BACKGROUND

Agenda for Children's mission is to make Louisiana a state in which all children can thrive. Founded in 1984 as the state's first independent child advocacy organization, Agenda has also served as the largest state provider of childcare resource and referral services in southeast Louisiana since 1989. Since our inception, Agenda has worked to improve child well-being in Louisiana through three key strategies:

• advocating for better policies and programs to serve Louisiana's children throughout the legislative and regulatory processes;
• informing public discussions on children by monitoring the well-being of children at the state and parish levels through the KIDS COUNT project; and,
• improving the quality of early childhood education through “on the ground” work in the early care and education sector in Southeast Louisiana, specifically by training practitioners, helping program administrators strengthen their organizational capacity, increasing access for families, and building public and private support for the work.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Agenda for Children seeks certified reliable CLASS observers to conduct Toddler and Pre-K CLASS observations in early learning programs throughout Orleans Parish. This is a part-time, part-year (September-November and February - May ) position. CLASS observations are conducted in the morning, and typically take two to three hours to complete, allowing for one observation to be completed per day.

CLASS is an assessment tool developed by Teachstone to measure the quality of teacher-child interactions. The CLASS assessments conducted by Agenda observers are used by the Louisiana Department of Education to rate the quality publicly funded early learning programs.

In order to conduct CLASS observations, interested parties must become a certified reliable CLASS observer by completing a two-day training on the tool (either Toddler CLASS or Pre-K CLASS), then passing an online certification test. Applicants who are not already certified can attend a training at their own cost and, upon passing the reliability test and agreement to perform observations, will be reimbursed for their training cost. The next Pre-CLASS training is scheduled for January 24-25th. Interested applicants should sign up for the class by January 10th. Click here for more training information.

While experience in early childhood and/or conducting assessments can be helpful, it is not required for this position. The ideal candidate will possess strong attention to detail and be able to assess multiple dimensions simultaneously. CLASS observer requirements include:

Ensure Reliability:

• The Certified CLASS Observer must attain initial CLASS Observer certification through CLASS Observation Training and then re-certify annually through Teachstone no later than February 28, 2019. Agenda for Children (Agenda) will reimburse observers for the cost of the CLASS Observation Training upon successful completion of 20 CLASS Observations.  Re-certification is also subsidized through Agenda for Children annually on the Certified CLASS Observer's renewal date.
• Certified CLASS Observers have to calibrate through Teachstone prior to the start of each observation season to ensure that the observer is still in alignment with the tool.

Conduct Individual CLASS Observations:

• Possess a valid driver's license and reliable transportation

• Ability to obtain a Louisiana Criminal Background Check

• All Contracted CLASS Observers must be available to complete at least 10 CLASS Observations each month.

• Observations will be conducted on-site at schools and centers throughout New Orleans following state protocol that consists of:

• Conducting all observations in the morning between 8am and before 12pm

• Using CLASS Observation Sheets to complete 4 cycles of observation (i.e. 20 minutes of observation followed by 10 minutes of scoring per observation cycle)

Report CLASS Observation Results and Feedback:

• After conducting each observation, the observer will complete a score sheet, leave the site and complete a feedback form. Observers will submit their scores sheets and feedback form to the CLASS Coordinator on a weekly basis.
• Observers will be paid based on the number of observations completed and delivered with supporting documentation to Agenda for Children.

Other Duties as Required:

• Attend all required CLASS Observer trainings including the refresher (a brief training) and any observer meetings.

Payment:

• CLASS Observers are entitled to $150 per each completed CLASS Observation and submission of feedback form to NOEEN. CLASS Observers that are anchors are entitled to $175 per each completed CLASS Double Code Observation.

Applications due 1/31/2020.