All Things CLASS

Hello,

   I am new to coaching and often get asked by our staff as to why the national average for head start is so low in instructional support. Can anyone help me in finding an appropriate answer to this?

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Erin Foster
Edinboro PA
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Hi @Erin Foster, I think the simple answer is- it's difficult! The CLASS Instructional Support domain looks at how teachers help students learn to solve problems, reason, and think, Use feedback to expand and deepen skills and knowledge, and Develop more complex language skills. Those are big tasks! They require a lot of thought, planning, and intentionality. The other factor is that those naturally occur more or less depending on the time of day.
You may find some of the data in this blog post interesting: https://info.teachstone.com/blog/what-were-reading-how-to-structure-a-classroom-schedule
​
The good news is that small, incremental improvements in teacher practices have been shown to result in measurable increases in child learning outcomes. When teachers have targeted, ongoing professional development, they can make small but meaningful gains in their Instructional Support scores and therefore child outcomes. 

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Liz Savage
Community Manager
Teachstone
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2021 12:23
From: Erin Foster
Subject: National Average

Hello,

   I am new to coaching and often get asked by our staff as to why the national average for head start is so low in instructional support. Can anyone help me in finding an appropriate answer to this?

------------------------------
Erin Foster
Edinboro PA
------------------------------

Baby steps!

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Susan Hinman Waldman
Practice Based Coach
Communities United Inc.
Lexington, MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2021 16:14
From: Liz Savage
Subject: National Average

Hi @Erin Foster, I think the simple answer is- it's difficult! The CLASS Instructional Support domain looks at how teachers help students learn to solve problems, reason, and think, Use feedback to expand and deepen skills and knowledge, and Develop more complex language skills. Those are big tasks! They require a lot of thought, planning, and intentionality. The other factor is that those naturally occur more or less depending on the time of day.
You may find some of the data in this blog post interesting: https://info.teachstone.com/blog/what-were-reading-how-to-structure-a-classroom-schedule
​
The good news is that small, incremental improvements in teacher practices have been shown to result in measurable increases in child learning outcomes. When teachers have targeted, ongoing professional development, they can make small but meaningful gains in their Instructional Support scores and therefore child outcomes. 

------------------------------
Liz Savage
Community Manager
Teachstone

Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2021 12:23
From: Erin Foster
Subject: National Average

Hello,

   I am new to coaching and often get asked by our staff as to why the national average for head start is so low in instructional support. Can anyone help me in finding an appropriate answer to this?

------------------------------
Erin Foster
Edinboro PA
------------------------------