Eric.ed.gov – Children’s Outcomes and Program Quality in the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2012-2013 Statewide Evaluation

The purpose of the 2012-2013 North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) Evaluation study was to examine the quality of the program and the outcomes for children, along with comparisons to previous years. The primary research questions addressed by this evaluation included: (1) What were the key characteristics of the local NC Pre-K programs?; (2) What was the quality of the NC Pre-K classrooms attended by children and what factors were associated with better quality?; (3) What were the outcomes of children attending the NC Pre-K Program and what factors were associated with better outcomes?; and (4) To what extent have there been any changes over time in these results? To address these questions, information was gathered from multiple sources, including monthly service reports, teacher surveys, observations of classroom quality, and individual assessments of children’s outcomes. The statewide monthly service report data provided information about characteristics of the program and demographic information about the children served. Observations conducted in a random sample of 99 NC Pre-K classrooms provided information about classroom quality, including global classroom quality, teacher-child instructional interactions, language and literacy environment, and sensitivity of teacher-child interactions, and teacher surveys provided information about classroom characteristics and teacher perceptions. Child outcomes data were gathered for a sample of 561 children to examine changes in language, literacy, math, general knowledge, and behavior skills over the course of the pre-k year. For 117 Spanish-speaking dual language learners (DLLs) in the sample, skills were measured in both English and Spanish using parallel measures. Key findings in this study include: (1) Many of the characteristics of the NC Pre-K Program were consistent with good quality standards, as well as program guidelines; (2) In general, most program characteristics have been fairly stable over time; and (3) One continuing trend in the NC Pre-K Program has been a steady improvement in the levels of teacher education and credentials, with increases in both of these areas in 2012-2013 compared to past years. [For the previous report, “Quality and Characteristics of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2011-2012 Statewide Evaluation,” see ED541936.]