The South Carolina Classroom Quality Research Project

This study examined the implementation of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS–R) Quality Rating System and the impact that the process had on the classroom and teachers’ beliefs and practices. Specifically, the extent to which the ECERS–R Observation System was effective in improving the quality of early childhood classrooms and the amount of training and support that was available to teachers were examined. Data indicate that the ECERS–R Observation System was successful in providing more than accountability data; the quality of the classrooms improved, teachers responded positively to the changes, and the department and schools gained objective information on the quality of classrooms that could be used for program improvement as well as accountability purposes. Teachers reported that they made significant changes in their classrooms as a result of the ECERS-R to improve quality. The amount of training and support that teachers received for the process was an important factor in the scores classrooms received and in the attitudes teachers had toward the process—teachers who received more training and support scored higher and felt more positive about the process. Overall, it appears that 4-K and 5-K classrooms in primary schools in South Carolina made significant quality improvements during the ECERS–R process. Recommendations are offered based on the results from the ECERS–R process and a survey of teachers.