The CIERA School Change Classroom Observation Scheme

BY: Barbara M. Taylor, University of Minnesota/CIERA
and P. David Pearson, Michigan State University/CIERA

TRAINING KIT NOW AVAILABLE:

A training kit for elementary school personnel interested in learning how to conduct and interpret classroom observations of reading instruction based on the observation scheme used in the CIERA Effective Schools/Accomplished Teachers study (Taylor, et al. in press) and in the current CIERA School Change study (Taylor and Pearson, in press). This scheme gives K–6 teachers data, based on an observed literacy lesson, related to: grouping practices, literacy events or activities, materials, interaction styles, expected student responses to the literacy activities, and students’ engagement rate.

Included in the training kit are:

• a detailed manual with detailed data from the CIERA School Change study (Year 1).
• a practice video
• a video that can be used to obtain inter-rater reliability
• a CD with 50 video clips illustrating observation scheme codes

Although the kit is a work-in-progress, the current version is being made available to interested parties at cost ($64.95/kit).

To order your own kit or for more information about the School Change Classroom Observation Scheme, visit the CIERA School Change site at www.schoolchange.ciera.org.