Using observation to improve teaching and

learning

Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D.Dean, Curry School of Education

Director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL)

Discover. Create. Change.

Leveraging teachers as game-changers Right now, getting a good teacher is a matter of luck.

Scientific study of teaching – measurement and production. Develop valid, effective tools for districts.

Observe teacher behaviors that link to learning – Prove they matter and replicate in thousands of classrooms – the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).

MyTeachingPartner (MTP) tools for PD: courses, video supports, coaching. Evaluated and shown effective.

CASTL connects observation and measurement to PD proven to improve teaching and learning.

Organization

alSupport

InstructionalSupport

EmotionalSupport

Teacher-Student Interactions

(these matter)

What is the CLASS?

CLASS is a tool for observing and rating (1-7) the quality of teacher-student interactions in classrooms.

CLASS versions pk-12 – coherent lens/language It measures the emotional, organizational, and

instructional supports provided by teachers that contribute to children’s social, developmental, and academic achievement.

CLASS is used to assess teacher-student interactions for a variety of purposes: Teacher Professional Development Monitoring and Evaluation of Teacher

Performance/Effectiveness Research

CLASS PK-5 – Domains and dimensions Positive climate Negative climate Teacher sensitivity Regard for student perspectives

Effective behavior management Learning formats/engagement Productivity

Concept development Quality of feedback Language modeling

EmotionalSupport

InstructionalSupport

OrganizationalSupport

Multi-level lens and language

Dimension

Indicator

BehavioralMarkers

Emotional SupportDomain

Technical properties and inferences

Detailed manual describing codes/procedures

Master-coded video segments/certification

Central training of observers live or web

Designed for typical day/classroom setup

Reliable and Valid (national-level studies, all grades). Technical properties support inferences for hiring, firing, tenure, pay, PD

CLASS research results support reliability and validity in thousands of classrooms

Data on CLASS

CLASS has been used to observe over 8,000 classrooms across the United States.

CLASS is one of the most extensively used observational measures of teacher effectiveness for preschool through secondary classrooms.

Teachers with higher scores on CLASS have students who make greater academic and social progress during the school year (effect sizes .15-.35)

Classrooms are generally passive settings.

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What’s happening nationwide?

Gains in Achievement in Emotionally Supportive Elementary Classrooms

Standardized tests of

achievement adjusted

Low Moderate High

1st Grade Emotional Support

Kindergartenadjustmentproblems

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No problems

Multiple problems

CLASS-S results

Predicts state-standards test scores across all content areas (>2,000 students, >100 classrooms)

Moderate effect sizes (. 30) in all domains

Also predict standards tests in the subsequent year

Now in studies with several thousand classrooms (MET, WTG study).

Improving Teacher-Student Interactions: MyTeachingPartner

Coaching, Video Library, Course

Aligned professional development: MTP

Connecting outcomes and inputs - Alignment

CLASS – specific definitions of interactions

Video Library – analysis of others’ interactions

Coaching – ongoing analysis/feedback on own interactions

Course – knowledge and analytic skills

All tested in RCTs

Summer/Fall 2005myteachingpartner.net

Detailed video examples

www.mtpsecondary.net

Summer/Fall 2005myteachingpartner.net

MTP consultation cycle

Classroom video recordingat an established time

1

Teacher reviews clipsand reflects on practice

3

Consultant reviewsand edits video clips

2

Teacher and consultantmeet and discussteaching practices

4

Summer/Fall 2005myteachingpartner.netmyteachingpartner.net

MTP Prompts: Feedback for teachers

MTP Coaching improves interactions

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Classrooms with high poverty benefit most from MTP coaching for teachers

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Coaching--100% Poor

Control--100% Poor

MTP in high school – Gap-closing teachers

Same approach – MTP coaching, video library

Randomized evaluation study – >100 classrooms

6th-11th grades, all content areas

Teachers improved instruction; kids more attentive, engaged

Average student with MTP-coached teacher improved 35th-60th percentile on state high-stakes standards tests

Scale-up – At this moment CLASS in Head Start monitoring nationally

(mandated in Federal law). 50,000 teachers

4,800 pre-k classrooms in GA

1,600 preschool classrooms in Chicago

4,000 4th-11th grade classrooms Gates MET study

10,000 preschool classrooms in CA

300 secondary classrooms in Hampton VA

Working now in community colleges

Trained > 3,000 observers, 150 coaches

Implications for P-12 (and beyond?)

Standardized, valid observations can be scaled and integrated into improvement and management systems

Focus performance measures and PD on interactions with students—common language and aligned systems

Aligned PD improves interactions and student outcomes – experimental studies

Incentives, supports, and targets for teacher behavior/performance in classrooms

Observation can leverage improvements in teaching and learning