All Things CLASS

Hello CLASS Community, 

I am searching for ways to continue CLASS assessments when child care centers (hopefully*) open this summer/fall. One of my ideas is to have teachers or child care center staff record videos and send them to us so that we can code them remotely. The CLASS assessments I'm completing are for research purposes and are not high stakes. However, I want to ensure that this system would be feasible and that it will not adversely impact data quality or observation validity. 

Does anyone here have experience with remote CLASS assessments (teachers sending videos)? If you do, could you share what video equipment you use, how you send and receive the videos, and how successful this method was compared to in-person observations?

Teachstone folks, do you have any concerns about the validity of observations from teacher or staff collected video? 

Thanks in advance! 










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Cassandra Simons Gerson, Ph.D.
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I have been involved with viewing an assessing videos for CLASS for many years.  In the beginning, I would set up a tripod and small video recorder and then send the video to the company (it was University of Virginia research dept.).
I notice that now, some teachers set up the video themselves by using their own smartphone.  This would allow no extra person in the classroom, but the recording may be subjective.

Best,
Karen. (scheer4@comcast.net)

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Karen Scheer
Arlington VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2020 13:46
From: Cassandra Simons
Subject: Video CLASS Observation Protocol

Hello CLASS Community,

I am searching for ways to continue CLASS assessments when child care centers (hopefully*) open this summer/fall. One of my ideas is to have teachers or child care center staff record videos and send them to us so that we can code them remotely. The CLASS assessments I'm completing are for research purposes and are not high stakes. However, I want to ensure that this system would be feasible and that it will not adversely impact data quality or observation validity.

Does anyone here have experience with remote CLASS assessments (teachers sending videos)? If you do, could you share what video equipment you use, how you send and receive the videos, and how successful this method was compared to in-person observations?

Teachstone folks, do you have any concerns about the validity of observations from teacher or staff collected video?

Thanks in advance!










------------------------------
Cassandra Simons Gerson, Ph.D.
------------------------------

Thanks, Karen! It's helpful to know that it has been done successfully! I agree smartphones could be a good idea.

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Cassandra Simons
Ph.D.
Lutherville Timonium MD
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-27-2020 10:10
From: Karen Scheer
Subject: Video CLASS Observation Protocol

I have been involved with viewing an assessing videos for CLASS for many years.  In the beginning, I would set up a tripod and small video recorder and then send the video to the company (it was University of Virginia research dept.).
I notice that now, some teachers set up the video themselves by using their own smartphone.  This would allow no extra person in the classroom, but the recording may be subjective.

Best,
Karen. (scheer4@comcast.net)

------------------------------
Karen Scheer
Arlington VA

Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2020 13:46
From: Cassandra Simons
Subject: Video CLASS Observation Protocol

Hello CLASS Community,

I am searching for ways to continue CLASS assessments when child care centers (hopefully*) open this summer/fall. One of my ideas is to have teachers or child care center staff record videos and send them to us so that we can code them remotely. The CLASS assessments I'm completing are for research purposes and are not high stakes. However, I want to ensure that this system would be feasible and that it will not adversely impact data quality or observation validity.

Does anyone here have experience with remote CLASS assessments (teachers sending videos)? If you do, could you share what video equipment you use, how you send and receive the videos, and how successful this method was compared to in-person observations?

Teachstone folks, do you have any concerns about the validity of observations from teacher or staff collected video?

Thanks in advance!










------------------------------
Cassandra Simons Gerson, Ph.D.
------------------------------

Hi @Cassandra Simons, great question! This is certainly something that's going to come up more now that many programs will have greater restrictions around who can enter a classroom. I'd start by saying we don't have concerns; the CLASS has been validated for use in the coding video of classrooms. I'd also suggest reading the sections on Videotaped Observation Procedure in the manual (p. 14 for prek). 

We do have some recommendations and things to consider:

• Ensure the video length meets the need for the number of cycles required
• Teachers and some students should be visible for the majority of the time; consider capturing footage from a side view to see facial expressions
• We recommend spot-checking at least 10% of your videos prior to start of the project, to ensure audio and visual quality 
• For early childhood classrooms, given the nature of classroom set-ups, we recommend that, if possible, a neutral individual, e.g. administrator, film the classroom to ensure capture of footage during transitions and movement throughout the classroom 
• Continuous video is recommended, but if segments are necessary, we recommend that segments are captured on the same day 
• Lock your camera orientation 
• Recommend utilizing 'Do Not Disturb' mode if applicable to minimize video interruptions 
• Be aware of the placement of the capture device as it pertains to surrounding sounds. For example, positioning the device near sinks or heating/air conditioning units may compromise the quality of the audio 
• If possible, having the teacher wear a lavalier microphone will improve the audio quality

I hope this helps! 
​

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Liz Savage
Community Manager
Teachstone
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2020 13:46
From: Cassandra Simons
Subject: Video CLASS Observation Protocol

Hello CLASS Community,

I am searching for ways to continue CLASS assessments when child care centers (hopefully*) open this summer/fall. One of my ideas is to have teachers or child care center staff record videos and send them to us so that we can code them remotely. The CLASS assessments I'm completing are for research purposes and are not high stakes. However, I want to ensure that this system would be feasible and that it will not adversely impact data quality or observation validity.

Does anyone here have experience with remote CLASS assessments (teachers sending videos)? If you do, could you share what video equipment you use, how you send and receive the videos, and how successful this method was compared to in-person observations?

Teachstone folks, do you have any concerns about the validity of observations from teacher or staff collected video?

Thanks in advance!










------------------------------
Cassandra Simons Gerson, Ph.D.
------------------------------