CLASS Quality Improvement
Explore the resources on this page to find information useful to directors, education managers, coaches, teachers, and others who want to improve the quality of instruction for children in Head Start programs.
Head Start and CLASS Quality Improvement
Learn more about how the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS): Pre-K® observation tool helps improve teacher-child interactions program quality and child outcome.
Head Start Designation Renewal System (DRS) Final Rule Changes
Explore revisions to the Designation Renewal System (DRS) that will further improve and strengthen the Head Start program. They ensure less uncertainty around the competitive process for all Head Start agencies.
Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM): Designation Renewal System Changes
An NPRM proposing changes to the Head Start Designation Renewal System (DRS) was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 13, 2019. It addresses the Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Pre-K (CLASS®) condition and the fiscal condition related to audit findings.
Data on Improving Quality in Head Start Programs
Four reports provide evidence that, since the last reauthorization, quality in Head Start has increased across the country..
Report of the Advisory Committee to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 requires the Secretary to develop a system of designation renewal that integrates the recommendations of an expert panel. The document below,“A System of Designation Renewal of Head Start Grantees: Report of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Re-designation of Head Start Grantees,” presents findings and recommendations of that expert panel.
A System of Designation Renewal of Head Start Grantees: Report of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Re-designation of Head Start Grantees
The Advisory committee recognizes that implementing the designation renewal system is a complex endeavor, and hopes the recommendations in the report will provide guiding principles for the establishment of a transparent, valid, and reliable system.