The eleventh, and final, meeting of the CAEL QIS Advisory Committee was held at the Yolo County Office of Education on December 7, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This meeting was joined through video conferencing by participants at the Orange and Fresno County Offices of Education, coordinated through the California County Superintendents Education Service Association (CCSESA).
1.0 - Welcome, Introductions, and Review Agenda
The following Advisory Committee members introduced themselves: Dennis Vicars, Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither, Celia Ayala, Cliff Marcussen, Consuelo Espinosa, Lynn Podesto for Jeannie Oropeza, Maria Balakshian for Kris Perry, Toby Boyd, Dave Gordon, and Venus Garth. Sarah Tomlinson was absent. The CAEL QIS Expert Consultants were Abby Cohen, National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC); Susan Muenchow, American Institute of Research (AIR); Gail Zellman, RAND; and Lynn Karoly, RAND, who joined via conference call. California Department of Education (CDE) staff included Roberta Peck, Simon Marquez, and Amanda Lopez.
Camille Maben, Co-Chairperson, welcomed the Advisory Committee and called the meeting to order at 9:06 a.m.
2.0 - Public Discussion: There was no public comment.
3.0 - Comments from Co – Chairpersons: Camille Maben mentioned that the CDE Child Development Division (CDD) has been busy in the transition from CAEL QIS to the Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) and finishing the Final Report.
4.0 - Comments from Advisory Committee Members: Celia Ayala, Consuelo Espinosa, Dave Gordon, and Cliff Marcussen thanked the staff and members of their respective Subcommittees for their hard work and participation throughout the CAEL QIS process. The Advisory Committee members presented Roberta Peck with a congratulatory scroll that all the Advisory Committee members signed.
5.0 - Action Item
5.1 - CAEL QIS Final Report
Action Item: Approve CAEL QIS Final Report
Camille Maben thanked everyone who worked on the CAEL QIS Final Report; from the CDD staff who put in countless hours on top of their regular jobs at CDE and the lead staff (Roberta Peck and Simon Marquez), to the many Subcommittee members, expert consultants, CCSESA, First 5 and Packard Foundation funders, and the Yolo County Office of Education.
Roberta Peck, CDE/CDD, and Susan Muenchow, AIR, reviewed the Executive Summary, Final Report, Appendices, and the transmittal letter to the Governor and Legislature. It was clarified that the Final Report being reviewed by the Advisory Committee had a few minor formatting and header edits, but that the substance and content of the report is the focus of the Committee’s review. Committee members were asked to put their edits into three different categories: (1) grammar edits; (2) accuracy of statements in the report; and (3) direction or policy changes. The direction or policy changes will be forwarded to ELAC and not incorporated into the Final Report. Suggested edits need to be provided during the meeting, and the changes incorporated through the vote on the Final Report.
Committee Discussion:
Several Advisory Committee members had clarifying edits for the Final Report. There was a suggestion that the writing team would make the proposed edits during a break in the meeting, and come back for final vote and approval of the report with the edits included. Cliff Marcussen clarified that there should not be any further clarifying edits made after today unless they’re grammatical corrections. The Advisory Committee edits were added to the edits compiled from the December 6 Steering Committee meeting.
There were concerns expressed from an Advisory Committee member regarding the language of the transmittal letter providing implicit direction to ELAC and the need for recommendations from pilot projects before proceeding with implementation. Clarification was provided that the CAEL QIS Advisory Committee recommended developing pilot projects as part of the process of developing a quality rating and improvement system. There was also a suggestion to add the Governor’s seal to the transmittal letter with the Secretary of Education’s signature, in addition to the State Superintendent’s signature and seal.
Public Comment:
There were requests to add several organizations to the Acknowledgements Section of the Final Report, as well as inserting an explanation of the 8 core ECE courses under the ‘Staff Education and Training’ section of the Final Report.
There were also concerns regarding compensation and incentives for quality improvement given the current budget issues, and that ELAC needs to make the determination regarding equitable compensation for quality improvement. A concern was expressed about the link between advanced degrees and the research-based connection to positive outcomes for children. The representative from the Department of Finance also stated that the Final Report doesn’t go far enough in stating that the research is not conclusive regarding the impact of Bachelors degrees on child outcomes.
There were also comments made to thank the Advisory Committee and Subcommittee Chairs for an open and transparent process throughout the CAEL QIS development, including the feedback and recommendations for the Final Report.
Motion made by Celia Ayala and seconded by Consuelo Espinosa to approve the
CAEL QIS Final Report.
Motion was approved by majority vote, with eight – aye; three – no; and one absent.
Dennis Vicars provided a summation of the accomplishments of CAEL QIS and a charge to the Advisory Committee and participants to continue the next steps of implementation. Though the budget presents challenges, our true commitment to young children and the future of our State requires that we make our youngest children a priority. Dennis thanked the many members of the subcommittees, partner agencies, CDE/CDD staff, and the Advisory Committee members.
6.0 - Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:30p.m. by Camille Maben. The Members and participants were invited to join in celebrating the CAEL QIS work and final report by enjoying cake and coffee.