Good morning Susan. You are correct.
After observing and scoring a classroom with the tool, you would count the number of items scored as a one, the number of items scored as a 2, and the number of items scored as a three. Each of those totals would be multiplied by either 1, 2, or 3. Each of these products is then added together to produce a total score.
For example:
Number scored as a 1 - 4 11 x 1 = 11
Number scored as a 2 - 12 4 x 2 = 8
Number scored as a 3 - 12 13 x 3 = 39
The products of these calculations are added together:
10 + 8 + 39 = 57
57 is the total score.
In the example I provided, the total number of items receiving a score is 28, and there are 29 items on the Pre-K CLASS Environment tool. This means that one item was given the code N/A (for example, if technology is not used, then Effectiveness of Screen time would be scored with N/A). Items that do not receive a numerical score are not included in the total score. Please keep that in mind if you compare total scores across classrooms.
If you want to compare classrooms, calculate the average item score for each classroom and then compare the average item scores for each classroom.
To calculate the average item score, divide the total score by the number of items receiving a numerical score. In the example I provided above:
57 divided by 28 = 2.0
The average score per item is two.
I hope this answers your question and provides additional things to consider when reviewing your data for program improvement.
Thanks for your work!
Emily