakeholder and Community Outreach o Leveraging Resources o Regional Planning

Lessons Learned

A Career Advising workgroup was formed to begin to develop tools and resources to support the many entities providing career advising supports throughout the state. This work was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

40 Pennsylvania Professional Development System Framework for Early Care and Education, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, May 2012


A work in progress as a result of the framework: An online Career Advising toolkit that can be accessed by Instructors, Technical Assistance Consultants and Directors to download current forms, resources and supports. Also, the Pennsylvania Career Resource Guide was slated for distribution in the summer of 2012. Proposed sections of this document include: Careers in Early Childhood and School Age, Salaries and Compensation, Investigating Your Career Pathway and Goals, Career Lattice and Teacher Quality, Choosing an Accredited College or University, Educational Requirements in Pennsylvania and Financial Resources.

Ensure there are additional supports at all levels to support at-risk populations.

An additional program that resulted from the framework: Deepening Our Understanding of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) builds on the model used with technical assistance consultants. This professional development series is designed to provide CQI training and resources that build on PA’s Core Competencies for STARS Managers Survey Results.

The North Carolina Professional Development Framework for The Early Childhood and Out of School Time System: Results and Actions from Regional and State Planning41


The state of North Carolina is committed to maintaining excellence on behalf of children and families including the professional development that supports the early childhood and out of school time workforces. The state supports a systematic process of discussion, data collection, and analysis to identify and document a vision for professional development in the states as well as gaps in need of focus and resource allocations.

The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) contracted with the North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Council (CCR&R) to support the facilitation of a professional development planning process across the state.

Key Personnel

18 CCR&R regional teams met with four formal gatherings per region. Team members and participation was broken down as follows: direct service providers (26%), child care resource and referral (19%), higher education (18%), Smart Start (15%), early intervention (7%), more at four (5%), Division of Child Development (4%), Head Start (4%), system level (2%).

Key Components

Because North Carolina is a diverse state, it was critical that regional contexts that make up the state be considered in relationship to a wide-angle view the. The framework therefore allows for a unified view of the gaps within the states

41 The North Carolina Professional Development Framework for The Early Childhood and Out of School Time System: Results and Actions from Regional and State Planning, J. Lower, M. Porterfield, D. Cassidy, 2012.


professional development system and provides a documented baseline of continuous planning and evaluation.

Regional vision statements were synthesized to create a state-level vision for the North Carolina Professional Development System for the early childhood and out of school time workforce.

Lessons Learned

The DCDEE committed to meeting goals within each of the five defined domains (sustainability, external validation, professionalism, accessibility and essential content), identified within the framework, recognizing common needs across the state and unique needs within specified regions.

Through this process the state plans to strengthen coordination efforts with partners as well as internal and external advisory committees to determine policy, rule, and legislative and /or program changes needed in order to improve the early childhood and out of school time professional development system in NC in order to ensure optimal services for all children and families.

Rhode Island’s Early Learning and School-Age Professional Development System Plan,

June 201242 Purpose of the Study

The Work Team’s purpose was to develop an executable plan for RI’s professional development system for the child care, early education and school-age workforce.

The Work Team was guided by the expectations set forth in the scope of work for the Resource Center and informed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Workforce Designs 2008 plan, that states ‘an integrated early childhood professional development system is a comprehensive system of preparation and ongoing development and support for all early childhood education professionals working with and on behalf of young children’.

Methodology

To support the framework, four key principles for policymaking to build an integrated professional development system and guide outcomes were used. The principles are as follows:

Integration – the system works across sectors, unifies the profession and aligns with program standards.

Quality assurance – every element of the system meets high standards and improves effectiveness.

Diversity, inclusion and access – policies support inclusion and access among diverse groups.

Compensation parity – progress is demonstrated toward achieving parity among equivalently qualified practitioners in different sectors.

Results

42 Rhode Island’s Early Learning and School-Age Professional Development System Plan, K. Beese, T.Camillo, June 2012.


The PD system requires ongoing oversight and needs to be structured in order to benefit multiple viewpoints, small enough to be efficient and well-connected to authority to be most effective.

Establishing interoperable data systems creates the ability for all members and participants to have access; a unique identifier is assigned to each practitioner.

Credentials, degree programs an certifications are recognized across sectors.

Continual improvement and/or individual planning is the norm.

Task forces focusing on PD systems work with the state Early Learning Council.

Co-funding partnerships are encouraged. Discussion points

Key areas in which to focus are as follows:

Professional standards

Career pathways

Articulation

Advisory structure

Data

Financing

Center For the Study of Child Care Employment. Report 2012. By Default of By Design? Variation in

Higher Education Programs for Early Care and Education Teaches and Their Implications for Research

Methodology, Policy, and Practice. By Mary Whitebook, Lea J.E. Austin, Sharon Ryan, Fran Kipnis,

Mirella Almaraz, and Laura Sakai

Purpose of Study

The purpose of the study presented in this article was to bring to light the limitations of current ways of

conceptualizing and studying early childhood teacher education. The authors present a series of

recommendations for more meaningful ways of describing and evaluating the quality of higher

education programs for early care and education practitioners. It focused on four dimensions: program

content, clinical experiences, faculty characteristics and institutional context.

Methodology

The report was based upon a case study (Yin, 2009) of two early childhood B.A. completion cohort

programs.43

Results

The first key finding in this report addressed assessing variation in program content. Typically

research about higher education for ECE practitioners has focused on topics included in a course of

study. According to the authors, “while counts of particular topics included in program descriptions

may indicate what is missing from a course of study, they offer insufficient information for

understanding the range and depth of student exposure to particular content”.44 Instead, the authors

recommend gathering the following information:

43 Yin, R.K. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 44 Whitebook, M., Austin, L., Ryan, S., Kipnis, F., Almaraz, M., (2012). By Defaults or By Design: Variations in Higher Education Programs for Early Care and Education Teachers and Their Implications for Research Methodology, Policy, and


Program goals and objectives for student learning

Courses offered to help students achieve these goals and objectives

The teacher competencies or standards to which program content is aligned

The next key finding addressed assessing variation in clinical experiences. Typically research has

examined whether or not a program requires students to complete a clinical experience focused on

young children. The authors suggest a more accurate assessment can be made by gathering detailed

information on the objectives, structure, and intensity of the students’ experience.

The third key finding focused on assessing variations in faculty characteristics. Here the authors put

forth that typically research has relied on one person within a program to provide information about all

relevant faculty members. Rather than this approach, the authors suggest including individual faculty

members to provide information about their academic background, demographic characteristics, early

childhood professional preparation, professional development and applied experience.

Lastly, the authors address the issue of assessing variation in institutional context. Traditionally

research has been based on occasional surveys to learn about higher education offerings for ECE

practitioners. The authors suggest that this approach doesn’t capture changes in program design,

content, staffing and/or student support. Instead, they suggest collecting and maintaining up-to-date

information on the capacity and content of higher education programs. The authors state, “institutions

of higher education should be required to report changes in teacher preparation program offerings,

whether in response to state policies, changes in funding, or other institutional dynamics, any of which

could dramatically impact program quality and services offered”.45

Discussion

Higher education programs for early care and education practitioners are not alike; identifying the

variations among these programs will help to clarify types of programs that are more or less successful

and will help to shape reform of the system.

Practice. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley. 45 Whitebook, M., Austin, L., Ryan, S., Kipnis, F., Almaraz, M., (2012). By Defaults or By Design: Variations in Higher Education Programs for Early Care and Education Teachers and Their Implications for Research Methodology, Policy, and Practice. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley.

207

~Appendix V~


Assessment Survey

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey

The Smart Start Oklahoma Professional Development and Workforce work group is conducting an Early Childhood Professional Development assessment to determine the degree to which Oklahoma's private and public institutions of higher education and other entities that provide early childhood professional development assist the early childhood workforce to enter and succeed in the profession. The survey will examine the following areas of professional development: existing opportunities, quality assurance, utilization, funding, alignment, policies, employment and compensation parity. Due to the comprehensiveness of this survey (comprised of 52 questions in 7 areas ) it will take 3045 minutes to complete and can stopped and then completed at any point in time. The link to the survey will be open until April 1, 2013. Please feel free to forward the survey link to any of your colleagues who you feel could offer insight into this effort. All survey participants will receive the results of the survey once they are compiled into a report.

The following definitions will be helpful to better understand the survey questions. These definitions come from the 2011 NAEYC and NACCRRA publication, "Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary" (found at: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/ecprofessional/NAEYC_NACCRRA_TrainingTAGlossary.pdf) Professional Development: continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals to work with young children and their families; lead to improvements in knowledge, skills, practices and dispositions; encompasses education, training and technical assistance Training: learning experience(s) specific to an area of inquiry and related to a set of skill or dispositions, delivered by a professional(s) with subject matter and adult learning skills and knowledge. A planned sequence of training sessions comprises a training program. Technical Assistance: provision of targeted and customized supports by professional(s) with subject matter and adult learning skills and knowledge to develop or strengthen processes, knowledge, application, or implementation of services by recipients (e.g., mentoring, coaching, consultation, professional development advising, peertopeer). Other definitions that may be helpful: Education: more formalized experiences that lead to creditbearing coursework that can be applied to a credential and/or degree. Sectors: institutions of higher education providing credentials and/or degrees in early childhood education or related filed; communitybased entities that provide professional development opportunities to early childhood and schoolage care professionals (e.g., Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies); associations that provide support to the early childhood and/or schoolage care profession; and Head Start. There will be subsequent definitions to refer to throughout the survey areas.

The reported demographics will be shared in aggregate only. Individual names and responses will not be shared during any part of the project.

Introduction

Definitions

Demographics

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey1. Name

2. Employer

3. Job Title

4. Preferred way to contact you (please provide address, phone number, and/or email address)

5. Length of time in current position

The following 13 questions are related to professional development opportunities. Professional development is defined as continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals to work with young children and their families; lead to improvements in knowledge, skills, practices and dispositions; encompasses education, training and technical assistance.

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13 months

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46 months

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712 months

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1.1 to 3 years

nmlkj

3.1 to 5 years

nmlkj

5.1 to 10 years

nmlkj

more than 10 years

nmlkj

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey6. Who are the professionals that participate in the professional development opportunities that you offer (check all that apply)?

7. What level of education is most representative of the early childhood practitioners that participate in your professional development opportunities (check one)?

Early Childhood Directors

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Early Childhood teachers

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Early Childhood assistant teachers

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Family Child Care providers

gfedc

Home Visitors

gfedc

Paraprofessionals

gfedc

Special education/early interventions teachers

gfedc

Speechlanguage pathologists

gfedc

Occupational therapists

gfedc

Physical therapists

gfedc

School psychologists

gfedc

School Principals

gfedc

PreK Coordinators

gfedc

Coaches

gfedc

Mentors

gfedc

Consultants

gfedc

Other (please specify)

GED

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High School

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Some college

nmlkj

Associates

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Bachelors

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Graduate

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Not sure

nmlkj


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey8. What type of early childhood professional opportunities do you offer (check all that apply)?

9. How do you deliver your professional development opportunities (check all that apply)?

Associates degree program

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Bachelors degree program

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Masters degree program

gfedc

Early childhood specific credentials

gfedc

Training and/or education that leads to credit or credential hours

gfedc

Training and/or education that leads to CEU's

gfedc

Training that leads to clock hours only

gfedc

Training that assists with certification or recertification

gfedc

Technical assistance

gfedc

Conferences

gfedc

Workshops

gfedc

Preservice training

gfedc

Inservice training

gfedc


Facetoface

gfedc

Online

gfedc

Distance Learning (i.e., ITV)

gfedc

Technical assistance via phone

gfedc

Electronic technical assistance (i.e., email, web site contact request, Facebook, Twitter)

gfedc

Facetoface technical assistance

gfedc

Onsite training and/or education

gfedc


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey10. Are professionals delivering education and/or training required to go through an approval process (i.e., OK Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry Approved Educators process)?

11. What are the requirements of the professionals delivering education and/or training?

12. What languages do you offer education/training in?

13. What content areas are covered in the professional development opportunities that you offer (check all that apply)?

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55

66

Yes

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No

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj


Child Growth and Development

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Health, Safety and Nutrition

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Family and Community Partnerships

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Learning Environment and Curriculum

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Interactions with Children

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Program Planning, Development and Evaluation

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Professionalism and Leadership

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Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey14. In rank order (with 1=most important), rank the top three supports that are important to professionals involved in your professional development opportunities.

15. What professional and program standards/competencies do you utilize when planning education/training (check all that apply)?

6 Financial assistance

6 Flexible class schedules

6 Convenient location

6 Support from faculty/trainers

6 Academic tutoring and assistance

6 Experience of being in a cohort

6 Academic advising

6 Assistance with technology

NAEYC Accreditation Standards

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NAEYC personnel standards

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NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs

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DEC Recommended Practices

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DEC Personnel Standards

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Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and Performance Standards

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Oklahoma's Early Learning Guidelines

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Oklahoma's Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners

gfedc

Oklahoma's Quality Rating and Improvement Systems standards

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Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey16. Which specific strategies do you use in your education/training (check all that apply)?

17. To what degree do your professional development opportunities: (1=no consideration and 5=always considered and promoted)

18. Other comments related to professional development opportunities

The next 3 questions are related to professional development funding. Funding refers to financial assistance available to individuals pursuing professional development opportunities (e.g., scholarships, employer supported efforts) as well as how professional development systems are adequately funded (e.g., federal, state, and private support).

1 5Not sure

N/A

support career ladder progression as indicated through OK's Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Registry

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

encompass the Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

support the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

support cultural competence nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

address the special needs of children and families nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

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Professional Development Funding

Lectures

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Large and small group discussions

gfedc

Large and small group activities

gfedc

Video demonstrations of specific teaching or intervention strategies

gfedc

Individual assignments

gfedc

Group assignments

gfedc

Print materials (e.g., readings, books, course packets, handouts)

gfedc

Case studies (e.g., vignettes, examples, case examples)

gfedc

Field assignments

gfedc

Role plays

gfedc

Networking opportunities

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Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey19. In rank order (1=most common), rank how professional finance their professional development.

20. According to those that participate in your professional development opportunities, how do workplaces support practitioners (check all that apply)?

6 Oklahoma Scholars Program

6 Pell and other government grants or subsidies

6 Student loans

6 Pay on their own

6 Employer helps subsidize cost

6 Other

Increase in compensation for educational attainment

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Incentives, bonuses, or rewards for professional development milestones

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Release time

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Hiring of substitutes

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Teacher mentors and/or coaches

gfedc

Purchase of books, materials, and/or equipment

gfedc

Training onsite

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Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey21. To what degree is Oklahoma's early childhood professional development system: (1=not adequate and 5=more than adequately financed)

22. Other comments related to professional development funding

The next 9 questions address quality assurance in professional development. Quality assurance is defined as the degree to which there is a review of knowledge and skills of practitioners and trainers/faculty. It also refers to systems in place that review the professional development system as a whole.

1 2 3 4 5Not Sure

N/A

adequately financed nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

supported by federal sources nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

supported by state sources nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

supported by private sources nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

providing resources that are understood by funders (what is available and eligibility requirements) nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

providing resources that are understood by institutions of higher education and communitybased organizations (what is available and eligibility requirements)


providing resources that are understood by early childhood administrators (what is available and eligibility requirements)


providing resources that are understood by practitioners/participants (what is available and eligibility requirements)


examining and addressing the barriers to financial aid and scholarships nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

examining compensation parity (compensation equivalent to positions within and across all sectors of the system)


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Quality Assurance

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey23. How are professional development opportunities evaluated (check all that apply)?

24. Do you link your professional development offerings to measurable outcomes (e.g., Environment Rating Scores)?

25. If you do link your professional development offerings to measurable outcomes, what outcomes are measured?

26. Are faculty and/or trainers evaluated at least annually?

27. Do faculty and/or trainers receive any type of supervision?

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course/training assessment at the completion of a course and/or training

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satisfaction questionnaires

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interviews with participants

gfedc

focus groups with participants

gfedc

surveys

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course/training followup after a certain period of time

gfedc

demonstration of competencies met

gfedc

tests/quizzes of competencies and/or learning objectives

gfedc

projects

gfedc

papers

gfedc


Yes

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No

nmlkj

Not Sure

nmlkj

Yes

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj

Yes

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Not Sure

nmlkj

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey28. For those that able to articulate prior knowledge and skills to higher education, is there a measure(s) that is used to determine competency?

29. If there is a measure(s) to determine prior knowledge/skills, what is that measure(s)?

30. To what degree is/are: (1=no involvement/expectations/action and 5=high involvement/expectations/action)

31. Other comments related to quality assurance

The next 8 questions address the level to which early childhood professional development opportunities are actually utilized.

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1 2 3 4 5Not Sure

N/A

stakeholder and public input (including families) sought regarding the professional development of early childhood professionals


accountability and monitoring a part of the early childhood professional development system nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Oklahoma's early childhood program standards (e.g, preK, QRIS, Early Childhood, home visiting, licensing) encompassing professional development expectations


Oklahoma's early learning guidelines encompassed in professional development opportunities nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Oklahoma's core competencies for early Childhood practitioners encompassed in professional development opportunities


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Professional Development Utilization

Yes

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No

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey32. Over the past three years, how would you best describe your enrollment in professional development opportunities?

33. What are the top three reasons as to why your enrollment has been affected?

34. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities, what population is represented the most?

35. Of those taking advantage of your professional development opportunities, approximately what percentage represent diverse populations?

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010% 1120% 2150% 5175% more than 75%

Race/Ethnicity nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Englishlanguage learners nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Men nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Decline

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Increase

nmlkj

No change

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj


Early childhood administrators

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Early childhood teachers in child care centers

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Early childhood teachers in Head Start

nmlkj

Early childhood teachers in PreK

nmlkj

Family child care providers

nmlkj

Home visitors

nmlkj

Consultants, mentors, coaches

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Special education/ early intervention teachers

nmlkj

Specialists (e.g., speech, OT, PT)

nmlkj

Not Sure

nmlkj



Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey36. What percentage of participants/students follow through with completing the training/coursework necessary to earn a credential or degree?

37. On average, how long does it take for a student to attain:

38. What are the barriers in participants/students completing training and/or education (check all that apply)?

39. Other comments to share related to utilization

The next 6 questions are specific to professional development alignment. This refers to how well regulations, requirements, and standards articulate to one another and the degree to which a practitioner can easily navigate his/her way through the professional development system.

less than a year

a year 2 years 3 years 4 yearsmore than 4 years

a credential nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

an Associates degree nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

a Bachelors degree nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

a Graduate degree nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

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Alignment and Professional Development

025%

nmlkj

2650%

nmlkj

5175%

nmlkj

75100%

nmlkj

Funding/Cost

gfedc

Scheduling and time

gfedc

Employer support insufficient

gfedc

Unsure of the value in higher education attainment

gfedc

Family commitments

gfedc

Academics/expectations too rigorous

gfedc

Not enough support

gfedc


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey40. Is the professional development that you provide coordinated across sectors?

41. If your professional development is coordinated with others, who do you coordinate with?

42. How have early childhood partnerships been strengthened in Oklahoma to assist with professional development (check all that apply)?

43. Give an example(s) of crosssectors that have aligned standards/requirements/articulation successfully.

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Yes

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No

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj

Interagency agreements

gfedc

Formalized crosssector agreements

gfedc

Local councils/groups made up of a crosssector of early childhood entities that meet and communicate regularly

gfedc

Involvement within Oklahoma's early childhood advisory council

gfedc


gfedc

There has been no effort to strengthen early childhood partnerships to help with professional development

gfedc

Not Sure

gfedc


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey44. To what degree are the following aligned: (1=not aligned and 5=highly aligned)

45. Other comments related to professional development alignment

The next 4 questions are focused on policies specific to professional development. These are formalized through documentation and are referenced in the decisionmaking process.

46. What policies does your institution/organization have in place specific to professional development (check all that apply)?

1 2 3 4 5Not Sure

N/A

professional development opportunities across sectors nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with teacher licensing nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with credential programs nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with Head Start standards nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with PreK standards nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's QRIS: Reaching for the Stars standards nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's child care licensing nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

core competencies for early childhood practitioners with OK's professional development ladder nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

professional standards with competency demonstration nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

communitybased training with credential programs nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

communitybased training with degree programs nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

data collection, data sharing and data dissemination nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

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gfedc

Eligibility requirements

gfedc

Attendance

gfedc

Syllabi that outline expectations related to assignments and grades

gfedc

Prerequisite requirements

gfedc

Practicum requirements

gfedc

Technical Assistance eligibility requirements

gfedc


Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey47. How often are your policies related to professional development reviewed and revised?

48. To what degree are your professional development policies: (1=not effective and 5=highly effective)

49. Other comments related to professional development policies

The next 3 questions focus on employment in the early education profession and the equity of compensation within the various early childhood sectors.

1 2 3 4 5Not Sure

N/A

relevant to the most current regulations nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

relevant to the most current research on professional development best practices nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

promoting higher education attainment nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

clearly understood and articulated to practitioners in the filed nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

supporting practitioners in their everyday work in the field nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

supporting highquality professional development opportunities nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

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Employment & Compensation Parity

As needed

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Annually

nmlkj

Every two years

nmlkj

Every 3 years

nmlkj

Every five years

nmlkj

More than every five years

nmlkj

Not sure

nmlkj

Oklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment SurveyOklahoma Professional Development Assessment Survey50. What are the longterm impacts of early childhood practitioners getting a credential or degree (rate the top three where 1=most common impact)?

51. To what degree is employment and compensation parity considered in the following: (1=not considered and 5=highly considered)

52. Other comments related to employment and compensation parity.

6 Going from one sector (e.g., child care center) to another (e.g., public school)

6 New job title

6 Increased wages

6 Promotion to the next level within the organization

6 Increased support to continue with education

1 2 3 4 5Not Sure

N/A

roles and responsibilities nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

education attainment nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

comparable salaries among the different early childhood sectors nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

rewards for investing in professional development opportunities nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

career pathway policies nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

articulation agreements nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

recruitment and retention nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

data tracking and sharing nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

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Oklahoma Early Childhood Professional Development Assessment

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