Enhancing Quality Control Processes
Goal
The recruiter will know how to implement quality control activities.
Objectives
After completing this section, the participant will be able to:
• Explain the basic principles of quality control, including process-oriented defects, product-oriented defects,
and the importance of detecting and correcting errors quickly.
• List and describe the federal and state requirements for ensuring the quality of child eligibility
determinations.
• Identify the components of an effective quality control system.
• Demonstrate how to conduct basic process-oriented ID&R quality control activities.
• Demonstrate how to conduct basic product-oriented ID&R quality control activities.
• Explain the benefit of having an effective quality control system and the consequences of having an
ineffective system.
Systems of Quality Control Activity
States are required by federal law to have a robust system of quality control activity.
Federal Register: July 29, 2008 Volume 73, Number 146 Rules and Regulations
Part IV United States Department of Education
34 CFR Part 200
What the federal law says:
POST SLIDES 4-11 “Quality Control”
Basic Principles of Quality Control
Quality control is a process used to ensure acceptable levels of quality in a product or service at the lowest possible cost. Quality control activities can be divided into two types: process-oriented activities and product-oriented activities.
• An example of a process-oriented activity is when an assembly line worker confirms that a part is properly installed in a toaster.
• An example of a product-oriented activity is to sample a piece of candy before it is shipped to see if it looks and tastes the way it should.
POST SLIDES 14-21 “Quality Control”
Importance of Detecting and Correcting Errors Quickly
• Costs can be greatly reduced if errors are detected and corrected early in the process.
• Detecting errors during the process can result in re-doing work and delaying benefits to eligible
children.
• Detecting errors after the process can result in:
– Having the State return MEP funds,
– Increasing oversight and quality control of identification and recruitment (ID&R) activities,
– Losing public trust, and
– Personal stress caused by audits.
Review of Federal and State Requirements for Ensuring the Quality of Child Eligibility Determinations
Federal
• Child’s record of eligibility, identified needs, and the services provided are to be documented and
maintained either electronically or in a paper file.
State
• Child Count Narratives on State’s process for counting the right children who resided in the State for at
least one day during the eligibility period,
• Explanation of how a State ensures quality of eligibility determinations,
• Recruiters and administrators responsible for knowing eligibility requirements and ensuring quality
control, and
• Administrators responsible for ensuring that the quality control system works.
Basic Process-oriented Quality Control Activities
• Training and supervising recruiters,
• Developing a recruiter ethics policy, and
• Providing incentives for reducing errors.
Basic Product-oriented Quality Control Activities
• Having a process in place for reviewing COEs:
– Recruiter reviews COE with migrant family member during interview.
– Administrator or other staff members reviews COE before it is entered into the migrant database.
– Data-entry specialist checks COE.
– State monitor reviews sample of COEs.
• Re-interviewing program families to validate eligibility determination.
Quality Control Tools
• A COE checklist:
– Is an important quality control tool,
– Looks at completeness and accuracy, and
– Looks to see if determination appears valid.
• A COE flowchart can be an important tool for State quality control system.
Benefits and Consequences
• Benefits of a strong quality control system are:
– Standard procedures are developed for consistent and accurate MEP eligibility decisions.
– Effective training programs are developed.
– MEP eligibility is tested and inspected.
– Corrective action is taken when a problem occurs so that it doesn’t happen again.
– Public is confident that MEP dollars are spent on eligible children.
• Consequences of a poor quality control system:
– State must remove ineligible children from the program.
– State must return MEP funds.
– Recruiter will be investigated.
– Interventions may need to be applied.
Designing and Evaluating the Recruiter Action Plan
Goal
The recruiter will know how to develop an individual ID&R action plan for finding migrant children, families,
and youth, and be able to evaluate the implementation of an individual ID&R action plan and revise as needed.
Objectives
After completing this section, the participant will be able to:
• Explain why it is important to develop an individual action plan to find migrant families and youth;
• Identify the elements of an individual action plan;
• Develop an individual action plan for finding migrant families and youth;
• Assess the effectiveness of the implementation of an individual action plan;
• Identify those aspects of the plan that need to be revised or adapted to make it more effective; and
• Recommend needed adaptations or revisions to the plan.
Action Planning and the MEP
Action plans can be called by different names. One person’s action plan can be another’s “to-do” list and yet another’s “recruitment calendar.” ID&R action plans are developed at the State, local, and individual levels and the content and format of these action plans vary.
Why do you think it’s important to have an identification and recruitment (ID&R) action plan?
Review the following slides for an overview on action planning.
POST SLIDES 3-12 “Individual Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) Action Plan”
“Developing Objectives” Activity
Two possible examples from page 41 of the Draft Migrant Education Program Identification and Recruitment Manual are:
-
I will visit one agricultural or fishing employer every month as documented by my activity log.
-
I will conduct employer surveys with at least 20 growers in my recruitment area within the next year as documented by the completed survey forms.
Post workbook page 17
Review the sample indicidual action plan and note that:
There are various formats for the action plan. A table, as shown in their Workbooks, is one format. In this case, instead of writing a single objective, a goal was identified (i.e., expected outcome), and then theactions to be taken were outlined: “What” will be done, “Who” will participate, and during what timeframe (“When”). Whether the expected outcome is achieved will provide a measure of success.
Post workbook page 18
You should use this page to make your own action plans.
Think, about a time when you needed to put together a plan to accomplish something, such as going on a trip, buying a house, buying a car, or pursuing a degree.
Looking back, was your plan successful? Did you need to make any changes to your original plan as circumstances changed? Could they have done anything differently to improve the outcome?
The key things that could have been done differently to make an action plan more successful.
-
Doing additional research,
-
Setting more realistic deadlines,
-
Not jumping at the first offer,
-
Taking more careful consideration of every implication of their action,
-
Not properly assessing their personal budget, and
You should keep these lessons in mind as you go through the process of assessing the effectiveness of your individual ID&R action plans.
Evaluating an Individual ID&R Action Plan
You will be using the individual ID & R action plans you developed for your self earlier.
Post workbook page 19
For example:
For the following action plan item:
What
Learn basic MEP child eligibility requirements
When
By September 2009
Expected Outcome
Conduct self-check to determine if Iunderstand these requirements Pass a certificate examination
Possible evaluation questions would be:
-
Is this still a valid action plan item, or have circumstances changed and require the item to be modified or deleted?
-
Is additional research or other preparatory activity required?
-
Is the deadline realistic?
-
Was this action accomplished by the deadline?
-
Did the participant pass (or is expected to pass) the certificate examination?
-
Does the participant feel that he/she completely understands the requirements and is able to apply them?
Post “Evaluating an Individual ID&R Action Plan” PowerPoint Slide 2-3
Points to be Noted:
Developing an individual action plan is important because:
-
The recruiter becomes more efficient at finding all eligible migrant children
-
It forces the recruiter to:
-
Think about what should be accomplished,
-
Establish recruitment objectives,
-
Decide the best way to attain these objectives, and
-
Develop specific action steps and timelines for their completion.
-
It encourages the recruiter to use time wisely.
-
It helps the recruiter evaluate his/her work and adjust strategies as needed.
- It serves as a guide for a new recruiter if the previous recruiter leaves the job.
Elements of an individual action plan:
-
What needs to be done,
-
When it will be done,
-
How it will be done, and
- How you will know that it was done successfully.
Migrant Child Identification and Recruitment: The Challenges
Goal
The recruiter will know ways to address challenges that may arise in identifying and recruiting migrant children for the Migrant Education Program (MEP).
Objectives
After completing this section, the participant will be able to:
- Identify the challenges associated with identifying and recruiting migrant children, and
- Develop strategies for addressing these challenges.
Materials:
“Importance of Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) in the Migrant Education Program (MEP)” PowerPoint
Post “Importance of Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) in the Migrant Education Program (MEP)” PowerPoint Slide 3-5
There are many challenges in completing the important job of identifying and recruiting migrant children.
Post wookbook page 25
List on the workbook page some the reasons why identifying and recruiting children is sometimes difficult?
Some difficulties may include:
-
Not all temporary or seasonal workers are eligible.
-
Migrant families are self-sufficient and are not accustomed to seeking help outside their circle of families and friends.
-
Many migrant children are “invisible.” Instead of going to school, they may stay home or go to work with their parents.
-
Some migrant families do not read or speak English.
-
It is difficult to find and recruit youth who travel on their own.
-
Places where migrant families work and reside are often remote, and employers may not want their employees to have outside visitors during the work day.
-
There is considerable turnover in migrant agricultural and fishing work.
-
The MEP may not be able to serve all migrant children. Therefore, families whose children are enrolled but not receiving services may not see an immediate benefit to enrolling their child.
Post wookbook page 27
Some possible ways to address the given challenges are:
Post table on page 76 of the trainers gide (challenges/ Possible Solutions)