This document discusses using CLASS observations to provide feedback to teachers as a way to promote professional growth. It emphasizes that teacher-child interactions are key to improving student outcomes. Effective feedback involves identifying areas of focus, providing specific examples from observations, and asking reflective questions. The teacher's readiness to change should influence how feedback is delivered, with less ready teachers needing more information and awareness building. Developing goals and action plans can help teachers work on improving their interactions. Coaching and professional development support teachers in transferring feedback into practice.

1. © 2015 Teachstone®
Training, LLC
The Power of Effective
Feedback: Using CLASS
Observations as a Catalyst for
Teacher Professional Growth

2. WELCOME!

3. Your role in
education?

4. Where Are You From?

5. Your Knowledge of CLASS®
?
1. What’s CLASS?
2. I know a little about CLASS.
3. I use CLASS occasionally.
4. I use CLASS frequently and
feel comfortable with the
CLASS lens and language.

6. Your Feedback Experiences?
• Think about a time when you received feedback
inside or outside of your work environment (sports,
parenting, health).
• How did you feel when you received that feedback?
Why?
• What worked, and what didn’t?
• How might that influence feedback that you provide?

7. What are your
challenges
around
feedback?

8. CONTEXT

9. What matters
most for
children?
Classroom
Materials
Teacher-
Child Ratio
Teacher
Education
Teacher-
Child
Interactions

10. HOW?
WHY?

11. Why Focus on Interactions?
They affect children’s
learning more than other
factors.
They are HOW we improve
student outcomes.
1

12. Why Focus on Interactions?
They define and clarify
what we already know
about effective teaching.
They are WHAT teachers
are already doing that can
be done more consistently
and more intentionally.
2

13. Why Focus on Interactions?
They represent the heart of
teaching.
They are WHY we come to
work every day.
3

14. • How are you establishing a culture of
learning?
• What are things you do as an
organization to establish your culture of
learning?
-Vincent Costanza, NJDOE
Culture of Learning

15. ‘
—Sabol, T. J., Soliday Hong, S. L., Pianta, R. C., & Burchinal, M. R. (2013). Can rating
pre-K programs predict children's learning? Science, 341, 845-846.

16. We are in a Balancing Act and Time for
Feedback is Lost

17. The Power of Coupling Observation and
Professional Development
Impact

21. COLLECTING DATA

22. Why Empower through Data?
We can use data to empower teachers,
coaches, and administrators to take actions
that will make things better for children,
families and staff and ultimately improve
outcomes for children and change the
conditions in our communities.

23. Data Questions to Consider
What data are you collecting as part of your
observations?
• CLASS Data
• ERS Data
• Curriculum Data (Formative Assessment, ie
Gold)
• Licensing Compliance
• Running Records
• Local Observation Tool
• Other
• None

24. Infant Toddler Pre-K K-3
Upper
Elementary
Secondary
effective
teacher-child
interactions
warm
sensitive
individualized predictable
proactive
engaging
stimulating
language-rich
responsive

25. Why Use One
Lens across
Age Levels?
• Alignment and
continuity
• Common language
• Common standards
of professionalism
• Shared vision of
high-quality practice

26. CLASS Domains

27. CLASS Domains & Dimensions

29. SHARING DATA

32. Data Questions to Consider
How are you sharing information collected in an
observation?
• Formal written report
• Annual performance review
• Data graphs
• Video summary
• One-one conversation
• Not at all

33. Data Questions to Consider
Are you using a structure for comparing the data
and/or a target?
• Program goal
• Center goal
• Personal goal
• Previous observation or “pretest”
• State/Locality target set by QRIS
• Head Start target
• Research “averages”

34. Sharing Scores Discussion
In your program:
• Do you share CLASS scores, ranges, or
neither?
• Do you share CLASS scores or ranges for all
dimensions, only dimensions of focus, and/or
domains?
• Why?

35. Sharing Scores with Teachers
• Purpose of observation
• CLASS expertise and experience
• Staff culture
• Comparison values

36. Average Ratings of Interactions in
Pre-K—3 Classrooms
Emotional
Support
Classroom
Organization
Instructional Support
CLASS Scores
Low Quality Moderate Quality High Quality

37. Summary of Data
PreK CLASS ES CO IS
HS Benchmarks 4 3 2
Research Thresholds 5 5 3.25
Research Averages 5.2 4.46 2.33
Educare Averages 2013 6.4 5.7 3.5
HS Averages 2012 5.9 5.45 2.98
HS B10% 2012 5.49 4.85 2.19
HS Averages 2013 5.99 5.63 2.72
HS B10% 2013 5.54 5.05 2.10
HS Averages 2014 6.10 5.83 2.90
HS B10% 2014 5,72 5.36 2.20

38.  Dashboards generated for Managers and
Supervisors depicting data from their classrooms
 Data aggregated to create an Agency dashboard
that is represents the proportionately accuracy of
our work
 Conditional formatting established using a
generalized 85% rule
 Shaded cells are reflected to indicate data that is
not applicable to the Measuring Tool or time of year

41. Feedback

42. If you could only sense how important you are
to the lives of those you meet; how important
you can be to the people you may never even
dream of. There is something of yourself that
you leave at every meeting with another
person.
― Fred Rogers

43. The Role of Feedback
Observation
Feedback
Goal-Setting
Professional
Development
CLASS
Feedback
Strategies
• Coaching
• Training
• Professional
Learning
Communities

44. Feedback Process
Questions to Consider
• Are you providing feedback as a supervisor or coach? Or
both?
• What is the purpose of the feedback session?
• What is the frequency of the feedback sessions in your
organization?
• How much time do you have?
• Will the teacher have advance notice of the meeting?
• Where will the meeting take place?
• Are you providing documentation (report, video) as part
of the meeting?

45. Which Hat are you Wearing?
In early childhood education, staff often work
in multiple roles and wear many hats. It is
important to identify both to yourself and to
the teacher which hat you are wearing when
providing feedback.
Share with your table partner how supervisor
feedback is different than coach feedback
and proactive measures you have taken to
separate the two.

46. Influences on Feedback
Feedback
Session
Teacher
Characteristics
Organizational
Characteristics
Outcome

47. Teacher Characteristics
Knowledge
Receptivity
Readiness

48. Teacher Variations Discussion
• How do the teachers you support differ in their
characteristics?
• How do you differentiate to support individual
teachers?
o For example, teachers’ prior knowledge of the CLASS
measure may be varied. You may have to do more or
less teaching about CLASS terminology as a result.

49. Readiness is a Continuum
Not Ready to
Change
Not aware of
the problem
“On the
Fence”
Uncertain
about
accepting the
problem
Ready to
Change
Accepts the
problem and
prepares to
change

50. Know See Do
How Teachers Improve
Know what effective
interactions are &
why they matter
See effective
interactions to build
self-awareness
Practice strategies &
integrate behaviors

51. Responses to Readiness Levels
Not Ready to
Change
Know.
Teacher
learns about
effective
interactions
and identifies
desired
behavior.
“On the Fence”
See.
Teacher
becomes more
aware of
differences
between
current
behavior and
desired
behavior.
Ready to
Change
Do.
Teacher takes
action to bring
current
behavior closer
to desired
behavior.

52. Responses to Readiness Levels
Not Ready
(novice)
Receptivity
Knowledge
Ready
(expert)
Focus on
positive
Build
awareness
Build self-
efficacy
Increase
challenge

53. How You Might Respond—
Not Ready
• Provide information about CLASS-based
behaviors and why they’re important to children’s
development.
• Explain what specific behaviors look like at the
high level.

54. How You Might Respond—
On the Fence
• Ask questions that promote the teacher’s
reflection on the observation.
• Summarize what the teacher has said and
reiterate the feedback.
• Identify and reduce barriers to change.

55. How You Might Respond—
Ready to Change
• Support goal setting for change in classroom
practice.
• Encourage ideas about how to change.
• Collaborate to design an action plan for
demonstrating the new behavior(s) in the
classroom.

56. Classroom Video Reminder
• Video is obtained from teachers and staff who allow
us to use their work to provide training and support to
researchers, teachers, and other educators.
• Individuals share video of their least and most
effective moments in the classroom to help train
others using the CLASS observation tool.
• It is essential that we approach these individuals with
respect as we discuss our observations.

57. Regard for Student Perspectives
Reflects the teacher’s interactions with
children that emphasize children’s interests,
motivations, and points of view
• Flexibility and student focus
• Support for autonomy and leadership
• Student expression
• Restriction of movement

58. Feedback Session—Debrief
• Which stage of readiness does the teacher
demonstrate in this video?
• What does the teacher say that shows this stage
of readiness?
• How else might the feedback facilitator respond
in these moments?

59. Feedback Session—Debrief
• Which stage of readiness does the teacher
demonstrate in this video?
• What does the teacher say that shows this stage
of readiness?
• How else might the feedback facilitator respond
in these moments?

60. Feedback Model
Feedback Session
• Identify areas of focus
• Provide feedback
• Build relationships
• Engage in questioning
• Form goals and action
plans
Teacher
Characteristics
Readiness
Outcome
• Change in
readiness
• Change in
behavior

61. Planning for the Feedback Session
Decide
whether to
share scores,
ranges, or
neither
Identify area(s)
of focus
Draft examples
from the
observation to
share
Form reflective
questions

62. Identifying Areas of Focus
Choose areas of strength and growth.
May be decided by the
• Feedback facilitator
• Teacher
• Organization
• Professional
Development Program
May be based on
• Opportunity for impact
• Interest area
• Organizational goal
• Need/desire to improve

63. Selecting Observations
How do you determine which examples from
an observation to share with a teacher?
Would you use video? Why or why not?

64. Characteristics of Feedback
Specific/descriptive
Aligned
Objective

65. Effective Feedback
Specific
List the specific
CLASS behavioral
marker
Behavioral
List a related
behavioral example
from the observation

66. Example
You and your students were engaged in the egg activity.
vs.
You demonstrated prediction with your students when you
asked students to discuss what they thought would happen
when the egg fell off the bridge.
Specific
List the specific
CLASS behavioral
marker
Behavioral
List a related
behavioral
example from
the observation

67. Parallel Processes
What might these
interactions look
like between a
feedback facilitator
and teacher?
• Social conversation
• Positive affect
• Positive comments
• Respect
• Absence of threat/negativity
• Acknowledging emotions
• Flexibility
• Support for autonomy
• Expression

68. Reflective Questioning
• What reflective questions do you like to use? My
favorites include....
• What are your thoughts on this?
• How do you feel about that interaction?
• Tell me a little more about that moment.
• How do you think it went?

69. Feedback Session—Debrief Questions
• What observation moments did the facilitator
share with the teacher? Why?
• What specific feedback statements did the
facilitator share?
• What reflective questions did the facilitator ask?

70. Feedback Session—Debrief Questions
• What observation moments did the facilitator
share with the teacher? Why?
• What specific feedback statements did the
facilitator share?
• What reflective questions did the facilitator ask?

71. What Would You Do Next?
Build
relationships
Differentiate
based on
readiness levels
Form goals and
action plans

72. • Decide whether to share scores, ranges, or
neither.
• Identify areas of focus.
• Note the observations you would share
with this teacher.
• Form reflective questions to use.
• Suggest an action plan for next steps.
Develop Feedback Session

73. • Decide whether to share scores, ranges, or
neither.
• Identify areas of focus.
• Note the observations you would share
with this teacher.
• Form reflective questions to use.
Develop Feedback Session

74. • Provide supportive emotional context and
state to enhance teacher learning
• Move the conscious acts of effective
teaching into unconscious, automatic
schemas than can be enacted more
efficiently and consistently
• Move ineffective, unconscious schemas into
the conscious so that teachers can be more
aware of and stop these behaviors
One More Thought on Feedback

76. Characteristics of Effective Professional
Development
1. Use of coaching to support the transfer to practice
2. Frequent contact between coaches and teachers
3. Strong teacher-coach relationships
4. Group involvement in professional development
5. Use of video to focus professional lens
6. Data-driven, individualized coach supports

79. Empowering
Administrators,
Coaches, and
Educators

80. You are not just defending a program, or
improving the quality of a curriculum or
relationships with parents, you are torch
bearers, drum majors, for a national
commitment to kids.
― Ralph Smith, Annie E. Casey Foundation
NHSA Winter Leadership January 29, 2013

81. Stay in Touch!
Teachstone!
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Email: contact@teachstone.com