What is it about the education field that makes acronyms so appealing? We sprinkle our conversations, our writing, our planning, and our research with a heaping spoonful of DAP, ECE, CDA, OCDEL, CQI, and more. Keeping the letters, nicknames, and acronyms straight is a challenge, and that challenge can get in the way of seeing how the varied elements and resources can connect.
While not comprehensive, the following list focuses on the acronyms we often use in Keystone STARS activities. Did you know that “STARS” itself is an acronym?
STARS = Standards, Training & Professional Development, Assessment, Resources and Support
PQA = Program Quality Assessment – The assessors from the Pennsylvania Key’s PQA Team partner with early learning programs to support observations of classroom practices and planning for growth.
IA = Internal Assessment – IAs include observations of the spaces, toys, activities, and relationships children experience during the program and assessment of the program’s leadership and management practices and policies.
IAP = Internal Assessment Process – The IAP is an opportunity for you and your staff to gather with partners and colleagues to discuss how the information collected through IAs can be used for planning.
IAP Team = Internal Assessment Process Team – The IAP Team automatically includes program leadership, the program’s Quality Coach, and a partner assessor from the PQA Team. Teachers, Support specialists, and other stakeholders might also be part of your IAP Team.
POI = Program Observation Instrument – Program staff use POIs to complete their IAs. The PQA Team also uses POIs to support IAP activities and other Pennsylvania quality initiatives. POIs are a family-sized scoop of acronyms! Some that might be familiar include:
- ERS = Environment Rating Scales
- CLASS = Classroom Assessment Scoring System
- ICP = Inclusive Classroom Profile
- BAS = Business Administration Scale
For your IAP work, select a POI (or multiple POIs!) that considers practices and policies important to you and your team.
Learn more about the POIs used in Keystone STARS by visiting the PQA pages of the Pennsylvania Key website: Program Observation Instruments (POIs) – The Pennsylvania Key
CQI = Continuous Quality Improvement – CQI is an approach to ongoing learning and growth. It connects information gathering, discussion, and goal-setting in a cycle that can be repeated and regularly updated. For Keystone STARS, the information gathering happens through the use of POIs, the discussion occurs among the IAP Team, and the goal-setting is supported through the IAP activities.
PD = Professional development – Professional development includes a variety of learning activities and experiences that support all of us in our work. It includes informal and formal education, coaching, peer learning conversations, and more. PD that enhances the IAP experience might include:
- An assessor from the PQA Team joining your staff meeting to talk about POIs, IAP, and the CQI cycle.
- Your partnering assessor and your program’s internal assessment observer complete a co-observation and then discuss the experience.
- Your partnering assessor meeting with teachers as a resource for using IA feedback.
Completing professional development will support your use of your selected POI and enhance your planning for improvement. Your Quality Coach or partnering assessor can help you locate available POI PD and subscribe to The Buzz on PD in PA for updates when new courses are available – eNews & Archive – The Pennsylvania Key
