Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP)
The California Early Childhood Curriculum Alignment Project supports transfer and curriculum consistency in the foundational preparation of early childhood education students.
The CAP Methods of Evaluation Project
Overview
The goal of this project was to provide a collection of openly licensed methods of evaluation (MOE) for the CAP eight foundational courses (CAP Classic). We hope this library of assignments and activities responds to the many requests from faculty over the years for CAP to add resources to support student learning outcomes.
This collection of methods of evaluation builds upon a previous project by ASCCC OERI which curated a collection of openly licensed videos and assessments. This project goes further to specifically align with individual CAP course objectives.
The CAP courses were revised (2021) to align with the Teacher Level of the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs) adopted by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the English Learner Roadmap, and recommendations from the Parent Organization Network.
How to Access
The CAP MOE Modules will be added to the existing OER resource shells on the Canvas Commons. You will need to be logged into Canvas to access these course shells.
- Child Growth and Development
- Child, Family and Community
- Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children
- Introduction to Curriculum
- Health, Safety and Nutrition
- Observation and Assessment
- Teaching in a Diverse Society
- Practicum - Field Experience
Use
All assignments in this project are openly licensed. You are free to add, delete, re-word, include other foundational resources, change the rubrics, use just a part, or combine multiple items. In other words, feel free to make them your own.
This is not an exhaustive list, we are sure there are other awesome MOEs out there that are used effectively to measure student progress, but for any instructors new to courses or looking for some assignments to support particular areas of your courses, we hope this is a start.
Each MOE included is identified by the CAP course and course objective that it supports. Each has a purpose that aligns with the objectives, directions, sometimes includes special notes to instructors for use, links to Google Docs that can be copied to your own drive, and grading rubrics. Again, these can be modified to meet your student and institutional needs. For example, a discussion prompt could be used as an essay question, questions within assignments could be added, deleted, or modified, reference materials could be changed, larger assignments could be broken into smaller chunks, and so on.
Colleges in CTC Pilot 4, the Quality Peer Review Process might find these helpful as resources to show how individual TPEs are introduced, practiced, and assessed.
This project has been supported and funded by
- Child Development Training Consortium
- California Department of Social Services, Child Care and Development Division
Other resources
- CA ECE Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP)
- Creative Commons
- Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)
- Commission on Teacher Credentialing Early Childhood
NEW: Support for Colleges Considering Participation in Early Childhood Education Child Development Permit Pilots under the PDG-Grant
CAP Classic (CAP 8) outlines have recently been updated to align with the Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE) for the Teacher Level. One of the routes to eligibility for participation in Pilot 1 is “The institution/program is using updated, TPE-aligned CAP curriculum” While this is not the only route to eligibility, the CAP team is here to help whether you are new to CAP alignment, or already aligned.
- If your college/institution has not yet aligned with CAP 8 course outlines and you are interested in more information, please complete this quick contact form and the CAP team will reach out to help you determine what kind of support you might need.
- If your college/institution is already aligned with the CAP 8 course outlines and you are interested in updating your courses to the revised outlines that now include the TPE content, please complete this quick contact form and the CAP team will reach out to help you determine what kind of support you might need.
If you are not sure of your college/institution's CAP alignment status, please check here: CAP Aligned Colleges
For more information about the Early Childhood Education Child Development Permit Pilots under the PDG-R Grant visit the Childhood Education Page on the CTC Website.
CAP Classic
The California Community Colleges Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP) engaged faculty from across the state to develop a 24 unit lower-division program of study supporting early care and education teacher preparation. The eight courses are intended to be a foundational core for all early care and education professionals. The eight courses are:
- Child Growth and Development
- Child, Family and Community
- Introduction to Curriculum
- Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children
- Observation and Assessment
- Health, Safety and Nutrition
- Teaching in a Diverse Society
- Practicum
CAP Expansion
Following the development of the CAP Classic courses, additional funding was provided by the Race To The Top/Early Learning Challenge Grant (RTT/ELCG) to expand the project to include seven additional courses in the three specialization areas of Infant/Toddler, Administration, and Children with Special Needs. The seven courses include the following:
- Infant/Toddler Development
- Infant/Toddler Care and Education
- Introduction to Young Children with Special Needs
- Curriculum and Strategies for Children with Special Needs
- Administration I - Programs in ECE
- Administration II - Leadership and Supervision
- Adult Supervision and Mentoring
CAP Transitional Kindergarten (CAP TK)
In light of the recently adopted Teacher Performance Expectations for the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential, the CAP TK courses which were developed in 2016 no longer represent the required preparation for teachers in Transitional Kindergarten classrooms. As the pathways for TK teachers continue to be refined at the state level, the CAP team will explore the options for revising and republishing the 24 units intended to support this population.
CAP Highlights
106 Community Colleges in California have agreed to participate in CAP.
- Of these colleges, 98 are aligned.
The CAP courses have been accepted as the required core for the Associate in Science for Transfer in Early Childhood Education. For information on the courses and the degree, go to http://www.c-id.net.
Learn More
Contact
Due Dates
CAP Classic and CAP Expansion Review and Verification
You may submit your CAP Official documents at anytime.
The CAP/EarlyEdU Crosswalk Resource is Available
The CAP/EarlyEdU Crosswalk is between the CD/ECE CAP aligned course content and the EarlyEdU courses available for free with EarlyEdU Alliance® membership. The purpose of the Crosswalk Project is to support California faculty in accessing the resources available through EarlyEdU that can be used to enhance instruction and enrich student experiences and outcomes.
CAP 8 Course Textbooks in Spanish
Associate Degree for Transfer in Early Childhood Education
The CAP courses are the foundation for the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in Early Childhood Education (ECE). Access this link for a list of CSU's who have a program similar to the ADT in ECE. CSU Student Transfer
Additionally, some CSUs specifically identify how the CAP courses fit into their programs. Contact your nearby CSU for more information.
More Info
All CAP projects are funded by the California Department of Social Services, Child Care and Development Division.