Approved Assessors

Great Start to Quality offers those individuals who work with early childhood programs and providers in Michigan opportunities to be directly involved.

An Approved Assessor is an Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) or a reliable observer and is able to conduct the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) or the Social Emotional Learning Program Quality Assessment (SEL PQA) for those working towards achieving the Demonstrating Quality level in Great Start to Quality.

While GSQ is using the 2008 version of the CLASS Pre-K, K-3 tools, Approved Assessors may be trained and reliable in either the 2008 version or the Pre-K-3 CLASS 2nd Edition tool.

To be eligible to use an Approved Assessor, the program must complete the accreditation process with either NAEYC or NAFCC or have an agreement (grant-funded or otherwise) for implementation of a program whose operation is overseen by an external partner that supports program quality, such as:

• Great Start Readiness Programs
• Early Head Start
• Head Start
• 21st Century Learning Community Centers
• Local PreK Programs

What Programs Need to Know

Programs must coordinate with both the Approved Assessor and Great Start to Quality once the Validation is complete.  The program must notate the Approved Assessor’s name on the On-Site Observation Questions Form, and the Approved Assessor must take the necessary steps to acquire the proper user role in the MiRegistry system with the support from GSQ Assessment Manager.  To be eligible to use school year scores, Approved Assessors must be assigned by May 30 and enter scores in MiRegistry by June15. If an Approved Assessor is not assigned, that means the program is not in the place in the quality improvement process to use scores from the current school year.

GSRP and Head Start programs currently participating in the GSQ process that have a CLASS observation conducted by an ECS or other CLASS-reliable observer are eligible to have those CLASS scores entered directly into the GSQ system as an Approved Assessor for the On-Site Observation portion of the process. 

What Approved Assessors Need to Know

In our efforts to work collaboratively within Michigan’s early childhood system, for classrooms using CLASS as the selected evaluation tool the GSRP Early Childhood Specialists (ECS), or whomever is completing the program evaluation observations for the GSRP classrooms, will be assigned as the Approved Assessor for the program’s GSRP classrooms.

What does this mean? When it is time for a program to renew their GSQ level, it will be the responsibility of the Approved Assessor to conduct the observation and provide the scores to GSQ. GSQ will work with the approved assessors to allow for the observation to occur during the March 1 – May 30 assessment window required for GSRP. Approved Assessors are assigned according to when they move through the quality improvement and can happen any time of year.

In order to be a Great Start to Quality Approved Assessor you must have all of the following: 

• Meet reliability as defined by Teachstone in the appropriate version of the CLASS tool annually and Weikart for the SEL PQA every two years.
• Be free of conflict of interest according to a list of criteria.
• Complete the Great Start to Quality Approved Assessor Certification Process, which includes an orientation webinar and follow-up questionnaire. The questionnaire follows the webinar session. Early Childhood Specialists with GSRP are exempt from this requirement.
• Meet reliability as defined by Teachstone in the appropriate version of the CLASS tool annually and Weikart for the SEL PQA every two years.
• Have a current MiRegistry account

Timing

Great Start to Quality measures quality at a point-in-time. An Approved Assessor is assigned at a specific point following Validation. If a program has not reached that point in the process, an Approved Assessor will not be assigned. Because programs move through the process at different points in the school-year, Approved Assessors may be assigned outside of the typical time when GSRP or Head Start programs conduct their program observations.

• School-Year only programs: The Approved Assessor must be assigned by May 30 and scores must be input in MiRegistry by June 15 to use the current school year scores. Programs with an assigned Approved Assessor, who do not have scores not entered by June 15 for the current school year program, the program’s quality level will be published at Enhancing-Quality Validated.
• Year round programs: Scores must be input into MiRegistry within 30 days of assignment unless prior arrangements have been made with the GSQ Assessment Manager.

After all documentation and verification is received and completed, the Approved Assessor will receive a confirmation email that they are approved to enter scores for GSQ and an Approved Assessor user role has been assigned in MiRegistry.

Approved Assessor Scores

• A copy of the score sheets must be uploaded in the system
• Only scores from the current school year can be used
• If a program submits for Validation and On-Site Observation on or after July 1, they must use the next year’s scores
• Approved Assessor scores are subject to Internal Review
• A minimum of 3 CLASS cycles per assigned group/classroom must be conducted for GSQ

How to Become an Approved Assessor

Early Childhood Specialists supporting GSRPs are automatically Approved Assessors if they are realizable in CLASS. Classroom Coach, while used in GSRP, cannot be used for GSQ.

Individuals that are interested in becoming an Approved Assessor, and support other programs, must complete the certification process.

You can view a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for those looking to become or those who are currently an Approved Assessor.