Teachstone

In order to make the best use of the CLASS™ and related professional development tools, teachers, schools, and systems must have access to supports that identify goals and provide the means necessary to meet and exceed them.

Download the full CLASS™ Implementation Guide (pdf)

Four Steps to CLASS™ Success

Step 1: Planning and Decision Making
Define your CLASS™-related goals before you begin implementing the tool. The more you know about your goals, the more effectively you’ll track progress and evaluate results.

• Review—Conduct a thorough examination of the components of your program to identify areas of greatest need.
• Communicate—Make sure all stakeholders clearly understand the goals you’ve set and are committed to reaching them.
• Plan—Determine how data will be collected, managed, and used in order to support your goals.

Step 2: Infrastructure Development
Once plans are firm, the capacity to implement them must be built. CLASS™ success is tied to the infrastructure you build around it.

• Ensure that your workforce receives the proper training and experience to perform reliable CLASS™ observations and deliver effective CLASS™-based professional development.
• Build effective data-collection and management systems.
• Dedicate resources and tools to facilitate professional development.
• Create systems for coordinating and overseeing the implementation of these various elements.

Teachstone provides comprehensive support to help build this infrastructure, including CLASS™ Observation Training and Train-the-Trainer programs.

Step 3: Implementation

With infrastructure in place, implementation can begin. For Monitoring and Evaluation, this means collecting CLASS™ data from programs. For Professional Development, it means delivery of CLASS™-focused learning opportunities.

Step 4: Assessment and Knowledge Utilization
CLASS™ data informs crucial decisions at many levels.

• Reporting back to individual teachers and programs to inform professional development
• Compiling data at a state or local level for purposes of accountability or to inform future policy decisions
• Using information to modify and calibrate future work