Classroom Teacher Working under the direction of the principal or assigned evaluator, administers the classroom in accordance with School Board policies and uses instructional and administrative skills to promote the educational development of each student. Classroom teachers will fulfill duties and responsibilities associated with instruction, supervision, classroom management, student assessment and evaluation, communication and collaboration, and extracurricular involvement. Teachers are held accountable for meeting the TAP Teaching Skills, Knowledge, and Responsibilities Performance Standards, research-based standards based on twenty-six indicators and operationalized against a five-point scale rubric. Teachers are also responsible for the academic growth of their students. The Teaching Skills, Knowledge, and Responsibilities Performance Standards are divided into four domains. Descriptors for each indicator may be found in the TAP Rubric. Domain 1: Instruction This domain includes 12 indicators: Standards and Objectives: Planning effective lessons aligned to the standards is dependent upon the teacher's ability to create and communicate clearly defined learning outcomes or objectives appropriate for the students. In many ways, this indicator is the foundation for all other indicators because if the teacher is not clear about what he or she wants students to know and be able to do as a result of the lesson, the balance of the lesson cannot be properly developed or implemented. Both the students and the teacher should understand what is to be accomplished during each lesson. Motivating Students: This indicator focuses on a teacher's ability to organize and present the content in a manner that motivates students to learn. For a teacher to be able to develop these types of learning experiences, a teacher must have in-depth knowledge of the students he/she teaches. This indicator connects strongly to Teacher Knowledge of Students. Presenting Instructional Content: This indicator deals with the method by which content is taught within a lesson. The use of visuals and a teacher's ability to clearly communicate performance expectations in a concise and logically sequenced manner are addressed by this indicator's descriptors. The use of visuals with examples, illustrations, analogies, and/or labels are important tools to use when introducing new concepts and can lead students to mastery of specific skills in a more efficient manner. All of these may not be included in one lesson, but it is important that they are used effectively and appropriately for the content and students taught. Components of this standard will include effective lesson planning, educational best practices, and results-oriented delivery of instructional techniques. Lesson Structure and Pacing: This indicator blends time and form as it applies to instruction. It addresses the effective segmenting of the lesson so that sufficient time is allocated to all parts of the lesson to best support student learning. Therefore, this indicator connects closely to the descriptor "logical sequencing and segmenting" under Presenting Instructional Content. Activities and Materials: This indicator addresses the variety and appropriateness of activities and materials that a teacher chooses to implement during a lesson. By using a variety of materials and activities, teachers are able to address various learning styles and intelligences. Therefore; the criteria used by teachers in choosing materials and activities should be those that clearly support the lesson objectives and that are related to the needs of students, making this indicator closely related to Teacher Knowledge of Students. In order to plan appropriate activities and materials, a teacher must have knowledge of the needs and interests of the students. Questioning: Questioning is an art form that reveals a great deal about a teacher's effectiveness. The rubric descriptors provide a basic framework for the types of questions to ask within a lesson and how teachers should lead students in responding to questions. Academic Feedback: This indicator focuses on how teachers respond to students' comments and questions. The descriptors address the quality of the feedback in supporting student learning as opposed to feedback that only informs students of the accuracy of their responses. Additionally, these descriptors address how a teacher uses student feedback to make adjustments in instruction. Grouping Students: This indicator deals with the instructional arrangements of the students during a given lesson. It focuses on how the students will be grouped for the instruction and activities of the lesson and how they will be held accountable for the work they are expected to complete. Teacher Content Knowledge: This indicator addresses the teacher's knowledge of the content he/she is teaching, as well as his/her ability to implement strategies to support student learning. Also addressed in this indicator is the teacher's ability to connect the content being taught to other ideas and concepts. Teacher Knowledge of Students: The indicator deals with how well a teacher knows his/her students and their learning styles and interests. Therefore, it is closely connected to the indicator, Motivating Students. Thinking: Thinking is something that can and should apply to every observation of a teacher. Teachers are expected to implement regularly and consistently different types of thinking including: Analytical Thinking, Practical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Research-based Thinking. The teacher should provide opportunities where students: Generated ideas and alternatives, Analyze problems from multiple perspectives and viewpoints, Monitor their thinking to ensure that they understand what they are learning, are attending to critical information, and are aware of the learning strategies that they are using and why. Problem Solving: Developing multiple skills in problem solving enriches the learner's ability to manage complex tasks and higher levels of learning. By providing opportunities for students to practice many different approaches to solving problems, the teacher empowers the student with an important life skill. Domain 2: Planning This domain includes 3 indicators: Instructional Plans: Time spent developing strong lesson plans yields many benefits. Lesson plans contribute to better-managed classrooms and more effective and efficient learning experiences for students. Student Work: The development and observation of student work should enhance and reinforce instruction in the classroom. Student work and/or assignments should be developed so that they are aligned to pre-tests and post-tests, which should be aligned to state standards. Assessment: Effective assessment is a fundamental part of instruction and learning. The goal of this section is to provide information and examples of assessment. An effective assessment plan answers the questions, "What do I want my students to be able to do as a result of my teaching?" and "How do I know the students learned what I taught?" When these questions are asked and answered regularly, the teacher can effectively plan, diagnose, and intervene on a continual basis to raise student achievement. Domain 3: Environment This domain includes 4 indicators: Expectations: The descriptors under this indicator directly connect to the descriptors in the Instruction domain. For a teacher to include the descriptors under Expectations, he/she must have knowledge of the students he/she is teaching. Differentiated instruction methods that are demanding for every student and created opportunities for all students to experience success can only be implemented when a teacher's knowledge of students is developed and utilized during instruction. When a teacher sets high and demanding expectations for every student, he/she is also able to develop and/or select activities and materials that are challenging. The second descriptor connects to Motivating Students. When a teacher regularly reinforces and rewards efforts, students will be encouraged to learn from their mistakes and take risks. A teacher must be able to create a safe learning environment in which students' efforts are reinforced and valued in order for students to experience success. For a teacher to optimize instructional time, he/she must be able to implement lessons that include appropriate lesson structure and pacing for students who progress at different learning rates. Managing Student Behavior: Timely and effective management of student behavior is critical for effective instruction to take place within a classroom. Descriptors under Standards and Objectives and Presenting Instructional Content both address a teacher's modeling of clear expectations for students. While these indicators focus on instruction, expectations must also be clearly modeled for student behavior for effective instruction to occur that increases student achievement. For a teacher to manage student behavior efficiently, he/she must not only model the expectations but have knowledge of the students he/she is teaching. Teachers must be aware of and practice a variety of techniques to maintain appropriate behavior that are dependent upon having knowledge of individual student's needs. Teachers must also know students' interests in order to motivate them to change inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, this indicator is also connected to Motivating Students. Environment: This indicator deals with the learning environment of the classroom, including the physical arrangement of the furniture availability of supplies for students to utilize. When supplies, equipment, and resources are easily and ready accessible, then the descriptor, "routines for distributing materials are efficient", under Lesson Structure and Pacing, can be met. Respectful Culture: Creating a positive-classroom climate begins with showing respect to one another. Teachers most often set this in motion when they develop a set of collaborative ground rules for their classrooms and then model these for students on a regular basis. Teacher non-verbal cues that indicate respect and interest are: Tone of voice Eye contact
