The Mississippi Early Childhood Association (MsECA) is seeking your input TODAY on a very important issue involving legislation for pre-kindergarten in Mississippi. The proposed legislation names the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) as the lead agency in administering the funds. MDE will award funds through a competitive grant process whereby a voluntary prekindergarten program shall be provided through a community collaborative among entities currently providing prekindergarten programs. The collaborative shall be among entities providing prekindergarten programs including Head Start, licensed child care facilities and licensed public, parochial and private prekindergarten programs. (SB 2395)
A great deal of conversation has transpired regarding the type of program assessment measure that should be used in determining the level of quality all collaborative programs display. We need to hear from you as to your choice to measure program quality. A list of national recognized assessment tools are listed below with a link to an in depth description. One measure named in the Senate Bill 2396 is the QRS currently used in Mississippi, with the center rating of 3 at a minimum.
The tools listed are based on the criteria that they are used in other states to measure the quality of pre-kindergarten classrooms; they have national reliability and reliability and require training for observers to use them. The list also includes the MS Quality Step System since national measures are included in the system.