How to Use the Circle CQI Tool on CLI Engage

The Circle Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Tool captures high-quality teaching behaviors in infant, toddler, and pre-K classrooms. Its goal-setting system is used to develop improvement plans and track progress over time.

There are two tools available on CLI Engage: The Circle CQI Tool: Pre-K and the Circle CQI Tool: Infant Toddler. These tools were designed for coaches to use with individual teachers in a classroom setting.

🔑 Key Terms

• BOY/MOY Assessment: A 2-hour, formal observation period where the coach marks behaviors demonstrated by the teacher. Feedback is not provided by the coach.

• Observed: Behavior demonstrated during the assessment.

• Needs Support: Behavior observed but requires coaching.

• Goals Set:

  • The teacher and the coach select items together to set as goals. The teacher works on these items in between coaching sessions and on the next coaching session, as applicable. The coach provides necessary support for the teacher’s success.

  • Generally, items observed during the assessment period do not need to be set as goals, unless they have been marked as Needs Support.

  • Usually, items marked as Independent Updates do not need to be set as goals, since they have already been demonstrated and documented.

• Goals Met:

  • The coach marks items set as goals as “met” once the teacher accomplishes the goal. The coach must see evidence of the goal met in order to mark it as complete.

• Independent Updates:

  • Behaviors the teacher demonstrates on their own during a regular coaching session, outside of the formal observation period.

  • Items marked during an assessment period do not need to be marked as independent updates since they have already been demonstrated and documented.

  • Items marked as goals set and met do not need to be marked as independent updates since they have already been demonstrated and documented.

  • If a teacher demonstrates an item during a regular coaching session, but needs support, do not mark it as an independent update. Rather, set this item as a goal and provide support to help the teacher practice and meet the CQIP goal.

  • A Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP), also called an Action Plan, is developed based on the teacher’s selected goals. The CQIP provides documentation on the teacher’s goals, timeframe, needed resources, and how the coach will support the teacher in meeting these goals.

• CQIP: Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (also called Action Plan).

• Active CQIP: A CQIP with open goals that are currently in progress.

• Closed CQIP: A CQIP with goals that have ended. These goals have been set and met, or some of the goals may have been continued and moved to a new CQIP so the old one could be closed.

🔄 The Circle CQI Cycle

Texas School Ready uses the following cycle for the Circle CQI Tool.

1. Create new CQIP

   1. Select goals and write an action plan

2. The teacher works on goals with the coach's support.

3. Conduct coaching sessions

4. Document goals met

   1. Mark independent updates.

   2. Mark goals met.

   3. Close current CQIP

5. Create new CQIP

   1. Select new goals.

   2. Write an action plan.

6. Repeat cycle

*Note: The CQI Assessment can be conducted at any point during this cycle.

The CQI Assessment is designed to be conducted at BOY or MOY. This can be done using the electronic or paper version of the tool. If using the paper version, the data must be entered into the electronic version after the observation.

1. Log in to CLI Engage. Locate the green banner labeled: QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION.

   1. Navigate to Quality Improvement and Innovation > Circle CQI Tool tile (Infant Toddler or Pre-K). Click on the tile based on the teacher’s age group. For TSR, this is determined by the teacher’s Years in Project label.

2. Use the search feature to find a teacher.

   a.     Add information in any of the fields needed to find a teacher:

                                          i.     Community name

                                          ii.     School name

                                          iii.    Teacher first name

                                          iv.    Teacher last name

                                          v.     Teacher Engage ID

                                          vi.    Name of person who created the CQIP

                                          vii.    Click the check box for Search in existing CQIP to locate a CQIP that has already been entered.

   b.     Click Search.

3. Click Select next to the teacher’s name.

4. Click BOY Assessment or MOY Assessment, depending on the time of year the assessment is being conducted.

5. You will see the following key at the top of the page:

6. Click Show Full Text to view the full teacher behavior.

   1. Click Show Short Text to view the condensed version of the teacher behavior.

7. You will see the following column headings:

   1. Observed: you observed the behavior during the assessment period.

   2. Needs Support: you observed the behavior, but the but requires coach assistance to master the skill.

   3. Comments: add any evidence or notes for observed behaviors.

8. Click on each category to expand the section and view the list of teacher behaviors in that specific area.     

9. Enter your observation data during the observation period.

   1. Place a check mark under the observed behaviors.

   2. Place a check mark under any behaviors that were observed but also need additional support.

   3. Add any evidence or notes needed Leave any behaviors not observed blank.

10. Leave any behaviors not observed blank.

11. Click Submit.

12. A pop-up window will appear saying, Once the assessment is completed, you will not be able to add more observed items or comments. Do you want to complete this assessment?

    1. Click Yes.

13. A pop-up window will appear stating, “Your updates have been saved.”

Note: Currently, there is no way to download a CQI Assessment report to send to the teacher. However, you can download the Goals Snapshot report to send to the teacher.

Each step in creating a new CQIP (Action Plan) is documented on the status indicator.

• White: Not started.

• Green outline: In progress.

• Full green circle: Complete.

1. Click Create New CQI Plan to open a new CQIP

   1. You should only create a new CQIP if there is no other current/active CQIP.

   2. If there is a current/active CQIP, you need to close that plan before creating a new one.

2. Enter CQIP end date (next coaching session.

   1. If this date has not yet been determined, please estimate according to the required coaching schedule and teacher status.

3. Goal statements are color-coded by the same priority levels as on the assessment page:

   1. Behaviors marked as Level 1 (purple) are foundational quality items.

   2. Behaviors marked as Level 2 (blue) are increasingly advanced instructional strategies.

   3. Behaviors marked as Level 3 (green) are considered highly differentiated instruction.

4. Click Show Full Text to view the full teacher behavior.

   1. Click Show Short Text to view the condensed version of the teacher behavior.

5. You will see the following column headings:

   1. Select as a Goal: You set this item as a goal for the teacher.

   2. Support Status: The level of support the teacher needs with this item.

   3. Independent Practice Updates: The teacher demonstrated this behavior during a coaching session.

   4. BOY Date: The teacher demonstrated this behavior during the BOY Assessment

   5. MOY Date: The teacher demonstrated this behavior during the MOY Assessment.

   6. Set Date: The date the teacher set the goal.

   7. Met Date: The date the teacher met the goal.

   8. Comments: Any notes or evidence entered by the coach.

6. Click on each category to expand the section and view the list of teacher behaviors in that specific area.

7. Click the check mark next to an item to Select item as a Goal.

   1. The Support Status will automatically be changed to Needs Support.

   2. The Set Date will populate with today’s date.

8. Repeat this process for each item you are setting as a goal for the teacher.

Note: Leave the Independent Practice Updates box blank during this step. These will be documented later. 

9. Once all goals have been selected, click Create CQI Plan at the bottom of the page.

   1. You will not be able to edit the goals after clicking this button.

10. A pop-up window will appear to let you know the page has been saved. Click OK. This will take you to the Action Plan page.

11. Enter the information for the current coaching session

    1. Date (today’s date)

    2. Length (coaching session plus reflection)

12. The teacher’s goals, name, and goal set date will appear on the Action Plan.

13. Use the action plan fields to document how the teacher will meet the goals, with the coach’s support. 

• Action Steps:

  • Enter details about the activities and steps the teacher will follow to execute the plan. Include expectations that both the teacher and the coach will do between coaching sessions and during the next session.

• Resources Needed:

  • Add any resources the teacher will need to execute the action steps, as well as any resources to support the teacher’s learning and implementation.

• Timeline:

  • Enter any expectations around the timeline for action steps to be implemented and completed for both the teacher and the coach.

• Additional Comments:

  • Enter anything else you want to communicate with the teacher.

14. Use the Link tool to add the hyperlink to an online resource into the Action Plan. This step ensures the CQIP Report includes active hyperlinks to share with teachers and administrators.

*Note: There is a Grouped Goal feature at the bottom of the Action Plan. This allows you to group items together and create a specific Action Plan for those items. You may use this feature if desired, although it duplicates the goals at the top and adds to the overall length of the Action Plan.

15. Click Save or Generate CQI Plan at the bottom of the page.

a. You will be asked, “Do you want to email this report?”

b. Click “Yes” to close the Action Plan.

c. A link to the CQIP will automatically be sent to the teacher using the primary email address the teacher has listed in Engage.

d. If the link to the CQIP expires before the teacher opens the Action Plan, there is no way for the teacher to retrieve the CQIP directly from Engage.

16. Download a copy of the teacher’s CQIP (Goal Report).

    1. Send it to the teacher and cc the Administrator.

Note: This CQIP will stay open (active) until the next coaching session when active goals are documented as met and the CQIP is closed.

During a coaching session, you will likely observe behaviors listed on the CQI Tool that were not observed during the assessment and have not been set as a goal. These items should be marked as Independent Updates. Items marked as independent updates are items the teacher does independently without support. By marking an item under Independent Updates, you are documenting that the teacher can successfully complete this behavior independently.

1. Click Document Goals Met

2. Find the item you want to mark as an independent update. 

3. Click the Independent Practice Updates field to insert the date the behavior was demonstrated. This should be the date of the current coaching session.

4. The support status will be automatically change to Not Needed.

5. Repeat this for all remaining independent practice updates.

6. Stay on this screen to next document Goals Met.

The current CQIP is the active Action Plan most recently created with the teacher. This plan remains open until goals are documented as met. If, for some reason, the teacher did not meet all of the goals, you should still follow the steps in this section to close the CQIP. Then, you will create a new CQIP to continue some of the same goals from the previous CQIP that were unmet. If this occurs, you should consider why the goals were unmet and provide additional or different support to help the teacher successfully meet the goals. This could include adjusting the support provided by the coach, including different resources, or setting smaller goals to eventually achieve a more challenging goal.

Note: You should already be on the Document Goals Met screen. If you are not, click Document Goals Met.

1. Click Show Active Goals Only to see only the goals you selected on the active CQIP.

2. Find the Goal Item you want to document as met

   1. Select the date the goal was met.

   2. Change the Support Status to Not Needed.

3. Repeat this for all goals that were met.

   1. The teacher did not meet all of the goals, leave the goals as “set” and do not mark them as met. They will be continued on the next CQIP.

Ensure you have marked all independent updates and documented all goals met before proceeding.

4. Click Document Goals Met, Update CQIP, and Close Plan.

*Note: The Document Goals Met and Update CQIP button will only save your updates; it will not initiate a new CQI Plan with new goals. By clicking this button, you are merely saving goals met. Don’t click this button.

5. A pop-up will appear asking you to set the visit date and length of the next visit.

   1. Enter the date of the current coaching session (today’s date).

   2. Enter the length of the coaching session including the reflection.

   3. Click Submit Plan.

6. A pop-up will appear. Click Close Plan.

   1. This will document the coaching session and close the CQIP.

   2. Click Submit.

Note: Do not select Close and Duplicate Plan. Plans should not be duplicated at this time.

7. You will be taken to a Reflection page.

   1. You do not need to enter anything on this page.

   2. Click Save Reflection and Close Plan. 

8. A pop-up will appear asking you if you are finished with your reflection.

   1. Click Yes, Save Reflection and Close Plan.

9. A pop-up will appear saying your updates have been saved.

*You should document independent updates, document goals met and close the CQIP after every coaching session. This closes the cycle and documents the coaching session in Engage.

You should create a new CQI Plan after every coaching session.

📌 Notes

• Always close the current CQIP before creating a new one.

• Independent updates and goals met should be documented after every coaching session.

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