Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 28 - EDUCATION
Part CLXVII - Bulletin 140-Louisiana Early Childhood Care and Education Network
Chapter 5 - Early Childhood Care and Education Accountability System
Section CLXVII-503 - Coordinated Observation Plan and Observation Requirements
Universal Citation: LA Admin Code CLXVII-503
Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Coordinated observation is the local process by which each community network ensures that every classroom, including virtual classrooms, in a publicly-funded site in the community network receives two CLASS® observations each school year.
B. CLASS® Observation Requirements
1. A
CLASS® observation is an
observation of the typical experiences of children in a classroom using the
appropriate toddler or pre-K CLASS®
using all domains, typically occurring during the morning, in which a reliable
observer conducts four 20-minute cycles of observation and note-taking followed
by at least 10 minutes of scoring after each observation cycle.
2. Domains and Dimensions
a.
CLASS® observations for
infant classrooms must include the infant CLASS® domain and
all dimensions contained within.
b.
CLASS® observations for toddler classrooms must include both
toddler CLASS® domains, which are emotional and behavioral
support and engaged support for learning, and all dimensions contained
within.
c.CLASS®
observations for pre-K classrooms must include all three Pre-K-3rd
CLASS® domains, which are emotional
support, classroom organization, and instructional support, and all dimensions
contained within.
3.
Required Observations
a. For the 2020-2021
and 2021-2022 academic years only, all infant, toddler, and pre-K classrooms in
a publicly-funded site will receive one
CLASS® observation during the
school year conducted by the community network.
b. Any infant, toddler, and/or pre-K
classroom that receives a fall
CLASS® score of 4.49 or lower after
third party replacement (if applicable) shall be observed a second
time.
c. Following the 2020-2021
and 2021-2022 academic years, all infant, toddler, and pre-K classrooms in a
publicly-funded site will receive two
CLASS® observations during the
school year conducted by the community network.
d. Following the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022
academic years, one observation shall occur during the fall observation period,
if the classroom is in existence on October 1, and the other shall occur during
the spring observation period, if the classroom is in existence on February
1.
e.
CLASS® observations conducted by
third-party contractors hired by the department shall not count towards this
requirement.
f. - f.iii.(b).
Repealed.
4. Use of
Infant, Toddler, or Pre-K CLASS®.
Classrooms shall be observed with the same
CLASS® throughout the school year
based on the composition of the classroom when the observation plan required in
Subsection C of this Section is submitted according to the following:
a. a classroom that only has infant children
or a classroom that has a mix of infant and toddler children in which a
majority are infant children shall be observed with the infant
CLASS®;
b. a classroom that has all toddler children
or a classroom that has a mix of infant and toddler children in which the
majority or at least half are toddler children shall be observed with the
toddler CLASS®;
c. a classroom that has all pre-K children or
a classroom that has a mix of toddler and Pre-K children in which the majority
or at least half are pre-K children shall be observed with the
Pre-K-3rd
CLASS®;
d. a classroom that has a mix of pre-K and
kindergarten age children shall be observed using the Pre-K-3rd
CLASS® when either the majority of
the class is pre-K or if the classroom receives early childhood funding;
e. a classroom that is a
combination of infant, toddler, and pre-K children must be observed using the
tool appropriate for the majority of the class. If there is no clear majority
among the three age groups, the toddler tool must be used.
5. The department shall monitor observer
accuracy within each observation period by comparing the domain-level results
from classroom observations conducted by the departments third-party
contractors to the domain-level results from classroom observations conducted
by the community network for each observer.
a. Within each school year, for observations
conducted by a community network observer that have been compared to
domain-level results conducted by the departments third-party contractors, if
more than 20 percent of the domain-level results are different by more than 1
point for the community network observer, that observer and lead agency will be
issued a notice in writing by the state regarding the level of
accuracy.
b. Within each school
year, for observations conducted by a community network observer that have been
compared to domain-level results conducted by the departments third-party
contractors, if more than 33 percent of the domain-level results are different
by more than 1 point for the community network observer, that observer will be
shadow scored by another community network observer in the next observation
period.
c. At the end of the school
year, for observations conducted by a community network observer that have been
compared to domain-level results conducted by the departments third-party
contractors within the same community network, if 50 percent or more of the
domain-level results are different by more than one point for the community
network observer over the course of the school year, the department may
determine that the community network observer shall not be able to conduct
observations for that community network for the next observation period.
i. If the observer is no longer able to
conduct observations for the community network, the department shall notify the
observer and the lead agency that the observer shall not be able to conduct
observations for that community network for the next observation
period.
ii. A lead agency or
community network observer may request in writing that the department review
its decision in Subparagraph 5.c of this Subsection within 15 calendar days of
receiving the decision.
iii. All
requests for departmental review shall clearly state the specific reasons for
requesting the review and the action being sought, and shall include all
necessary supporting documentation.
iv. The department shall respond to the
request for departmental review within 30 calendar days after receiving
it.
v. The department may waive the
action in Subparagraph 5.c of this Subsection in cases of extenuating
circumstances or if the action would result in no other assessor being
available to conduct required observations.
d. Observers who receive notification from
the LDOE under Clause 5.c.i of this Subsection must meet the reliability
requirements of 80 percent accuracy through annual recertification prior to
being permitted to complete observations for the community network.
e. At the end of each observation period, the
department will notify lead agencies in writing of all community network
observers that have more than 20 percent of the domain-level results that
differ by more than 1 point from comparable observations conducted by the
departments third-party contractors.
C. Coordinated Observation Plan
1. Local Protocol. Each community network
shall develop and maintain, no later than September 30 of each year, a written
local protocol for coordinated observation using
CLASS® that at a minimum includes:
a. the number of
CLASS® observers who will conduct
observations;
b. a plan to ensure
reliable data that includes the following requirements:
i. all observers are reliable, which is
defined as all observers having a certification achieved by completing and
passing all trainings and assessments required by Teachstone to conduct a
CLASS® observation with validity
and fidelity;
ii. all observers
maintain inter-rater reliability and fidelity. Inter-rater reliability occurs
when two or more observers produce consistent observation results for the same
classroom at the same time;
iii.
the community network conducts inter-rater reliability observation checks for
10 percent of all classrooms observed during the fall observation period and
for 10 percent of all classrooms observed during the spring observation period,
and that these reliability observation checks include every observer and at
least one observation for each classroom age configuration in the community
network at least once annually; and
iv. no observer shall conduct an observation
in which the observer is an immediate family member, as defined in
R.S.
42:1102, of a teacher in the classroom being
observed or an immediate family member of an individual who supervises or
provides training or technical assistance to a teacher in the classroom being
observed or has a direct financial interest in the site where the classroom is
being observed.
c. an
observation schedule that includes two observations for each toddler and PreK
classroom identified in Subparagraph B.3.b of this Section, with one
observation scheduled during the fall observation period and one during the
spring observation period; and
d. a
plan to ensure reliable data that includes the following requirements:
i. all observers are reliable, which is
defined as all observers having a certification achieved by completing and
passing all trainings and assessments required by Teachstone to conduct a
CLASS® observation with validity
and fidelity;
ii. all observers
maintain inter-rater reliability and fidelity. Inter-rater reliability occurs
when two or more observers produce consistent observation results for the same
classroom at the same time;
iii.
the community network conducts inter-rater reliability observation checks for
10 percent of all classrooms observed during the fall observation period and
for 10 percent of all classrooms observed during the spring observation period,
and that these reliability observation checks include every observer for the
community network at least once annually; and
iv. no observer shall conduct an observation
in which the observer is an immediate family member, as defined in
R.S.
42:1101, of a teacher in the classroom being
observed or an immediate family member of an individual who supervises or
provides training or technical assistance to a teacher in the classroom being
observed or has a direct financial interest in the site where the classroom is
being observed.
2. Observation Schedule
a. In 2018-2019, each community network shall
submit an observation schedule that includes two observations for each toddler
and pre-K classroom identified in Paragraph B.3 of this Section.
b. In 2019-2020 and beyond, each community
network shall submit an observation schedule that includes two observations for
each infant, toddler, and pre-K classroom identified in Paragraph B.3.b, with
one observation scheduled during the fall observation period and one during the
spring observation period.
3. Submission of Observation Schedules
a. For the fall observation period, the
observation schedule must be submitted to the LDOE via the Early Childhood
CLASS® portal or a comparable
LDOE-approved system by October 1 unless otherwise specified by the
department.
b. For the spring
observation period, the observation schedule must be submitted to the LDOE via
the Early Childhood CLASS® portal
or a comparable LDOE-approved system by February 1 unless otherwise specified
by the department.
c. Lead agencies
may alter these schedules after submission as required by local circumstances,
or in order to complete local observations around the same time as third-party
observations.
D. Waiver
1. The state superintendent of education
shall have the authority to grant waivers to lead agencies for specific
requirements of the coordinated observation plan or observation requirements
included in this Chapter, with the exception of Clause C.1.d.iv of this
Section.
2. Lead agencies seeking a
waiver shall submit a written request to the LDOE prior to or at the time of
the submission of the coordinated enrollment plan. The request shall cite the
specific requirement for which a waiver is being requested and shall clearly
state the reasons why the waiver is being requested and why it should be
granted. Waiver requests shall include any supporting documentation that
substantiates the need for the waiver.
3. The department shall respond in writing to
waiver requests within 30 calendar days after receiving the request.
E. The department shall publicly release the reliability requirements for third-party contractors hired by the department annually.
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:6 and 17:407.30 et seq.
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