Random Selection
One of the assistant teachers in the selected classroom is out on the assessment day.
What is...
-Continue to assess the classroom (our policy only requires the lead teacher to be present to proceed with the assessment).
You have been in a classroom for an hour and and half and 50% of the children have not arrived yet.
What is...
-Ask the teacher or program leader for more information. Is this typical for the program?
-Contact your manager. If you are close to 50%, you can likely continue the observation.
The program leader asks to participate in the teacher interview.
What is...
-Politely remind the program leader about the purpose of the teacher interview and let him/her know that any information they share will not be considered. If they still insist on sitting in on the interview, there is a drop-down option at the bottom of the report template where you can indicate that the program leader participated in the interview.
I think I'm going to be late to my assessment.
What is...
-If you're going to be less than 10-15 minutes late and won't be missing any of the arrival activities, you should first try to get in contact with the program leader to let them know (more important than calling your manager, unless your manager has requested otherwise).
-However, if you're going to be late and think you might miss part of arrival, you should also inform your manager so you can strategize about how to collect the information you missed.
The lead teacher in one of the pre-K classrooms is out on the assessment day.
What is...
-Exclude that classroom from the random selection.
After randomly selecting a classroom, the staff appear to bring you to a classroom that is different from what you had selected (or the program leader appears to make some sort of staffing switch).
What is...
-Clarify the information with the program leader and inform your manager if you require more support.
You forgot to ask the teacher a question and need that information to accurately score.
What is...
-Inform your manager and (with the manager's approval), reach back out to the program to confirm a time to talk to the teacher. Note that the information you need should be gathered from the teacher, not the program leader.
You need to reschedule an assessment but you can't fit it in to your schedule without doing a back-to-back.
-Inform your manager and try to see if there's a way to adjust your expectations (or move the assessment to the end of the trimester).
The program offers 3-K and Pre-K.
What is...
-Include both types of classrooms in the random selection.
During your observation, you overhear the teacher telling children "We're not going to open all of the Centers today since so many of our friends are out sick."
What is...
-This is likely not a typical day and the assessment should be rescheduled.
The teacher tells you that they aren't sure what happens during their prep period because they aren't in the classroom.
What is...
-Ask who is responsible for the class during that time and let the teacher know that you would like to ask some follow-up questions about what happens during that time.
You want to swap a site with another evaluator.
What is...
-Speak with your manager about the swap. If your manager approves, put in a ticket and move forward with the swap.
What is...
-Include all of the classrooms in the pool. Any classroom with a Pre-K for All funded child should be assessed.
The program you are scheduled to assess has four classrooms, but two of the classrooms have different start times and one of the classrooms is a half-day program.
What is...
-Inform the program leader that you will arrive 30 minutes prior to the earliest start time. If the earlier class is selected, you will begin the assessment. If one of the classes with a later start time is selected, inform the program leader you will come back 30 minutes prior to that classroom's start time.
The teacher tells you that prep teachers (Music, Yoga, Art) push in during Center Time.
What is...
-Ask clarifying questions to find out where and how these activities take place (does it prevent children from being able to access certain centers? is it an active/quiet issue? are they required?)
Something happened at the program you were observing and you're not sure if it's considered to be an incident/should be reported to the intake team.
What is...
-Refer to the Incident Response Guide. If the situation you observed should be reported to intake, follow the appropriate procedures in the close-out form.
-If you forgot to mention it in the close-out form, send an email to the intake team (following the format in the Incident Response Guide) and copy both managers.
The length of time a lead teacher needs to have been in their position in order to move forward with an assessment.
What is..
-Four weeks. However, if you find out about the vacancy less than two weeks before the assessment date and the teacher filling the vacancy has been in their position for at least two weeks, you can move forward with the assessment (this includes if an assistant teacher is serving in their role).
You arrive to a program and find out that most of the instruction takes place in Russian, but you don't understand the language and weren't informed in advance.
What is...
-Inform your manager.
-Try to find out if there is someone else at the program who could serve as an interpreter without presenting a conflict of interest.
-If no one is available, you will need to reschedule the assessment (so that an interpreter can be present).
You don't observe gross motor play during your assessment because it's raining and occurs in the afternoon. The program leader tells you that they typically use a playground that is about a 5 minute walk from the school. Questions you will need to ask include:
What is...
-Ask the staff what happens on days when the class cannot go outdoors (you will need to see the space). In addition to being able to see the indoor gross motor space, you will also need to find out what this gross motor play period looks like (to know whether there are any differences in the types of equipment children have access to and/or free play).
-Ask for the name of the playground (you will still need to go to see it). You should also ask what outdoor play looks like when weather permits.