Program Administration Scale (PAS)

Measuring Early Childhood Leadership and Management

While there are a variety of tools available to assess and improve the quality of the classroom learning environment, there has been little available to assess and improve the quality of organizational practices in early childhood programs. The McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership scholars, Teri Talan and Paula Jorde Bloom, developed the Program Administration Scale (PAS) to provide a reliable and easy-to-administer tool for measuring the overall quality of administrative practices of early care and education programs.

The PAS assesses quality in ten areas: human resources development, personnel cost and allocation, center operations, child assessment, fiscal management, program planning and evaluation, family partnerships, marketing and public relations, technology, and staff qualifications.

Designed for early childhood program administrators, researchers, monitoring personnel, and quality enhancement facilitators, the PAS was constructed to complement the widely used environment rating scales designed by Harms, Clifford, and Cryer. Both the PAS and the environment rating scales measure quality on a 7-point scale and both generate a profile to guide program improvement efforts. If used together, these instruments provide a focused look at best practices at the classroom level and the broad view of program quality from an organizational perspective.

The Program Administration Scale is useful to diverse audiences:

• Center directors and managers needing a framework to structure their own program improvement efforts
• Technical assistance specialists, consultants, and mentors working with directors to measure and benchmark quality improvements
• College instructors looking for a broad overview of effective organizational practices
• Researchers and program evaluators measuring and monitoring program quality
• Policymakers promoting accountability in early care and education programs

The Center offers several training opportunities to enhance program effectiveness using the PAS. For more information, please visit the PAS Training Opportunities page. The Center also administers a PAS assessor certification system. For more information, please visit the Becoming a Certified Assessor page. If you have questions relating to any of our PAS evaluation initiatives, please contact Jill Bella, Director of Special Projects at (800) 443-5522, ext. 5522 or jill.bella@nl.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use a new PAS book every time I administer the PAS?
Yes, each time you administer the PAS you must use a new book

Do I have to use a new PAS book every time I administer the PAS?
Yes, each time you administer the PAS you must use a new book.

Can I copy the worksheets in the back of the book?
Yes, all of the worksheets on pages 62-66 in the PAS book may be duplicated. Some worksheets you may need to duplicate several times (e.g., you will need to complete a separate Teaching Staff Qualifications Worksheet for each classroom or group of children in your center).

How long should it take a director to assemble the documentation needed for the assessment?
This varies according to each director's organizational style, size of the program, number of staff, amount of documentation, and the complexity of the program. It takes approximately 2-5 hours to compile the documentation.

How long should the interview last?
On average an interview should take about two hours. Of course, everyone's style of interviewing is different and directors can frequently get interrupted during an interview.

Can family child care programs use the PAS?
The PAS was intended for center-based early care and education programs. However, many of the items and indicators also apply to family child care programs.

The teaching staff in my program are called co-teachers. How do I complete the staff qualification forms?
For the purposes of scoring the PAS, your teaching staff must be categorized as Lead Teacher, Teacher, or Apprentice Teacher/Aide according to the Definition of Terms provided on page 3. Since there can only be one Lead Teacher per classroom or group of children, you will categorize the co-teacher with the highest educational qualifications as the Lead Teacher and the other co-teacher as Teacher.

How do I get professional looking, computer-generated PAS Reports to use in my consultant practice with early childhood programs?
You must be a certified PAS assessor to have access to the computer-generated PAS Reports. As part of the PAS Assessor Certification Application Process you submit two completed PAS assessments. Once the assessments are reviewed, you receive a professional quality, computer-generated PAS Report for each center. After you become a certified PAS assessor, you have continuing access to the computerized system and the ability to purchase the computer-generated PAS Reports for a nominal fee.

How much is the PAS and where can I purchase it?
The PAS is $19.95 per copy and can be purchased from New Horizons or Teachers College Press. Quantity discounts available.

Are consultants available to help programs prepare for a Program Administration Scale assessment?
Yes. In Illinois independent consultants are available to provide support for directors who are interested in improving the leadership and management practices at their centers and/or prepare for a PAS assessment as part of Quality Counts–QRS. Funding for these consultants is available through local CCR&R agencies. 
Find an Illinois consultant.