Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS): Separating the Signal From the Noise

• In Event: Early Childhood Assessments

Abstract

The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta et al., 2008) is a commonly-used measure of the early childhood classroom environment. However, the reliability of this measure is questionable (Curby et al., 2016) with weak relations to children’s outcomes (Keys et al., 2013). The present study provides a new conceptualization of CLASS that accounts for measurement error and improves model fit. Specifically, we use a bifactor model to simultaneously estimate variance due to error and due to the CLASS domains. In a demonstration, we show that the proposed model provided shows moderate to strong factor loadings on both the theoretical domains and the cycle-specific errors. This suggests that the new method is viable and should be used in future inferential studies.

Authors

• Jessica Logan, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Nathan Helsabeck, The Ohio State University - Columbus