1. USER GUIDE QUALITYstarsNY Portal Abbreviated Re-rating 2015
Last updated: 4/1/2015
FOR CENTER – BASED & PUBLIC SCHOOL PROGRAMS

2. BEGINNING THE SELF-STUDY
Once you have logged in, select the Self-Study tab. The site(s) associated with your address will appear.
Select Start a Self-study, this will take you to the Self Study Site.
ABC 123 Day Care

3. LOG-IN & PASSWORD RECOVERY
Log-in to the Portal using the address and password used for the previous Self-study and/or original application.
If you forgot your password, follow the instructions on the page and a temporary password will be sent to the used to create the account.
TIP: Copy and paste the temporary password to avoid potential mistakes in re-typing
If your was not used to create the original account, you must contact a QUALITYstarsNY administrator.
Once logged in, you can change the temporary password by clicking on “My Organization” and then on “My Account Information”

4. QUESTIONS?
If at any point you have questions about your Self-study, please do not hesitate to reach out for assistance!
If you require technical assistance, please notify a QUALITYstarsNY administrator: or
For questions about staff qualifications and experience please contact Aspire: or

5. WELCOME Navigating the Self-study
Use the Wizard toolbar on the left side of the page to easily navigate through the pages of the Self-Study.
You can also use the Next or Back buttons to move between the pages.

6. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
SITE INFORMATION
Review and Update
Please enter site and contact information in the blank fields
Some fields are “Read-only,” meaning that the information is drawn directly from Aspire.
If any of the Read-only fields on this page appear incorrect, contact Aspire.
All fields with an *are required. You will not be able to move beyond this page without filling out the * fields.
If you are uncertain about an answer but wish to proceed with the Self-study, enter a temporary answer as a placeholder and come back to it before you submit.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
STANDARDS
SELF-STUDY

7. SITE PROFILE License Type/Category
Verify. If incorrect, contact Aspire.
Site support: Select all that apply.
If you indicate that your site provides Head Start/Early Head Start, you must provide the Grantee’s name and date of last review.
If you indicate that your site provides UPK services, you must enter the School district’s name.
If you do not know this information or wish to complete the Self-study without supplying this information, you must uncheck the associated site support.
For NYC sites, enter: NYC Department of Education
Note: Head Start information provided on this page does not adjust the Self-study checklist. To receive automatic points for being in full compliance with federal Head Start standards, you must submit an Abbreviated Standards Self-study request form, along with a Dated Office of Head Start Monitoring Report indicating full compliance.

8. SITE PROFILE Site Conditions: Select all that apply.
Review and select the population(s) that your site currently serves.
Note: If you select “Serving Children whose home language is not English,” an additional prompt will appear.
Please note: Site condition information will adjust the Self-study checklist, allowing your site to earn additional points. It will simultaneously remove standards from the checklists that do not apply to your site.
Program Attributes: Select all that apply.
This information will not adjust the Self-study. It is useful for our data collection purposes.

9. GROUPS/CLASSROOMS Review & Verify
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Review & Verify
Verify your site’s classroom/group and staff information.
If information is incorrect or missing, you must log-in to your Aspire account to make changes or updates. Please wait 48 hours for updates made in Aspire to appear in the Portal.

10. STAFF ROSTER Review & Verify Verify your site’s staff information.
If information is incorrect or missing, you must log in to your Aspire account to make any changes or updates. If you are mailing any documents to Aspire, please use the Priority Documentation Coversheet. Please allow 6-8 weeks for Aspire to process your documents.
*When staff are listed twice, make sure that they currently hold both position titles. If they no longer hold one position, then be sure to expire that position in Aspire.
When staff are listed as both Administrator/Director and Teacher or Administrator/Director and Assistant teacher, they will be counted as contributing to the Qualification &Experience points for both Administrator/Director and Teacher.
“Start date” refers to the date on which the staff started working in the position indicated. This may differ from the individual’s “hire date,” which is used to calculate retention. You can view the staff’s hire date by “hovering” over the start date with your mouse.

11. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
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The number of points earned for the Qualifications & Experience standard category is calculated by adding the average points earned for administrative and teaching staff and the number of points earned for retention.
If any staff information is missing or incorrect, please log-in to Aspire to make changes or updates.

12. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Click on the Administrator(s), Teacher(s), or Retention buttons to view the site’s verified staff, the standards that they meet, and the points earned for retention
When you download Qualifications & Experience report it displays all trainings taken by each staff, not just those that count toward the QSNY rating.
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13. ALIGNMENT
NAEYC accredited sites can earn up to 159 automatic points. Head Start and Early Head Start programs that are in full compliance with Federal Standards can earn up to 149 points. Additional points may be earned by submitting evidence that demonstrates meeting any non-aligned standards.
Note: If your site is both NAEYC accredited and in full compliance with federal Head Start performance standards, QUALITYstarsNY will default to the NAEYC-aligned checklist as it assigns a greater number of points.
Remember: To access an abbreviated checklist, your site’s NAEYC accreditation certificate and/or Office of Head Start Monitoring Report indicating full compliance must be up-to-date in our records. If you are newly accredited or in compliance or if your records are not reflected here due to having expired in the last year , please submit an Abbreviated Standards Self-study request form, along with evidence, to gain access to an abbreviated checklist in the Portal.

14. CHECKLIST INSTRUCTIONS
The checklist is where you are able to upload and link documentation for standards that your site meets.
You will notice that some standards are grey, indicating a “Read-only” status, and you cannot make changes.
For an explanation of the Read-only status, refer to the legend below. In the checklists, you will see the codes on the right side of the checklist.
Note that each standard category contains multiple subcategories. Click the down arrow to see each subcategory.
You must click into each subcategory (or hit Next repeatedly) to view and upload files for the standards.

15. STANDARD CHECKLISTS Steps to Upload Evidence
Locate the previously unmet standard for which you would like to submit evidence.
Previously unmet standards will not appear in grey and the option to Add/View File will be available.
2. Click on the dropdown menu and select the documentation you intend to upload
The number of documents you have selected will be displayed. Once all required documents are selected, the radio button under the Answer column will change from No to Yes.
If you did not intend to select the documentation you checked, click Uncheck all and the radio button will return to No.
If you have attached documentation and then uncheck the checkbox, the documentation for that standard will need to be re-uploaded.
3. Click on the Add/View File hyperlink in the evidence column
Notice a window will appear below the standard, prompting you to name, describe, browse for and upload your source of documentation.
Will need new screenshot w/o Met-Not MET

16. STANDARD CHECKLISTS 4. Name the file - Required
Provide a concise label for your file. It should include the Standard/Indicator Code, File title, and page numbers, if applicable. Example: C2 Parent Handbook, p.14
5. Describe the file – Optional
Provide any description or clarifications needed to help the QUALITYstarsNY rating team to understand the content you are uploading
6. Browse for the file on your computer - Required
Locate the file you wish to upload from your computer or thumb drive. You can name this file whatever you choose.
7. Click the Upload hyperlink to attach the file to the standard
You will know that the file has been successfully uploaded if the file name appears in grey in the File Name column.
Add additional files to the standard by following the same process. You can upload as many files as necessary to any given standard.
Best practice – if asked for multiple docs …upload all in one or name each..what did we decide…really, personal preference

17. STANDARD CHECKLISTS EDIT FILES DELETE FILES
If you need to edit the name or description of the file you have uploaded, or need to upload a different or additional file, click Edit.
Click into any of the fields to make your edits. Click Save.
Click Cancel if you do not want to Edit the file to return to the checklist. Your original file and text entries will be preserved.
DELETE FILES
To delete the file you uploaded, click Delete.
A prompt will appear asking you to confirm that you want to delete the file. Select Yes to permanently remove this file.

18. SELF-STUDY SUMMARY
Emphasize estimated provisional vs. Active
This page provides a summary of the estimated number of points your site may earn towards the Provisional Rating.
If information regarding your site conditions appear to be incorrect, go back to the site profile page and make sure you have selected the correct information .

19. SELF-STUDY SUMMARY
Please be aware that your actual Provisional Rating may differ from the points displayed below.
Once the Self-study is reviewed by the QUALITYstarsNY rating team, we will notify you of your site's official Provisional Rating.
Emphasize estimated provisional vs. Active

20. REVIEW
Download and save a copy of the Self-study, Qualifications & Experience, and Staff Training Reports by clicking on the hyperlinks and saving as you would any document.

21. SUBMIT
You are now able to Submit the Self-Study!

22. CONGRATULATIONS After submitting, you will reach this screen.
You will also receive an confirming that your Self-study has been submitted
You will be contacted when your official Provisional Rating has been issued. Please allow approximately 8 weeks to receive your results