Benchmarks of Quality
These Benchmarks of Quality are checklists that provide the State Leadership Team and Program Leadership Teams a self-assessment checklist for:
- building systems and supports needed for high-fidelity use of evidence-based practices
- measuring the progress of implementation
- ensuring conditions conditions needed to successfully adopt, integrate, and sustain those practices
There are three versions of the Benchmarks of Quality:
- State Leadership Team Benchmarks of Quality
- Classroom-based Programs Benchmarks of Quality
- Home-Visiting Programs Benchmarks of Quality
Instructions
Use your team's version of the Benchmarks of Quality to self-assess in initial meetings. Discuss each item and work toward a common understanding of each item's rating. Then, develop an action plan that will strengthen implementation of the critical elements. Repeat the process every six months to measure progress.
State Leadership Team
State Leadership Team Benchmarks of Quality guide State Leadership Teams in developing the four essential support structures, including:
- establishing a Statewide Leadership Team
- recruiting and training a Professional Development Network of Program Implementation Coaches
- recruiting and supporting Implementation Sites and Demonstration Sites
- developing and using Data and Evaluation Systems
Program Leadership Teams
Classroom-based Programs Benchmarks of Quality and Home-Visiting Programs Benchmarks of Quality guide Program Leadership Teams in developing systems and procedures for implementing evidence-based practices with fidelity throughout the program, including:
- establishing a leadership team
- establishing and maintaining staff buy-in
- engaging families
- providing coaching and professional development
- gathering and using data
Implementing the Pyramid Model Community-Wide: Benchmarks of Quality 2.0 (NCPMI, 2021)
This tool can be used by a regional entity that has oversight for loal early childhood education programs (for example, a county or service district), or by a community-level cross-sector team that has been formed to implement and scale-up Pyramid Model implementation.
See also: Tools