Early Childhood Standards of Quality for ... - State of Michigan

Development and Learning: Theprocess of change in which the childcomes to master more and more complexlevels of moving, thinking, feeling andinteracting with people and objects inthe environment. Development involvesboth a gradual unfolding of biologicallydetermined characteristics and thelearning process. Learning is the processof acquiring knowledge, skills, habitsand values through experience andexperimentation, observation, reflection,and/or study and instruction.Developmentally Appropriate Practice:The process of making decisions aboutthe education and care of children basedon the following information:• The widely divergent growth, development,and learning patterns of typically andatypically developing children.• What is known about the strengths,interests and needs of each individualchild.• Widely accepted understanding of howchildren learn most successfully.• Knowledge of the social and culturalcontexts in which children live.Effective teachers combine knowledgeabout the typical growth patterns ofall children with careful study of thecharacteristics of each child in a particulargroup. The most effective learningtakes place in that zone of children’sdevelopment which is just beyond whata child can currently do with comfort, butis not so challenging that frustration andfailure are the likely results. Based oncontinuous assessment, teachers makeinstructional decisions that lead to thegreatest possible growth in each child’sknowledge and skills and that supportpositive dispositions toward learning.Early Childhood Education andCare: Provision of purposeful programsand services, public or private, aimedat guiding and enhancing the social,emotional, intellectual, language, creative,and physical development of youngchildren.Early Childhood Special Education(formerly Pre-Primary Impaired—PPI):Federally and state mandated servicesfor children with verified disabilities.These services may be provided in a selfcontainedclassroom operated through alocal school district or intermediate agencyor in an inclusive setting at the localdistrict or community level.Early Childhood Specialist: A qualifiedperson employed by or available toan early childhood program who hasresponsibility for the evaluation of theprogram and the instructional staff.Early Childhood (ZA) Endorsement:Endorsement on an elementaryteaching certificate recommended byMichigan colleges and universities uponcompletion of a 20-hour early childhoodeducation program. May be required bythe Michigan Department of Educationor other funders for some preschool/prekindergarten programs.Early Learning Expectation: Statementsthat describe expectations for the learningand development of young children acrossthe domains (social, emotional, intellectual,language, creative, and physical).Evaluation: The measurement,comparison, and judgment of the value,quality or worth of children’s work and/orof their schools, teachers, or a specificeducational program based upon validevidence gathered through assessment.Evidence-based Practice: Theconsideration of family values, craftknowledge, and empirical research in theformation of the program’s philosophy,curriculum, and operating practices.Family: People related to each otherby blood, marriage, adoption, or legalguardianship. Family members includebiological parents (custodial and noncustodial),adoptive parents, fosterparents, step-parents, grandparents andother relatives of significance to the child,and all siblings (half, step, full). In addition,any individual who has extensive contact140 Michigan Department of Education