Answering this question can provide insights about the features of quality that are assessed at each level and to identify the supports needed for CCEE programs to progress to higher levels in QRIS. This information may also be helpful in adjusting quality rating requirements to better differentiate the features of quality at each QRIS level. To answer this question, site level information can be used to identify QRIS participating programs and changes in their QRIS rating over time.
Do the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) ratings of early care and education program sites increase over time?
Description
General Analysis Recommendation
Identify the Quality Ratings of QRIS Participating CCEE Program Sites
Determining whether average quality ratings of program sites (Site ID) increase from year to year involves first determining the change in the individual program site’s QRIS Score. To include only operational programs, select those programs with indicated “Active” category in the option set for the Operational Status data element. The data element QRIS Participation History can be used to isolate program sites (Site ID) participating in the state’s QRIS by selecting the option “Program site currently participates in the QRIS.” The quality level of a program is indicated in the QRIS Score data element.
If the state does not have a QRIS but has another quality improvement system or initiative, use the data element Quality Improvement Participation to isolate program sites (Site ID) participating in the state’s other quality improvement initiative by selecting the option “Program site currently participates in another QI initiative”.
Calculate Changes in QRIS Ratings
Select the time period desired to calculate a change in score. Rating scores should never be overwritten so there should be a QRIS Score for every time a program site was rated. If program sites are not rated every year, scores will have to be collapsed across time periods such that it is possible to compare the most recent score with the previous one regardless of what year the rating actually took place.
To calculate the change in scores, subtract the previous QRIS Score from the current QRIS Score. Negative scores indicate a decrease in rating while positive scores indicate an increase. Divide the number of program sites that increased by the total number of rated sites, for the percent of sites that increased their quality scores. Average the scores across all program sites to determine the change in scores over time for all sites. Additional elements, such as Early Childhood Setting, can be used to examine changes in QRIS Scores for sub-groups of program sites.