--- title: "Measuring What Works for Children: CLASS for School & KIPS for Home" description: "Measuring What Works for Children: CLASS for School & KIPS for Home" image: https://info.teachstone.com/hubfs/Young%20kids%20playing%20computer%20games%20on%20the%20carpet%20with%20parents%20behind%20them.jpeg --- [![Teachstone Logo](https://info.teachstone.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TS_Color_Regist-3-1.png?width=150&height=67&name=TS_Color_Regist-3-1.png "Teachstone Logo")](https://www.teachstone.com/) - [Store](http://store.teachstone.com/) - [Support](https://teachstone.com/support) - [Login](http://dashboard.teachstone.com/) - The CLASS Framework - [What is CLASS](https://teachstone.com/class/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-edition/) - [For Leaders](https://teachstone.com/leaders/) - [For Observers](https://teachstone.com/for-observers/) - [For Coaches](https://teachstone.com/for-coaches/) - [For Educators](https://teachstone.com/for-educators/) - [For CLASS Affiliates](https://teachstone.com/for-class-affiliates/) - 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[Who We Are](https://teachstone.com/about-teachstone/#whoweare) - [Our Impact](https://teachstone.com/our-impact/) - [Partners](https://teachstone.com/our-partners/) - [Careers](https://teachstone.com/careers/) - [Certified B-Corp](https://teachstone.com/certified-b-corporation/) - [News](https://teachstone.com/news/) - [Connect with a Rep](https://info.teachstone.com/contact-a-teachstone-representative?hsLang=en-us) - The CLASS Framework - [What is CLASS](https://teachstone.com/class/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-edition/) - [For Leaders](https://teachstone.com/leaders/) - [For Observers](https://teachstone.com/for-observers/) - [For Coaches](https://teachstone.com/for-coaches/) - [For Educators](https://teachstone.com/for-educators/) - [For CLASS Affiliates](https://teachstone.com/for-class-affiliates/) - [For Head Start](https://teachstone.com/headstart/) - [Research](https://teachstone.com/research/) - Products and Trainings - [Getting Started with CLASS](https://teachstone.com/getting-started-with-class/) - [CLASS® 2nd Edition Infant-Toddler](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-edition-infant-toddler/) - [CLASS® 2nd Edition Pre-K-3rd](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-edition-pre-k-3rd/) - [CLASS Overview for Leaders](https://teachstone.com/a-class-overview-for-leaders/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition Intro to Interactions for Educators](https://teachstone.com/intro-to-interactions-for-educators/) - [CLASS Environment](https://teachstone.com/class-environment/) - [CLASS Environment Observer Training](https://teachstone.com/class-environment/#environment-observer-training) - [CLASS Environment Overview for Educators](https://teachstone.com/class-environment/#environment-educator-training) - Observer Training & Certification - [CLASS Train-the-Trainer Affiliate Program](https://teachstone.com/class-train-the-trainer/) - [CLASS Affiliate Trainer Recertification](https://store.teachstone.com/trainer-recertification-new/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition Measurement Trainer Program](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-measurement-trainer/) - [CLASS Observer Recertification](https://store.teachstone.com/observer-recertification-new/?showHidden=true) - [CLASS Observation Certification Training](https://teachstone.com/class-observation-training/) - [Transition Supports](https://teachstone.com/class-observer-supports/) - [CLASS Group Coaching Transition Training](https://teachstone.com/class-group-coaching-transition-training/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition Observer Transition Training](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-observer-transition-training/) - [CLASS 2nd Edition Trainer Transition Training](https://teachstone.com/class-2nd-edition-trainer-transition-training/) - [CLASS Trainer Add-Ons](https://teachstone.com/trainer-add-ons/) - [Program Services & Support](https://teachstone.com/program-services-support/) - [CLASS Coding Support](https://teachstone.com/coding-support/) - [CLASS Quality Improvement Subscription **New!**](https://teachstone.com/myteachstone/) - [CLASS Observation Services](https://teachstone.com/class-observation-services/) - [Custom Events by Teachstone](https://teachstone.com/custom-events/) - [Meaningful Interactions at Home](https://teachstone.com/meaningful-interactions-at-home/) - Coach Trainings & Certification - [CLASS Group Coaching](https://teachstone.com/class-group-coaching/) - [1-1 Video Coaching](https://teachstone.com/1-1-video-coaching/) - [Instructional Support for Coaches](https://teachstone.com/coach-feedback/) - [Interaction Essentials Trainer Program](https://teachstone.com/interaction-essentials-trainer-program/) - [Professional Development for Educators](https://teachstone.com/professional-development-for-educators/) - [Banking Time: Investing in Relationships](https://teachstone.com/banking-time/) - [CDA with CLASS](https://teachstone.com/cda-programs/) - [Instructional Support Essentials for Teachers](https://teachstone.com/instructional-support-essentials-for-teachers/) - [Interaction Essentials for Educators](https://teachstone.com/interaction-essentials-for-educators/) - [CLASS Supplies](https://teachstone.com/class-supplies/) - 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[Careers](https://teachstone.com/careers/) - [Certified B-Corp](https://teachstone.com/certified-b-corporation/) - [News](https://teachstone.com/news/) - [Connect with a Rep](https://info.teachstone.com/contact-a-teachstone-representative?hsLang=en-us) - [Store](http://store.teachstone.com/) - [Support](https://teachstone.com/support) - [Login](http://dashboard.teachstone.com/) # Measuring What Works for Children: CLASS for School & KIPS for Home January 17 2014 by [Sedra Spano](https://info.teachstone.com/blog/author/sedra-spano) - [CLASS in Practice](https://info.teachstone.com/blog/topic/class-in-practice) - [Implementation](https://info.teachstone.com/blog/topic/implementation) ![](https://info.teachstone.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Young%20kids%20playing%20computer%20games%20on%20the%20carpet%20with%20parents%20behind%20them.jpeg?width=519&height=300&name=Young%20kids%20playing%20computer%20games%20on%20the%20carpet%20with%20parents%20behind%20them.jpeg) *This post was originally published as [Measuring What Works for Children: CLASS™ for School & KIPS for Home](http://comfortconsults.com/blog/bid/332347/Measuring-What-Works-for-Children-CLASS-for-School-KIPS-for-Home) on the [KIPS Cradle Blog](http://comfortconsults.com/blog/), January 16, 2013.* As an educator and a parent, I have so appreciated learning about the dimensions of the [Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ (CLASS™)](http://teachstone.com/about-the-class/). Having the language of the CLASS tool helped me think about teaching and learning in a new way that was liberating—it gave me the lens and vocabulary I needed to make sense of both positive and challenging moments I had experienced in the classroom. But it also gave me a new way to think about parenting and specifically my relationship with my two sons, who were teenagers when I became reliable on the Pre-K CLASS tool. It seemed to me that the behaviors of a good preschool teacher and parent are similar, so I was encouraged to find that in many ways the [Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS)](http://comfortconsults.com/) resembles the Toddler and Pre-K CLASS tools. Caring parents often question their interactions and reflect on how they handled events or issues with their children. I began to reflect on my own parent-child interactions with the CLASS dimensions in mind. Was I showing regard for their perspectives and encouraging leadership and independence? Was I asking the right questions to get them to think and reason through issues? Or was I just providing my own reasoning? Was I providing appropriate feedback to guide their learning? Or was I jumping in to answer questions and solve problems for them? **Different Settings but Similar Philosophy** In doing research on adult-child interactions, I learned about KIPS, designed to be used in the home to observe parent-child interactions. Many of the 12 KIPS behaviors are related to dimensions of the Toddler and Pre-K CLASS tools: focusing on the adult as a secure base for the child, creating a warm and supportive environment, showing sensitivity to children’s social and emotional needs, as well as supporting language development and cognitive skills. [Teachstone®](http://www.teachstone.com/)'s CLASS tool was created for use in the classroom rather than in the home, but both tools have their foundations in attachment theory. Attachment theory suggests that children’s relationships with adults, especially with primary caregivers like their mothers, affect how children develop important social, emotional and cognitive skills and abilities. In addition to attachment theory, the CLASS tool also has its foundation in ecological systems theory, which suggests that children’s development is impacted by many factors in their environment outside of the home. Interactions children have with adults in school and in their larger community also play an important role in their growth and development. So, to get a full picture of the important influences in a child’s life, it stands to reason that observing both their parent-child interactions and teacher-child interactions would give the most accurate picture. **The Importance of Observation** Both the CLASS tool and KIPS are reliable observational tools that have been validated in multiple studies. Observations are important, because what teachers or parents report to do on surveys or in interviews can differ from what they actually do in their interactions with children. For example, Pianta et al. found CLASS instructional scores weren’t correlated with teacher self-reported attributes, and the CLASS emotional scores were only weakly correlated (Pianta, Burchinal, Bryant et al. Features of Pre-Kindergarten Programs, Classrooms, and Teachers: Do They Predict Observed Classroom Quality and Child–Teacher Interactions? 2005, *Applied Developmental Science* Vol. 9, No. 3, 144–159). Similarly, KIPS scores of [parenting quality did not correlate with two different self-reports of parenting knowledge or efficacy](http://comfortconsults.web12.hubspot.com/Portals/194074/docs/FINAL_NHSA_KIPS_Article-ComfortGordon2006.pdf?__hstc=238428895.d3ded6014333979464c3cbc1e804f7df.1389986224789.1389986224789.1389986224791.2&__hssc=238428895.4.1389986224791&__hsfp=3312090050) (Comfort & Gordon, 2006). Thus, if you want to assess what children experience in their interactions with either a teacher or parent, you need an observational tool. Both of these tools require observers to learn the components of the tool and pass a reliability test in order to use the tool with fidelity. As someone who has made interactions the focus of her career, I find it encouraging to know that this work resonates at home and in classrooms, and that there are two strong observation measures to support work across these contexts. ## Subscribe to the Teachstone Blog [![Teachstone Logo](https://info.teachstone.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TS_Color_Regist-3-1.png?width=150&height=67&name=TS_Color_Regist-3-1.png "Teachstone Logo")](https://www.teachstone.com/) - - - [About](https://teachstone.com/about-teachstone/) - [About Teachstone®](https://teachstone.com/about-teachstone/) - [Our Partners](https://teachstone.com/our-partners/) - [Careers](https://teachstone.com/careers/) - [Resources](https://teachstone.com/resources/) - [Support](https://teachstone.com/support) - [Contact Sales](https://info.teachstone.com/contact-a-teachstone-representative?hsLang=en-us) - [InterAct CLASS Summit](https://teachstone.com/interact-class-summit/) - [CLASS en español](https://teachstone.com/collecion-de-productos-en-esp/) - [CLASS en Français](https://teachstone.com/class-en-francais/) - [Privacy Policy](https://teachstone.com/privacy-policy/) - [Terms of Use](https://teachstone.com/terms-conditions/) - [Web Accessibility](https://teachstone.com/web-accessibility/) - [Permissions](https://teachstone.com/permissions/) © 2026 Teachstone, Inc ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sedra Spano", "url" : "https://info.teachstone.com/blog/author/sedra-spano" }, "dateModified" : "2023-05-26T18:53:04.821Z", "datePublished" : "2014-01-17T19:40:00.000Z", "headline" : "Measuring What Works for Children: CLASS for School & KIPS for Home", "image" : [ "https://info.teachstone.com/hubfs/Young%20kids%20playing%20computer%20games%20on%20the%20carpet%20with%20parents%20behind%20them.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://info.teachstone.com/blog/class-for-school-kips-for-home", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://info.teachstone.com/hubfs/TS_Color_Regist-3.png" }, "name" : "Teachstone" } } ```