美国学前教育质量评级与提升系统的元评价研究述评

The Review of Meta-evaluation Research of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems of Early Childhood Education in America

美国以州政府为主体实施的学前教育质量评级与提升系统(QRIS)通过质量评级、财政激励和技术支持来提升各州学前教育质量,并引导学前教育领域的市场选择。在QRIS发展的二十余年中,各州持续开展元评价研究以检验QRIS各项内容实施的有效性。这些元评价研究关注质量基本概念、质量测量、评级结果以及学前机构等级与儿童发展水平的关系,并反映出美国各州QRIS的具体实施情况及改进措施。这些元评价研究在研究方法和研究结论方面也有一定的局限性。

Quality Rating and Improvement System （QRIS）represents a new strategy adopted by state governments of America. QRIS aims at improving qualities of early child- hood education by rating as well as providing them with a series of professional supports and financial incentives, increasing transparency of the quality information to parents and enhancing them to make choice among various programs. In decades of years, states contin- ue to carry out meta-evaluation research of QRIS in order to verify the effectiveness of the implementation of QRIS. The meta-evaluation research has four Types, which examined the validity of key underlying concepts, the psychometric properties of the measurement and the outputs of the rating process, and also examined how ratings are associated with children＇s outcomes. The meta-evaluation research of QRIS revealed the status of QRIS＇ implementation and improvement measures, and the meta-evaluation research of QRIS also has certain Limitation on their methods and results.