The Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System

PDIS Policies & Procedures Manual

http://ecpd.costartstrong.org/ets/welcome.aspx

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Table of Contents

1 Professional Development and Information System ..................................................................................... 3

1.1 Definition................................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Administering Agency/Partners .............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Guiding Principles of the PDIS ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.4 Functions of the PDIS .............................................................................................................................................. 3 1.5 Components of the PDIS ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Benefits of Participation in the PDIS ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.7 Input from Participants and Stakeholders .............................................................................................................. 5 1.8 Relationship between PDIS and Colorado Shines ................................................................................................... 5

2 PDIS Project Policies ........................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Eligibility for and Participation in PDIS .................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Overview of Data Collected for Individuals and Programs ..................................................................................... 6 2.1 Release Statement .................................................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Confidentiality (Rights of Members, Non-Members, and Programs) .................................................................... 8 2.3 Fraud ........................................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.4 Receipt and Maintenance of Data/Disaster Recovery Plan .................................................................................. 11 2.5 Reporting .................................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

3. Overview of PDIS Process .............................................................................................................................. 13 4. PDIS User Profile/Account Creation Requirements and Process .................................................................. 14

4.1 Requirements for Participation in PDIS ................................................................................................................ 14 5 Learning Management System Courses ........................................................................................................ 15 6 CO Credential 2.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 15

6.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 6.2 Credential Renewal ............................................................................................................................................... 16 6.3 Credential Process................................................................................................................................................. 16 6.4 Formal Education Policies and Procedures ........................................................................................................... 18 6.5 PD Review/Classification Policies and Procedures ............................................................................................... 22 6.6 Experience Data Policies and Procedures ............................................................................................................. 23 6.7 Demonstrated Competencies .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 6.8 Credential Review Process .................................................................................................................................... 24 6.9 Credential Appeals ................................................................................................................................................ 25

7 Competencies Self Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 26 8 PD Plan ........................................................................................................................................................... 27 9 Quality Assurance .......................................................................................................................................... 27 10 Staff Policies and Procedures ........................................................................................................................ 27 11 Glossary ............................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1 Professional Development Information System

1.1 Definition

The Professional Development Information System (PDIS) is a web-based system supporting professional development for Colorado’s early childhood workforce. It will track training and education, it will provide high quality online professional development (including the QRIS Level 2 E-learning Courses) and it will help individuals choose professional development according to their competency level, their professional development goals, their job role and their geographic location. One of the highlights of the PDIS is that it will calculate Credential level and pass this, along with other relevant information, to the system that will support the new QRIS.

1.2 Administering Agency

1.2.1 CDE – The Early Childhood Professional Development Team at the Colorado Department of Education administers the PDIS.

1.3 Guiding Principles of the PDIS

The PDIS is a tool for early childhood professionals and a mechanism for strengthening Colorado’s early childhood professional development system. As we strengthen that system, we adhere to the following guiding principles as stated in Colorado’s Early Learning Professional Development System Plan:

• An accountable professional development system collects and evaluates data to demonstrate effectiveness, tracks child progress, plane improvements and assures quality through a continuous improvement process.

• An innovative professional development system is flexible, incorporates relevant research and research-based practices and experiments with new approaches for preparing, credentialing and rewarding early learning professionals.

• An accessible professional development system offers affordable and convenient options for education, training and coaching, acknowledging multiple avenues towards teacher effectiveness including college courses, prior experience and alternative classroom-and field-based training.

• An inclusive professional development system promotes culturally-sensitive practices, engages diverse stakeholders, embraces individuals of all abilities and actively seek to diversify the early learning profession.

• An aligned professional development system provides a coherent, easily navigable and coordinated system for guiding early learning professionals’ college preparation, recruitment and ongoing professional development activities across all early learning settings.

• A well-financed professional development system provides equitable opportunities for early learning professionals to achieve higher levels of competency through college education and ongoing professional development that is tied to increased compensation and benefits.

• A collaborative professional development system is developed by and built upon authentic partnerships among the Department of Education, higher education, Department of Human Services, Head Start, local Early Childhood Councils, resource and referral, the Early Childhood Professional Development Team and recipients of professional development services.

1.4 Functions of the PDIS

• Supports individual professionals

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• Provides professional development • Tracks training and education • Calculates Credential level • Provides information to the Colorado Shines QRIS • Embeds the Competencies into multiple elements of the professional development system • Provides information to form a better picture of the workforce

1.5 Components of the PDIS

The Professional Development Information System can be broken down into 3 main components:

• Professional Portfolio o Contact information o Demographic information o Employment information o Education and training information o Credential Information

• Learning Management System o Delivery of 13 QRIS Level 2 Trainings and other courses as developed o Course catalog o Trainer Approval o Training Approval o Full website

• PD Advisor o Personalized Competencies Self-Assessment o Goal setting tool o Individualized Professional Development Plan

1.6 Benefits of Participation in the PDIS

The PDIS will offer you many advantages. Some of these include:

• One place to find all training and education information – from required yearly training hours to professional advancement at all levels.

• Training sortable by competency area, instructor, location, format and more. • The ability to directly register for training. • High-quality online training directly available through the PDIS; links to approved training

with other organizations. • Connections to educational opportunities leading to a variety of certificates and degrees

in early childhood related professions. • Information about scholarships and a scholarship approval process. • One place to keep all your experience, training and education documentation, accessible

from any location. • The ability to add to this documentation and create an individual portfolio demonstrating

competence. • Support for creating a competency-based individual professional development plan. • An automatically calculated credential level. • A competency profile to support your ongoing professional development needs.

The PDIS will be a “one-stop shop” for all your professional development needs.

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1.7 Input from Participants and Stakeholders

In an effort to build a system that is supportive of a broad range of early childhood professionals, the Early Childhood Professional Development Team at CDE will offer opportunities for professionals to share their perspectives and how we might improve the PDIS. Opportunities will include: surveys, focus groups, phone calls and emails with members of the Team, conferences, and meetings. We value stakeholder feedback and welcome opportunities to hear from users of the PDIS.

1.8 Relationship between PDIS and Colorado Shines

If a program decides to progress to Level 2, they will be required to register in the PDIS. They are then able to select and participate in a variety of Colorado Shines QRIS Level 2 E-learning Courses that will meet the requirements of Colorado Shines QRIS Level 2. If a program decides to move to Levels 3-5, individuals must obtain their Early Childhood Professional Credential. The Competencies Self-Assessment and Individual Professional Development Plan can be used to earn points in Levels 3-5. Visit the Colorado Shines website at http://coloradoshines.force.com/home for more information.

2 PDIS Project Policies

2.1 Eligibility for and Participation in PDIS

2.1.1 Individual Participation

2.1.1.1 Eligibility Any early childhood, school age professional (including those who provide training/technical assistance) who currently works or plans to work with children, regardless of current employment status, is encouraged to participate in the PDIS. Professionals working in all programs are encouraged to enroll regardless of licensing status. Examples of program settings include, but are not limited to, center-based, home-based, group-home, Head Start, school-based early childhood, or school age.

2.1.1.1 Required Participation

2.1.1.1.1 Staff working in programs seeking Levels 2-5 in CO Shines, are required to register with PDIS.

2.1.1.1.2 RTT Scholarship Recipients 2.1.1.1.3 Anyone required to have a professional credential 2.1.1.1.4 Coaching Credential 2.1.1.1.5 Trainer Credential/Faculty who are trainers

2.1.1.2 Optional Participation

2.1.1.2.1 An individual can participate in the PDIS even if their program decides not to progress in the new QRIS.

2.1.1.2.2 FNN 2.1.1.2.3 College EC Students, Faculty 2.1.1.2.4 Staff in programs who choose not to participate in Colorado Shines

Level 2-5

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2.1.1.3 Method of Registration Registration in PDIS can be done online at ecpd.costartstrong.org. Individuals who require identity protection because they have been victims of a crime (domestic violence, political persecution, etc.) will be considered on a case by case basis. Accommodations will be made based on individual circumstances and needs. Please contact Sondra Ranum at 303.866.3903 or ranum_s@cde.state.co.us for more information. 2.1.1.3.1 Accommodations can include but are not limited to: Registering

under a pseudonym, a paper-based Credential review and calculation, utilizing a paper-based Competencies Self-Assessment and Individual Professional Development Plan, removing individual from all public reporting.

2.1.1.4 Fee for Participation There is no fee required to participate in the PDIS. 2.1.1.5 Unique Identifiers for Participants

2.1.1.5.1 The PDIS assigns each individual a Unique Identifier. The Unique Identifier in the PDIS is the individual email address that the PDIS account was created with. The PDIS will not allow the creation of an account using the same email address. A report is run monthly to identify individuals who have created two accounts with two separate email addresses. PDIS Staff will contact the individual and after it is confirmed that the individual has two accounts, PDIS Staff can merge the two accounts. If Users suspect they have two accounts, please call the PDIS Help Desk and PDIS Staff will address the situation.

2.1.1.5.1.1 If an individual were to try and create an account with an email that was already in the PDIS, the following message will appear: The Email Address (your username for logging in to PDIS) value of “[individual’s email address]” you have entered is already in use. Please call the Help Desk if you receive this message.

2.1.1.5.2 The PDIS also assigns a GUID (Global Unique Identifier) to each account created.

2.1.2 Program Participation

2.1.2.1 All staff in all licensed programs are eligible to participate in the PDIS. CDHS licensed early childhood programs are transferred to PDIS through a nightly feed.

2.1.2.2 Public school information is transferred to PDIS through a twice-yearly feed. 2.1.2.3 Unique Identifiers for Programs PDIS assigns each program a GUID.

2.2 Overview of Data Collected for Individuals and Programs

The following is a list of data categories within PDIS and the data sources.

Data Category Data Source(s) Account Creation Information Individual Personal Identifying Information Individual

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Contact Information Individual Personal Demographic Information Individual Employment Information Individual (Director verification-ECE programs only) Education Information Individual College and Degree Information Individual and PDIS Staff Credential Information Individual, LMS, PDIS Staff Training Information Individual, LMS, Trainer EC Program Data Program Directors, TRAILS Database, CDE Competency Self-Assessment Individual Individual PD Plan Information Individual Notes: The individual professional will enter the majority of the information as a part of the registration process. Information on training and education may be entered by an approved trainer or institution so that completion is automatically included in the professional’s PDIS Transcript. Demonstrated competency measures can also be entered by those approved to do so. Some information will be collected from other systems connected to the PDIS such as the Colorado Shines Quality Rating and Improvement System. Early childhood program data are received in a nightly feed from Colorado Shines (TRAILS database). Public school program information and school district office information is received biannually from CDE.

2.1 Release Statement

2.1.1 Acceptance of Release Statement The Release Statement must be accepted in order for a user to gain access to the Student tabs and links in the PDIS (i.e., My Learning Page, Store Front, Collaboration, My Profile, My Calendar, Messages, Contacts).

Acceptance requires that the user has clicked "I Accept the PDIS Terms of Service." I hereby certify that the information I am providing to the Colorado Early Childhood Professional Development Information System is complete and accurate. I understand that I have control of my personal account access and that information will not be shared with others without my permission. I agree to the following PDIS Terms of Service. I agree that my information may be used to: Suppor t my regist ra t ion in approved training in PDIS; or, as an approved trainer, support my provision of approved training Suppor t my program’s par t icipa t ion in QRIS and ot he r qua lit y init ia t ive s and documentation of regulatory requirements De t e rmine my Colorado Ear ly Childhood Profe ssional Credential level Repor t t o Office of Ear ly Childhood funde r s about workforce de live rable s and requirements Provide re levant agencie s and organiza t ions – such as Colorado Department of Child Care Licensing – with access to verify my individual educational attainment and ongoing training and education Provide aggrega t e educa t ion, employment , and t ra ining da t a for re search purposes. Repor t , and provide public informat ion on workforce t rends (Not e : This informat ion is always provided as an aggregate; no personally identifiable information is available.) De t e rmine my e ligibilit y for qua lit y init ia t ive s, such as t a rge t ed schola rship opportunities, that support the Colorado Professional Development System I unde rst and t ha t t he confident ia lity of my personal information will be protected to the extent permitted under Colorado and federal law while being used as part of the aggregate data reported to local, regional, state and federal stakeholders.

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I unde rst and t ha t PDIS re se rves t he r ight t o change the Terms of Service without any further notice and that all changes will be posted on the PDIS website (http://ecpd.CoStartStrong.org) at least 30 days prior to their implementation. I unde rst and t ha t I may “opt out ” of t he Te rms of Se rvice a t any point in time. Opting out will result in termination of my individual membership and/or authorization for accessing and using the PDIS.

2.1.2 Refusal of the Release Statement and Account Deactivation An active user, who may have accumulated self-assessment, individual professional development plan, course registration, and transcript data, may navigate to My Profile, select the Release Statement and click "I DO NOT Accept..." at any time. This action results in a warning message indicating that (a) the user's account will be deactivated, (b) access to PDIS will be restricted, (c) the user's data will be excluded from all system reports, and (d) all registrations in future courses will be cancelled. If the user confirms that s/he does not accept the release statement on this warning message, the user's account is deactivated. Please note that this results in a ‘soft delete’ of all information associated with the account. The account information is not deleted from the system entirely because if a professional wanted to come back into the system, they could revive the account.

2.2 Confidentiality (Rights of Members, Non-Members, and Programs)

2.2.1 Types of Members

2.2.1.1 Active 2.2.1.2 Inactive- A deactivated user can log in to PDIS, but access is restricted

to the Release Statement. 2.2.1.3 Determining Active/Inactive Status- Need to determine how long

someone can go without any activity and still be considered active. 2.2.2 Rights of Members

2.2.2.1 Participants are initially informed about the purpose of data collection and use of data as part of the individual release statement. Additionally, the purpose of data collection and use of data are posted on the PDIS website.

2.2.2.2 Participants provide signatory authorization (physical or electronic) for data collection and use of data.

2.2.2.3 If a participant or authorized program representative would like a specific list of who has permission to view his/her individual data, he/she may contact CDE to submit this request.

2.2.2.4 CDE reserves the right to change the release statement without any further notice to participants. At the next point of log in, the participant will be prompted to review and accept the release statement before access to the account will be granted.

2.2.2.5 Participants have the right to appeal certain decisions/determinations made by CDE staff or representatives. If the participant chooses to appeal a decision/determination, he/she will need to contact CDE.

2.2.2.6 Participants have a right to expect CDE staff members to protect participant confidentiality and ensure that participant information is only shared with authorized individuals. CDE staff member sign a confidentiality agreement upon hire and at least once a year thereafter. All CDE staff working on PDIS complete (insert name of online course in LMS). Periodically, issues of confidentiality are discussed at team meetings.

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2.2.2.7 Additionally, CDE staff members are encouraged to be cognizant of confidentiality issues within the office (self- and peer-monitoring) and bring any concerns to the attention of management.

2.2.3 Rights of Programs 2.2.3.1 Administrators of early childhood programs have the right to be fully

informed about the purpose of data collection and data are used. 2.2.3.2 Participants who require access to program-level data are informed of

related policies when completing the Data Sharing Agreement. 2.2.3.3 If an approved administrator would like a specific list of who has permission

to view his/her program data, he/she may contact CDE to submit this request.

2.2.3.4 Participants have a right to expect CDE staff members to protect participant confidentiality and ensure that participant information is only shared with authorized individuals. CDE staff member sign a confidentiality agreement upon hire and at least once a year thereafter. All CDE staff working on PDIS complete the PDIS Security Training. Periodically, issues of confidentiality are discussed at team meetings.

2.2.3.5 Additionally, CDE staff members are encouraged to be cognizant of confidentiality issues within the office (self- and peer-monitoring) and bring any concerns to the attention of management.

2.3 Intentional Misrepresentation

2.3.1 Definition

Intentional Misrepresentation is defined as deliberate and willful false representation by submission or omission to gain an unfair advantage over an individual or system. Examples of fraud with the PDIS include, but not limited to: Training certificate manipulation:

Example: An individual who creates a training certificate him or herself for a training they did not attend.

Transcript distortion: Example: An individual changes a failing grade to a passing grade on a transcript.

Experience documentation: Example: An individual who logs more experience than they actually have.

Unauthorized account usage: Example: An individual who creates an account for anyone but themselves or does any work in an account that is not their own.

2.3.2 Detecting Intentional Misrepresentation The Early Childhood Professional Development Team has mechanisms in place to aid in detecting fraudulent college transcripts, training certificates, credentials earned and any report of experience working in early childhood/school age that might be needed to meet criteria.

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2.3.2.1 College level coursework and any degrees earned must be submitted on a legible, official transcript with an institution seal and/or registrar signature.

2.3.2.2 PDIS Staff is regularly updated on the format of training and credential documents, timelines for issue/expiration dates of credentials, fonts used and sponsors of training certificates and/or credentials submitted by participants.

2.3.2.3 As training goes through the Training Alignment and Approval System, training facilitators will record a participant’s attendance and completion of a training event directly in the PDIS. The participant will automatically receive points for the training toward their Credential and be able to view the completion on their PDIS Transcript (instead of requiring a scanned training certificate of completion).

2.3.2.4 Participants enter place of employment, position held and amount of time worked into a spreadsheet and random reviews occur where further documentation of experience is required.

2.3.2.5 PDIS staff maintains a working relationship with child care licensing personnel, training sponsors, credentialing organizations, EC Councils, school districts, QI coaches, and Family Child Care Associations as a source of verification

2.3.3 Investigating Intentional Misrepresentation 2.3.3.1 PDIS staff researches suspected fraudulent information with institutions of

higher education, training sponsors, credentialing organizations and child care licensing personnel to determine if the information/document is indeed fraudulent.

2.3.3.2 If the above is inconclusive, participant may be asked to provide an original document or verification of attendance from the sponsoring organization. In all conversations with the participant, at least 2 PDIS Staff will be present.

2.3.3.2.1 Participant has two weeks from the date of request to submit any of the requested information.

2.3.3.3 If the requested information is submitted and found that fraud was not committed, PDIS staff continues with the review and no action is taken.

2.3.3.4 Review of pending submissions will stop until a determination is made. This will be done by disabling parts of the user account (de-activating the User Profile).

2.3.4 Corrective Action

2.3.4.1 Tier 1 – First incidence of fraud. Outcome: Individual can only receive credit for Ongoing Professional Development that is issued by the PDIS. Individuals can only receive credit for Formal Education by having an official, sealed transcript sent from the institution of higher education. Individual can only receive credit for Experience with a signed letter from employer on business letterhead.

2.3.4.2 Tier 2 – Second incidence of fraud. Outcome: The individual’s account is de-activated permanently.

2.3.4.3 Individual circumstances will be considered when determining corrective action.

2.3.4.4 Restoration of account functionality will be considered on a case-by-case basis three years after the falsified document was submitted.

2.3.5 Documentation – Notification 2.3.5.1 PDIS Staff will notify the individual, CDHS child care licensing, CDE Educator

Licensing (if applicable), QRIS staff, and the individual’s program director of the fraudulent item.

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2.3.5.2 2.3.6 Impact of Intentional Misrepresentation on Colorado Shines Rating – please see the

Colorado Shines QRIS fraud policy 2.3.7 IHE Fraud Processes – Institutions of Higher Education may have their own processes

regarding fraud/intentional misrepresentation.

2.4 Receipt and Maintenance of Data/Disaster Recovery Plan

2.4.1 Receipt of Data in Paper Form – The PDIS 2.4.2 Receipt of Electronic Data

2.4.2.1 Electronic data must be uploaded to the PDIS, or from a key data partner. 2.4.2.1.1 Training certificates in Microsoft Word or another word processing

program will not be accepted 2.4.3 Exchange or Transfer of Data

2.4.3.1 Electronic 2.4.3.1.1 For each data exchange or transfer, a Data Sharing Agreement

between CDE and the sending or receiving organization must be in place outlining the specific details including, but not limited to, who will have access to data, how it will be used, and the time parameters for using/updating data, and how data will be securely transferred or stored. The Data Sharing Agreement must reference the endorsement of data transfer per the release statement. The Agreement must be approved by CDE. At minimum, any electronic transfer of data will meet CDE security standards.

2.4.3.2 Physical Files Credential 1.0 2.4.3.2.1 In the event that physical files would need to be moved, we would

want the file cabinet to be moved with the files in it. If this wasn’t possible, files would be packed, in numerical order, in file boxes labeled with the range of Credential Numbers. A box count would be done prior to the move and again at their destination.

2.4.3.3 PDIS 2.4.3.3.1 Nightly data feeds are handled via secure FTP; the data is imported

within 15 minutes of receipt and the data file received for import is then immediately deleted.

2.4.3.3.2 API is handled via SSL and Secure Login Key

2.4.4 Storage and Disposal of Physical Files and Documents for Credential 1.0 2.4.4.1 Physical files related to Credential 1.0 are stored in a locked fire-proof

cabinet. The cabinet is located in The Early Childhood Professional Development Team’s office, a locked office space.

2.4.4.2 Physical files related to Credential 1.0 will be stored for seven years after last renewal date. After 7 years, physical files will be placed in a locked document destruction bin.

2.4.5 Electronic Storage of Data 2.4.5.1 Credential 1.0

2.4.5.1.1 Information related to Credential 1.0 is stored electronically in an Access database on a drive that is only accessible to the Early Childhood Professional Development Team.

2.4.5.1.2 All data on this drive is backed up offsite every night. 2.4.5.2 PDIS

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2.4.5.2.1 PDIS data is backed up according to the schedule below: 2.4.5.2.1.1 Data stored on the NAS appliance will be back up as

follows 2.4.5.2.1.1.1 Incremental backup daily and data located on-site 2.4.5.2.1.1.2 Full backup weekly and data located on-site

2.4.5.2.1.2 Windows/Linux Servers will be regularly backed up as follows

2.4.5.2.1.2.1 Full backup daily and data stored on-site 2.4.5.2.1.3 The Virtual Machine Servers will be regularly backed up

as follows: 2.4.5.2.1.3.1 Full backup daily and data stored on-site

2.4.5.2.1.4 Weekly back-ups will be stored in a physically secured, off-site media vaulting location maintained by a third party.

2.4.5.2.2 The SimplyDigi (PDIS vendor) datacenter is validated for compliance against PCI DSS and SOC 2 frameworks to ensure policies and procedures are in line with technology and business changes. Access to the physical servers are limited to IT personnel and are controlled via access card or biometric devices.

2.4.5.2.3 Fire Detection: Fike Cheetah Photoelectric and VESDA 2.4.5.2.4 Fire Suppression: Fike FM-200/pre-action dry-pipe 2.4.5.2.5 Power N+1 redundant power and feeds with automatic transfer

switches for seamless cutover 2.4.5.2.6 N+1 redundant UPS System and 4.5 mW generator capacity with 36+

hours of fuel 2.4.5.2.7 All data at rest is encrypted using AES256 encryption

2.4.6 Clearing Hard Drives 2.4.6.1 When PDIS Staff are no longer employed with CDE, the individuals computer

is wiped of all data that is stored on the individual machine before it is issued to another individual.

2.4.7 Maintenance of Data 2.4.7.1 Notes: Proposed quarterly review of all exchanges—are they operating

correctly? Check configurable fields, etc. 2.4.8 Recovery of Data

2.4.8.1 Credential 1.0 2.4.8.1.1 In the event of a disaster, the drive would be restored to servers at

the CDE secondary data center. The maximum targeted recovery timeframe in a total disaster is one week. With less impactful disasters, the recovery timeframe is one day.

2.4.8.2 PDIS 2.4.8.2.1 In the event of a catastrophic system failure, new hardware should

be made available to users within 3 working days. 2.4.8.2.2 In the event of a non-catastrophic system failure or user error, on-

site backed up data will be made available to users within 1 working day

2.4.8.2.3 SimplyDigi has the ability to support full bare metal restoration as well as disk, folder and file level restoration

2.4.9 Acts of Nature 2.4.9.1 CDE and PDIS are not responsible for loss due to acts of nature. If the

physical storage of files were to be compromised, CDE staff would attempt to recover documents but would not be held liable for documents unable to be recovered.

2.4.9.2 CDE will make every attempt to recover lost data through the use of electronic back up or physical files. If all means of recovery are exhausted, CDE will seek to re-recruit existing members and participating programs.

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2.5 Data Privacy and Security

2.5.1 Data privacy and security are very important to the PDIS Team. 2.5.2 The following procedures protect individual information in the PDIS.

2.5.2.1 A complex password requirement prevents intrusion. 2.5.2.2 The permissions structure in the PDIS is very granular and administrative

users (users who can see information other than their own) are given permissions to see only information that is essential to their job.

2.5.2.3 PDIS Security Training – Every user who has administrative privileges must complete the PDIS Security Training in the PDIS Course Catalog. The course includes a module on FERPA (the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and requires the signing of a data privacy and security contract.

2.5.2.4 Calls and emails to the help desk may include some verification of identity. 2.5.2.4.1 Password resets are done through the email address connected to

the account with some rare exceptions. If it is necessary to do it over the phone, identity is confirmed.

2.5.2.5 All data stored in the PDIS is encrypted. 2.5.2.6 Data only travels through a secure connection. 2.5.2.7 Data reports contain information on groups of people, never individual level

information. 2.5.2.8 Data is NEVER sold. 2.5.2.9 Personally Identifiable Information is always sent through encrypted email.

2.5.3 In the event of a breach of any kind, PDIS Staff will report the incident or suspected incident immediately. Senior staff will be notified and the Early Childhood Professional Development Team will develop an action plan within 12 hours of the report and prioritize the implementation until all issues are resolved.

3. Overview of PDIS Process The PDIS Process begins with the completion of the registration. Once complete, the user then has four options. The User can complete these in any order they wish, with one exception. The Competencies Self-Assessment must be completed before the Individual Professional Development Plan can be viewed or edited. Please see the ‘Five Steps to PDIS Success How-to Guide’ for detailed information on how to complete each step.

PDIS Registration

Courses

The Early Childhood Professional Credential

Competencies Self- Assessment

Individual PD Plan

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4. PDIS User Profile/Account Creation Requirements and Process

4.1 Requirements for Participation in PDIS

4.1.1 Account Creation 4.1.1.1 Self-Registration- A user can self-register with the

system by creating his/her own user account, accepting a release statement, and populating a user profile.

4.1.1.2 Unique Identifier-The unique identifier in the PDIS is the email address the account was first opened with.

4.1.1.3 Minimum Age-There is no minimum age to establish an account in PDIS.

4.1.2 Acceptance of PDIS Release Statement- 4.1.2.1 Participants must set up an account and accept the

PDIS Release Statement in order to participate. 4.1.3 Required fields The user is not be able to leave the User Profile

without completing all required information. Every time a user logs in to PDIS, the system must check whether the user has entered all required User Profile information. If not, the user must be taken directly to the User Profile. All categories that contain required fields to be populated are indicated with an attention icon.

4.1.4 Maintaining Information- Periodically, after a configurable number of weeks, users will be prompted to keep their user profile information up to date. Upon logging in to PDIS, the user will be taken directly to the user profile where the reminder is posted.

4.1.5 User Profile/Account Creation Process

4.1.6 Create PDIS Account

4.1.6.1 The user's account is automatically activated when all required user profile information is complete and the release statement is accepted. Creating your account in PDIS is a simple process.

4.1.6.2 First, go to https://ecpd.costartstrong.org. 4.1.6.3 Fill in your personal e-mail (if you do not have an e-mail address,

see the instructions on last page)* 4.1.6.3.1 Your e-mail account will serve as your username in

PDIS so a consistent e-mail address is important 4.1.6.4 Create a password. Password Security Requirements- CDE requires

that PDIS conform to the following Password Policy: 4.1.6.4.1 All user passwords must have a minimum of eight

(8) characters. 4.1.6.4.2 All user passwords must be case sensitive.

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4.1.6.4.3 All user passwords must contain at least one letter plus at least one number or one special character.

4.1.6.4.4 After three unsuccessful login attempts, the system must display a randomly display text string as an obfuscated graphic that is not machine readable, which the user must type along with the username and password.

4.1.6.5 File your password in a safe place where you can remember how to find it.

4.1.6.6 Complete your initial registration by filling in your county of residence, your phone number and your birthdate

4.1.7 Accept Release Statement (insert directions)

4.1.8 Provide Demographics (insert directions) 4.1.9 Provide Current Employment (insert directions)

4.1.9.1 Employment Log- The user must enter sufficient information about his/her work experience during PDIS user account registration so that the PDIS can determine the number of years the user has worked in the field of early childhood education. 4.1.9.2 If user works at more than one location, PDIS will allow you

to list up to 3 current employers. 4.1.9.3 An authorized administrator my view, verify, and update an

employment record. 4.1.10 Provide Professional Role (insert directions) 4.1.11 Receive Account Notification

4.2 Password reset – To prevent unauthorized access, password reset information will only be

sent to the email account that is connected to the PDIS account.

5 Learning Management System Courses

5.1 Course Categories

6 CO Credential 2.0

6.1 Overview

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6.2 Credential Renewal

All Levels must be renewed every 3 years. Credential level is good for three years.

6.3 Credential Process

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6.3.2 The graphic below explains the Credentialing process

6.3.3 CDE Staff reviews submissions with the earliest submission date first.

6.3.3.1 The goal is to review documents within three weeks of submission. CDE maintains a group of approximately five external reviewers who work for us on an as needed basis. We can expand and contract their workload according to what the Credential queue looks like.

6.3.3.2 We will expedite reviews if CDHS final licensing approval depends on a Credential decision. CDE Staff will confirm with CDHS Licensing Staff before an expedited review begins.

Education (Entry and

Documentation)

Experience (Entry and

Documentation)Observe

Professional Development

(Entry and Documentation)

Observe

Credential Notification

Appeal Window

Credential Update Notifications

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6.4 Formal Education Points, Policies, and Procedures

6.4.2 Formal Education Point Options (50 points possible) 6.4.2.1 Points are awarded for highest degree attained from a

regionally accredited institution (Associate’s = 5 points, Bachelor’s = 10 points, Master’s = 15 points, Educational Specialist = 18 points, Doctorate = 20 points) with no time limits.

6.4.2.2 Four points are awarded for each degree completed with a major in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Human Development, Child Development or Family Studies from a regionally accredited institution

6.4.2.2.1 NOTE: FORMERLY, THIS POLICY LIMITED THESE POINTS TO 25 YEARS BUT AFTER AN APPEAL, A REVIEW BY THE APPEALS COMMITTEE AND A MAJORITY VOTE FROM OUR ADVISORY BOARD, THIS TIME LIMIT WAS REMOVED IN OCTOBER OF 2016.

6.4.2.3 One point is awarded for each ECE specific 3 credits completed in the last 15 years from a regionally accredited institution

6.4.2.4 Two points are awarded for each aligned 3 credits completed since Fall 2016 (2-year institutions) and Fall 2017 (4-year institutions). Click HERE for full details, by institution.

6.4.2.5 If a Formal Education submission was within date parameters when it was submitted but expired before it was reviewed, it is still valid. CDE staff will enter the completion date as the last day of the month the submission is being reviewed.

6.4.3 Type and Purpose of Education Information Collected 6.4.3.1 Self Report- Participants may self-report highest level of

education and whether he/she is currently attending college in the user registration process. These data are used to…..

6.4.3.2 Verified- As part of the Colorado 2.0 Credential process, formal education, credentials/licenses and training are collected and verified.

6.4.4 Acceptable Documentation 6.4.4.1 Verification of Education- Official transcripts from a

regionally accredited institution need to be uploaded into the system.

6.4.4.1.1 CDE will not accept Director or Early Childhood Teachers letters as documentation of formal education because there are no dates on these letters

6.4.4.1.2 CDE will not accept degree or diploma certificates as documentation of formal education

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6.4.4.1.3 Official transcripts bear the words ‘Official Transcript’ and have a seal and/or the signature of the registrar.

6.4.4.1.3.1 Transcripts that say it’s official only ‘if printed on security paper’ will be accepted only if the paper it is printed on has a school-specific watermark (see Appendix A for example).

6.4.4.1.4 If a transcript is being withheld by an institution, the applicant should try to obtain a transcript through Student Clearinghouse (http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/)

6.4.4.1.5 If the above does not result in an official transcript, the applicant can submit the letter of denial from the institution and an unofficial transcript that has been signed from an ECE Faculty of that institution

6.4.4.1.6 If an institution has closed, professionals can use this link to access transcripts: https://answers.ed.gov/link/portal/28022/28025/Article/667/Transcripts-from-closed-schools

6.4.4.1.7 The name on the transcript and the name in the PDIS should match. If this is not the case, the date of birth on the transcript should match the user’s date of birth in the system.

6.4.4.1.7.1 If the transcript does not have a birth date on it, the last name on the transcript must be in the ‘Previous Last Names’ field in the PDIS.

6.4.4.1.7.2 If the first and last name are different, the user must provide documentation of the name change.

6.4.5 Accreditation Status of Higher Education Institutions 6.4.5.1 CDE accepts institutions accredited by North Central

Higher Learning Commission; Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education; Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities; Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education;

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New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Commission on Institutions of Higher Education; Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges.

6.4.5.2 CDE Credential Review Staff refers to the United States Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (http://chea.org/) for the latest information on accreditation.

6.4.5.2.1 Delta-Montrose Technical College will not show up as accredited but they are a special exception per an agreement with Mesa State University

6.4.5.3 If an institution is no longer accredited but it was accredited when the degree began, we will accept the degree and courses

6.4.6 Foreign Transcripts 6.4.6.1 Foreign transcripts are only accepted if evaluated by

approved entity. 6.4.6.2 Transcripts that are issued from institutions outside of

the United States (even if they are in English) need to be evaluated/translated.

6.4.6.3 CDE accepts those evaluated by member of NACES.org . 6.4.6.4 Evaluated transcripts often only have the year the degree

was conferred. In this case, CDE Staff will assign the date conferred as follows: 6/30/[year conferred].

6.4.7 Approved Degrees- Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees count toward the Credential.

6.4.7.1 Transcript must say the degree has been awarded or conferred.

6.4.7.2 Transcripts that have degrees from other institutions will not count; a transcript from the degree granting institution is required.

6.4.8 Approved Areas of Study- The following areas of study are recognized in the Credential: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education Management, Child Development, Early Childhood Special Education

6.4.8.1 Bachelor’s Degrees that are not any of the above need 30 semester credits of early childhood-related coursework to get area of study points.

6.4.8.1.1 Associate’s or Master’s Degrees that are not any of the above need 21 semester credits of early childhood-related coursework to get area of study points.

6.4.8.2 Individuals who have completed a degree and an alternative early childhood licensure program must submit both the degree and alternative licensure transcripts to receive area of study points.

6.4.9 Selection of EC Approved Courses- Courses that earn points toward the Credential include any courses related to early childhood education, child development (not child and adolescent), child psychology, early intervention, family studies (family dynamics, changing families, collaborating with families), elementary reading/literacy, dual

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language, English language acquisition, practicum in teaching reading, developmental reading/writing instruction, children’s literature, cultural competence/responsiveness, diversity awareness, children and families in poverty, research and action research (if within an education degree), portfolio creation courses (if within an early childhood major/concentration)

6.4.9.1 Special education courses will be accepted if they are specifically early childhood (indicated in the prefix, in the course name, or in the course description, or if they are focused on one of these areas: autism, severe/significant needs, behavior analysis, intervention, consultation/collaboration, family partnerships.

6.4.9.2 If a course looks like it may be early childhood-related, CDE Credential Review Staff will conduct a basic internet search to determine if the course is early childhood-related.

6.4.9.3 Individuals who would like to submit additional information (course catalog, syllabus, etc.) to prove a course is early childhood related can do so.

6.4.9.4 For a list of courses that have already been approved, see Livebinder.

6.4.9.5 Student teaching will count for both Formal Education and Experience (if it’s early childhood focused)

6.4.9.6 There are education courses at some Colorado institutions of higher education that are early childhood focused but the title does not indicate this. In this instance, applicants may be asked to upload documentation that verifies that the courses in question were early childhood focused.

6.4.10 Grade Requirements for Approved EC Courses- One point is awarded for each ECE 3 credit hours completed at an accredited institution with a passing grade of “C” (“P” and “S” is also acceptable) or better in the last 15 years. These points do not require the completion of a degree and are awarded in addition to Degree and Area of Study points.

6.4.10.1 Institutions that have a number grading system will have the following letter grade assignments: 4.0 = A, 3.5 = B+, 3.0 = B, 2.5 = C+, 2.0 = C, 1.5 = D+, 1.0 = D, 0.0 = F.

6.4.11 Recency of EC Courses- You will need to have transcripts to support degree completion and early childhood coursework completed within the last 15 years.

6.4.11.1 This requirement is by the year, not by month and year.

6.4.12 Transfer Credits- We cannot accept transfer credits. Individuals can receive credit for these courses if they send in an official transcript documenting the courses.

6.4.13 CEUs- When CEUs appear on transcripts, they will be calculated into Ongoing Professional Development.

6.4.13.1 One CEU is equivalent to 10 clock hours. 6.4.14 Multiple Instances of Same Course- When the same course is taken at

two different institutions, no more than two instances will count toward the Credential

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6.4.14.1 Multiple instances of a Current Issues course will count as many times as it appears on the transcript.

6.4.15 Semester hours vs. quarter hours- Quarter hours are counted using the following formula: Quarter hour = .67 of a semester hour

6.4.15.1 A 5 quarter credit hour course would be equivalent to 3.34 semester hours, a 4 quarter credit hour course would be equivalent to 2.7 semester hours, a 3 quarter credit hour course would be equivalent to 2 semester hours, 2 quarter credit hour course would be equal to a 1.34 semester hour course.

6.4.16 See Appendix B for procedures around entering Formal Education into the PDIS

6.5 Ongoing Professional Development Points, Policies, and Procedures

6.5.2 Points will be given for early childhood related training hours from the last 3 years from the time of the submission (1-15 hours = 5 points; 16-30 hours = 10 points; 31+ hours = 15 points)

6.5.2.1 If an OPD submission was within the date parameters when it was submitted but expired before it was reviewed, it is still valid. CDE staff will enter the completion date as the last day of the month the submission is being reviewed.

6.5.3 Points will be given for early childhood related CEUs earned in the last 3 years (1-1.5 CEUs = 5 points; 1.6-3 CEUs = 10 points; 3+ CEUs = 15 points

6.5.4 Additional points will be given for: 6.5.4.1 Each full day (6 hours) training Completed that focus on

children with high needs (Special Education/Needs, Inclusion, Disabilities, Developmental Delays, English /Dual Language Learners, Poverty/Low Income, Social/Emotional, Cultural Competence, Infants/Toddlers, Differentiation, Tribal/Indian population, Migrant populations, Foster Care, Homelessness)-2 points

6.5.4.2 Each training completed as a series (Series is defined as at least 12 clock hours over more than one occasion, separated by one week)-2 points

6.5.4.3 Each training that included a ‘job-embedded’ component (‘approved’ Professional Learning Community or Coaching with at least 8 contact hours)-2 points

6.5.4.4 Each ECE related certification, credential or endorsement (see list of qualifying certifications, credentials and endorsements at http://ecpd.costartstrong.org/ets/companies/08c38354-7b3d-4abd-b1ca-8309d9c5b000/UserFiles/Colorado%20EC%20Professional%20Credential%202.0%20initial%20scoring%20system%2011.7.pdf)-2 points

6.5.5 Individuals must be a participant in the training to receive credit. Trainers facilitating the training will not be given credit.

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6.5.6 Pyramid Plus, EQIT, and Incredible Years all count as training around children with high needs and delivered in a series

6.5.7 Strengthening Families, Touchpoints, TPOT, TPITOS, Cradling Literacy training will earn points for ‘high needs’

6.5.7.1 Training around ‘differentiated instruction’ will count as high needs

6.5.8 Tools of the Mind trainings are delivered as a series 6.5.9 First Aid and CPR trainings will not be awarded points 6.5.10 ‘State Approved’ Medication Administration trainings are all required to

be 4 hours in length (many do not have the hours printed on the certificate) so count/enter as such

6.5.11 Medication Administration, Universal Precautions will be awarded points 6.5.11.1 Universal Precautions and Mandatory Reporting

trainings do not always have the hours on the certificates. If they do not have the hours, they will be counted as .5 hours.

6.5.12 15 hours of family child care pre-licensing training will earn points 6.5.13 Online self-paced courses of 12 hours or more will not earn series points

(no way to know how much time has passed between sessions) 6.5.14 We will accept printouts from HR Systems if they have the date, the

title of the training, and number of clock hours for internal professional development

6.5.15 Points will be given for CEUs on an official transcript (from an accredited institution) or a document with the IACET logo and approval as designated by this logo:

6.5.15.1 There are two exceptions to this: University of Wisconsin Stout and University of North Carolina

6.5.16 Conference Attendance Certificates/Logs must have the individual’s

name on them 6.5.17 Trainings less than 15 minutes in duration will not receive credit. 6.5.18 Scope of Data Collection-

6.5.18.1 CDE will verify and enter all training from the past three years (three years prior to the application date).

6.5.18.2 The training date is month and year for determination if it will be entered.

6.6 Experience Points, Policies, and Procedures

6.6.2 Experience awards 1 point for every year worked in the field up to a maximum of 20 points. “Experience” for purposes of this model includes:

i. Direct work* with young children [birth – 8 (or through third grade)] and families, includes field experiences;

1. Must be in a licensed child care program or family child care home

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ii. Supervision, leadership, or management of programs; iii. Program coordination, development, or regulation; iv. Training, instruction, or technical assistance of programs; v. Evaluation or research in the field.

6.6.3 Must be 16 years of age or have senior standing in Career Tech or JVS program.

6.6.4 You will need to have a total of the number of years of employment in early childhood education.

6.6.5 1 year is equal to 1,820 hours of experience. This is true whether you’ve worked part time, full time, a 9 month year or a 12 month year.

6.6.6 Student teaching will count for both Formal Education and Experience points.

6.6.7 On a bi-monthly basis, 100 professionals are randomly chosen to provide documentation of the numbers of years of experience they have entered into this field.

6.6.7.1 Acceptable documentation includes a letter from an employer on business letter head, a family child care license or, if the program is no longer in operation, pay stubs.

6.6.7.2 If no documentation is submitted upon request, PDIS Staff will remove the number from the years of experience field. The applicant will then have to re-submit years of experience documentation to get credit.

6.7 Demonstrated Competencies Points, Policies, and Procedures

6.7.2 TBD

6.8 Level Determination

6.8.2 “Points” are totaled across Formal Education, Ongoing Professional Development, Experience, and Demonstration of Competencies. The total points place a professional within one of the following designations:

6.8.2.1 Early Childhood Professional I (10 - 20 points)*must have points from at least 2 areas

6.8.2.2 Early Childhood Professional II (21-35 points) *must have points from at least 2 areas

6.8.2.3 Early Childhood Professional III (36-50 points) *must have points from at least 2 areas

6.8.2.4 Early Childhood Professional IV (51-60 points) *must have points from all 3 areas

6.8.2.5 Early Childhood Professional V (61-70 points) *must have points from all 3 areas

6.8.2.6 Early Childhood Professional VI (71+ points) *must have points from all 3 areas

6.9 Credential Review Process

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6.9.2 Credential Processing Time 6.9.2.1 Timeline for Processing- insert expected processing time. 6.9.2.2 Request for Priority Processing- Accommodations are

made for priority processing sites for Colorado Shines 6.9.3 Notes:

Need to determine processing period so that CDE team can monitor success in relation to the state period.

Post on the PDIS website the processing dates that the team is currently working on.

Help Desk can then refer participants to the website when calls come in about when a submission will be reviewed.

6.9.4 Notifications 6.9.4.1 Participant is notified via the PDIS of

credential award. 6.9.4.2 The system generate reminders 6 months, 90

days, 1 month, and 1 week before expiration of the credential.

6.9.5 Credential Quality Assurance Process

Note for consideration when discussing QA process- When pulling PDIS education reports, only pull highest level of education from credential education data—not from self-reported highest level of education Assign Task Force duty of outlining the quality assurance process

Report created of new credentials Random selection for quality assurance

6.10 Credential Appeals

6.10.2 Technical Adjustment vs. Appeal

6.10.2.1 A Technical Adjustment is used to resolve an issue of reviewer oversight. This does not need to go through the Appeals process and can be done by a member of the ECPD Team. It includes but is not limited to:

6.10.2.1.1 Degree drop down not populated 6.10.2.1.2 Area of study drop down not populated 6.10.2.1.3 Early childhood course not entered into

Training Documentation 6.10.2.1.4 Early childhood training not entered

into Training Documentation 6.10.2.2 The Appeals process is used to review a decision

made by one of the reviewers. 6.10.3 Appeal Requirements

6.10.3.1 Appeal of a decision must be in writing. 6.10.3.2 Written appeals are sent to the ECPD Team at CDE

(insert address). (mail, email, fax?)

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6.10.3.3 The appeal letter should specifically indicate the decision being appealed and include a copy of the email notification with the date.

6.10.3.4 Individuals wishing to appeal a decision related to the Colorado Credential may do so within 30 days of the original notification of the original decision.

6.10.4 Appeals Review Process 6.10.4.1 Initial review of appeal will occur within 30 days

of receipt. 6.10.4.2 All appeal requests will first be reviewed by the

Credential Manager. 6.10.4.2.1 If appeal is approved, the participant

will notified of the appeal acceptance and subsequent action related to the Credential.

6.10.4.2.2 If appeal is denied, the Team Director will review the appeal request.

6.10.4.2.3 If the appeal is approved, the participant will be notified of the appeal acceptance and subsequent action related to the Credential.

6.10.4.2.4 If the appeal is denied, the participant will be notified in writing (within 30 days). The notification will include due process procedures/options for the final appeal.

6.10.4.3 The final appeal request by the participant must be received within 10 days.

6.10.4.4 Appeal request should be in writing and sent to the Credential Manager. (mail, email, fax?)

6.10.4.5 The final appeal will be heard by the Fraud and Appeals Committee within 45 days of receipt.

6.10.4.5.1 Participants submitting a final appeal may attend the closed meeting of the Committee during the portion in which their appeal is discussed.

6.10.5 Request for Expedited Appeal Consideration

6.10.5.1 Colorado Shines Rating Window- If the program in which the individual works is within the rating window for Colorado Shines, the participant may request an expedited appeals process.

6.10.6 Appeal Requirements 6.10.7 Communicating Appeals/Concerns 6.10.8 Timeline for Appeals

7 Competencies Self –Assessment

7.1 Completion

7.1.2 Competencies Self-Assessments are used to create an individual’s competency profile. Every question on the Self-Assessment must be answered before the Self-Assessment’s status is complete.

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7.2 Confidentiality

7.2.2 Self-Assessment information is confidential. This data is available publicly in aggregate.

8 PD Plan

9 Quality Assurance – please see the PDIS Staff Training & QA Policies & Procedures (Appendix A)

10 Staff Policies and Procedures

11 Revision History

Initial Draft Created 5.14.15

Formal Education/Credential Additions 10.8.15

Ongoing PD/Credential Additions 11.10.15

Removed 25 year time limit on area of study points

10.7.16

Strengths-based Family Workers/Family Development Credential, SLP Assistant, CLASS Affiliate Trainer, CDA PD Specialist, and a state-issued Principal License were added to the list of Qualifying Credentials, Licenses and Endorsements.

11.8.16

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Appendix A Training & QA Policies & Procedures

The intent of these policies and procedures are to help Credential Technicians provide early childhood professionals with an accurate and timely review of their submissions for the Early Childhood Professional Credential. They will also support the delivery of the best customer service possible.

Job Descriptions Related to Credential Review and Help Desk

PDIS Coordinator Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor’s Degree • Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Access database • Data entry experience with a focus on quality assurance processes • Ability to review and assess multiple data sources against a specified set of criteria • Strong communication and writing skills • Experience with customer service and demonstrated customer service skills • High attention to detail Preferred Experience/Knowledge/Ability: • IT/Technical certificate • Experience and knowledge of the field of Early Childhood Education • Experience and knowledge of higher education systems • Experience in managing teams • Prior data entry or program evaluation experience • Bilingual preferred Major Duties and Responsibilities: • Coordinate credential review process • Develop and implement Credential Review Training procedures • Supervise a team of Credential Technicians • Conduct credential reviews with a 95% accuracy rate • Communicate with credential applicants regarding their submitted application materials • Complete all data entry required to process credential submissions • Identify and recommend credential review efficiencies and enhancements to the ECPD Team including

effective Quality Assurance processes • Develop and implement Help Desk Training Procedures • Provide effective technical assistance and customer support to users of the credentialing system including all

online tools provided in the PDIS • Other duties as assigned

PDIS Technician Minimum Qualifications: • Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Access database • Data entry experience with a focus on quality assurance processes • Ability to review and assess multiple data sources against a specified set of criteria • Strong communication and writing skills • Experience with customer service and demonstrated customer service skills

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• High attention to detail

Preferred Experience/Knowledge/Ability: • IT/Technical certificate • Experience and knowledge of the field of Early Childhood Education • Experience and knowledge of higher education systems • Prior data entry or program evaluation experience • Bilingual preferred Major Duties and Responsibilities: • Conduct review of Early Childhood Professional Credential submissions with a 95% accuracy rate • Provide effective technical assistance and customer support to users of the credentialing system including all

online tools provided in the PDIS • Field Help Desk calls and emails • Other duties as assigned

Credential Technician Minimum Qualifications: • Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Access database • Data entry experience with a focus on quality assurance processes • Ability to review and assess multiple data sources against a specified set of criteria • Strong communication and writing skills • Experience with customer service and demonstrated customer service skills • High attention to detail

Preferred Experience/Knowledge/Ability: • Experience and knowledge of the field of Early Childhood Education • Experience and knowledge of higher education systems • Prior data entry or program evaluation experience • Bilingual preferred Major Duties and Responsibilities: • Conduct review of Early Childhood Professional Credential submissions with a 95% accuracy rate • Provide effective technical assistance and customer support to users of the credentialing system including all

online tools provided in the PDIS • Field Help Desk calls and emails • Other duties as assigned

Help Desk Training Plan

• PDIS Security Training must be completed before training begins.

• Week 1 – Complete CDE orientation with Human Resources. Observation and Practice. Attend first PD team meeting. Attend first Help Desk meeting. Shadow on Help Desk, spending one shift per day with a different Help Desk staffer.

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o Day 1 – Review Help Desk Handbook. Review overview of duties and basic resources with PDIS Coordinator. Completion of PDIS Security (FERPA) Training. Overview of data privacy rules, steps to verify people. Website, mail, and R drive navigation overview. Meet the team.

o Day 2 – Begin shadowing on Help Desk.

o Day 3 – Shadowing on Help Desk duties, emails and phones

o Day 4 – Shadow on Help Desk. Begin to answer basic emails forwarded from staff (password reset, credential score, course completion)

o Day 5 – Shadow on Help Desk. Continue to respond to emails. Review of week

• Week 2 – Peer Coaching. Spend supervised time answering phone calls and emails with a different Help Desk team member each day. During the first three shifts on the phones, a peer coach (another Technician or PDIS Coordinator) will monitor and assist them with fielding calls and emails. The peer coach will provide on the spot assistance, make recommendations, identify and correct errors. The peer-coach will be asked to evaluate the training technician and either recommends them for unsupervised phone duty or to continue training. Approval of the entire Help Desk team is needed before the Credential Technician In Training can work the phones unsupervised.

o Day 1 – One hour shift on phone with supervision, answer emails and calls.

o Day 2 – One hour shift on phone with supervision, answer emails and calls.

o Day 3 – One hour shift on phone with supervision, answer emails and calls.

o Day 4 – One hour shift on phone with supervision. Review performance of new employee with team. Make recommendations based on team feedback.

o Day 5 - One hour shift on phone with supervision with PDIS Coordinator. Check in with new technician, if they, the team and the PDIS Coordinator feel ready, they start the next week.

• Ongoing – PDIS Staff are required to attend monthly PDIS Help Desk meetings and weekly Early Childhood Professional Development Team meetings.

Credential Review Training Plan • PDIS Security Training must be complete before training begins.

• Part 1 – Ongoing Professional Development

o Introduction using ‘OPD Review PPT 10.28.16’ o Introduce the OPD portion of the Livebinder o Trainee observes senior staff review OPD submissions while talking through the process o Trainee reviews OPD submissions while being observed by senior staff o Trainee can work independently when review success rate is achieved

• Part 2 – Formal Education

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o Introduction using ‘Formal Ed Review PPT 10.28.16 o Introduce FE portion of the Livebinder o Trainee observes senior staff review FE submissions while talking through the process o Trainee reviews FE submissions while being observed by senior staff o Trainee can work independently when review success rate (95%) for one week is achieved

Credential Review Quality Assurance Policy and Procedures • Ensuring Accurate Credential Reviews and Preventing Errors

o Setting Expectations Credential Technician job descriptions include information about credential review standards Credential review standards are a part of a Credential Technician’s CDE Performance

Management and Growth Plans, to be completed within one month of beginning employment.

o Pre-service Training All Credential Technicians receive pre-service training and participate in an induction period.

A senior staff member talks the trainee through credential reviews and then monitors the trainee as they do it more independently.

o Ongoing Training Credential Technicians receive ongoing training through regular credential review meetings,

weekly Early Childhood Professional Development Team meetings, emails and updates to the PDIS Policies and Procedures Updates Log.

• Identifying Errors o The PDIS Coordinator will review 5% of all total submissions to check for accuracy. The PDIS

Coordinator will identify errors in both evaluation and data entry. o If anyone on the Early Childhood Professional Development Team finds an error, they should alert

the PDIS Coordinator. The PDIS Coordinator is responsible for tracking quality issues back to their origin and identifying the cause.

o A log of errors is maintained by the PDIS Coordinator. o Credential Technicians must maintain a 95% accuracy rate.

• Correcting Errors

o If an error is caused my system malfunction, the PDIS Coordinator will submit an issue to the Issues Log and take necessary steps to ensure resolution of issue.

o If an error is caused by a Credential Technician, see below.

• Notification of Error o If an error is caused by a Credential Technician, the PDIS Coordinator will notify Credential

Technician of the error and when it occurred. The PDIS Coordinator will propose preventative measure(s) and corrective action(s) to ensure that the error will not be repeated in the future. The Technician will verify they have received and understand the information.

• Performance Improvement

o If a Credential Technician falls below the 95% accuracy rate, a counseling session will happen that

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must include: • Description of what the Credential Technician is doing right. • Description of where the Technician needs to improve with as many specifics as

possible. • Completion of a CDE Performance Improvement Plan

may include: • Review of pre-service training slides • Review of other existing job aids • Plan to co-create a new job aid

o If a Credential Technician falls below the 95% accuracy rate, the PDIS Coordinator will review 50% of individual’s reviews and perform monthly counseling sessions until the individual reaches a 95% accuracy for one week.

Credential Review Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedure • To ensure all applicants receive a fair and accurate review, CDE employees adhere to a conflict of interest

policy and procedure so that a past or current relationship does not interfere with the evaluation of a submission.

o This policy and procedure applies to all individuals who review documentation for credential awards or training approval.

o In a situation where there is a conflict of interest, the reviewer will contact their immediate supervisor so that the review can be reassigned For the EC Professional Credential Appeals and Evaluation Committee, members should

contact the Early Childhood Professional Development Team lead for this committee o The following situations are reasons that would prompt a reviewer to relinquish the review:

• If there is a current or previous personal relationship • If there is a current or previous co-working relationship • If there is a current or previous supervisory relationship with the person • Any other reason that would introduce bias to the evaluation