Improving Practice through
Classroom Observation: Assessing
Teaching and Learning
GOAL: Writing 4-12*
To ensure that all students in grades 4-12
acquire the foundational skills needed for
them to be proficient writers at the end of
each grade level.
*While this is a presentation designed for middle and high school
grade levels, it is also suitable for students in grades 4 and 5.
Today’s Objectives
1. To recognize the 3 Instructional Shifts of
Common Core
2. To practice using the “Look Fors”
3. To practice giving quality feedback based on
observations and “Look Fors”
Agenda
• 3 Shifts of Common Core: ELA
• 3 shifts of Common Core: Math
• Look Fors: ELA
• Look Fors: Math
• Informal Observational Tool: ELA
Video Practice
• Choosing Complex Text
• TNCore Text Complexity Form
Review of Instructional Shifts
1. Building knowledge through contentrich nonfiction
2. Reading, writing, and speaking
grounded in evidence from text, both
literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and
its academic language
Transitioning to Common Core
requires specific instructional shifts
with action:
Shift One:
Develop Content
Knowledge
• Support deep content understanding
from deliberate analytical reading
• Develop strategies for reading content
Shift Two: Reading • Use annotations while reading
& Writing with
• Distinguish important vs. interesting WHILE
reading
Evidence
Shift Three:
• Develop strategies for reading fluently
and using metacognitive skills
Regular practice
with complex text • Engage in practice reading rigorous texts
CCSS Math Instructional Shifts
1. Focus strongly where the Standards focus
2. Coherence: think across grades, and link to major
work of the grades with equal intensity.
3. Rigor: in major work of the grade pursue:
conceptual understanding,
procedural skill and fluency
application
CCSS Math Instructional Shifts – RIGOR
Conceptual Understanding:
3.NF.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1
part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a
fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
Procedural Skill and Fluency:
5.NBT.5 Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the
standard algorithm.
Application:
7.NS.3 Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving
the four operations with rational numbers.
Turn and Talk
LOOK FORS:
What do you look for when you
observe a 6-12 English / Language Arts
or Math classroom?
What tools/information do you have?
What tools/information do you need?
Purpose of the Walkthrough Tool
 To provide concrete examples of what the CCSS
looks like in 6-12 classrooms (ELA and Math)
 Key points
 Not all components will be observable during a brief
walkthrough
 Not designed for formal evaluation
What to look for in a Mathematics
Classroom
What to look for in an
English / Language Arts Classroom
Informal Observational Tool
 From Achieve the Core (for ELA)
 A two-page Power Point
 Can be “saved as”
 Can be filled-out quickly
 Can be emailed to teacher being observed
before you leave their classroom.
 Immediate feedback for teacher
Informal Observational Tool
PRACTICE TIME
Watch the following video and practice
using the Informal Observational Tool.
VIDEO:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teachin
g-about-textual-evidence
Informal Observational Tool
Turn and talk with your elbow partner.
Compare your video observations using
the Informal Observational Tool.
Informal Observational Tool
 List some advantages for using a tool
such as the IOT:
Text Complexity
 Be aware of the grade levels: at 6-12, complex text
does not meet the lexiles of yesteryear.
 Sources for complex text, in addition to the core
reading program:
 http://achievethecore.org/dashboard/300/search/6/1/9/1
0/11/12/page/812/search-for-lessons-to-use-with-popularstories-secondary-list-pg
 https://newsela.com/articles/?category=war-and-peace
 http://tntel.tnsos.org (TN Electronic Library)
 http://scsliteracy.weebly.com./401/login.php?redirect=/
(password: readandwrite)
Examining Text Complexity
 The TNDOE has a series of videos on text
complexity. Visit the website below for
assistance:
http://tncore.org/english_language_arts/cu
rricular_resources/text_complexity.aspx
 Username: tneducation
 Password: fastestimproving
Team Planning
 How do you plan to gather the data you need
from informal observations?
 Who will conduct informal observations?
 How often?
 What instrument(s) will you use?
 How will you obtain inner-rater reliability?
 What will you do with the information?
 Put your plans on large chart paper and be
prepared to share.
In Conclusion
 Our goal: To ensure that all students in grades
6-12 acquire the foundational skills needed for
them to be proficient writers at the end of
each grade level.
 Our strategy: Equip all 6-12 teachers with the
skills they need to deliver effective
reading/writing instruction.
QUESTIONS ?
 We hope that today's session has increased your
understanding of the 3 shifts of Common Core
and how to use the correlating Observational
Tool to improve teacher performance.
 The informal observation idea and the informal
observational tool can be incorporated into your
Title 1-School Improvement Plan. This two piece
process can be used to improve academic
programs in your school.