Description:
The ITERS was adapted from the Early Childhood
Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) and the Family Day
Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) -- (see reviews in this section)—specifically
for assessing the quality of out-of-home group care
for infants and toddlers up to 30 months of age. The
assessment includes 35 items divided into seven categories:
Furnishings and Displays, Personal Care Routines, Listening
and Talking, Learning Activities, Interactions, Program
Structure, and Adult Needs. Each item is presented on
a scale from 1 (Inadequate) to 7 (Excellent). The ITERS
definition of the day care environment encompasses the
organization of space, interaction, activities, schedule
for children, and provisions for staff and parents.
This definition of quality is consistent with the Criteria
for Quality Early Childhood Programs stated by the National
Academy of Early Childhood Programs and with the Child
Development Associate (CDA) requirements.
Uses of Information: The
ITERS provides information for development of the Individualized
Family Service Plan and individual programming changes
for specific children. It can be used by caregiving
staff for self-assessment, by directors as a program-quality
measure for planning program improvement, by agency
staff for monitoring, and by parents concerned about
quality care for their infants and toddlers. Key words
in the scoring sheets can be used to make plans for
improvement or compare scores.
Reliability: (1) Internal
consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) is .83, although
subscale scores varied substantially. (2) Test-retest
reliability (Spearman correlation), with a 3- to 4-week
interval between tests, was .79 on the overall scale,
with subscale scores ranging from .58 to .76. (3) Inter-rater
reliability (Spearman correlation coefficient) was .84,
with subscale scores ranging from .58 to .89.
Validity: (1) Concurrent
validity: a test for concurrent validity found an 83
percent agreement between the categorizations of the
quality of infant/toddler programs in 12 classrooms
using ITERS and using expert evaluations.
Method of Scoring: The ITERS
provides a score sheet that records individual item scores
and a total score. The score sheet has space for the observer
to briefly indicate the reasons for each of the scores
by including key words describing what was observed. A
sample completed score sheet is included in the manual.
The Profile sheet permits a graphic representation of
the scoring information. It can be used to compare areas
of strengths and weaknesses, and to select items and subscales
to target for improvement. The profiles for at least two
observations can be plotted side by side to depict changes
visually. Sample profile forms are available on the Frank
Porter Graham Child Development Center website: www.fpg.unc.edu.
Interpretability: Full
instructions for using the scale, plus notes clarifying
selected scale items are included. However, the manual
provides no information about interpreting the results
of the observation.
Training Support: Video Observations
and a Video Guide and Training Workbook are available
for an additional cost. The Video Observations package
demonstrates how to use the Infant-Toddler Environment
Rating Scale. Each training package contains an interactive
videotape and an Instructor’s Guide, which explains
how to present the various training activities and provides
answers and explanations for any questions that may arise.
A 16-page Video Guide and Training Workbook, containing
training activities, is sold separately. The website:
www.fpg.unc.edu also includes helpful information.
Adaptations/Special Instructions
for Individuals with Disabilities: The rating
scale includes an item to rate accomodations for exceptional
children.
Report Preparation Support:
Not described in the manual
References:
Thelma Harms, Debby Cryer, and Richard M. Clifford.
Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale. New York: Teachers
College Press, 1990.
Clifford. Video Observations for the Infant-Toddler
Environment Rating Scale. New York: Teachers College Press,
1991.
Thelma Harms, Debby Cryer, and Richard M. Clifford.
Video Guide and Training Workbook for the Infant-Toddler
Environment Rating Scale. New York: Teachers College
Press, 1991
Clifford, R. M., Russell, S., Fleming, J., Peisner,
E. S., Harms, T., & Cryer, D. Infant/Toddler Environment
Rating Scale: Reliability and Validity Study-Final Report.
Chapel Hill, NC: Frank Porter Graham Child Development
Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
1989.
www.fpg.unc.edu |
