Danielson Framework for

Teacher Evaluation
This evaluation tool is based off of Charlotte Danielsons Framework for Teaching
Evaluation system. By comparing myself to research-based standards for teacher and student
success, I can see where I need to improve my skills to provide a better experience for my
classroom as a whole as well as individual students.
The official Danielson Framework site has this to say: The Framework for Teaching, created by
Charlotte Danielson, is a comprehensive and coherent framework that identifies those
aspects of a teachers responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies
and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning. The Framework for
Teaching is a validated instrument; that is, studies have shown that teachers who receive
higher ratings on their evaluation produce greater gains in student test scores.

DOMAIN ONE: PLANNING & PREPARATION

A well prepared teacher is one who knows what he/she needs to accomplish and how to accomplish it. They are
smart in the resources and assessments they use and can go with the flow and adapt constantly to meet student
needs and ensure that outcomes are met for a variety of abilities and learning styles.

1A: DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY

Summary: In order to be a good teacher, we must know the subjects we are teaching. We must also understand
them in the broader scope of what is happening in the world around us and how they all play together. We must be
able to be integrate curriculum in meaningful ways that dispel student misconceptions. Still, just knowing the
material isnt enough. We also need to know how to teach it effectively.
Elements & Indicators: Lessons and unit plans that reflect important concepts and prerequisite relationships
between concepts and skills; Direct and precise classroom explanations; Correct, informative, and clear answers to
student questions; Feedback to students that fosters learning and insight; Integrated curriculum connections in plans
and practice.
Evidence: Feedback to students that fosters learning
and insight
For Writers Workshop, I implemented a feedback
box. This way students could put their notebooks
into their basket at any stage in the writing process to
get ideas if they were stuck, tips to improve if they
were ahead, or just if they wrote anything personal
that they wanted me to read. Our feedback box
became a form of open communication between my
students and myself. This allows me to touch base
with students in another way than classroom
conferencing. Conferencing is great, but its hard to
reach every student every day. This way students can
get timely and thoughtful feedback throughout the
whole writing process to become better authors each
step of the way with teacher support.
Evidence: Direct and precise classroom explanations
Each morning, a slide is up on the board in the front
of the room that tells the students what is expected
from them for the morning. This way they have a
visual reminder of what needs to be done and as a
teacher, I can reference while dealing with all of my
morning paperwork and responsibilities.

1B: DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS

Summary: Its one thing to know what youre teaching, but its a
different thing entirely to know whom youre teaching. We need to
know our students before we can effectively teach them any content.
We need to know where they are cognitively, developmentally, and
psychologically for the ages we are working with. Still, we need to know
who are students are as individuals. We need to be able to identify
learning styles- what works and what doesnt. We need to be constantly
assessing ourselves and adapting to the needs of our students to fill in
gaps and further understanding. In addition to that, we need to
recognize our students and people and individual who have lives going
on outside of school and we need to factor that in.
Elements & Indicators: Formal and informal information gathered
about students to use in planning instruction; Teachers also incorporate
students needs and interests into their planning processes and
rationales; Teachers are active in their community and cultural events;
Teacher designed opportunities for students and families to share their
backgrounds, lives, and what is important to them.
Evidence: Teachers are active in their community and cultural events
Every Halloween, Prairieview Elementary has a Trick-or-Trail for
Halloween and invites the students, their families, and community
members. Teachers volunteer to pass out candy from their rooms or
run games and paint faces. As a student teacher, I passed out candy from an absent teachers room and painted
faces later in the night. To me, it is important to do fun things like this for the kids and their families to break down
the perceived walls between teachers and students. This allows for personal connection and allows for positive
relationships. I also attended monthly fun runs and movie nights.
Evidence: Formal and informal information gathered about students to use in planning instruction
In a literacy-pedogogy class, for my internship I
created this survey about reading and writing for my
6th grade students to fill out. Using this facebook
format, I was able to tap into a platform that
students are already familiar with and excited about.
The use of this survey taught me about my students
and what they interested in so I could better tailor
my instruction to reach them. Please see Appendix
1.B.1 for an example of student work.

1C: SETTING INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES

Summary: Before a lesson takes place, teachers need to know and establish what students need to learn from the
lesson as an end result. It isnt what they will do, but what they will get out of it- the intellectual artifacts. Students
should be given a variety of opportunities and ways to show what they know. Lessons and outcomes should also be
designed with students interest in likes in minds and be able to connect the end results across disciplines.
Elements & Indicators: Outcomes are challenging; statements of student learning; outcomes central to the
discipline, but connected across disciplines; outcomes permitting varieties of assessments for students of varying
abilities.
Evidence: Outcomes central to the discipline, but connected across disciplines
This goal was for one of my
first lessons in a higher
elementary classroom.
Going into the lesson, I
knew specifically what I
wanted to achieve. While
this lesson was not
specifically geared toward
literacy, it laid the
foundational relationships that needed to occur. In teaching, sometimes the lessons we teach arent just punctuation,
but encompass life skills and understandings as well. The lesson plan is available in Appendix 1.C.1 for complete
viewing.
Evidence: Statements of student learning
For each lesson I teach, I
create I Can statements for
my students. The statements
are shared with the students
by posting them on the
board or verbally as in
Today we will work to
define the word factor. At
the end of the lesson, as a
whole class we come back to
the objectives and do a
thumbs-up quick check to monitor our understanding. In workshop this takes place with each group and their
individual goals listed on their math folders. This way, as their teacher, I can see what we need to spend more time
on or if we can keep going ahead. This complete lesson plan may be found in Appendix 1.C.2.

1D: DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES

Summary: Teachers need to know how to work
with what they have and the money they are
given to get what they need to find materials
that benefit and challenge all students.
Resources and materials should be directly
aligned with learning outcomes. These resources
should be used in making subjects and learnings
come to life. Expert teachers arent afraid to ask
and look around for just the right things and
not settle. Materials and resources should not
only assist students in their academic lives, but
their personal ones with as well. They should be
able to connect with resources on personal and
intellectual levels.
Elements & Indicators: Materials provided by
the district; materials provided by professional
organizations; a range and variety of texts and
resources- both on line and in the community;
Teacher participation in professional education
courses and development workshops; Guest
speakers
Evidence: Teacher uses a range and variety of
texts and resources.
This year, my host school received a grant for
Google Chromebooks on a two-to-one inititive.
However, the third and 4th grades partnered so
one class would have a full classroom set in the
morning and the other class would get them in
the afternoon. I utilized our chromebooks by
having students work on math practice through
the use of adaptive and assigned practice on
Front Row Ed. We also experiments with the
Kahn Academy and sum dog. For writing,
students published google docs and created story books using mystorybook.com. An example of a students story
can be found in Appendix 1.D.2
Evidence: Teacher participation in professional education courses and development workshops
Before beginning student teaching, the Lakeview District graciously offered to let me attend a Kagan Cooperative
Learning Workshop. I took this opportunity and spent a week learning with and from teachers in all levels of their
profession. The full certificate can be found under the Professional Distinction section.

1E: DESIGNING COHERENT INSTRUCTIONS

Summary: Educators not only need to be thoughtful of
content and students, but also of the state, district, and
school requirements. Teachers need to be wise in all they do
as they incorporate resources, plan lessons and units,
intentionally group students, and engage learners. We need
to be intentional about everything we do. Everything has a
purpose and makes sense based on our content and
outcomes. Expert teachers will even ask for ideas and needs
from their students so they can better plan and structure
learning.
Elements & Indicators: Lessons that support instructional
outcomes and reflect important concepts; instructional
maps that indicate relationships prior to learning; Activities
that represent high level thinking; Opportunities for student
choice; Use of varied resources; Thoughtfully planned
learning groups; Structured lesson plans.
Evidence: Lessons that support instructional outcomes and
reflect important concept.
While creating units and each individual lesson, I was
mindful of the curriculum. Every lesson is specifically
aligned with standards as evident in lesson plans. Complete
lesson can be found in Appendix 1.E.1
Evidence: Activities that represent higher level thinking
At the end of every lesson, I asked my students to tell me something they learned, a question they had, or
something they would like to learn more about so I could gauge their understanding and interest so we could stay
back, move forward, or take another approach entirely.
Evidence: Teacher prepares well-structured lessons. For each lesson I teach, I have set goals to achieve student
learning. Those goals are adapted by student or group, but nonetheless, the goals are still there. For math workshop,
students were grouped based on data from common formative assessments in order and received specialized
instruction to reach those goals. In these folders students had plans for their math game, computer practice, teacher
instruction, and
independent work. Below
are photos of each groups
folder with their goals
written on the front. Their
plans and materials were
kept inside the folders and
students rotated through
the tasks.

1F: DESIGNING STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

Summary: Being a good teacher asks that you assess
learning to measure that students have learned their
intended outcomes. These assessments must be designed to
reflect all learning styles and abilities. There are two types
of assessment- for learning and of learning. For learning
requires teachers to assess while they are teaching and
check for understanding as to modify their practices for
optimum results. This way both students and teachers can
keep track of progress and development towards goals.
Elements & Indicators: Lesson plans showing connection
between assessments and instructional outcomes;
Assessment types suitable to the style of outcome; Variety
of performance opportunities for students; Modified
assessments available for individuals; clearly written
expectations; Formative assessments designed on-spot to
aid decision making during instruction.
Evidence: Assessment types suitable to the style of
outcome
For my students, I have compiled loose papers that will
then become science journals. Students are asked to draw,
write, read, and research for their journals. Through projects
we also explore creative outlets of expression. Students
work on their presentation and oral skills through project
presentations and are given the opportunity to come up
with science projects of their own during exploration
activities.
Evidence: Formative assessments designed on-spot to aid
decision making during instruction.
By collecting papers are compiling them myself, I can see if students need help with the days lesson or how I can
challenge others in the next lesson. Also during my lessons, we use the thumbs-up assessment to see if we need to
stay and talk about a topic and clarify or if we can move on. My lessons and projects are specifically designed with
lots of time to interact in a one-on-one setting my students so I can touch base and check-in with them and see
their level of understanding at an individual basis. By being able to talk to and ask questions of individuals and in
small groups I can clarify misconceptions, hear their ideas, and elaborate on subjects without taking up more
instructional time than necessary.
The previous photo is of me conferencing with students. We are going over their writing and comparing it to a
rubric in order come up with a goal to work on to enhance his writing. I also am keeping monitoring notes of what
we discussed for future reference.

DOMAIN 2: THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

Teachers should create a caring and open classroom environment where growth and development is fostered, not
squashed. The space should be intellectually, emotionally, and physically safe for the students and have its focus on
the key component of the classroom- mutual respect, understanding, and exploration of ideas.

2A: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF RESPECT AND RAPPORT

Summary: Teachers are in control of their relationships with students and the classroom to facilitate and create a
positive and supportive class and individual dynamic. This is done by making a respectful environment in which
teachers encourage, challenge, and cultivate students. A key to this lies in how the teacher responds to students and
how students respond to one another. All students should feel valued, safe, and comfortable. They are not afraid of
being put-down or ridicule from anyone in their class community.
Elements & Indicators: Respectful talk, active listening, and turn-taking; Acknowledgement of students
backgrounds and lives outside the classroom; Body language indicative of warmth and caring shown by teachers and
students; Physical proximity; Politeness and encouragement; Fairness
Evidence: Body language indicative of warmth and
caring by teachers and students
As a teacher it is my role to help students anyway I
can. Here is a photo of me tracing a students foot
for an activity about carbon footprints. Sometimes
students need a little extra support and love. Once
you know a students love language, you can better
connect with them. By knowing that this student
needed extra one-on-one time and seeing their
teacher coming down to his level to help him with
something as simple as tracing his shoe, we were able
to bond and form a meaningful relationship.
Evidence: Respectful interactions between students
For Maymester, the whole unit is focused around
this dynamic of respect for one another and the
world around us. In how I talk to my students, how I
group them, and how I refer to them in conversation
is out of the utmost respect and care. The only rule I
had in my Student Teaching classroom was to
respect everyone and everything. I expect my
students to respect each other and help each other in
our community.

2B: ESTABLISHING A CULTURE FOR

LEARNING
Summary: The classroom is characterized by high-cognitive
energy and by a sense of what they are doing and learning is
important. Students are challenged in the spaces of a safe
environment to work hard and take pride in all they do and
strive for their best. They support each other and its visible
through clearly worded thoughts and the quality of ideas
presented. There is a high spirit, but its not frivolous.
Elements & Indicators: Importance of the content and
learning, high expectations that are clearly scaffolded,
recognition of effort and persistence
Evidence: Recognition of effort and persistence
Every month, Prairieview had a school wide Pride Assembly in
which we talked about goals for our school community and
recognized students. Each teacher selected his or her own
awards to give out. Instead of recognizing those with the
highest grades, my mentor teacher and I decided to recognize
students who grew the most in writing and math. We also
recognized students who went above and beyond in kindness,
caring, and hard-working. This way we honored work ethic
and trying instead of intelligence and taught all kids it was
possible to be recognized.

2C: MANAGING CLASSROOM PROCEDURES

Summary: In order to have things run smoothly in a classroom and
create a culture, teachers must first set up routines and procedures to
keep things in order and use time wisely. When a classroom is set up
with efficient routines with students as key activators, the class seems
to run itself.
Elements & Indicators: Smooth functioning of all routines, little loss of
instructional time; students play important roles in carrying out
routines by knowing what to do and when to do it.
Evidence: Smooth functioning of all routines
I am familiar with Wongs The First Days of School in order to
implement procedures into the daily classroom routine. I use various
techniques to call students to attention such as give me five, call and
response cues, proximity, ringing a bell for workshop transitions, and
more. Students are given the resources and trained to work without
teacher prompts and direct supervision.
Evidence: Students play important roles in carrying out routines by
knowing what to do and when to do it
Students take their own attendance and complete their own lunch
count. They are responsible for getting their own breakfast and
preparing for the day. They understand our morning ritual and work
independently to achieve their morning goals. The same goes for their
morning snack break and other routines.
Evidence: Students play important roles in carrying out routines by
knowing what to do and when to do it
Daily schedule is posted on the board so students know what is
coming next and our trajectory for each day. With each subject done,
we are able to check it off of our list to do and see what we still have
left to accomplish.

2D: MANAGING STUDENT BEHAVIOR

Summary: The class environment should be productive and
business like without the teacher being the sole authority
and taking away expression. The students should know
what they are allowed and not allowed to do and what they
can expect from those around them. Even when students
do something wrong and need to be corrected, they feel
respected.
Elements & Indicators: Clearly posted and explained
standards of conduct; teacher awareness of conduct;
absence of misbehavior; reinforcement of positive
behaviors.
Evidence: Reinforcement of Positive Behaviors
To inforce positive behaviors, I utilize the free online
program Class Dojo. Class Dojo allows you to award
students who are on task, working hard, helping others,
being a leader, and more. It also allows you to take away
points for violence, bullying, being off task, and blurting
out among others. For every five points, students were
awarded with small treats. Also, if the class as a whole had
so many points in two weeks they would get extra free time
on Fridays or possibly a party.
Evidence: Clearly posted and explained standards of
conduct
During my Maymester experience, I had an hour block that
was mine just about every day. So in order to establish who
I was, what my rules were, and what I expected of my
students we came up with two anchor charts. On the first
day I asked my students what they thought a scientist was
and what they did. We then talked about what we should be
doing at science time. I collected the post-its that had all of
their ideas on them and we went through them and decided
which ones were the most important to us as a class. After
this discussion I went home and created two anchor charts
to outline expected behaviors and procedures. Whenever I
am teaching, these posters are visible. To start every lesson
we go over our science goggle rules. Its actually kind of
funny to me, the first day in the classroom I needed to say
something that would focus the class attention on me so
we could do something so I ended up saying, Science
goggles on! and making pretend goggles with my hands. It
stuck and has been a behavior management technique ever
since.

2E: ORGANIZING PHYSICAL SPACE

Summary: The classroom needs to be safe
for everyone and structured around places of
class focuses where rich discussion and
interaction is facilitated.
Elements & Indicators: Pleasant, inviting,
and safe atmosphere; effective uses of
resources
Evidence: Pleasant, inviting, and safe
atmosphere
My classroom was organized in cooperative
learning groups. While they were rather large
in number, it worked for us because of
space. In this photo the students are
watching a movie clip for their social studies
lesson which they will be coming up with their own lesson afterwards. The classroom is clean, with space between
groups. We have a lounge at the front with a comfortable chair and futon for independent work. There is also a
teacher table in the front to make pulling groups and individuals easy. The windows are open to allow in natural
night and fresh air. Anchor charts are posted around the room to give students resources and reminders.

DOMAIN 3: INSTRUCTION
Teachers focus on student growth and development to engage students on deep and meaningful levels. They make
them aware of the goals they have for them and then challenge them to meet them, but provide more than adequate
scaffolding. Students are key leaders and driving forces in their own learning.

3A: COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS

Summary: Teachers need to make students aware of purposes
of what they are learning and doing as well providing clear
instructions on what needs to be done. Teachers model these
ideas and behaviors. Teachers use precise knowledge and
facts, but present material with imagination that engages
students on many levels. Sometimes teachers may even
withhold information to further the inquiry process to get
students to think on their own.
Elements & Indicators: Clear lesson purpose and directions;
absence of content errors; correct and imaginative uses of
language and concepts
Evidence: Standards are clearly posted up on the board for
students to see and refer to.
Standards are transformed into student-friendly I Can
statements. Paper charts were made as a class and visible on
the projector through a document camera. They were then
posted on the white board for reference. The original copies
of the charts can be found in Appendix 3.A.1
Evidence: Imaginative uses in teaching concepts
To teach the Underground Railroad, I created a lesson that
walked students through an imaginary Underground Railroad
experience that was complete with slave catchers and
obstacles in which they we guided by a trail of stars to mimic
how people followed the Big Dipper. The complete lesson can
be found in Appendix 3.A.2.

3B: USING QUESTIONING AND

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUES
Summary: Teachers present questions that make students
think and then make their own hypotheses. Then the
teachers build off of their students ideas and responses to
show students what they say is valued. Teachers may even
give questions that they themselves do not know that
answer to. Class discussions are lively and engaging to all
students and bring about big ideas and important topics to
deepen understanding. Students are expected to think
critically and back all they say up with logical reasoning and
evidence.
Elements & Indicators: Challenging questions formed by
both students and teachers; effective use of students
responses; discussion that is not teacher-centered; highlevels of student participation
Evidence: High-levels of student participation
In my room, I like to utilize Kagan Structures such as QuizQuiz-Trade, Hand-Up-Stand-Up-Pair-Up, and others. This
takes my number of students from 1 in 26 to 13 in 26 or
often 26 out of 26. This way all students are up, active, and
participating. The above picture is of students working
together to build different arrays for the same number
together.
Evidence: Challenging questions formed by both students
and teachers
For lessons, I often create large essential questions that ask
the BIG questions. Sometimes the students help come up
with them. We also strive to find answers together through
various modes of discussion and work. The middle picture
is of an essential question with student answers posted
around it.
Evidence: Discussion that is not teacher-centered
The last photo on this page shows two students discussing a
Museum of Us during the first week of school. Students
were asked to bring in artifacts that were important to them
and present them in small discussion groups or one-on-one
in order for students to get to know each other and create
an identity as a class.

3C: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN LEARNING

Summary: Student engagement doesnt mean that students
are simply doing what they should, but that they are
intellectually active as they explore important and
challenging content. Lessons have closure in which
students can derive important learnings. Engagement is
best shown when what the students are doing is a direct
outcome of what the teacher has planned or is doing.
Engagement doesnt always have to be over-the-top and
hands-on, but rather minds-on which is evident in the
learning process.
Elements & Indicators: Student enthusiasm, interest,
thinking, and problem solving, tasks that require high-level
thinking and require students to justify their thoughts;
highly motivated students even when the task at hand isnt
easy; students are actively working, not simply watching or
listening; steady and supportive lesson pace that allows for
student engagement, closure, and reflection.
Evidence: Students are actively working, not simply
watching or listening
During my Maymester experience, I designed an outdoor
inquiry project in which students came up with a question
and worked to solve it using various methods of their
choice. They were asked to design their own experiments
and present on their findings. This way all students were
actively working and it was not a simple presentation of
information from teacher to student.
Evidence: Tasks that require high-level thinking and
require students to justify their thoughts
By designing the above lesson, students had to justify
their thinking through a well-thought out experiment in
order to reach an end result.

3D: USING ASSESSMENT IN INSTRUCTION

Summary: Assessment is not only vital at the end of instruction to see clear-cut who got it or not, but all throughout
the lesson as a means of judging and adjusting what needs to be covered and recovered. This method looks a lot like
how teachers assess behavior, but its focus is entirely different. This consistent and constant watching and assessing
of students allows teachers to jump on teachable moments, correct where needed, and engage students on
meaningful levels.
Elements & Indicators: Teacher pays close attention to student understanding and poses questions directly
examining student understanding; teacher circulates to monitor learning and offer feedback; students can assess
their own work against criteria
Evidence: Teacher circulates to monitor learning and offer
feedback
I am a big fan of the roving conference and keeping
monitoring notes. This way I can meet with many students
and touch base with them to better understand where they
are at in levels of conceptual understanding, rather than
just performance. This photo is of a student and I having
a writing conference on a piece of her work.
Evidence: Evidence: Lesson plans showing connection
between assessments and instructional outcomes
Students were asked to compare their work against a
rubric. The rubric was designed based on district set
common formative assessments. Teachers were to analyze
student achievement against the rubric every other month.
I turned the grading rubric into student I Can
statements. Students were then asked to assess a piece of
their work. From there we set
goals and determined next
steps. This rubric also was
also kept in the front of their
writing folder so they could
have a reminder of what the
goals for 4th grade writing
were and where we were
headed. The full rubric can be
found in Appendix 3.D.1

3E: DEMONSTRATING FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS

Summary: Teachers are able to respond and adjust
according to class conditions. They have well planned
lessons, but are able to stop and capitalize on teachable
moments when they arise. They are committed to student
learning and push students to engage despite setbacks.
Elements & Indicators: Incorporation of students interests
and lives into daily lessons; teacher responds to levels of
student understanding; teacher seizes on teachable
moments.
Evidence: Incorporation of student interest
My 4th graders loved Minecraft and even the word love is
an understatement. They read books about Minecraft, had
action figures in their desks, and talked about how they
would play with each other via avatars after school. So
when I was trying to teach the organization of a newspaper
as we learned about primary resources, I found an article
about using Minecraft in schools. This way the article was
about something they liked and had an opinion on. I also
chose to use Chromebooks and have them fill out a google
form with their answers. This way they were engaged with
both the content and the technology. These kids love
using technology every chance they get, so by putting
those laptops in their hands was another method of
incorporation.
Evidence: Teacher seizes on teachable moments
Sometimes the most important lessons you teach your students are the ones listed in your curriculum or on your
lesson plan. They happen through candid conversations and meeting students where they are. The picture above is
me connecting with a student on her interests in fashion and how that plays into the math worksheet in front of
her. Other examples are taking time to talk about current events and school happenings or just conversations that
come up in the classroom. One day we were doing an EdPerformance assessment and the article was on Martin
Luther King Jr. My students had a lot to say about it, so we postponed the lesson on whatever I had planned to
discuss in depth race, equality, and what changes we still need to make in our world.

DOMAIN 4: PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Teachers see students as their highest priority and are constantly acting in their best interests as they reflect on their
teaching and teaching practices, keep records, provide opportunities for families to be involved in learning, and
challenge the ideas of the profession they love to benefit their students.

4A: REFLECTING ON TEACHING

Summary: In order to revise and move ahead, teachers need to think and reflect upon their instructional events, the
daily decisions they make, and implementation of lessons. Reflection can be done through conversation, journaling,
examining student work and conferencing with students, or simply thinking about it. Teachers need to turn this
deep and critical questioning into a habit of mind to improve their teaching and learning.
Elements & Indicators: Accurate reflections of a lesson; evidence of adjustments to practice in order to build their
teaching strategies.
Evidence: Accurate reflections of a lesson
After each lesson, I reflected and asked myself what went well and what didnt. By doing this I could better my
practice and clear up where students may be confused or where problems arose in order to avoid them next time.
Below is a sample of a reflection. The full lesson plan can be found in Appendix 4.A.1

Evidence: Evidence of adjustments to practice in

order to build their teaching strategies
Every weekend during student teaching, I sat down
to reflect on the week at school. This gave me some
time to process what was going on and see the bigger
picture. Through these reflections I could see where
things went wrong and work to make the next week
better. I came up with my biggest risk, challenge, and
lightbulb moment. This taught me to not only look
at the bad, but the good as well. A full journal can be
found in Appendix 4.A.2.

4B: MAINTAINING ACCURATE RECORDS

Summary: Teachers are well-organized and
methodical in keeping accurate records of
both instructional and non-instructional
events. Recording keeping allows for solid
evidence of student achievement and
interaction to bring to administrators and
parents if need be or just to facilitate
communication between the teacher and
student.
Elements & Indicators: Routines and
systems that track student progress and
assignment completion; processes of
maintaining accurate non-instructional
records.
Evidence: Processes of maintaining
accurate non-instructional records
To keep track of student behavior, my
mentor teacher and I kept a log of
incidents. A lot of what happens in the
classroom isnt as simple as a grade. By
keeping record of student behaviors, we
could identify triggers and try to avoid
them in the future. This also maintained a
record repeated actions that we could
discuss with social workers, parents, and
the school principle. Part of this tracking
and reflecting, was a student completed
refocus sheet on which they could tell us
their story and determine consequences.
The full refocus sheet can be found in
Appendix 4.B.1

4C: COMMUNICATING WITH FAMILIES

Summary: Even though parents may not respond to teachers offers of
participating in their students learning, it is the teachers job to make sure
the opportunities are still there to see what is going on in the classroom as
well as their childs progress. A teachers reaching out to families shows
their genuine care and interest in their students valued by all families and
students alike.
Elements and Indicators: Frequent and culturally appropriate information
sent home about student progress and instruction; Two-way
communication between teachers and families; opportunities for families
to engage in the learning process.
Evidence: Two-way communication between teachers and families
Class Dojo was an amazing tool for parent communication. Parents could
be notified of their childrens progress at any time on their smartphones or
computers. There also was a chat feature and a newsfeed in which both
parents and teachers could communicate. Students also have planners that
they fill out and go home each day. This way parents have the opportunity
to know what is happening at school and can write notes back to the
teacher.

4D: PARTICIPATING IN THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY

Summary: Teachers must work together to build strategies, join their efforts, and plan for the success of students.
Teachers can reach their full potential when they regard themselves with the support of a professional teaching
community filled with support and respect. This way teachers look to improve their practices. Teachers with
experience and drive can also get involved in the school in district in leadership positions.
Elements & Indicators: Regular teacher
participation with colleagues and in professional
courses and communities to improve practices;
Teacher involvement in school and community
initiatives.
Evidence: Regular teacher participation with
colleagues and in professional courses and
communities to improve practices
Every Tuesday and Wednesday morning the 3rd and 4th grade PLC team would meet to discuss grade level goals and
ways to improve practice. Each month we had school wide PLC meetings and district-wide grade level meetings.
Above is a copy of the PLC shared resources our team has been working on compiling.

4E: GROWING & DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALLY

Summary: Teaching requires continued growth and development for teachers to say informed and up-to-date. It
increases the strategies and skills they have and allows them to refine their practices to engage students. They also
can learn from more experienced teachers and contribute to the profession by providing insights.
Elements & Indicators: Frequent teacher attendance in courses and workshops; regular academic reading and
research; sharing insight and participation in professional communities that support
academic inquiry.
Evidence: Frequent teacher attendance in courses and workshops
I took the last week of summer vacation to attend Kagan Cooperative Learning
training. Ive spent a weekend being Project Wet and Wild certified. I also attend all
grade level, school, and district PLC meetings. I am constantly browsing the web,
Teachers Pay Teachers, and Pinterest for the latest trends in teaching and great
ideas that other educators have.

4F: SHOWING PROFESSIONALISM

Summary: Teachers who exhibit professionalism always put their students first even if it conflicts with preconceived ideas and notions. They have a strong moral compass and have the students best interests in mind in all
they do. They adhere to policies and procedures, but are able to recognize weaknesses and work on improving
them.
Elements & Indicators: Teacher has a reputation of being trustworthy and is a great sounding board; they see
students as the highest priorities and remind others in the profession of that fact; they are willing to challenge
practices, but consistently meet district and
school mandates.
Evidence: Teachers see students as the highest
priorities and remind others in the profession
of that fact
I go to school for my students. I know they
need someone who will love them and care for
them each and every day and I am that person
for them. I give them stability above all else. Of
course I teach them content. But at the end of
the day, I dont teach curriculum, I teach
students. It is evident in my daily practices and
connections with students. It is why I wake up
and go to school every morning. My students
are my number one priority and I keep that in
the forefront of my mind at all times.