How can I use an observation process to ensure that teacher quality supports student success? Presented by CESDP

Taking it a step farther-the CEIC Framework  C ite  E vidence  I nterpretation  C laim

Pieces of the Whole  State Standards – What we want students to know, be able to do and understand.  Effective Teaching Components – What teachers need to know, be able to do and understand  Summative Evaluation Document - required state format for evaluation  So what’s missing???

Putting it Together: Connecting Instructional Leadership to Teacher Quality NM Teacher Performance Summative Evaluation Consistent Teacher Observation Framework/ Process for Principals/Observers State NM Teacher Standards/ Content Competencies/Effective Standards& Teaching/Learning Benchmarks Components

Results: Student Growth  On Daily Teacher Assessment  On Daily Student Self Assessment  On Short Cycle Assessments  Standards Based Assessment

What are the questions we need to answer?  What are most effective teacher performances & how are they related to improvements in student achievement?  How can I establish most effective teaching/learning strategies in my school?  What are the key elements of an effective performance evaluation system and how does this influence teaching/learning/student growth and achievement? (CEIC)  How can Leadership Teams facilitate effective teaching & learning?

What will we know and be able to do at the end of this session?  Show examples and illustrations of performance indicators for each of the eight components of SI (Sheltered Instruction)  Use key elements of informal and formal systems of observation and evaluation  Practice using a standards/component-based system (CEIC)  Guidance in steps for creating a Professional Learning Community/Leadership Team

Planning Backward  Before a principal uses the CEIC, the formal evaluation framework, he or she needs to establish a basic understanding of a teacher’s strengths in relation to the effective teaching strategies using informal observation strategies.

Setting the Stage: Establishing a baseline knowledge of effective teaching practices at my school  Informal walkthroughs  Drop-in form for informal observation  5 X 5s  Examining classroom artifacts and evidence  Data dialogues  Begin collecting a folder for each teacher that you will be evaluating

 What are some of the things you already know about informal evaluations?

Connecting Practice to Components  Use the list of Teacher Behaviors and decide which of the Sheltered Instruction Components each might address.  Write the Component/s next to the behavior.  Discuss with others at your table.

Teacher/Student Behaviors ObservedComponent 1. Content Objectives clearly defined, displayed and reviewed with students at the beginning of the learning experience. 2. Language Objectives clearly defined, displayed and reviewed with students at the beginning of the learning experience. 3. Content concepts appropriate for age and educational background level of students. 4. Supplementary materials used to a high degree, making the lesson clear and meaningful ( computer programs, graphs, models, visuals) 5. Adaptation of content to all levels of student proficiency. 6. Meaning activities that integrate lesson concepts (interviews, letters, simulations, models, language practice-reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking). 7. Concept explicitly linked to students’ background experiences. 8. Links explicitly made between past learning and new concepts. 9. Key academic vocabulary emphasized (introduced, written, repeated, and highlighted for students to see). 10. Speech appropriate for students’ proficiency levels (slower rate, enunciation, and simple sentence structure for beginners).

Teacher/Student Behaviors ObservedComponent 11. Clear explanation of academic tasks. 12. A variety of techniques used to make content concepts clear (modeling, visuals, hands-on activities, demonstrations, gestures, body language). 13. Ample opportunities provided for students to use learning strategies. 14. Scaffolding techniques consistently used, assisting and supporting student understanding (think-aloud.) 15. A variety of questions or tasks that promote higher order thinking skills (literal, analytical, and interpretive questions) 16. A variety of questions or tasks that promote higher order thinking skills (literal, analytical, and interpretive questions). 17. Grouping configurations support language and content objectives of the lesson. 18. Sufficient wait time for student responses consistently provided. 19. Ample opportunities for students to clarify key concepts in home language as needed with aide, peer, or text. 20. Hands-on materials and/or manipulatives provided for students to practice using new content knowledge.

Teacher/Student Behaviors ObservedComponent 21. Activities provided for students to apply content and language knowledge in the classroom. 22. Activities integrate all language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). 23. Content objectives clearly supported by lesson delivery. 24. Language objectives clearly supported by lesson delivery. 25. Students engaged approximately % of the period. 26. Pacing of the lesson appropriate to students’ ability levels. 27. Comprehensive review of key vocabulary. 28. Comprehensive review of key content concepts. 29. Regular feedback provided to students on their output (language, content, work). 30. Assessment of student comprehension and learning of all lesson objectives (spot checking, group response) throughout the lesson.

CEIC- Cite with Evidence, Interpretation and Claim: The Building Blocks of Effective Classroom Evaluation

CEIC  CITE – a quote referring to very specific observed behaviors, patterns of behaviors, and skills of both teacher and students.  EVIDENCE – literal description of something said or done that directly supports what has been cited.

CEIC  Interpretation-a statement of what the teacher behavior accomplished or intended to accomplish, its significance in the lesson, and its impact on students, the results as you see them.  Claim – a statement that lets the reader know what the observer thought about the behavior in relation to a teacher performance/standard/competency/ component

Sample Cite with Evidence Statements  Cite with Evidence: (Scripted) “Would those of you who worked on this problem with your partner and arrived at the correct answer, please signal with a thumbs up; thumbs down for those who didn’t get it right; thumbs in the middle if you’re still working.”

Sample Interpretation and Claim Statements.  Interpretation: “At this critical point in the lesson Ms. S. had a key measure of student understanding to guide her instruction.”  Claim: “When teaching a complex and challenging concept, regularly checking for understanding helps Ms. S to know how many students need re-teaching and how many are ready to move on.”

Less positive statements  Cite with Evidence: (Scripted) Ms. S lectured for 15 minutes and immediately assigned students to do problems related to her lecture. ‘Class, turn to page 54 and answer questions 1-8.’ She then writes this on the board.”

And less positive interpretation and claim statements  “Since Ms. S did not check for under- standing, it is possible that not all of the students will be able to do the assignment and she has no way of knowing that.”  “Ms. S needs to develop the skills that will give her feedback that can enhance her knowledge of the students’ understanding.”

Observation: Guided Practice  Watch the video and take notes, scripting exact words or detailing actions where it seems important.  Collaborate with your group to sort your notes into categories on chart paper: Cite with Evidence, Interpretations, Claims.  Write your evaluation report.

Purpose for this activity… Learning together to:  Distinguish between each feature of CEIC  Develop skills in writing evaluations based on classroom observation which supports improvement of teacher quality and ultimately impacts student achievement.