“What is your objective?”
This is a question we find ourselves asking frequently here at Teachstone® as we support CLASS™ implementers across the country and around the world.
- Which data-collection method is best?
- Should we share scores, ranges, or neither?
- Which professional development options are optimal?
The answer to all of these questions is: “It depends.” Quality implementation of a CLASS initiative must take into account the characteristics of your organization and your organization’s goals. Hence our most popular question, “What is your objective?”
Most organizations have one of two objectives when conducting CLASS observations and providing feedback: evaluation or professional growth.
- Evaluation refers to an observation that is being used as part of a decision-making process about how to allocate resources, such as funding or teacher promotion; this is a “high stakes” observation.
- Professional growth refers to an observation with the goal of providing supportive feedback without repercussions, often referred to as “low stakes.”
When planning logistics for data collection and feedback, it is essential to consider your organization’s objective.
Last week in our webinar, Using CLASS Data to Provide Effective Feedback, I discussed two data-collection models—classroom-level data collection and program-level data collection. While both models can be used for both evaluation and professional growth, clarifying your objective affects sample size, number of observation cycles, frequency of observation, and the type of feedback you provide. So, when planning logistics of CLASS observations for feedback, don’t forget to ask yourself, “What is my objective?”
And yes, I know it’s not always that simple. That’s why we’re developing a training on this specific topic that will be ready in the next few months. To learn more about this training and other feedback-related topics, sign up to receive more information!