QUALITYstarsNY Portal USER GUIDE

Abbreviated Re-rating 2014 Last updated: 10/14/2014

FOR CENTER – BASED PROGRAMS

LOG-IN & PASSWORD RECOVERY

• Log-in to the Portal using the e-mail address and password used for the previous Self-study and/or original application.

• If you forgot your password, follow the instructions on the page and a temporary password will be sent to the email used to create the account.

• TIP: Copy and paste the temporary password to avoid potential mistakes in re-typing

• If your email was not used to create the original account, you must contact a QUALITYstarsNY administrator to reset your password.

• Once logged in, you can change the temporary password by clicking on “My Organization” and then on “My Account Information”

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BEGINNING THE SELF-STUDY • Once you have logged in, select the Self-Study tab. The site(s) associated with

your e-mail address will appear.

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• Select Start a Self-study, this will take you to the Self Study Site.

QUESTIONS?

• If you require technical assistance, please notify a QUALITYstarsNY administrator:

• Info@qualitystarsny.org or 718-254-7727

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• For questions about staff qualifications and experience please contact Aspire:

• info@nyworksforchildren.org or 718-254-7716

If at any point you have questions about your Self-study, please do not hesitate to reach out for assistance!

WELCOME

Navigating the Self-study

• Use the Wizard toolbar on the left side of the page to easily navigate through the pages of the Self-Study.

• You can also use the Next

or Back buttons to move between the pages.

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SITE INFORMATION

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QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION

STANDARDS SELF-STUDY

Review and Update

• Please enter site and contact information in the blank fields

• All fields with *are required

• Some fields are “Read-only” meaning that the information is drawn directly from Aspire.

• If any of the Read-only Fields on this page appear incorrect, contact Aspire.

SITE PROFILE

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License Type/Category

• Verify. If incorrect, contact Aspire.

Site support: Select all that apply.

• If you indicate that your site provides HS/EHS, you must provide the Grantee’s name and date of last review.

• If you indicate that your site provides UPK services, you must enter the School district’s name before proceeding.

• If you do not know this information or wish to complete the application without supplying this information, you must uncheck the associated site support.

• For NYC sites, enter: NYC Department of Education Note: Head Start information provided on this page does not adjust the Self-study checklist. To receive automatic points for being in full compliance with federal Head Start standards, you must submit an Abbreviated Standards Self-study request form, along with a Dated Office of Head Start Monitoring Report indicating full compliance to get access.

SITE PROFILE

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Site Conditions: Select all that apply.

• Review and select the population(s) that your site currently serves.

• Note: If you select “Serving Children whose home language is not English,” an additional prompt will appear.

• Please note: Site condition information will

adjust the Self-study checklist, allowing your site to earn additional points. It will also remove standards from the checklists that do not apply to your site.

Program Attributes: Select all that apply.

• This information will not adjust the Self-study. It is useful for our data collection purposes.

GROUPS/CLASSROOMS

Review & Verify

• Verify your site’s classroom/group and staff information.

• If information is incorrect or missing, you must log-in to your Aspire account to make changes or updates. Please wait 48 hours to see any updates made in Aspire appear in the Portal.

STAFF ROSTER

Review & Verify

• Verify your site’s staff information. • If information is incorrect or missing, you must log in to your Aspire account to make any changes

or updates. If you are mailing any documents to Aspire, please use the Priority Documentation Coversheet *When staff are listed twice, make sure that they currently hold both position titles. If they no longer hold one position, then be sure to expire that position in Aspire. • When staff are listed as both Administrator/Director and Teacher or Administrator/Director and Assistant teacher, they

will be counted as contributing to the Q&E points for both Administrator/Director and Teacher. • “Start date” refers to the date on which the staff started working in the position indicated. This may differ from the

individual’s “hire date,” which is used to calculate retention. You can view the staff’s hire date by “hovering” over the start date with your mouse.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

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2004

• The number of points earned for the Qualifications & Experience standard category is calculated by adding the average points earned for administrative and teaching staff and the number of points earned for retention.

• If any staff information is missing or incorrect, please log-in to Aspire to make changes or updates.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

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2004

• Click on the Administrator(s), Teacher(s), or Retention buttons to view the site’s verified staff, the standards that they meet, and the points earned for retention

ALIGNMENT NAEYC accredited sites can earn up to 159 automatic points. Head Start and Early Head Start programs that are in full compliance with Federal Standards can earn up to 149 points. Additional points may be earned by submitting evidence that demonstrates meeting any non-aligned standards.

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Note: If your site is both NAEYC accredited and in full compliance with federal Head Start performance standards, QUALITYstarsNY will default to the NAEYC-aligned checklist as it assigns a greater number of points. Remember: To access an abbreviated checklist, your site’s NAEYC accreditation certificate and/or Office of Head Start Monitoring Report indicating full compliance must be up-to-date in our records. If you are newly accredited or in compliance or if your records are not reflected here due to having expired in the last year , please submit an Abbreviated Standards Self-study request form, along with evidence, to gain access to an abbreviated checklist in the Portal.

STANDARD CHECKLISTS

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Steps to Upload Evidence 1. Locate the previously unmet standard for which you would like to submit evidence.

• Previously unmet standards will not appear in grey and the option to Add/View File will be available.

2. Click on the dropdown menu and select the documentation you intend to upload

• The number of documents you have selected will be displayed. Once all required documents are selected, the radio button under the Answer column will change from No to Yes.

• If you did not intend to select the documentation you checked, click Uncheck all and the radio button will return to No.

• If you have attached documentation and then uncheck the checkbox, the documentation will need to re-uploaded.

3. Click on the Add/View File hyperlink in the evidence column

• Notice a window will appear below the standard, prompting you to name, describe, browse for and Upload your source of documentation.

STANDARD CHECKLISTS

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4. Name the file - Required • Provide a concise label for your file. It should include the Standard/Indicator Code, File title, and page

numbers, if applicable. Example: C2 Parent Handbook, p.14

5. Describe the file – Optional • Provide any description or clarifications needed to help us understand the content you are uploading

6. Browse for the file on your computer - Required • Locate the file you wish to upload from your computer or thumb drive. You can name this file whatever you

choose.

7. Click the Upload hyperlink to attach the file to the standard • You will know that the file has been successfully uploaded if the file name appears in grey in the File Name

column. • Add additional files to the standard by following the same process. You can upload as many files as necessary.

STANDARD CHECKLISTS

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EDIT FILES

• If you need to edit the file you have uploaded, click Edit.

• Click into any of the fields to make your text edits or to browse for a different file. Click Save. • Click Cancel if you do not want to Edit the file to return to the checklist. Your original file and text entries will be

preserved.

DELETE FILES

• To delete the file you uploaded, click Delete. • A prompt will appear asking you to confirm that you want to delete the file. Select Yes to permanently

remove this file.

SELF-STUDY SUMMARY

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This page provides a summary of the estimated number of points your site may earn towards the Provisional Rating.

• If information regarding your site conditions appear to be incorrect, go back to the site profile page and make sure you have selected the correct information .

SELF-STUDY SUMMARY

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• Please be aware that your actual Provisional Rating may differ from the points displayed below.

• Once the Self-study is reviewed by the QUALITYstarsNY rating team, we will notify you of your site's official Provisional Rating.

REVIEW

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• Download and save a copy of the Self-study, Qualifications & Experience, and Staff Training Report by clicking on the hyperlinks and saving as you would any document.

SUBMIT

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You are now able to Submit the Self-Study!

CONGRATULATIONS

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• After submitting, you will reach this screen. • You will also receive an email confirming that your Self-study

has been submitted • You will be contacted when your official Provisional Rating has

been issued. Please allow approximately 8 weeks to receive your results