In this tutorial, I'll model for you the process of checking your professional development for alignment to professional teacher standards. We'll begin by taking a look at the sample professional development plan that I will be aligning. We'll then review six different sets of teacher standards. And finally, I will demonstrate the alignment process. Let's get started.
Here is the sample school level professional development plan that I will be using to demonstrate the alignment process. This plan is aligned to a site-based initiative that is focused on using research-based instructional strategies that support student achievement and college and career readiness.
The outcomes or objectives of this school level plan include having teachers align their curriculum to the common core standards and having teachers enhance their instruction through the effective use of technology.
Note that right now, these objectives or outcomes are just written as action steps. They don't use specific language at this point. They're not really measurable outcomes. And so that is one of the issues that we will address through the alignment process.
Let's briefly review these six sets of teacher standards. Since this will just be a quick review, I will not be reading through all of the standards in detail. So please do feel free to pause the video at any time to take a closer look.
Let's begin with the INTASC model core teacher standards. The INTASC standards focus on outlining standards for professional practice as required for teacher evaluation, for example, as required by No Child Left Behind. So these standards can support our efforts to create professional development that is well-rounded and highly effective.
There are 10 standards across four domains. The domains include the learner and learning, content knowledge, instructional practice, and professional responsibility. The focus of the National Board Teacher Standards is on describing the qualities of highly-effective teachers who are pursuing national board certification.
There are five core propositions that are common to all 25 of the National Board certification areas. And we can use these five core propositions to guide the planning of professional development that again is well-rounded and that addresses all aspects of the teaching experience.
Next, the ISTE or ISTE teacher standards are focused on integrating technology into the classroom environment. And so these standards can be used to guide professional development that is helping teachers to implement technology. ISTE actually has standards for varying groups of people in the world of education, but here are the ISTE standards for teachers.
The focus of the Danielson Framework is on inspiring professional dialogue on the topic of professional practices and on guiding the processes of not only professional development, but also coaching and mentoring and teacher evaluation. So this framework can also be used to help us design well-rounded professional development that is going to address all of the varying aspects of teaching.
Domain 1 of the Danielson Framework is planning and preparation. Domain 2 is the classroom environment. Domain 3 is instruction. And domain 4 is professional responsibilities. The standards for professional learning come from Learning Forward, which is an association that is focused solely on building the skills and the knowledge of educators.
So these seven standards are uniquely focused on just the creation and implementation and evaluation of professional learning opportunities. So this is a great set of standards to refer to in order to refine your professional development and make sure that it includes all of the elements that are going to be necessary for it to be successful.
Finally, let's review Marzano's teacher evaluation model. This model is focused on four different domains, each of which features an essential design principle that we should be considering as we design our professional development. Domain 1 is classroom strategies and behaviors. Domain 2 is planning and preparation. Domain 3 is reflecting on teaching. And domain 4 is collegiality and professionalism.
I think two sets of standards here are particularly relevant to our sample professional development plan. First, since one of the action steps in the plan focuses on integrating technology into the classroom environment, the ISTE standards for teachers are especially relevant.
Second, since the other action step in the plan is focused on curriculum alignment to the common core state standards, domain 1 of the Danielson Framework focused on planning and preparation is also going to be applicable.
Let's begin with alignment to the ISTE standards. There is some degree of alignment here as this plan is asking teachers to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity through the use of technology. Teachers are being asked to design and develop digital age learning experiences through the use of iPads and related apps. And teachers are going to be engaging in professional growth and leadership opportunities related to this implementation of technology.
We could increase alignment to the ISTE standards for teachers by incorporating experiences that would ask teachers to model digital age work in learning to students and that would include promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility.
We can also increase alignment by rewriting this action step so that it is a measurable competency. For example, the plan might state that by November 1, teachers will select at least two iPad apps for incorporation into their classroom routines, design and implement at least one digital age learning experience, design and implement at least one digital age assessment, and model digital citizenship by uploading an introductory video to the school web page outlining classroom technology expectations.
These are observable and measurable outcomes that are written using the language of the ISTE standards. Creating these measurable objectives or outcomes facilitates alignment of the plan overall because it really helps to outline for teachers exactly what the expectations are. And it just makes very clear how the plan itself relates to those professional teacher standards.
So let's also check for alignment to domain 1 of the Danielson Framework, planning and preparation. As teachers are aligning their curriculum to the common core state standards, they absolutely are demonstrating knowledge of their content and pedagogy.
They're setting instructional outcomes. And they are demonstrating knowledge of their resources. Furthermore, this alignment process does facilitate the design of coherent instruction and the design of student assessments that are aligned with those standards.
The one component of domain 1 that is not specifically addressed here is demonstrating knowledge of students. But really, that particular component will come into play when teachers are designing the instruction that is going to be a result of this curriculum alignment. And so I don't necessarily see that that's a problem here. I think it's just a component of the framework that can be addressed in another arena.
But remember, even though there is a great degree of alignment here already, we can increase that alignment by rewriting the action step as a set of measurable outcomes or objectives or as a measurable competency.
So the professional development plan might state that by June 1, teachers will demonstrate knowledge of content and pedagogy through completion of curriculum maps aligned to the common core state standards, design at least four common student assessments aligned with the common core state standards, and set at least three instructional outcomes aligned with the common core state standards for each unit of study on the completed curriculum map.
Once again, these are observable and measurable competencies that are written using the language of the Danielson Framework. This helps to increase alignment of the plan overall as once again it makes clear what the expectations are for the teachers. And it also outlines exactly how this action step and the related components in the professional development plan are related back to these professional teacher standards.
So now it's your turn to stop and reflect. Check your professional development plan for alignment to some or all of these professional teacher standards. As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skillset. Thank you for joining me today. Have a great day.
(00:00 - 00:20) Introduction
(00:21 - 01:09) Sample Plan
(01:10 - 01:58) InTASC
(01:59 - 02:28) National Board Teacher Standards
(02:29 - 02:53) ISTE
(02:54 - 03:35) Danielson Framework
(03:36 - 04:09) Standards for Professional Learning
(04:10 - 04:41) Marzano's Teacher Evaluation Model
(04:42 - 09:13) Sample Plan Alignment
(09:14 - 09:45) Stop and Reflect
Teacher Assessment and Evaluation: The National Education Association’s Framework for Transforming Education Systems to Support Effective Teaching and Improve Student Learning
This National Education Association white paper outlines the challenges with improving teaching and learning, and offers a framework for improvement based on criticism of current educator evaluation models.
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/TeachrAssmntWhtPaperTransform10_2.pdf
Criteria for an Effective Teacher Evaluation System
In this article, Linda Darling-Hammond explains the qualities of an effective teacher evaluation process.
http://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/spring-2014/criteria-effective-teacher-evaluation-system
The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation: Where We Stand—and Where We Need to Go
This article from the American Federation of Teachers discusses effective teacher evaluation systems, and outlines common missteps to be avoided.
http://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/spring-2014/mind-shift-teacher-evaluation