Transcript Designation Renewal

System for Designation Renewal of
Head Start and Early Head Start
Grantees
Colleen Rathgeb
Office of Head Start
Administration for Children and Families
September 12, 2012
1
Designation Renewal System
• The Improving Head Start Act changed Head Start
grants from indefinite to 5 year grants.
• The Act required HHS to develop a system for
“designation renewal.”
– Grantees determined to be delivering high quality and
comprehensive services receive a five year grant
automatically.
– Service areas where HHS can not determine that grantees
are delivering high quality and comprehensive services
shall be subject to an open competition.
2
Development of Rule
• Secretary’s Advisory Committee 2008
• Advisory Committee Report issued December 2008
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)issued
September 2010 -- 90 days for comment
o 16,000 public comments received
• Final Rule published November 9, 2011, and
became effective on December 9, 2011
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Final Rule for Designation Renewal System
1.
One Deficiency in meeting program performance standards
identified through monitoring
2.
CLASS Scores below a minimum threshold or in the lowest
10% in Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, or
Instructional Support
3.
Failure to establish, utilize and analyze children’s progress
on agency established School Readiness Goals
4.
Revocation of License to operate
5.
Suspension by OHS
6.
Debarment by another Federal or State agency or
disqualification from CACFP
7.
Determination from Audit of being at risk for failing to
continue as “Going Concern”
4
License Revocation
• An agency that has had a license revoked by a
state or local licensing agency and the
revocation has not been overturned or
withdrawn would be required to compete.
• Grantees must report the revocation of a
license to Office of Head Start within 10 days
6
License Revocation
• Many comments were received on license
revocation
• Final rule clarifies that condition is only a
revocation (or removal of a license to operate)
which is the final step in licensing corrective
action processes.
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Deficiency
• Systemic or substantial material failure of an agency in an area
of performance that the Secretary determines involves:
– A failure to comply with standards related to early childhood
development and health services, family and community partnerships, or
program design and management, including income verification
– A threat to the health, safety, or civil rights of children or staff
– A denial to parents of the exercise of their full roles and responsibilities
– The misuse of funds
– Loss of legal status or financial viability;
• Systemic or material failure of the governing body of any agency
to fully exercise its legal and fiduciary responsibilities; or
• Area of noncompliance that the agency has shown an
unwillingness or inability to correct after notice from the
Secretary.
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CLASS: Background
• The Head Start Act requires that as part of monitoring OHS
use “a valid and reliable observational instrument that
assesses classroom quality through dimensions of teacherchild interaction that are linked to positive child development
and later achievement.”
• The Act also requires that classroom quality as measured by
that tool be considered in DRS.
• The Conference Report suggested OHS consider using the
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) developed at
the University of Virginia.
• OHS is using the CLASS to fulfill these requirements.
• There is no requirement for any grantee to adopt the CLASS.
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CLASS: Background
• The CLASS is a valid and reliable observational instrument
that assesses classroom quality through multiple dimensions
of teacher-child interaction.
• Measures Three Domains of Classroom Quality:
– Emotional Support: Teachers’ skills in supporting social
and emotional functioning in the classroom.
– Classroom Organization: Classroom processes related to
the organization & management of children’s behavior,
time & attention.
– Instructional Support: Implementation of curricula to
effectively support children’s cognitive & language
development.
• Trained reliable CLASS observers use a seven point scale to
rate quality with Low (1-2) Mid (3-5) and High (6-7).
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CLASS Implementation
•
•
•
•
CLASS Professional Development since 2008
CLASS Monitoring Pilot in 2009
CLASS in 2010 and 2011 Triennial Monitoring
2012 CLASS Monitoring
– Assessor Pool
– Random Sampling of Classrooms
– Observation Cycles and Timing
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CLASS Condition for DRS
• Of those grantees assessed in CLASS in any year the
10% of grantees with the lowest average scores in
each domain will be required to compete.
– Additionally, a grantee with an average score below established
thresholds on any of the three CLASS domains will be required to
compete (even if that means more than 10% compete based on that
domain).
– If the lowest 10% in any of the three CLASS domains includes
grantees with a score of 6 or 7, those grantees would not be required
to compete (even if this means that fewer than 10% would be
required to compete based on that domain).
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School Readiness Goals Condition
• Responsible HHS official has determined that an
agency has not established program goals for
improving the school readiness of children in
accordance with requirement sand taken steps to
achieve those goals.
o Director of Office of Head Start is currently the responsible HHS
official
• Regulation further delineates requirements on
establishing goals and demonstrating the steps to
achieving those goals.
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Establish School Readiness Goals
• Agencies must establish program goals for improving
the school readiness of children participating in its
program that:
– Align with the Head Start Framework, State early learning
standards, and expectations of the schools;
– Are appropriate for the ages of children;
– Address, at a minimum, the domains of language and
literacy, cognition and general knowledge, physical wellbeing and motor development, social and emotional
development, and approaches toward learning; and
– Are established in consultation with parents.
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Demonstrate Use of School Readiness
Goals for Individual Children
• Analyzing individual ongoing, child-level
assessment data for all children and
• Using that data, in combination with input
from parents and families, to:
– determine each child’s status and progress with regard to,
at a minimum, language and literacy development,
cognition and general knowledge, approaches toward
learning, physical well-being and motor development, and
social and emotional development and
– individualize the experiences, instructional strategies, and
services to best support each child.
15
Demonstrate Use of School Readiness
Goals for Continuous Improvement
• Aggregating and analyzing child-level
assessment data at least three times per year
and using that data, in combination with
other program data, to:
– Determine progress toward meeting goals,
– Inform parents and the community of results, and
– Direct continuous improvement related to
curriculum, instruction, professional
development, program design and other program
decisions
16
Suspension by OHS
• An agency that has been suspended from the Head
Start or Early Head Start program by ACF and the
suspension has not been overturned or withdrawn
would be required to compete.
• Grantee can be suspended if
• Health or safety of children or staff are at risk, or
• There is serious risk of substantial injury to
property or loss of funds or violation of criminal
statute
17
Debarment or Disqualification
• An agency has been debarred from receiving
State or federal funds from another State or
federal agency will be required to compete
• An agency that has been disqualified from
CACFP will be required to compete
18
Audit Findings
• An agency is at risk for failing to continue
functioning as a “Going Concern”
o A finding of Going Concern means that an
organization fails to operate without the threat of
liquidation for the foreseeable future, a period of at
least 12 months
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HHS Grants Forecast
• Each Forecast includes:
 Service area
 Available Federal funds
 Expected number of awards
• 200+ Forecasts made public in
January
• Will continue to forecast and
announce Funding Opportunities
• www.acf.hhs.gov/
hhsgrantsforecast/
• grants.gov
• www.acf.hhs.gov/grants
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Grant Forecast Example
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Competition & Transition
• Open Competitions
o
o
o
o
Began in April of 2012
Paneling Completed in 2012
All Eligible Applicants
Objective Evaluative Process
• Transitions
o Minimal Disruption of Services to Children and
Families
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