First off allow me to say that I understand the reason that my county has decided to use the CLASS standards of teaching for the Pre-K Program(s). I wholeheartedly agree with the accountability that CLASS has brought to our field since its introduction.
That said, I do not believe that all of the CLASS standards lend favorably to ABA and Discrete Trial Teaching methodology used in the ABA Classrooms. For example, through the CLASS model teachers are encouraged to expand language. So, an example being during snack not just talking about how the chips are "crunchy" but asking what other foods may be "crunchy" or "what's the opposite of crunchy" or even asking "how else would you describe your food". Or a pre-reading activity would be to show students the cover of the book and ask them to make predictions. Of course there is nothing wrong with these practices, however it could represent meaningless talk to our earlier learners (which make up the majority of ABA Classrooms) and isn't what is equitable for all students.
Just my opinion, I am curious if other teachers have run into the same concerns, and if anyone has found a practical way to balance the CLASS standards with classroom level expectations.
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Richard Johnson
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