Great question — thanks so much for raising this!
In CLASS, particularly within the Instructional Support and Engaged Support for Learning domains, the quality of teacher-child interactions is central to scoring in the high range. While it’s certainly developmentally appropriate for children to have opportunities for independent exploration during free choice, high-range scores typically require evidence of active teacher engagement — such as joining in play, extending learning, or following the children’s lead to scaffold thinking.
If teachers are primarily focused on managerial tasks during this time and are not interacting meaningfully with children, we likely wouldn’t see the level of intentional support and responsiveness needed for the high range. That said, this scenario also wouldn’t necessarily reflect the "moderately teacher-regimented" environment described in the mid-range — instead, it may fall closer to the low-to-mid range, depending on the balance of child autonomy and teacher presence.
To score in the high range, observers would need to see teachers tuning into children’s cues, asking thoughtful questions, encouraging problem-solving, and supporting deeper engagement, even during free choice time.
I hope this helps clarify! Would love to hear how others approach observing and scoring free choice periods in their settings as well.