Predicting Adolescent Achievement with the CLASS-S Observation Tool

Adolescents in middle school and high school characterize their interactions with teachers as frequently unsatisfying and unmotivating. They report that their experiences in the classroom lack meaningful challenges, supportive relationships, and competenceand motivation-building experiences. Yet, engagement and intrinsic motivation are pivotal in adolescence, as these students have the means to not only withdraw energy from educational pursuits but to drop out altogether. Engagement in school begins to decline early in adolescence, and by entry into high school this decline is so pronounced that half of high school students report that they do not take their school or their studies seriously. Studies of large-scale testing programs indicate that teachers are the greatest source of variation in what students learn in school. These studies do not, however, address the source or nature of the teacher effect. Many large-scale studies have found no evidence that advanced degrees or years of experience have any relation to student achievement gains. If indeed teachers are so important, we need more evidence on why and how they matter in secondary classrooms.