The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is an important partner within the Race to the Top (RT3) program.
DECAL leads the efforts for the Early Childhood Initiative projects for RT3. Georgia’s Early Childhood Initiative will allow Georgia’s Pre-K Program to create a statewide professional development framework that improves classroom quality for the state’s approximately 4,000 Pre-K teachers. This program focuses on key teacher-child interactions that research conclusively links to improved child outcomes. DECAL will utilize the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), which is an observational tool that provides a common lens and language focused on the classroom interactions that boost student learning.
Over the course of three years, Georgia’s Pre-K Program will measure the effectiveness of four different professional development models:
My Teaching Partner (MTP): an intensive, year-long, one-on-one coaching program.Making the Most of CLASSroom Interactions (MMCI): a ten two-hour session course delivered over a semester.
Understanding the CLASS Framework (UCF): four, three-hour sessions offered over a two-day period
Looking at CLASSrooms: a six-month, self-study program developed specifically to help teachers improve their classroom interaction