Practice and feedback is the key to CLASS® success. Even the most experienced certified CLASS Observers need practice and feedback to make sure their classroom observations remain fair and accurate. The best way to provide this is to use our Calibration product. Calibration protects your investment in reliable data collection.
Online Calibrations are available for Certified CLASS observers at all 6 CLASS levels. When you purchase an individual calibration, you’ll receive a video to watch and code on your myTeachstone dashboard. After submitting your codes, you’ll get an automated score report and a prerecorded webinar discussing the master codes.
Observers who conduct large numbers of observations need to calibrate regularly to prevent coder drift. Drift happens when your experiences in the field and personal biases cause your codes to gradually become less reliable over time. If you calibrate regularly, it will be easier to stay objective and ensure you stay reliable in between recertification tests.
You can use individual calibration to refocus your CLASS lens. Many CLASS observers conduct a few batches of observations each year rather than observing consistently throughout the year. If you aren’t observing regularly, Teachstone recommends calibrating before each set of observations you conduct in order to get back in the CLASS mindset. If you code multiple CLASS levels, calibration can be especially helpful. Calibrating regularly on each CLASS level you observe will help you keep each of your CLASS lenses distinct and keep you attuned to the nuances of each tool.
Individual CLASS calibrations are a great way to deepen your CLASS knowledge and hone your coding skills. Calibration videos are chosen to challenge experienced CLASS Observers. They feature a range of common challenges, such as balancing multiple teachers’ interactions and observing unusual classroom activities. Once you submit your codes and receive a score report, you can review the video as many times as you want during your access window. When you watch the prerecorded webinar, you’ll receive a detailed justification of each master code and a discussion of some key coding challenges in the video.
In today’s world, there isn’t much technology can’t do. It can help you stay connected to family and friends, keep you on track to achieving your fitness goals, and can even adjust your thermostat while you’re away from home.
And now, with myTeachstone, it can promote positive child-outcomes through facilitating on-going, meaningful, and continuous improvement efforts.
When I first learned about CLASS Group Coaching—a training for early childhood professionals about building relationships with children—I was more than a little interested. This, I thought. This is what teaching is all about. It seems to be an obvious concept, but once we dig deeper, we are able to identify the whys and hows of our interactions. CLASS Group Coaching allows us to identify the benefits of our classroom relationships with our students and helps us be intentional in our daily practices. It allows us to utilize each moment we have with our students to deepen our understanding of their perspectives and genuinely connect with them as people. It helps us see the world from their view and guide their learning in a way that is relevant to them.
Teachstone is excited to announce that 2020 Academic Calendar for CDA with CLASS® is now available! We will have 8 cohorts next year. Below are those start dates along with their registration deadlines:
Teachstone continues to fulfill the important role of supporting Spanish-speaking partners who implement CLASS in their programs and communities. In an effort to strengthen our reach to this key base, Teachstone recently hosted a regional conference in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The regional conference offered several CLASS trainings in Spanish as well as translation services for English trainings. Trainings were held from November 4–8 at the headquarters and facilities of Camera Mundi Inc. Camera Mundi is the largest and most comprehensive provider of products, equipment, materials, and services to the educational sector in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.