For additional information, please contact Russell Johnston, Superintendent, rjohnston@wsps.org

Standard I: Curriculum,
Planning, and Assessment
Standard II:
Teaching All Students
Standard III:
Family and Community Engagement
Standard IV:
Professional Culture
A. Curriculum and Planning Indicator
1. Subject Matter Knowledge
2. Child and Adolescent Development
3. Rigorous Standards-Based Unit Design
4. Well-Structured Lessons
B. Assessment Indicator
1. Variety of Assessment Methods
2. Adjustments to Practice
A. Instruction Indicator
1. Quality of Effort and Work
2. Student Engagement
3. Meeting Diverse Needs
B. Learning Environment Indicator
1. Safe Learning Environment
2. Collaborative Learning Environment
3. Student Motivation
A. Engagement Indicator
1. Parent/Family Engagement
B. Collaboration Indicator
1. Learning Expectations
2. Curriculum Support
A. Reflection Indicator
1. Reflective Practice
2. Goal Setting
B. Professional Growth Indicator
1. Professional Learning and Growth
C. Analysis Indicator
1. Analysis and Conclusions
2. Sharing Conclusions With Colleagues
3. Sharing Conclusions With Students
C. Cultural Proficiency Indicator
1. Respects Differences
2. Maintains Respectful Environment
C. Communication Indicator
1. Two-Way Communication
2. Culturally Proficient Communication
C. Collaboration Indicator
1. Professional Collaboration
D. Expectations Indicator
1. Clear Expectations
2. High Expectations
3. Access to Knowledge
D. Decision-Making Indicator
1. Decision-making
E. Shared Responsibility Indicator
1. Shared Responsibility
F. Professional Responsibilities Indicator
1. Judgment
2. Reliability and Responsibility
Part III: Guide to Rubrics and Model Rubrics January 2012

New Educator Evaluation System Focus Element Resources
Below, please find a list of each of the standards and focus elements from the new educator evaluation system. Underneath the focus elements, we have embedded links to professional articles, blogs, and videos that will be useful for developing a shared understanding of the key terms and ideas included in the evaluation rubric.
Standard I Curriculum Planning and Assessment Focus Elements:
Subject Matter Knowledge (Teachers)
Professional Knowledge (Specialized Instructional Support Personnel)
The crux of this element is creating learning opportunities that allow students “to acquire complex skills and knowledge.” In order for all of us to have a shared understanding of what complex skills and knowledge means, we have shared this presentation by Dr. Karin Hess.
Please note that the presentation concludes with a slide showing links to the author’s cognitive matrix for each core­content area. Interested? Read a full article by Dr. Hess to learn more.
In addition, this element also focuses on student engagement. Student engagement appears again in other elements included in the new evaluation rubric. For educators at the secondary level, we find this article on student engagement strategies to be helpful. Similarly, for early childhood and elementary educators, this article on engagement techniques could be useful.
Finally, the author of this blog offers some useful tips for setting the conditions for effective student engagement.
Well­Structured Lessons
Well­designed lessons are derived from standards­based units. Calling upon the work of Grant
Wiggins and Jay McTighe, we have developed our curriculum guides using a “backwards design model.” The challenge for teachers is to break down the curriculum guides into individual lessons. This article explains how teachers can use the same backwards design model to create well­designed lessons.
Being able to design lessons that support the needs of all students is challenging and requires experience and knowledge. We have located two articles ( Article One and Article Two ) to assist you with this. Finally, new teachers might benefit from an article that is written specifically for them.
Adjustments to Practice
By checking for understanding during the course of a lesson, educators are able to make adjustments to their practice to ensure a high level of understanding among their students. This article provides practical tips for checking for understanding. As a follow up to the first article, we have provided an additional piece on this same subject. Finally, author Mike Schmoker also describes how educators make adjustments to practice in their individual classrooms and through collaboration with colleagues.

Standard II Teaching All Students Focus Element:
Quality of Effort and Work
This element contains several key concepts including guided practice, rubrics, and exemplars.
Below, we have included information about each of these instructional techniques.
Guided Practice:
The Five Principles of Effective Guided Practice provides a quick introduction to the concept of guided practice. In addition, Nancy Frye and Douglas Fisher have written extensively on this subject. We have included three of their articles for you to review. The first article focuses on the overall concept of guided instruction in the overall sequence of instruction. The second article looks at guided instruction as it relates to teaching struggling secondary students to write, and the third article examines how guided instruction interacts with homework assignments.
Rubrics:
We selected this article on rubrics because it gives a useful overview of what they are and how to use them.
Exemplars:
Exemplars and anchor papers provide the answer to the question, “What does good look like on this assignment?” To get started, this blog provides a useful overview on the use of exemplars.
In addition, this video shows how a teacher incorporated exemplars into a writing activity with her elementary­age students. Finally, for early childhood teachers, this article provides information on using read­alouds as exemplars.
Standard III Family and Community Engagement Focus Element:
Curriculum Support (Teachers)
Student Support (Specialized Instructional Support Personnel)
The Handbook on Family and Community Engagement is an excellent resource that can provide you with excellent ideas for promoting family involvement in your classroom. I especially appreciate its emphasis on supporting families with diverse language, racial and ethnic compositions. While lengthy, the table of contents will provide you with direction to the information that is most relevant to you. Another great article helps us understand how we can help parents positively conceptualize their roles in educating their children.
Standard IV Professional Culture Focus Elements:
Professional Collaboration
The district is actively engaged in expanding professional learning communities (PLC).
Wondering what PLC is all about? Check out this introductory article and then this follow up article . To find out more, read by this article by Richard DuFour, one of the gurus of the PLC model.

One way to engage in PLC is to analyze student work with a team of colleagues. Here is a website that can provide you with information on using protocols to analyze student work.
Reliability and Responsibility
The Reliability and Responsibility element calls on all of us to have a solid understanding of both laws and policies. For your convenience, here is a link to the Massachusetts General Laws and regulations that govern schools. In addition, here is a link to the policies of West Springfield
Public Schools.

Below, please find a suggested list of artifacts that can be used as evidence for each of the standards for the new educator evaluation system. Educators are encouraged to select the artifacts that are most closely associated with their practice, and educators should emphasize quality over quantity. Furthermore, educators are encouraged to select a variety of artifacts, rather than multiple copies (more than four) of the same type of artifact. In general, educators and evaluators will use photographs or written documentation as artifacts, and the "other" line can be used independently if educators or evaluators have additional ideas for artifacts that are relevant to each standard.
Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives.
Unit plans
Lesson plans
Teacher-developed formative and summative assessments, including differentiated assessments
Scoring guides/rubrics
Student work samples
Analysis of student data including how instructional practices will be adjusted
Posted learning objectives
Submit prior to teaching the lesson for which the plan has been written.
Written reflection on results of formative, summative, benchmark, or state-wide assessments
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Posted lesson agenda
Posted essential questions
Evidence of incorporating available technology into lessons
Feedback to students about work
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Examples include written feedback to students on projects, written work, assessments, etc.
Other:
Standard II: Teaching All Students. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, and demonstrate cultural proficiency.

Scoring guides/rubrics
Student work samples
Student data analysis
Grade level or subject team collaboration (e.g.,
PLC, data dialogue, content meetings, etc.)
Methods for engaging all students
Team-developed instructional work products
Example of exemplars
Grading practices
Evidence of teacher modeling
Evidence of ongoing flexible grouping strategies
Evidence of guided practice, including gradual release of responsiblity
Other
Written data analysis from meetings with colleagues or from individual analysis are acceptable forms of documentation.
Agendas, minutes, or notes from meetings are acceptable forms of evidence. In addition, evidence from MyLearningPlan is also acceptable.
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Written reflection or a series of annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Written reflection or a series of annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Written reflection or a series of annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Standard III: Family and Community Engagement. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through effective partnerships with families, caregiers, community members, and organizations.
Outreach activities to families
Communication with families via phone calls, emails, newlsetters, or blog
Notes, minutes or agendas from meetings with families (including IEP, 504, and parent conference meetings)
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
A phone log can be used to document phone calls.
Individualized feedback on report cards
Feedback from parents/families
Homework assignments and/or use of homework website, if applicable
Emails or letters are acceptable forms of evidence.
Other:

Standard IV: Professional Culture. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice.
Work products from professional development programs or course work
Agendas, notes or minutes from teacher collaboration meetings (such as PLC meetings, content meetings, team meetings, etc.)
Curriculum development examples (such as unit plans, etc.)
School or district committee service
Participation in all-school or all-grade level projects
Professional conference attendance and report to colleagues
Agendas, minutes, or notes from meetings are acceptable forms of evidence. In addition, evidence from MyLearningPlan is also acceptable.
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Paper work completion
Other

Below, please find a suggested list of artifacts that can be used as evidence for each of the standards for the new educator evaluation system. Educators are encouraged to select the artifacts that are most closely associated with their practice, and educators should emphasize quality over quantity. Furthermore, educators are encouraged to select a variety of artifacts, rather than multiple copies (more than four) of the same type of artifact. In general, educators and evaluators will use photographs or written documentation as artifacts, and the "other" line can be used independently if educators or evaluators have additional ideas for artifacts that are relevant to each standard.
Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives.
Treatment plan
Lesson plans
Examples of assessments used
Scoring guides/rubrics
Student work samples
Student data analysis
Team-developed instructional work products
Analysis of student learning needs
Methods for engaging all students
Posted behavioral norms
Photographs of instructional/treatment space
Communications to students about work
Other:
Submit prior to teaching the lesson for which the plan has been written.
Written results of diagnostic, formative, summative, benchmark, or state-wide assessments
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Examples include written feedback to students on projects, written work, assessments, etc.
Standard II: Teaching All Students. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, and demonstrate cultural proficiency.
Treatment plan
Lesson plans
Examples of assessments used
Scoring guides/rubrics
Student work samples
Submit prior to teaching the lesson for which the plan has been written.

Student data analysis
Team-developed instructional work products
Analysis of student learning needs
Grade level or subject team collaboration (e.g., IST,
PLC, data dialogue, team meetings, etc.)
Methods for engaging all students
Posted behavioral norms
Photographs of instructional/treatment space
Communications to students about work
Written results of diagnostic, formative, summative, benchmark, or state-wide assessments
Agendas, minutes, or notes from meetings are acceptable forms of evidence. In addition, evidence from MyLearningPlan is also acceptable.
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Annotated photographs are an acceptable form of documentation
Examples include written feedback to students on projects, written work, assessments, etc.
Other:
Standard III: Family and Community Engagement. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through effective partnerships with families, caregiers, community members, and organizations.
Outreach activities to families
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation
Notes, minutes or agendas from meetings with families (including IEP, 504, and parent conference meetings)
Communication with families via phone calls, emails, meetings A phone log can be used to document phone calls.
Feedback from parents/families
Homework assignments and/or use of homework website, if applicable
College/financial aid program development
Emails or letters are acceptable forms of evidence
Other:
Standard IV: Professional Culture. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice.
Work products from professional development programs or course work
School or district committee service
Agendas, notes or minutes from teacher collaboration meetings (such as PLC meetings, content meetings, team meetings, etc.)
Agendas, minutes, or notes from meetings are acceptable forms of evidence. In addition, evidence from MyLearningPlan is also acceptable.

Participation in all-school or all-grade level projects
Professional conference attendance and report to colleagues
Paper work completion
Other
Written reflection or annotated photographs are acceptable forms of documentation