Young children playing with educational toys

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)

Introduction to the CLASS Tool

Are you a new teacher? A seasoned teacher looking for a refresher? Or just interested in understanding why effective interactions are so important for children’s learning and development?  If so, this 3-hour virtual training is for YOU!

In this training, teachers learn the basics of the CLASS instrument, domains and dimensions. It is designed to help teachers learn about effective teacher-child interactions, as defined by the CLASS tool, and the ways these interactions help children learn.

Participants will:

  • See how teacher-child interactions impact children’s learning.
  • Understand how the CLASS tool organizes these interactions.
  • Practice identifying effective teaching practices in videos from real classrooms.
  • Review uses of the CLASS tool.

Introduction to Infant CLASS

  • Date TBD

Introduction to Toddler CLASS

  • Date TBD

Introduction to Pre-K CLASS

  • Date TBD

Pre-K CLASS Instructional Support Strategies

Lost in the Fog?

Imagine you are steering a boat filled with precious cargo across the foggy surface of a lake. You need to deliver it safely to the other side so that it can be used to help the town. You can see some lights faintly through the fog, so you know the town is there, but you are really uncertain about finding the dock. You paddle forward tentatively, even a little fearfully.

This is how most teachers feel when it comes to Instructional Support. They’re aware that “Instructional Support Town” is out there, and that it is important to get there, but lost in a fog, uncertain at times about what it looks like there, how it sounds, and what to do to get there.

Never Fear, Help is Here!

Out of the fog you hear someone calling for you; the lantern on their boat shines through the fog, coming closer. As they approach, you call out to help them find you. Almost immediately, they are at your side offering to guide you to the dock – a trip they have taken many times.
 
Instructional Support Essentials for Teachers training is the answer to your questions about how to improve Instructional Support interactions. Like the friendly voice and the lantern in the fog, we’re here for you, ready to help you as you push forward for improved outcomes for children.
 
Build your knowledge of Instructional Support indicators and dimensions—and understand why they matter. Teachers who attend this training will: Build a lens to identify effective Instructional Support interactions, use CLASS language to describe effective Instructional Support interactions and explain why they are important to children’s development, watch real classroom videos illustrating effective interactions and apply this lens to their own teaching practices.

  • Date TBD

CLASS Observation Training

This two-day training prepares you to identify and code the teacher-child interactions that improve learning. Attend this training as the first step in earning your CLASS Observer Certification as you prepare to code and observe classrooms. Whether CLASS data will be used for program evaluation or as a basis for professional development planning, it’s essential that the data is accurate and fair. During this training you’ll: Gain in-depth knowledge about the CLASS measure and the ways it organizes effective teacher-child interactions, benefit from explicit instruction and guided practice observing and coding—all provided by a Certified CLASS trainer and hone observation and coding skills as preparation for the CLASS reliability test.

For more information on CLASS tool, please go to: www.teachstone.com

Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis although we reserve the right to limit the number of participants from any one center. Teachers must register themselves using their own email address and personal phone number. This information is needed for communications to confirm registration and to communicate any changes to training logistics. If you have any questions in regards to training, please contact Melissa Vegas at melissa.vegas@jpschools.org.