Program Effectiveness Outcomes

Program: Central Arizona College Early Childhood Education Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Outcome Measure #1: Number of Program Completers

Outcome Measure #2: Program Completion Rate

Published program timeframe: 2 years (4 semesters). The required 150% indicator and the program-selected 100% indicator are reported.

Outcome Measure #3: Fall-to-Fall Retention

Current Candidate Learning Objectives

NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation Standards 2025

Standard 1: Child Development and Learning in Context

• 1a: Understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multilingual development.
• 1b: Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices.
• 1c: Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning setting, as well as in a larger societal context that includes structural inequities.
• 1d: Use this multidimensional knowledge—that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts—to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.

Standard 2: Family–Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections

• 2a: Know about, understand, and value the diversity of families.
• 2b: Collaborate as partners with families in young children’s development and learning through respectful, reciprocal relationships and engagement.
• 2c: Use community resources to support young children’s learning and development and to support families, and build partnerships between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies.

Standard 3: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment

• 3a: Understand that assessments (formal and informal, formative and summative) are conducted to make informed choices about instruction and for planning in early learning settings.
• 3b: Know a wide range of types of assessments, their purposes, and their associated methods and tools.
• 3c: Use screening and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, ability, culturally, and linguistically appropriate in order to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child.
• 3d: Build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues.

Standard 4: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices

• 4a: Understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educators’ work with young children.
• 4b: Understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child, recognizing that differentiating instruction, incorporating play as a core teaching practice, and supporting the development of executive function skills are critical for young children.
• 4c: Use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias, evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning.

Standard 5: Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum

• 5a: Understand content knowledge— the central concepts, methods and tools of inquiry, and structure—and resources for the academic disciplines in an early childhood curriculum.
• 5b: Understand pedagogical content knowledge—how young children learn in each discipline—and how to use the teacher knowledge and practices described in Standards 1 through 4 to support young children’s learning in each content area.
• 5c: Modify teaching practices by applying, expanding, integrating, and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, their knowledge of curriculum content resources, and their pedagogical content knowledge.

Standard 6: Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator

• 6a: Identify and involve themselves with the early childhood field and serve as informed advocates for young children, families, and the profession.
• 6b: Know about and uphold ethical and other early childhood professional guidelines.
• 6c: Use professional communication skills, including technology-mediated strategies, to effectively support young children’s learning and development and to work with families and colleagues.
• 6d: Engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice.
• 6e: Develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily work with young children and as members of the early childhood profession.

Historical Candidate Performance Data

The candidate performance data reported below represent assessment applications from Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. These data were generated using previous versions of the program's Key Assessments and the 2010 Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators that were in effect when the assessments were administered. The program subsequently revised its Key Assessment alignment to reflect the current Professional Standards and Competencies. Therefore, the historical performance data are presented using the competency labels and assessment alignment that were in effect when the data were collected and are not retroactively reclassified.

Historical Candidate Learning Objectives Used for Reported Performance Data

Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators 2010

Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning

• 1a: Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs, from birth through age 8.
• 1b: Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on early development and learning
• 1c: Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments for young children

Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships

• 2a: Knowing about and understanding diverse family and community characteristics
• 2b: Supporting and engaging families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships
• 2c: Involving families and communities in young children’s development and learning

Standard 3: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families

• 3a: Understanding the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment – including its use in development of appropriate goals, curriculum, and teaching strategies for young children
• 3b: Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches, including the use of technology in documentation, assessment and data collection.
• 3c: Understanding and practicing responsible assessment to promote positive outcomes for each child, including the use of assistive technology for children with disabilities.
• 3d: Knowing about assessment partnerships with families and with professional colleagues to build effective learning environments

Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches

• 4a: Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with young children
• 4b: Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early education, including appropriate uses of technology
• 4c: Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching /learning approaches
• 4d: Reflecting on own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child

Standard 5: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum

• 5a: Understanding content knowledge and resources in academic disciplines: language and literacy; the arts – music, creative movement, dance, drama, visual arts; mathematics; science, physical activity, physical education, health and safety; and social studies.
• 5b: Knowing and using the central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines
• 5c: Using own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally meaningful and challenging curriculum for each child.

Standard 6: Becoming a Professional

• 6a: Identifying and involving oneself with the early childhood field
• 6b: Knowing about and upholding ethical standards and other early childhood professional guidelines
• 6c: Engaging in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice; using technology effectively with young children, with peers, and as a professional resource.
• 6d: Integrating knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on early education
• 6e: Engaging in informed advocacy for young children and the early childhood profession

Historical Candidate Performance Data