Data Collection: Effective Classroom Instruction
School _________________________________
Length of Class Period ______ min.
Grade Level ___________________
Length of Observation ______ min.
Content/ Subject _______________________
N/A (Not
Not
Evide
Notes
PILLARS:
Evidence
observed
Evident nt
INDICATORS
 Environment set up for collaborative active learning (not in rows
I.
Time and
facing the teacher) and efficient access to materials.
Structure







II.
Teacher
Modeling




III.
IV.
Student
Practice and
Application
Disciplinary





Teacher provides a short direct instruction and modeling (content and
literacy skills). (See II)
Teacher talk is less than 20 % of total class time.
Text-rich environment has visible learning evidence, such as anchor
charts and other visual information.
Teacher provides individual and small group work/instruction based
on formative assessment.
In the closing, students share and reflect on their learning.
Evidence that rituals and routines have been established.
Evidence that K-5 classrooms have a minimum of 90-minute reading
and writing blocks.
Teacher provides modeling of processes, procedures and skills, and
includes metacognition of thinking processes.
Students are observing, taking notes and reflecting on the instruction.
After instruction, students practice or apply the instructed and modeled
skills and application of knowledge individually and in small groups.
Evidence that lesson progression provides opportunity for gradual
release of responsibility to students.
Students work collaboratively to apply, understand and manipulate texts,
skills and processes.
Teacher observes and monitors student conversation and progress.
Students work independently to apply information, processes and skills.
Evidence that students write daily.
Evidence that students read daily, including independent reading.
2
Revised 4-27-15 Data Collection Tool
PILLARS:
CORE INDICATORS
Literacy
Instruction
Evidence





Teachers provide explicit Disciplinary (content-specific) reading,
writing, speaking, and listening instruction, modeling, and practice,
including content-specific text knowledge.
Evidence that the steps of the writing process are explicitly taught,
modeled, and practiced. (Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing)
Evidence that students take some, but not all, of their compositions
through the entire writing process to publication.
Evidence of student writing in various domains and modes for
exploration, thinking, wondering, reflecting, and making meaning.
Evidence that students write for real audiences and purposes.
(Opportunities for publishing for an audience other than the teacher: e.g., writer’s chair, website,
portfolios, authentic, purposeful communication)


Evidence that the teacher writes with students.
Language is explicitly taught in context of authentic language use; i.e.,
grammar, usage, and structure of the content texts are studied through reading and writing in the
content.


Students participate in appropriate close, guided and shared reading
experiences.
Evidence of balance for assigned task and text complexity: Ex. For
complex text: just understanding what it says may be the first task. The same task is not required of
every student with every text.




Students are given a purpose for reading a specific text.
Evidence that conceptual content/ disciplinary learning is from,
through, and about texts. (All types of texts and media)
Students have opportunity to grapple with increasingly complex texts,
and to build meaning from diverse texts.
Evidence that students are reading one or more of a set of texts on the
concept or Big Idea. (Texts include all form of information or communication. Sets are
collections of texts that provide information and views on a content concept)
 Evidence that the Text Set includes different levels of
complexity (building along the staircase of complexity for the grade level or grade
span.)
 Texts in the set reflect different world views and attitudes
toward the content and concepts and combinations of types and
genres of texts.
N/A (Not
Observed)
Not
Evident
Evident
Notes
3
Revised 4-27-15 Data Collection Tool
PILLARS:
CORE INDICATORS
V.
Dialogue
and
Accountable
Talk:
Inclusion of
Reading,
Writing,
Speaking and
Listening (All
are types of
dialogue)
Evidence






VI.
Vocabulary
and Word
Study



Students are reading, writing, speaking and listening as part of active
learning.
Evidence that speakers and writers are held accountable to topic,
audience and situation.
Evidence that students know that they are expected to support all
answers and opinions with evidence and references to texts and sources.
Evidence of dialogical and social learning: Students read texts (all
forms), have opportunities to talk with teachers and peers as they make
meaning of texts and content, reflect and write about what they are
learning.
Discussion is a conversation among learners, on open-ended,
provocative questions, not recitation of answers.
Visible and intentional use of content and academic vocabulary, and
the language of learning in conversations and instruction.
Evidence that Word Study includes Tier 2 (Academic language) as well
as Tier 3 (Content)
Evidence that students actively participate in content and text-embedded
Word Study, NOT lists, definitions, and tests. (Students develop vocabulary by
using words and learning about them.)
VII.
Self-Selected
Reading

Teachers address “how words work”

Evidence that students have choice in what they read independently.

Evidence that students have knowledge of book complexity levels and
process for choosing just-right books (appropriate understanding for
grade-level).
Evidence of library use, class libraries with magazines, and access to
digital reading resources, and/or other easy access to varied texts.
Evidence that students are aware of expectations, structures and
processes for independent reading in and out of class.
Students have opportunities for sharing their individual reading in
writing or in discussions with peers.



N/A (Not
Observed)
Not
Evident
Evident
Notes
4
Revised 4-27-15 Data Collection Tool
PILLARS:
CORE INDICATORS
VIII.
IX.
Evidence

Evidence of a concept-based Unit Plan.
StandardsBased
Planning

StandardsBased
Instruction

Literacy Standards appropriate for the content and grade-level are
included in the Unit plan. (Including appropriate 6-12 Content Literacy Standards)
Evidence of the daily instruction following the Unit plan.
All instruction and learning tasks clearly scaffold students toward
reaching the standards, addressing the Essential Questions, and
completing the Performance Task.
Evidence that the daily lesson plan is focused by the Big Idea,
Enduring Understandings and the standards and concepts of the
content, not content elements, such as literary work or historical events.



Evidence of explicit instruction in the literacy processes, skills and
strategies needed for the content. (Including appropriate 6-12 Content Literacy
Standards)

X.
Standards
Performanc
e-Based
Assessments








Focusing Questions and Essential Question(s) from the Concept-based
Unit drive the day’s instruction.
Evidence that students are formatively assessed through daily speaking
and writing.
Evidence of a system for following formative assessment with timely
feedback, adjustments to core instruction, or differentiated support.
Evidence that performance tasks (assignments) are standards-based,
requiring application of appropriate literacy skills. Format of the task
assures the depth of knowledge required by the standard.
Evidence that learning and working toward the standard is the
purpose and focus of all tasks, not the product.
Evidence that students use rubrics, which are standard- and taskspecific, reflecting the standards which have been taught, modeled and
practiced. (Content and Literacy)
Classroom displays of student work, including descriptions of the tasks,
models, standards, and rubrics.
Evidence of rubrics that are collaboratively created with student input
as they learn about the concepts, skills and standards.
Students share what they are learning for authentic purposes.
N/A (Not
Observed)
Not
Evident
Evident
Notes
5
Revised 4-27-15 Data Collection Tool
PILLARS:
CORE INDICATORS
Evidence
N/A (Not
Observed)
Not
Evident
Evident
Notes