A dear friend once told me, "The best phrase you can use in marriage is ‘You may be right.’” And she was absolutely correct! In today’s world, we are surrounded by those who are quick to share advice across a variety of experiences—life advice, relationship advice, career advice, funny advice, and sometimes absolutely irrelevant advice! There are times that we seek advice out and times that advice is freely offered to us. With advice from so many different sources, including our family, friends, colleagues, and social media, the challenge may be deciding what advice to follow.

For those who are participating in the CLASS Observation Training, the advice of your Teachstone trainer is not to be taken lightly. Trainers offer recommendations for observers who are preparing for their CLASS reliability test, and it’s important to understand that they too have been through the process and want to share some strategies to support you as you certify on the measure. Some of the best suggestions include:

  • Start the process soon after training.
  • Approach each video with a fresh perspective, ensuring that you are not allowing any personal feelings about the classroom or about the activities to influence your scores.
  • Try to be mindful of how much time you are spending on determining your scores. You might be over-thinking or second guessing. Most people who experience this do better if they can set a reasonable time frame to complete their scoring. We suggest no more than 45 minutes to view and code for each video.
  • Due to the amount of focused attention and the complexity of classrooms, take breaks between coding videos and resist the urge to watch them all in one day. Instead, arrange time in your schedule to complete the entire test over a few days or a week.
  • Read your CLASS manual and build your understanding of the dimensions across the low, mid, and high ranges to guide your decision making.

Did you know that Teachstone has CLASS experts standing by to help support you when you are going through the reliability test process? If you were not initially successful, you will receive feedback to help you prepare to test again. Those who attend a Teachstone observation training can also email reliabilitysupport@teachstone.com to receive additional support from a CLASS trainer.

Click here to watch a short video on the importance of certification.