Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Component 1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
Indicators include:
• Lesson and unit plans that reflect important concepts in the discipline
• Lesson and unit plans that accommodate prerequisite relationships among concepts and skills
• Clear and accurate classroom explanations
• Accurate answers to student questions
• Feedback to students that furthers learning
• Inter-disciplinary connections in plans and practices
-Clear explanations of content
-Answers students’ questions accurately
-Provides feedback to students that furthers their understanding
-Relates concepts within the discipline to one another
-Identify important concepts in the discipline
-Coaches or mentors other teachers on content
-Plans reflect an understanding of which concepts are central to the discipline and which are peripheral
-Plans instruction that scaffolds skills and concepts to build student understanding
-Relates the skills and concepts of the discipline to other skills and concepts within the discipline
-Plans learning experiences that build on students’ prior knowledge and understanding of skills and concepts.
-Designs questions that build on students’ background in the content area.
-Selects appropriate strategies to engage students in the content
-Plan alternative strategies within the lesson to meet the learning needs of most students.
-Selects strategies that best align with the concepts being taught
-Open to trying new strategies to help students understand them.
-Lessons based on current best practice
-Instructional artifacts (evidence in the form of student work)
Component 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Indicators include:
• Teacher gathers formal and informalinformation about students for use it planning instruction
• Teacher learns student interests and needsfor use in planning
• Teacher participation in community culturalevents
• Teacher-designed opportunities for families toshare heritage
• Database of students with special needs
-Develops lessons that are developmentally appropriate for the age level
-Assesses student learning through developmentally appropriate methods
-Plans activities and experiences that reflect an understanding of the needs of the age group
-Gathers information through informal observations during instructional activities and during less structured times.
-Describes orally an in writing, how the exceptions to the general development of the age-group are relevant to a lesson or unit.
-Lesson plan include some activities which engage students in inquiry.
-Plans to make thinking explicit in instruction, labeling and identifying such cognitive processes as comparing, analyzing, applying, translating, predicting and evaluating.
-Plans make use of mental models, thinking maps, and visual tools for problem solving and decision making appropriate for developmental stage of student. Understanding of the current research on the brain and is connection to student learning.
-Understanding of how preexisting knowledge relates to how students develop new understandings.
-Understanding that learning is a reciprocal process and designs activities accordingly.
-Studies standardized and state test results, diagnostic test results, and report cards to draw conclusions for groups of students for instructional planning.
-Uses ongoing assessment strategies, including pre-tests, to ascertain the skill level of students.
-Uses accurate skill-level assessments to flexibly group and regroup students in learning activities.
-Formal method of recording ongoing skill and language proficiency assessments
-Gathers information from observations of students in instructional and noninstructional activities.
-Has students complete an interest survey and uses this information when designing learning experiences for groups of students.
-Solicits information from parents and families about their student and takes it into account when creating learning experiences
-Designs lessons that allow for choice
-Seeks out information about cultural heritage of students and uses that information when designing learning activities.
-Examines resources and materials for cultural sensitivity.
-Holds individual interviews with students during first week of school or upon enrollment.
-Writes letters to students to welcome them on the first day, and students respond in a letter to teacher with their interests.
-Students maintain interactive journals with their teacher
-Plans homework assignments and projects that offer opportunities for families to explore their cultural heritage and share with class.
-Meets with other school personnel, such as nurse, guidance counselor or special educator
-Maintains records that pertain to the medical or learning needs of students
-Has a system of relating pertinent medical or learning needs to substitutes or other adults that may interact with the class.
-Mindful of designing lessons that accommodate the medical or learning needs of students.
-Proactively seeks and uses reports to build relationships with students.
-Inventories, surveys and communications to families are used to gather information about students at the beginning of the year.
-Uses school records, i.e. test scores, permanent records, IEP’s etc. as primary sources of knowledge of students. Uses secondary sources such as conversations with prior teachers and other school personnel.
-Class description that appropriately classifies students by learning abilities and other indicators (2nd language, other ethnic-cultural issues, special needs – both medical, social and educational)
Component 1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes
Indicators include:
• Outcomes of a challenging cognitive level
• Statements of student learning, not student activity
• Outcomes central to the discipline and relatedto those in other disciplines
• Permit assessment of student attainment
• Differentiated for students of varied ability
-Uses national, state or local standards to align outcomes and shows in writing or orally how the connection of individual lesson outcomes to standards.
-Outcomes represent the big ideas of the discipline but are tailored for the lesson and unit.
-Outcomes are scaffolded, build on prior learning and establish a foundation for future learning.
-Plans reference previous lessons and units to sequence outcomes in the discipline.
-Describes the instructional outcomes in terms of what students will learn rather than what they will do.
-Outcomes are specific and achievable in the time allotted.
-Outcomes are written with consideration of how students will demonstrate their achievement of the outcomes.
-Plans how to show students the connection between current and previous outcomes.
-Solicits feedback from colleagues on the clarity of outcomes and makes revisions accordingly.
-Develops outcomes related to social skills, thinking skills, task management and knowledge – related outcomes.
-Outcomes coordinate with learning among several disciplines.
-Plans lessons that require factual and higher-order thinking skills
-Process and content align with the outcome.
-Develops a matrix or spreadsheet to track different types of instructional outcomes.
-Most outcomes push students to take appropriate educational risks.
-Considers cultures, special needs, and skill when planning lessons.
-Plans instructional strategies that allow most students to achieve outcomes.
-Plans for choice by groups of students to work toward achieving outcomes.
Component 1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
Indicators include:
• District provided materials; Range of texts
• Materials provided by professional organizations
• Teacher continuing professional education courses or professional groups
• Internet/ School/ Community resources (Guest Speakers)
-Selects several resources, that contain the same content but are written at varying reading levels.
-Extends the lesson with resources outside the classroom (guest speaker, field trip)
-Prepares students to use the Internet appropriately and provides them with access to the Internet.
-Appropriately incorporates use of Internet.
-Uses resources from professional organizations to support learning
-Incorporates the media center, computer lab and other school resources in the assignment.
-Uses multidisciplinary resources
-Uses artifacts such as media kits, science kits, models, CDs, for hands-on or other applications in the classroom.
-Incorporates community resources and shares resources with colleagues.
-Uses multiple approaches to deepen content knowledge
-Explores district offerings that enhance content knowledge or pedagogical knowledge.
-Works with colleagues (lesson study, PLC, books study, team meetings, etc.)
-Explores connections with professional organizations
-Explores opportunities to deepen professional content knowledge through colleges and universities.
-Creates a list of community resources and shares it with students both electronically and in the classroom.
-Suggests resources available to students outside of schools (libraries, museums, etc)
-Provides resources that match student’s various skills.
-Encourages students to use various resources especially over vacation and summer break.
-Makes direct contact with resources or liaisons to determine availability to students.
-Resources to assist teaching and/or help students, i.e. texts, instructional aids, field trips, experts from community, programs/experiences, technology
Component 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction
Indicators include:
• Lessons that support instructional outcomes and reflect important concepts
• Instructional maps that indicate relationships to prior learning
• Activities that represent high-level thinking
• Opportunities for student choice
• The use of varied resources
• Thoughtfully planned learning groups
• Structured lesson plans
-Ensures that units and lessons support the instructional, outcomes, reflecting important concepts of the content.
-Designs instructional map that builds on prior knowledge of groups of students and moves learning forward.
-Activities present students with opportunities for high level thinking.
-Activities permit student choice and offer opportunities for students to collaborate.
-Learning experiences all align to the desired instructional outcome.
-Finds a collection of materials and resources that support the intended learning
-Learning resources are varied
-Materials and resources appropriately challenge the students
-Materials and resources engage students in their learning.
-Revises commercially developed materials and resources to ensure they are suitable for their students.
-Considers the intended learning when developing groups
-Considers the different learning needs of the students when determining groups
-Considers the number of students per group that will maximize learning
-Plans show provisions for sharing the expected roles and responsibilities of each group member.
-Demonstrates through a matrix or chart use of variety of grouping strategies.
-Grouping patterns with a student focus:
Low – teacher or student leads large group, students work in small groups while teacher circulates; students work alone, teacher monitors
Moderate – teacher works w/ small groups; students work alone or in small groups
High – student lead presentations or other leadership roles within a structured lesson
-Plans units and lessons that allow for sufficient time for students to engage in meaningful learning that ensures that students achieve the identified outcomes
-Structures each activity to build on previous activities
-Plan is complete, structured, from opening to closing
-Daily lesson plans show alignment and coherence with overall unit plan.
-In Unit Plans – at least three weeks with daily topics and activities that reflect organization and sequencing, and variety of materials and groups
-In Lesson Plans – description of students, instructional objectives, assessments, activating, cognitive, and summarizing strategies, materials, and potential misunderstandings
Component 1f: Designing Student Assessment
Indicators include:
• Lesson plans indicate correspondence between assessments and instructional outcomes
• Assessment types are suitable to the style of outcome
• Variety of performance opportunities for students
• Modified assessments are available for individual students as needed
• Expectations clearly written with descriptors for each level of performance
• Formative assessments are designed to inform minute-to-minute decision-making by the teacher during instruction
-Lesson plans show connection of each instructional outcome to its corresponding assessment.
-Designs or selects each assessment to match its corresponding type of instructional outcome (a behavioral checklist self-assessment might be an assessment for a social skills outcome.
-Plans for students to demonstrate their understanding include performances, such as writing or presentation.
-Lesson plans show modifications or adaptations of an assessment for groups of students as needed.
-Clearly articulates (especially to the students) the assessment criteria for any desired instructional outcome.
-Writes assessment criteria in student-friendly language to share with the students.
-Develops rubrics with clear criteria statements and descriptors of performance at several levels for most assessments.
-Prepares and plans to explain to students the grading guidelines for major assessments.
-Plans multiple assessments for students who may not meet standards on the first attempt.
-Develops checklists for each formative assessment and plans for students to use them.
-Creates a matrix or spreadsheet to record by name each formative assessment and audits the matrix for variety, frequency and quantity.
-Reflects on the usefulness and effectiveness of formative assessments.
-Continues to add to the repertoire of formative assessment approaches or strategies.
-Shares with colleagues the rationale behind choosing a certain formative assessment to measure student progress on a specific skill, concept or process.
-Plans show how the teacher uses information from state and district tests and assessments to instruct groups of students.
-Communicates, orally and in writing, how grouping for future instruction is based on information from formative assessments.
-Develops new a assignments and activities in response to information from assessments.
-Participates with colleagues in collecting samples of student work and analyzing it with a common protocol
-Uses the results of assessments to locate and select new or varied materials and resources, including technology resources.
- Methods of assessing each goal: tests, data analysis, production of findings, collaboration
- Scoring systems/rubrics establishing measurable criteria are communicated up front
- Authentic, real world applications are evident
- Feedback to students guide next steps, i.e. teaching or re-teaching
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Component 2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
Indicators
- Respectful talk and turn taking
- Respect for students’ background and lives outside of the classroom
- Teacher and student body language, Physical proximity
- Warmth and caring, Politeness, Encouragement
- Active listening
- Fairness
-Calls students by name
-Greets students when they walk in the door
-Uses “we” statements to make students feel part of the group
-Listens to students with care
-Uses oral, written and nonverbal language to convey caring for students
-Polite language is used in interactions between students and teacher.
-Reaches out to families to learn about their students
-Makes an effort to learn about how students feel about the class.
-Teacher establishes relationships with each student
-Teacher shows an appreciation for each child as an individual
-Teacher establishes (with students) and communicates classroom procedures and rules
-Teacher encourages students to take intellectual risks and be creative
-Words and actions of the teacher demonstrate this skill
-Teacher plans for respect and rapport by creating an environment conducive to :
FUN – creating lessons and activities that students enjoy
FREEDOM – provide choice (cognizant of audience); teacher remains the Captain
POWER – feeling of value, students matter and contribute; recognition of talents and skills
BELONGING – caring/community of learners
SURVIVAL – doing what must be done to get what you want; compelling motivation to do…
-Students know each other by names and use them in conversations
-They use polite language when working together.
-Work well in a variety of group settings
-Students listen carefully to one another during class discussion.
-Teacher provides opportunities for students to get to know and accept each other
Component 2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning
Indicators
- Belief in the value of the work
- Expectations are high and supported through both verbal and nonverbal behaviors
- Quality is expected and recognized
- Effort and persistence are expected and recognized
- Confidence in ability is evidenced by teacher and students language and behaviors
- Expectation for all students to participate
-Teacher shares with student’s personal learning experiences, such as a new technique or strategy he/she is trying, a book they have read, etc.
-Teacher shares the learning goal / objective for the lesson and explains its importance and purpose.
-Reinforces the importance of work with charts and posters that convey high expectations.
-Teacher’s voice inflection and body language convey enthusiasm for the learning.
-Provides opportunities for students to choose their own projects and methods for demonstrating their learning.
-Develops and shares high-quality instructional outcomes and expectations with students.
-Develops a mission statement that points out the purpose of the work in the class.
-Sets high standards for students regarding completion of assignments.
-Discusses the importance and significance of content and shares personal experiences related to the topic.
-Models high expectations through language when conversing with students.
-Attributes student success to hard work and effort rather than the task being easy or luck.
-Teacher consistently reinforces students’ development of conceptual understanding. (Ex. Students must retake some assessments until they demonstrate a level of proficiency)
-Students must turn in all work. Even if work is not completed within the given time frame, it must be completed.
-Students are engaged in their work and give their best effort at all times.
-Teacher creates and maintains an environment where students feel free to take risks and ask questions.
-Evidence must be in the classroom – the look of the room, student work displayed (scored or rated with written feedback); nature of the interactions and tone of conversations with and among students reflect they are interested in and value learning and hard work.