Results Matter Training and Certification Requirements

Observation and Documentation Skills

All classroom staff must be trained in, or have had prior experience with, early childhood observation skills for authentic assessment. Several ways to satisfy this requirement are:

Experience with an observational assessment tool in a previous role or position (does not have to be a Results Matter approved tool)
Previous college course on assessment which covered observational child assessment
Completion of Introduction to Child Assessment module in the Colorado Professional Development Information System (PDIS)

On This Page

Observation and Documentation Skills
Assessment System Orientation Courses
Inter-rater Reliability Certification
IRR and Colorado’s Early Childhood Professional Credential

Assessment System Orientation Courses

All teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators with an online system user account must complete the system’s online orientation module(s).

Teachers and administrators successfully complete professional development modules by logging into their GOLD® accounts and searching for the following courses in Quorum:
- Introduction to SmartTeach™ - 2 hours
- Getting Started with MyTeachingStrategies® Setup (for administrators) - 1 hour
COR 101 course
AEPS Training options

Inter-rater Reliability Certification

All teachers and other staff assigning checkpoint ratings to children who have an IEP (i.e., anyone responsible for finalizing assessment ratings for children) must also complete interrater reliability certification. Interrater reliability (IRR) is the extent to which multiple observers score children the same on a given item. Teacher certification is critical as they are the ones scoring children. Progress and outcomes data gathered through Results Matter are used to inform classroom and program planning. In addition, some of the results are used for accountability reporting. Thus, fidelity with the nationally tested training curriculum and fidelity with the research-based implementation of the assessment are critical.

CDE does not require paraprofessionals and administrators to complete interrater reliability certification. However, programs may choose to require it for all staff at their own discretion.

The online system orientation courses and IRR certification must be completed before staff begin completing ratings in their first checkpoint.

Program-level administrators must employ strategies to support and monitor staff completion of required trainings. Administrator monitoring reports are typically available in the online assessment systems.

IRR and Colorado’s Early Childhood Professional Credential

Since inter-rater reliability certification (IRR) is a test, not a course per se, it is not considered professional development and is therefore not eligible for CEU or professional development clock hours. However, IRR certification for GOLD® is approved as a “Qualifying Credential, License, or Endorsement” in the Ongoing Professional Development area of Colorado’s Early Childhood Professional Credential. This means that educators who pass GOLD® inter-rater reliability certification are eligible for two additional points under the Ongoing Professional Development section of the credential scoring worksheet.