ECTC Faculty Guidance Handbook

The Early Childhood Teacher Credential (ECTC)

Faculty Guidance Handbook

This handbook is designed to provide faculty with guidance on where to find the most current ECTC information. The most current information will be helpful when advising students and for faculty to remain updated on ECTC policies and practices. Most of the information faculty will need is found on the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Website under Workforce . Throughout the document you will notice links to specific information. Please visit the Workforce Website often to be sure you have the most current work.

What is the ECTC?

The ECTC is a credential that is issued through the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood which validates that an individual meets teacher competencies in six standards areas.

The credential is awarded at two levels:

Associate’s Degree level with an endorsement(s)

• Infant/toddler OR
• Preschool OR
• Both

Bachelor Degree level with an endorsement(s)

• Infant/toddler OR
• Preschool OR
• Both

ThisECTC Flyercan be used for marketing your ECTC planned program of study. The ECTC has a rich Historyrooted in the work of the Early Childhood Cabinet, workgroups comprised of higher education faculty and other stakeholders, and legislative context.

The ECTC is an Employment Advantage

Target Audience:

Connecticut legislation addresses staff qualifications for teachers working in state-funded programs (School Readiness, Child Day Care Contracted sites, and sites receiving State Head Start supplemental funds). Generally, any student who wishes to teach in early childhood programs would benefit from attaining the ECTC as state-funded programs expand throughout the state. The ECTC acts as one of the documents that the individual can showas meeting the educational requirements to be considered for teaching positions in state-funded programs. The other two documents are a State Department of Education certification in early childhood or workforce Registry status as being grandfathered in by June 30, 2015.Click here for the policy onEducator Requirements for State Funded Programs .

Why the ECTC?

• Accessible credential that is free and open to all individuals working in the early childhood field
• Process of achieving the ECTC improves teaching and learning in early childhood classrooms by aligning college coursework to national early childhood professional preparation standards
• Provides individuals with documentation that they meet the legislative teacher requirements for publicly-funded programs (School Readiness, Child Day Care Contract and State Head Start)
• Supports competency-based professional learning
• Portable across programs

Pathways to the ECTC

There are two paths for students and the current workforce to attain the ECTC:

1. Graduate from an approved (by the Board of Regents or the Office of Higher Education and the Office of Early Childhood) institution offering an early childhood type ofdegree as described in the legislation in the timeframe associated with the institution’s approval.Click here for approved institutionlisting.
2. Complete the Individual Review Process designed for those graduating from a non-approved institution and/or needs documentation that they have met the legislative requirements should they wish to change employment status across state-funded programs.

After July 1, 2017, individuals that did not graduate from an approved institution and do not have a grandfather endorsement through the Connecticut Early Childhood Professional Registry must submit documents for review through the Individual Review Route to become a Qualified Staff Member (QSM) in a state-funded program. Click here for the policy on Educator Requirements for State Funded Programs.

Scholarships

Within available state appropriations scholarships may be available to students seeking to complete their degree. Students can contact CT Charts-A-Course at for information about application timelines and speak to a career counselor.

Moving Students through the Traditional Route Process

A coordinated effort on the part of colleges, the Office of Early Childhood as well as the individual applicant, is required to validate and successfully route students through the application process. These simple steps will help faculty navigate the process and should fit nicely into your advising routine.

1. As soon as possible, advise students to enroll in the Registry at but definitely before their final semester. The student should be able to give you their Registry ID number in order for you to complete the Student Verification Form. The Registry ID number is required on the Verification Form so that we can appropriately match people with their Registry records.

1. At the end of each semester, please forward the Student Verification form to Deb Adams at in a PDF format with the your signature verifying that the name, Registry ID, name of college, name of degree and identifying information about the specifics of the degree (example: BS in Human Development and Family Studies, Early Childhood Education Program). Pay particular attention to the endorsement level you are approving the student to hold. In many cases students apply for all endorsement levels but may be verified to only hold one. We make that change in the Registry based on your Verification Form.

1. The student will submit the required information associated with the ECTC application to the Connecticut Early Childhood Professional Registry. Once the Registry has completed applications a list will be sent to Deb Adams from the Registry document verifier asking for final approval. If the names and IDs sent by colleges on the Student Verification Form match those on the list for approval, OEC will sign off on the approval and students will be sent an email confirmation through the Registry notifying them of their application status and ability to download their credential. When records are verified through the Registry but the college has not verified the student the process is delayed and the applicant may be denied.

Counseling guidance

Not all students who approach you to obtain information about entering into the early childhood program are a match for certain roles in the field nor do they understand the multiple roles associated with the field. As the advisor it is critical to explain the many opportunities the early childhood field has to offer across sectors and settings (state funded, Head Start, licensed and unlicensed, directorship, family home provider, center-based teacher, public school para-professional, home visitors, interventionist such as Birth to Three, mental health consultant, social service roles, etc.). Be candid about what your planned program of study can offer to build competency to serve in one or more of the roles found in the early childhood field. The most common miss-understanding we find when candidates call OEC or the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is that they think the ECTC allows them to teach in the public schools under an early childhood endorsement. Below are some foundational differences between the ECTC and the CSDE early childhood endorsement. Please see CSDE Certification Webpage and the OEC ECTC Webpage for detailed information that can guide your conversation in describing the differences between the ECTC, CSDE certification, roles, and settings.

• The planned program of study for the ECTC is not the same path for CSDE’s licensure program.
• The CSDE’s program approval standards include alignment to NAEYC professional preparation standards AND alignment to the Council of Exceptional Children standards; the ECTC planned program of study requirement is alignment to NAEYC professional preparation standards[AD1].
• The CSDE’s planned program of study requirement include key assessments as does the ECTC planned program of study approval, however, the CSDE also requires standardized tests for certification the ECTC path does not, unless the institution chooses to require tests such as Praxis 1 for the ECTC path.
• The CSDE’s process to review candidates from non-approved programs is a review of transcripts and teaching experience by SDE staff. Based on the review candidates may be asked to enroll in courses that would allow them to meet the certification requirements. The ECTC has a similar process for candidates from non-approved programs called the Individual Review Route where candidates submit transcripts and teaching experience. The material is reviewed by an independent contractor. Based on the review, the candidate may be asked to develop a portfolio on how they meet the ECTC standards that are found to be lacking in the program from which they attended. Two independent raters review the portfolio and recommendations are provided to the candidate to either submit further information or perhaps engage in professional learning opportunities to meet the standard.

Program Approval Process

Connecticut higher education institutions wishing to seek approval of an early childhood planned program of study can apply for a review using the Institution ECTC Application. The application has policy and practice information that is useful to guide implementation of the ECTC path. It is encouraged that you refer to the application for general information about the following:

• ECTC standards
• Transfer policies and practices
• Fieldwork and practicum requirements
• Key assessments

Instructions for submission are found within the application. Reviews occur as programs express their interest and readiness to apply. Generally, a review cycle begins in early winter for potential approval over the summer. Should institutions need time to revise application materials, a second review could occur in the fall for potential approval for spring semester.

Program Renewal

Associate degree ECTC approved programs will follow a calendar for ECTC program renewal every 7 years to coincide with the NAEYC approval cycle. A copy of the reports for the national and state approval systems by which they are approved (NAEYC) will be sent to the OEC for review along with ECTC key assessment data describing pass rates and trends used for reflection on course content alignment to standards and shifts in assessment revisions. Proposed revisions to the program should also be submitted at this time or as they occur. A site visit and/or a phone interview will be conducted regarding program changes, staffing, goals, enrollment, and general compliance with the ECTCstandards and approval process.

Bachelor degree ECTC approved programs that are also approved by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and/or the CSDE will follow a calendar for ECTC program renewal every 7 yearsto coincide with their CAEP and/or approval process. A copy of the CAEP and/or CSDE reports specific to the early childhood program will be sent to the OEC for review along with ECTC key assessment data describing pass rates and trends used for reflection on course content alignment to standards and shifts in assessment revisions. Proposed revisions to the program should also be submitted at this time or as they occur. A site visit and/or a phone interview will be conducted regarding program changes, staffing, goals, enrollment, and general compliance with the CAEP and/or CSDE standards and approval process.

Bachelor degree ECTC approved programs that are not approved by any other national or state approval body will follow a calendar for ECTC program renewal every 7 years. The Request for Renewal document[create document and post – model off NAEYC and CSDE docs] will be completed and sent to OEC for review, including but not limited to, ECTC key assessment data describing pass rates and trends used for reflection on course content alignment to standards and shifts in assessment revisions. Proposed revisions to the program should also be submitted at this time or as they occur. A site visit and/or a phone interview will be conducted regarding program changes, staffing, goals, enrollment, and general compliance the ECTC approval standards and process.

Questions Regarding this Document Please Contact

Deborah Adams at

or call 860 713-6744

Additional Information

Key Assessments

Key Assessments are faculty developed, uniform assignments for which program faculty use the same rubrics and weighting across all class sections of a course where the key assessments are placed. Key assessments are designed to measure growth in competency over time. Faculty intentionally develops key assessments to connect standards across courses. A key assessment is NOT a measure that only addresses content of one course but integrates strands for content aligned to standards across courses. They help faculty monitor student performance across the planned program of study and provide data that informs faculty on cross-course standards alignment, trends in pass rates, need for student coaching, and reflection about revising course content, learning processes, and key assessments themselves.

Key Assessment Rubrics

A rubric is a “Coherent set of criteria for students’ work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality on the criteria.” (Brookhart, S. M., 2013. p. 4).

They describe what constitutes performance that is a) above standard, b) at standard, and c) below standard (which may be further classified as developing and unacceptable). Rubrics help answer the question: what does above standard, at standard, or below standard look like?

It is the combination of the well developed assignment that is aligned to the ECTC standards and assessed using well articulated rubrics that are the “what” and “how” of the assessment necessary to move towards ECTC program approval.

This section under construction: Any web resources that would be good for links to describe general process?

How to Develop

Creating Rubrics for Key Assessments

What is the value of using a rubric?

• Rubrics provide students specific feedback for performance improvement.

• Rubrics provide an examination of the extent to which specific criteria have been met (at

the aggregate level) for assignment/assessment improvement and overall

program improvement.

Creating Rubrics that Meet the Requirements of ECTC Program Approval

1. Identify the specific elements/criterion of the student’s assignment ‐ product, performance, or process ‐ (column 1) and the necessary qualities to demonstrate proficient (Target) performance (the highest level)
2. These elements should be outlined in the student’s assignment. Each element should have a descriptive word or phrase and, if applicable, a numeric weight to be applied. The qualities defined for top performance will form the top level of the scoring criteria for the scoring rubric (Target).

3. Once the top level of performance is defined, define the lowest level of performance (Unacceptable).

4. Contrast the top and the lowest levels to identify at least one middle score level (Acceptable).

5. Use descriptive words to define performance in each score category. Avoid judgmental statements. Provide enough detailed information about the assessment activity that program reviewers can clearly see the behavior expectation of students. Do not include vague language that can be broadly interpreted.

6. Cross‐reference rubric elements with specific association standard elements.

7. Performance expectations can be grouped by association standard to include standard sub‐elements (e.g., 2.3 a, b, c).

8. Try to avoid grouping performance expectations across association standards unless it makes sense to do so (e.g. 2.3, 4.6, 5.4, etc.). Make sure each element focuses on standards that teach directly to the specific ECTC standards identified. It is difficult to determine how well a student is achieving mastery on any one standard element if this is not done.

9. Include all performance measures that are of importance

Please note that aggregated data results should be looked at by standard elements (e.g., 2.3, 4.6, etc.) for each course. All sections of one course must use the same rubric for key assessments in order to aggregate the results for the course.

What data does this practice generate?

When using key assessments and rubrics in your program the data generated will address specific ECTC standards by key assessment by course. It will afford program faculty and staff the opportunity to see how well the course, as designed, is delivering information and experiences targeted to the contents of the standards. It is designed to be a reflective look at course content and process of course design and delivery.

How to use the data generated

What you want to know about your program to prepare students for the ECTC is the following:

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how young children learn

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to prepare learning environments for young children

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to work with the families of young children and the communities in which the children live

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to observe, document and assess the learning of young children

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to use developmentally appropriate approaches

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum

Are we providing the appropriate content to enable the students to know how to engage professionally in the field.

Are we employing multiple methods of delivery to cultivate knowledge, understanding and practice across each standards area.

When analyzed the data generated from the key assessments should inform you about how you are delivering the content and how well the students are absorbing the content delivered.

Making changes to key assessments

After working wit a key assessment for a few semesters it may become obvious that the assessment is not yielding all the information you hoped it would. This might be due to a problem with the design of the assessment, the directions provided for the students, the actual course content that is actually not aligned with the key assessment or a problem with the key assessment rubric.