Research & Evidence
What Does Research Say About the CLASS™ Observation Tool?
Effective classroom interactions make a critical difference in student achievement as shown by studies in thousands of classrooms.
- The CLASS™ tool works.—Students in classrooms with higher CLASS™ scores make greater academic and social gains than those in classrooms with lower CLASS™ scores.
- The CLASS™ tool lasts.—It is valid across age-levels.
- The CLASS™ tool helps.—It is particularly effective in minimizing the achievement gap by supporting students at-risk of school failure.
CLASS™ Helps Kids
Learners in classrooms that score higher on the CLASS™ tool achieve at levels higher than their peers in lower-scoring classrooms. The CLASS™ tool helps educators focus on effective interactions that
- Support students’ social and emotional functioning
- Focus student behavior, time, and attention in the classroom
- Build higher-order thinking and language skills
Interactions measured by the CLASS™ tool are organized into three broad domains–Emotional Support, Organizational Support, and Instructional Support–all of which are linked to student academic and social gains.
- High levels of Emotional Support contribute to preschoolers’ social competence in the kindergarten year.
- High levels of Emotional Support are associated with growth in reading and math achievement from kindergarten through third grade.
- High levels of Classroom Organization are associated with gains in first graders’ literacy.
- Higher levels of Instructional Support are related to preschoolers’ gains in pre-reading and math skills.
CLASS™ Helps Educators
The CLASS™ tool turns high-level research into road maps for teaching success by
- Supporting teachers by simplifying the complex classroom environment
- Informing administrators by providing a common lens applicable across all classrooms and schools
- Elevating the education profession by measuring what matters most
CLASS™ Helps Researchers
The CLASS™ tool is reliable, valid, and scalable, providing a solid tool for education research and evaluation.
- Comprehensive—No other observational tool matches the CLASS™ tool in proven results across settings.
- Flexible—Content neutrality means the CLASS™ tool can be used for any teacher, any subject, and any grade.
- Scalable—CLASS™ tool can be used in a single classroom or across an entire system, state or program. The CLASS™ Train-the-Trainer program provides economical support for large research studies.
CLASS™ Helps Policy Makers
By focusing on effective interactions, policy makers can level the playing field and make positive changes that relate to all teachers and benefit all learners. For them the CLASS™ tool provides a
- Common framework applicable to diverse learning environments
- Trusted tool steeped in academic research and tested in thousands of classrooms
- Proven catalyst to both teacher effectiveness and student performance
