Word Generation and
Massachusetts Model System
for Educator Evaluation
August 5, 2013
Presenter: Sophia Boyer
Documents 1 and 2 adopted from Catherine Carney Boston Public Schools
Agenda:
• Assessing prior knowledge of Teacher
Evaluation
• Standards and Indicators for Effective Practice
• Word Generation models that support
evaluation criteria
• Group practice
• Wrap-Up – Questions/Answers
Why We Are Doing What We Are Doing?
Changing Conditions
The work of schools has never been more complex
and demanding and the challenges teachers face to
improve student achievement have never been
greater.
Greater Expectations
As a result expectations from the District
have moved a key function of teacher
performance to teacher self-reporting.
This change hopes to improve teaching
and learning and to significantly improve
student achievement.
Capturing Rigorous and Relevant
Instruction in our Evaluation
Student Learning
Expected
Student
Performance
Instruction
Actual
Student
Performance
Assessment
Rigor/Relevance
Rigor/Relevance
Student Learning
Feedback
Reflection
What are the Standards and
Indicators for Effective Teaching
Practice?
Hint:
There are 4; they
highlight the
focus of the
work.
Turn and Talk
What are the Standards and
Indicators for Effective Teaching
Practice?
I. Curriculum, Planning & Assessment
II. Teaching All Students
III. Family & Community Engagement
IV. Professional Culture
I. Curriculum, Planning &Assessment
o I-A. Curriculum and Planning
o I-B. Assessment
o I-C. Analysis
• What does this look like in your work?

How can teachers promote student learning through quality
instruction?
Standards Defined
(Bold bullets are outcomes that Word Generation curriculum
and/or coaching best supports)
Standard 1: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment as a
teacher’s ability to:
• Promote student learning through quality
instruction
• Design and administer meaningful assessments
• Give valuable feedback to students on their
learning progress
• Use student performance data to improve his or
her instruction and assessment capabilities
II. Teaching All Students
o II-A. Instruction
o II-B. Learning Environment
o
II-C. Cultural Proficiency
• What does this look like in your work?
Standards Defined
(Bold bullets are outcomes that Word Generation curriculum
and/or coaching best supports)
Standard 2: Teaching All Students defines a
teacher’s ability to:
• Promote learning in growth for all students
through instruction that holds students to
high standards
• Create a safe classroom space for all students
• Ability to demonstrate cultural sensitivity
III. Family & Community
Engagement
o III-A. Engagement
o III-B. Collaboration
o
III-C. Communication
• What does this look like in your work?
IV. Professional Culture
o IV-A. Reflection
o IV-B. Professional Growth
o
IV-C. Collaboration
o IV-D. Decision-making
o IV-E. Shared Responsibility
o IV-F. Professional Responsibilities
• What does this look like in your work?
Standards Defined
(Bold bullets are outcomes that Word Generation curriculum
and/or coaching best supports)
Standard 4*: Professional Culture as how teachers use
culturally proficient, skilled, collaborative, and ethical
practices to promote learning for all students.
• Reflection of practice
• Professional growth of practice
• Collaboration that improves practice
*Standard 4 differs from the other standards of effective teaching
because it focuses on teacher growth and learning opportunities as
opposed to practices that directly impact students.
What is Evidence of Practice
Focus on students and student performance
- Word Generation activities
- Word Generation standards
- Word Generation teacher developed scaffold supports
The Rationale:
Why You Do What You Do
Do I/Have I:
 Connect class work
to performance
standards
 Teach all Students?
 Work collaboratively
with other teachers?
 Developed lessons that
reflect high expectations
for student achievement?
 Included an assessment
component in my lesson
plans?
 Use performance data to
improve instruction?
The criteria most important in the teacher evaluation process is aligning objectives,
practices, and assessments, to proficiency of standards. These indicators identify,
with clarity, the intentionality of your instructional practices.
Rationale for Element I-A-2
If I were submitting a Word
Generation 5.10 lesson plan
that I thought connected to
element I-A-2 (Child and
Adolescent Development)
my rationale might read…
• (First) Evidence of
proficiency of element
I-A-2 can be found in
the
Newscaster/Reader’s
Theatre Day 1 activity
of the Word Generation
lesson plan.
• (Second) The Word Generation
lesson plan includes a variety of
activities for effective
engagement of a range of
collaborative discussion
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1.
Students are viewing, listening,
reading, writing, speaking,
discussing and listening. These
activities address the
developmental level of my
students and, while providing a
variety of ways to reach the
same end, introduction to a
controversial academic topic
and exposure to targeted words.
Ticket Out the Door
Using your responses to
the Standards draft an
evaluation rationale
that demonstrates your
ability to connect
evidence to the
proficiency standards
of the teacher rubric.
Next Steps
1. Walk through the self-assessment and create a draft
for yourself.
2. If practical, work with a small group with the model
or models suggested today or one customized for
your school’s needs.
3. Present the information you received today to those
in your district who will be involved in preparing
their own evaluation.