CLASS® in Virginia
Interactions matter now more than ever, and they can improve outcomes for Virginia's children.
The Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5)
Virginia’s early childhood system must ensure that all children have quality teaching and learning experiences that meet their unique needs. To do this, Virginia has developed the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5) which recognizes the impact of every classroom, provides feedback to every educator, and supports all publicly funded birth-to-five programs to improve.
VQB5 is a measurement and improvement system that focuses on the quality of all publicly-funded birth-five classrooms and supports families to choose quality programming across different program types. VQB5 sets shared expectations for measuring quality and supporting teachers for all birth to five programs. Through VQB5, teachers and leaders will receive the feedback and support they need to help young children learn.
Why Interactions? Why CLASS?
Born from years of research, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System™, commonly known as CLASS®, was developed to focus, measure, and continuously improve the elements of teaching proven to have the greatest impact – the interactions between teachers and students. Studies have shown that these small intentional acts delivered throughout the day can add up to a huge impact.
Now used throughout the United States and around the world, CLASS has empowered thousands of teachers and impacted countless students. We have worked with programs across the world and will put that experience to work to assist you in implementing CLASS observation and professional development in your own community, school, program, or district.
Teachstone® is committed to supporting Virginia’s quality initiatives through our work to ensure all children experience life-changing teaching by focusing on interactions that are proven to drive positive development and learning. Click the button below to obtain a copy of the Why CLASS? E-Book.
CLASS in Virginia
Virginia will continue to use the CLASS 2008 (original) version of the tool for VQB5 2025–2026 in all age groups. Virginia has demonstrated a strong investment in this original version of the CLASS tool, and the VQB5 system is well prepared to support its use statewide.
VDOE will use VQB5 2025–2026 as an opportunity to learn about CLASS 2nd edition and its enhancements by gathering feedback from the field.
Questions can be sent to [email protected].
Read about CLASS in Virginia Explore CLASS 2nd Edition
Register for a VDOE CLASS Training
To help build local CLASS capacity in support of childcare centers and family day homes participating in VQB5, the Virginia Department of Education is offering monthly training opportunities during VQB5 2025–2026.
VDOE-sponsored CLASS Observation Trainings are only open to Ready Regions staff/contractors and center/FDH leaders who are participating in VQB5. All CLASS Observation Training participants are required to take the reliability test upon completion of the training and be prepared to conduct local CLASS observations in VQB5-participating programs.
VDOE-sponsored CLASS Introduction Trainings are also required to support leaders and educators in deepening their understanding of the CLASS tool and its use in promoting meaningful adult-child interactions.
Register for your preferred training below.
CLASS 2008 Observation Training
This multi-day training is for those who want to become Certified CLASS Observers who can reliably assess teaching quality during CLASS Observations in VQB5 centers and/or family day homes.
Children with Disabilities
As educators interact with children with disabilities, they connect in ways that cultivate emotionally supportive relationships, engage learners in ways that create a context for learning, and leverage instructional support tailored to the needs of each child in order to inspire learning. Visit this page to find resources designed to guide efforts to use CLASS to capture these interactions.
The Teachstone Virginia Partnership Team
Through an agreement with the Virginia Department of Education, lower pricing is available for many CLASS trainings and accompanying materials.
Your dedicated success team is here to help you every step of the way, whether you are new to CLASS or are an experienced CLASS user. Nicole Shinn and Christine Meyer are available to provide guidance and help you structure a solution to improve child outcomes through quality educator-child interactions.
