Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Barbara Gerard
Committee Member
William Thayer
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
assessment, Chariho Intervention Preschool, Chariho Regional School District, child risk, chi-square, classroom observations, curriculum revision, directional t-test, early childhood education, FirstStep, interviews, parent surveys, preschool education, preschool teachers, professional development, program evaluation, Program Evaluation Standards, quantitative measures, qualitative measures, screeners, screening, triangulation approach
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the Chariho Intervention Preschool (CHIP) Program in the Chariho Regional School District in anticipation of a curriculum revision. FirstStep screening (Miller, 1993) was used in the CHIP Program to determine if a child was at risk. Teachers, parents, administrators, and screeners have asked important questions in regard to program offerings, professional development, and assessment.
Information was collected using a triangulation approach from preschool classroom observations, interviews with preschool teachers, administrators, and screeners and from parent surveys. In addition, pre- and postscreening raw scores from FirstStep of children enrolled in the CHIP Program from 2000—2003 were collected.
Quantitative measures analyzed data from FirstStep. A directional t-test was used on pre- and postscreening data to investigate achievement of children in the CHIP Program. Also, a chi-square was applied to parent survey responses. Qualitative measures included descriptive statistics for classroom observations and interviews. Protocols and procedures in this evaluation complied with Program Evaluation Standards.