PLATO is a classroom observation instrument designed to analyze and evaluate fourth through ninth grade English/Language Arts instruction. It was originally developed for a study of the relationship between teachers’ classroom practices and their impact on student achievement.
In its current version, there are 12 elements that make up the instrument. Each element was crafted to be as independent a process from the others and to measure different aspects of classroom instruction.
You will complete all 21 modules in the training before beginning the certification process. Modules include an overview of the instrument and scoing process, in-depth instruction on each element, comprehension checks for a subset of elements, and two full-length practice videos to score for all 12 elements. Most modules last approximately 30 minutes, though some are longer.
We have included a self-check for each element at the bottom of the element’s page. This is a brief quiz that you can use to self-assess your understanding of the element. Your scores wil not be submitted to PLATO, nor will we use any of this information to certify your use of the instrument.
We encourage you to download a complete set of scoring supports for each of the elements. Raters find these very useful to refer to as they complete the training.Download Scoring Supports
After you have completed all 21 training modules you may begin the certification process. To be certified in the PLATO instrument you will watch a set of videos and score at least 80% correct for each of the 12 elements.
If you do not score 80% for all elements you will have the opportunity to take part in remediation, which includes an opportunity to speak with an experienced trainer about challenging elements. You then will watch a second set of videos, submitting scores for those elements for which you are not yet certified.