This paper discusses the challenges and lessons learned from conducting observations to measure the quality of classroom practice for a large-scale study of elementary teachers' mathematics instruction. Specifically, this paper shares our process for obtaining valid data for quality of elementary mathematics instruction; what we learned can inform…

In this study, we examined the scoring and generalizability assumptions of an Explicit Instruction (EI) special education teacher observation protocol using many-faceted Rasch measurement (MFRM). Video observations of classroom instruction from 48 special education teachers across four states were collected. External raters (n = 20) were trained…

English Learners (ELs) are students whose native language is any language other than English. ELs participate in language acquisition programs throughout the United States to help the attainment of English proficiency. ELs are also expected to acquire the English language while performing at the same academic success as their native English…

In this paper, we analyze mathematics lessons using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), a standardized observation protocol that suggests that high-quality lessons are distinguished by the tenor and frequency of classroom interactions. Because the CLASS focuses on interactions, rather than the specifics of content teaching, it can be…

Meaningful growth in teacher practice comes when we invest in teacher-led, inquiry-based collaborative models where teachers get to roll up their sleeves and study what's really going on in classrooms. "Lab Class" introduces an observation-based professional learning design that helps teachers collaboratively plan, investigate, and…

The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) is a structured observation instrument. It has been developed to support high-quality early childhood inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the cultural validity of the instrument in Swedish preschools and to investigate its perceived…

Within classrooms, psychologists and teachers use direct behavior observation methods, systematic behavior observations (SBOs) and direct behavior ratings (DBRs), to gather information about students' behaviors for the purposes of making decisions related to diagnosis and classroom management or behavioral feedback respectively. Observers use SBOs…

Being a graduate student while becoming a teaching assistant (TA) is fraught with struggles of knowledge and identity. While the field of rhetoric and composition has long theorized the needs of undergraduate students in first year writing (FYW) classes, it has only recently begun to theorize the needs of the TAs who teach a majority of the FYW…

School-based mentors are essential partners with teacher preparation programs in preparing novice teachers to have the knowledge, skills, and professional commitments they need to be strong teachers from day one. In many ways, the demands of mentoring, such as critical conversations with colleagues and reflecting, mirror the kinds of engagement…

One popular observational instrument to evaluate teaching is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System--Secondary (CLASS-S). Yet, the secondary version of the CLASS poorly discriminates classroom management quality beyond identifying extremely chaotic classrooms with teachers' scores clustering in the most positive ranges of effectiveness. Studies…

To improve the quality of our instruction and to contribute to student success, we designed an instructional development program using peer mentoring and observation grounded in evidence-based practices. We identified three methods of peer observation and mentoring to create an innovative progressively in-depth program that helps librarians…

The research note discusses various classroom observation tools used in early childhood classrooms and the degree to which they capture the facilitation of playful learning. We note that while all tools capture some aspects of play facilitation especially the preconditions for play, few tools directly measure techniques that solely facilitate…

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) have been an integral part of the English language curriculum in the Israeli school system since 2013, when questions that needed HOTS were added to the matriculation exams in all modules. Teachers subsequently have been responsible for integrating such questions into their teaching. The study aims to…

Most people are keenly aware that every student is different and that today's classrooms challenge educators to build safe and successful learning communities comprising students whose races, languages, cultures, experiences, assets, and dreams vary greatly. This book offers K-12 teachers both the foundations for differentiating their instruction…

Many school districts face the empirical challenge of monitoring program quality to assure that all children experience pre-K environments that foster early learning and development. Factors that are exogenous to classrooms (such as evaluation timing) may play a role in estimates of program quality and yet are not fully understood. This paper…