Margarita Milenova, PhD, program quality specialist, was certified as an anchor for the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales Third Edition (ECERS-3) after four days of rigorous in-the-field testing. ECERS-3 is a tool for measuring the quality of early childhood classrooms. In this Q & A, Milenova explains how the tool is used in classroom observations and what it means to be an ECERS-3 anchor.
What does the ECERS-3 measure?
MM: ECERS-3 is part of a suite of Environment Rating Scales (ERS) products. These products look at aspects of classroom quality like classroom setup, materials, and interactions between children and educators. A lot of states use ERS products in their quality rating and improvement systems for early childhood education.
This is not the same as licensing. Classroom observers are not looking at issues like basic safety considerations. However, they do look at aspects of the children’s environment, like furniture. For example, are there enough chairs for all the children to have the opportunity to sit down for a snack or to work on an art project? Are the chairs the right size so that the children are able to sit comfortably?
What else are you looking for when you do a classroom observation with the ECERS-3?
You look at how much time children have access to materials, measured in minutes. You also look at interactions. Let’s say there’s a display on the wall. Is the educator talking about that display? How are they talking about it? You look at how educators use math talk as part of daily events. In other words, how is math integrated into children’s day other than through planned math activities?
There are 35 categories of items in ECERS-3, and the math category is just one of them. During an observation, you fill out a score sheet that is several pages long. It lists the subscales, items, and indicators. You write down notes on your score sheet describing what you observe. You also carry an ECERS-3 manual so you can refer to it as you observe, take notes, and write down examples.
Scoring should happen right after the observation. There is a numerical score for each item. You then provide the program you’re observing with a feedback report. Then it’s up to the program what they want to do with their scores. The whole process of observing takes three hours.
You traveled to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for four days of testing. Why?
The Environment Rating Scales Institute is located at UNC-Chapel Hill. They developed the ERS tools, and they offer training and testing to be certified as a reliable observer. “Reliable” means you’ve shown you can use the tool accurately over time.
The ECERS-3 is an updated tool that replaces ECERS-R. I have been an ECERS-R observer for a long time, and the new tool has a lot of commonalities with that, but the scales are different. One major difference is that ECERS-3 has additional indicators that focus on interactions. Before, the scales emphasized the environment more. Now they emphasize interactions as well.
Reliability testing consisted of going into child care centers and doing observations for four days in a row. We did observations in groups of two or three, along with a group facilitator who provided feedback. We observed the same things, took notes, assigned scores, and debriefed with the group facilitator.
People came from all over the US to participate in training and testing. To be certified as reliable, you have to score 80% across three days of testing. But there are two levels above that that you can go for. If you get 85%, you are certified to provide technical assistance to programs. If you get above 85%, you’re certified as an anchor.
It was an intensive experience. Scores were not conveyed privately so everyone knew if someone succeeded or failed in hitting the percentage they were aiming for. For me, it was stressful because I had to switch from ECERS-R to ECERS-3. But it wasn’t just me–everyone else was exhausted, too! The team at UNC is amazing, though, especially the group facilitators who provide feedback.
Congratulations on being certified as an ECERS-3 anchor! What does being an anchor entail?
Basically, the anchor is the standard of reliability. So, if I do a classroom observation as part of a team, the other observers can check their results against mine.
To learn more about the ECERS-3 and classroom observations, or to hire CEED to conduct ECERS-3 observations, fill out our interest form.