I’m a bit of what some would call a perfectionist. In school, I was devastated if I didn’t receive an A. In the swimming pool or in a regatta, first place was the only option. At work, my colleagues make fun of me and call me “a square” and make fun of me for “wearing a seatbelt” at my desk.
So you can imagine my surprise, disappointment, and shock when I received my first failing grade.
After almost three and a half years of working at Teachstone, I failed my pre-K CLASS re-certification test. Twice.
Yes, twice.
It was humiliating. As the Director of Product Marketing, I don’t spend my days immersed in the CLASS Manual or observing classrooms, but the CLASS domains and dimensions are a part of my everyday life whether it’s thinking through the goals of a new product or reviewing a colleague’s blog post. We strive to practice what we preach at Teachstone, providing strengths-based feedback and having meaningful conversations and engaging one another in learning. How could I show my face around the office—let alone support my team—if I couldn’t even do a simple thing like pass my recertification test?
Thanks to some coaching and support from colleagues, as well as a good deal of self-reflection, I walk away from this experience stronger and with three pieces of wisdom to share with others who are struggling to pass reliability:
I now know what so many of you are going through as you struggle through certification and recertification (and the anxiety leading up to these tests). My job did not depend on my passing this test, so I know the stakes are much higher for many of you. I do hope, however, that you will take these lessons to heart, seek support from Teachstone, and have faith in your own failure.
And in case you haven’t figured it out, third time (plus studying, coaching, and more studying) is a charm. I finally passed the CLASS reliability test and look forward to receiving my certification card and sharing it proudly the next time I observe!
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Originally published December 22, 2016
Regard for Student Perspectives as defined by CLASS® is“the degree to which the teacher’s interactions with students and classroom activities place an emphasis on students’ interests, motivations, and points of view and encourage student responsibility and autonomy.” This often looks like following children's lead so that you can anticipate their needs during an activity.
Understanding how to effectively employ CLASS's Regard for Student Perspectives while maintaining a constructive learning environment can be challenging. In the following paragraphs the fictional preschool professional, Mrs. Jones, will illustrate the indicators of Regard for Student Perspectives at circle time. I’ll then discuss her exemplary examples:
In this episode of Impacting the Classroom, our host Marnetta Larrimer meets with two of Teachstone's own: Dorothy Sanchez and Claudia Perez. They discuss the need for equitable coaching practices in the classroom and how coaches can build better relationships with the teachers they partner with. Listen here, or read the transcript below!
IIn our recent webinar, Making the Move to CLASS® 2nd Edition, we shared how programs and individuals can begin to experience and use the enhanced Pre-K–3rd CLASS tool. Certified CLASS observers play a critical role in helping every child reach their full potential.
Without reliable and valid data on the quality of educator-child interactions, programs and educators would not have the actionable insights they need to make continuous quality improvements in the areas that matter the most for children.
So, you’re dual-certified on the Infant and Toddler CLASS® tools. Congrats! Not only can you observe in Infant classrooms (birth to 18 months) and Toddler classrooms (15 to 36 months), but you can also observe in classrooms that contain a mix of the two age levels. If you are observing in a classroom with three age levels, as there often are in Family Day Homes, check out this guidance.
Observing in mixed age classrooms may seem daunting, but it’s completely doable. If you’re preparing to do Infant/Toddler CLASS observations, read on to get solutions to three of the most common challenges when observing in a mixed-age setting.