Topic: Best Practices

Program Improvement Plan (PIP)

A Program Improvement Plan (PIP) provides programs with an individualized guide for continuous quality improvement. Programs participating in Maryland EXCELS submit a PIP, along with a statement describing their process for developing it, to meet the requirements of Accreditation and Rating Scales (ACR) 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5 or Accreditation/Validation and Rating Scale (AVR) 3.4 and 3.5.

The Maryland EXCELS Program Improvement Plan Guidance and Form provide directions for creating a Program Improvement Plan (including a review of the requirements of ACR 3) and a template for recording and tracking progress toward achieving your program improvement goals.

English PIP Guidance and Form (PDF)

Spanish PIP Guidance and Form (PDF)

If you would like more support, the Maryland EXCELS Toolkit provides additional resources, including an interactive guide that provides support in writing an effective Program Improvement Plan and helps you create or improve your own.

PIP Resources for Family Child Care & Child Care Centers

PIP Resources for School-Age Only Programs

Program Assessments

Program Self-Assessments

Positive teacher-child interactions are a critical component of the quality of care provided in a program. By conducting self-assessments, a program has the opportunity to identify teacher strengths and areas for improvement. This process is used to create individual staff development plans and ongoing program improvement. 

Maryland EXCELS has developed the following self-assessments and associated companion guides to help participants achieve quality rating 3 requirements.

Family Child Care Homes:

Child Care Centers:

The Maryland EXCELS Toolkit provides practical guidance and resources to support you throughout the self-assessment process. Explore helpful videos that walk you through planning your self-assessment, calculating average scores, and accurately recording your results on the Summary Score Sheet.

Program Assessments Conducted by MSDE

What is CLASS®?

The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) is an observation tool that looks at the big differences made by everyday interactions within the classroom. Examples include: how educators welcome and respond to children, guide their behavior and engagement, ask questions, and help them think and learn.

During a CLASS® observation, a certified observer watches how educators connect with children, engage them in learning, and support their development through interactions.

To understand and measure what children experience on a normal day, CLASS® looks at important areas including:

  • Emotional support: How educators create warm, responsive environments where children feel safe, supported, and connected.
  • Classroom organization: How educators support positive behavior and plan for routines and activities that make the most of learning time.
  • Instructional support: How educators use conversations, questions, feedback, and other interactions to deepen children’s thinking, language, and learning. (Pre-K tool only)

CLASS® has different measurements for different age groups:

  • Infant/Toddler CLASS®: Birth to age three
  • Pre-K-3rd CLASS®: Age three and up

How does CLASS® work?

Programs participating in Maryland EXCELS with a draft or published quality rating 3 or 4 can request a CLASS® observation by using the form available in ACR 2 in the Maryland EXCELS online system. Programs with a quality rating 5 will be contacted directly to schedule observation visits.

During a CLASS® observation, a trained observer spends approximately two hours in the classroom, in 20-minute intervals, observing and measuring what educators and children say and do during daily activities and routines.

After observation, the observer shares their scores and feedback about which interactions were strongest and where improvements could be made.

How can programs prepare for a CLASS® observation?

Conducting a Maryland EXCELS self-assessment gives your program an excellent preview of the interactions that are measured during a CLASS® observation.

Self-assessments are available to all programs that are working to meet the requirements of ACR 2 at level 3.

For more information, please contact your regional Quality Assurance Specialist.

Updated: September 2026