All three Woodridge School District 68 preschool sites earned the state's highest early-learning quality rating.
The district's Preschool for All program at Edgewood, Goodrich and Sipley schools received the Gold Circle of Quality through ExceleRate Illinois, the state's quality rating and improvement system for early learning programs, according to the district. The district said the program earned the designation "once again," though it did not specify how many consecutive cycles it has held the rating.
The Gold Circle of Quality is the highest rating a program can achieve under ExceleRate Illinois. It is not easy to get.
The designation is based on scores from the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, known as ECERS-3, and results from a compliance checklist, according to the district announcement.
To earn the rating, a state-approved assessor conducts on-site classroom assessments using the ECERS-3 and CLASS tools, along with a Preschool for All compliance checklist prescribed by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood, according to ExceleRate Illinois. Staff at the department then assign the circle of quality designation for school-based sites.
All Illinois Preschool for All and Preschool for All Expansion programs participate in ExceleRate Illinois, meaning the Woodridge sites were measured against the same standards as preschool programs across the state.
