Do ECERS-3 scores mean the same thing across racial groups? Measurement invariance testing by teacher and classroom race

The purpose of the current study is to use secondary data to examine the extent to which the ECERS-3, specifically the factor structure, is equivalent across Black and Latine/Hispanic teachers, racial and ethnic classroom composition, and race/ethnicity of students. Data were drawn from a large-scale 2015-16 validation study of the ECERS-3 in three states (Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Washington) that were using the ECERS-3 as part of their quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). Approximately 1,063 classrooms serving children between the ages of 3 and 5 were included in the final sample, and about 69 percent of the teachers identified as White. Findings revealed that the basic factor structure of the ECERS-3 was similar in the sample of classrooms when compared across lead teacher race, classroom racial composition, and lead teacher-child match; however, some differences were found in factor loadings and item thresholds. These findings have implications for ensuring that measures to assess global quality consider differential effects of race of the teacher, child, and classroom composition.