1. Competency Based Training Through Online Courses

2. A Professional Development System Must Be Flexible:
A competency-based professional development system:
is flexible with multiple pathways for educators to achieve needed knowledge and skills;
provides a road map to degrees and new credentials;
helps educators self-assess their professional development needs;
guides professional growth at various career stages.

3. Connecting EPS and QRIS
EEC funded 4 online college-level courses to be developed with Higher Education:
Survey of EEC’s Core Competencies
Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences
Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers
Literacy and Language Development Birth to 8
To provide educators and providers with:
An understanding of core knowledge and skills and a way to assess their own professional development needs
Resources for age-appropriate curriculum and intentional learning
Supports needed to meet standards for QRIS Levels 2, 3, and 4
Delivered through the EPS system:
Partnerships will be offered training in facilitating the courses
Educators and providers will access these courses through their EPS Partnership
“Online” makes them available statewide
Develop educator competency
Increased program quality
Better outcomes for children
Quality assessments required by participation in QRIS will identify what improvements program improvements as well as inform educators about what areas of professional development are needed to improve program quality 3 3

4. EEC and Higher Education Collaboration
Requiring that courses be built for college credit assures quality while
providing flexibility to meet diverse needs of workforce
Modules can be used individually or combined into a course
Credit Worthy Courses
Courses can be taken for:
College Credit
Self Study
(non-credit)
Guided Study for CEUs
Ongoing
Professional Development
Core Competencies
1 credit
Yes
Preschool Guidelines
Infant Toddler Guidelines*
0-8 Literacy & Language*
3 credits
* Currently in development

5. EEC’s Partnership with UMass Boston:
UMass Boston developed two online courses:
Guidelines for Early Learning Experiences linked to Mass Frameworks for Pre-K ELA and Math
Survey course on EEC’s 8 Core Competency Areas
Designed for educators across mixed delivery system.
A research component will study how well this model works for our field.
It’s a sustainable use of ARRA funding.