Check-in on the teacher evaluation rubric revision

A Steering Committee of educators from across the state is hard at work revising the teacher evaluation rubric for the State of Delaware. You can catch up on the committee’s work here . If you have questions about this work or ideas for the committee to consider, send an email to DPASII.trrp@doe.k12.de.us . While this work continues, Delaware will continue to use the DPAS-II framework to ensure you continue to focus on calibration and implementation.

Digging deeper: Strategies for questioning and discussion techniques (Criterion 3d)

Last month we examined Criterion 3d: Questioning and Discussion Techniques. Criterion 3d is unique in the DPAS-II framework because it is the only criterion that describes specific strategies that a teacher uses in the classroom. This is because questioning and discussion techniques are critical to ensuring student learning, regardless of content area or grade level. At the effective level, the criterion reads: “Teacher’s use of questioning and discussion techniques reflects high-level questions, true discussion, and full participation by most students.” Recall that the elements of Criterion 3d are: Quality of questions Discussion techniques Student participation The framework doesn’t simply call for recitation from students, but instead high-quality questions that support students to:  Formulate hypotheses Make connections between past learning, current learning, and each others’ contributions Challenge their previously held views about the content The Critical Attributes document for Criterion 3d details these elements and indicators, and includes possible examples of evidence for Criterion 3d at different performance levels. Ensuring that all students have the opportunity to engage with high-quality questions and large and small group discussion requires careful planning on the part of the teacher. See below for resources teachers can use when implementing questioning and discussion techniques in the classroom.

Share this with your teachers!

Questioning and discussion go hand-in-hand, and require planning on behalf of the teacher. Below is a partial list of resources teachers might consider when planning. The only constant educators should reference is the Critical Attributes document, which outlines in detail the attributes of strong, well-designed and well-implemented questions.

Teach like a champion: Techniques for questioning and responding to students In his book Teach Like a Champion , Doug Lemov dedicates an entire chapter to challenging students to think critically using questioning. Lemov describes great questioning as a building process. “Effective questions tend to come in groups that make the whole greater than the sum of the parts, and questioning is the art of sequencing those questions in groups. Good questioning builds solid mastery of even complex ideas by uncovering and explicating each component piece of a concept in progression” (page 235). There are several Teach Like a Champion strategies that can support teachers using questions to help students understand basic concepts and then analyze and apply those concepts. You can read more about these strategies and view videos of some in practice at the Teach Like a Champion website . A few strategies are outlined below: Simple to Complex : The value of questioning is to first engage students’ thinking in a concrete way, and then to support them to think more deeply and broadly about the topic. When designing questions for a lesson, consider starting with simple, straightforward questions to engage students in the content and to activate past learning. This also supports students to build confidence in answering questions, so that as you increase the difficulty of questions, students are more likely to engage because they have been thinking about the content and are prepared to respond. Clear and Concise: Lemov posits that clear questions are critical for students to actively engage in discussion. He outlines five ways to use the Clear and Concise technique to improve clarity of questions:  Start with a question word. Limit questions to two clauses. Write questions in advance when they matter. Ask an actual question rather than make a statement. Assume students have the answer. Ask “Who can tell me…” not “Can anyone tell me…”

Bloom’s Taxonomy Students should engage in both lower-level and higher-order thinking questions, with lower-level questions designed to build students’ thinking, engagement, and readiness for higher-order questions (like in Simple to Complex above). Bloom’s Taxonomy is a widely used framework to support an understanding of higher-order thinking. Great teachers design questions that move students up the pyramid, from questions that require students to remember and understand, to questions that require students to apply, analyze, evaluate and create. There are a large number of resources available with sample questions aligned to Bloom’s, including this list and this list .

Structures for classroom discussions Great classroom discussion is grounded in high-quality questions. However, planning for and asking good questions is not enough. Great teachers also create structures that move beyond a teacher-student-teacher-student rhythm and make classroom discussions more engaging and exciting for students. Below are a few links to articles that describe ways to engage students through discussion: Edutopia: 5 Ways to Make Class Discussions More Exciting Cult of Pedagogy: The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies Harvard GSE: How to Have an Equitable Class Discussion

Deep dive into questioning and discussion in the DPAS-II rubric Last month we shared this full training on Criterion 3d: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques. Click the links to the right to access the content. Do you have ideas for future training topics? Email us!

PowerPoint Handout Critical Attributes

Practice perfect: Calibration

Calibration is a key strategy for successful implementation of DPAS-II observations. But what exactly is calibration? And why is it so important for leaders to engage in? Calibration is the process of ensuring that all observers are normed and applying the DPAS-II framework in the same way. Leaders are calibrated when, after observing a lesson, they come to the same conclusion about the lesson quality based on the framework. Calibration is critical to ensure that teachers receive accurate, reliable, and valuable observations and aligned feedback. Calibration is not a one-and-done effort, but instead requires ongoing attention from all leaders in a building. There are three activities that can support ongoing calibration among leaders in a building or district. It can also be useful for teachers to engage in these activities as well to build their understanding of the DPAS-II framework and its demands. Video observation: Video observation allows for teams to ensure a deep understanding of the rubric across a range of classrooms and learners. By viewing a video and collecting evidence together, and then applying that evidence to score the lesson, leaders can engage in discussions about what was seen in the lesson, and align on the level of practice together. Videos provide the opportunity for all educators to see the same lesson, which is critical in building shared understanding of the framework. Videos also allow leaders to observe teaching in a number of different grade levels and subject areas. This can ensure that leaders are calibrated across a number of contexts. The Teaching Channel has a number of videos that can be useful for calibration. Co-observations: Co-observations support inter-rater reliability within a school leadership team. Leaders establish a protocol for collectively observing a teaching block; this co-observation is non-evaluative for the teacher, and instead supports leader calibration. During this observation, leaders collect evidence individually. After the observation, leaders independently sort the evidence and score each criterion. Then, leaders convene to discuss their ratings and supporting evidence. Leaders might use the following questions to guide their discussion: What components were most challenging in reaching consensus? What caused this challenge? Was there evidence that was interpreted differently? Did this activity result in action steps that will need to be followed up on? If so, is the follow-up plan clear? Feedback on feedback: Leaders can examine together the observation feedback report of one leader in the group. In this process, one leader presents a classroom observation report and feedback for one of their teachers. The team reads the observation report and provides feedback on the leader’s feedback, asking questions and identifying ways to strengthen the feedback for the teacher. This process engages the team in ensuring that evidence presented is aligned to the framework and supportive of the leader’s conclusions. It also allows the leader who prepared the feedback to ensure that the feedback is the highest quality possible to support the teacher’s development. The DDOE has resources for calibration linked here , and also provides calibration webinars throughout the year. You can find information about the webinars below or on the Training & Development webpage .

Roster Verification System (RVS) overview The Roster Verification System (RVS) is an online system (inside of IMS) that allows Delaware's Group 1 teachers and administrators the opportunity to complete an automated roster verification process to assist in the determination of one measure of their Component V educator evaluation rating ("Measure A" for teachers; "Part A" for administrators). Roster verification ensures that all students who should be considered for the educator's evaluation are present on his or her roster. The RVS system is used in two phases: before/during the statewide student assessment and after student scores have been returned from the assessment vendor. In the first phase, educators review and/or build rosters and submit to evaluators for approval. In the second phase, educators review their Measure A or Part A reports. Who needs to complete RVS? While school leaders conduct some form of roster verification with all educators as part of Component V, only Group 1 teachers and administrators who receive a Part A: Statewide Student Growth Measures rating utilize the state's RVS system. A Group 1 teacher includes any educator who instructs ELA and/or mathematics for at least 10 students in grades four (4) through eight (8). Administrators receive a Part A rating if they are responsible for 20 or more students taking the state assessment. Key dates/timeline February 11 - March 15, 2019 - Administrators review Group 1 educator counts ahead of official RVS opening (*new) March 16, 2019 - Rosters loaded into RVS from warehouse March 18, 2019 - RVS opens for Group 1 educators (teachers/administrators) and evaluators to verify rosters April 12, 2019 - RVS closes for teachers May 31, 2019 - RVS closes for administrators/evaluators September 30, 2019 - RVS closes (all appeals must be finalized). You can find all timelines and resources online . Contact Seher Ahmad with questions.

What's on the agenda?

What should be on your DPAS-II to-do list this month: Complete and discuss Professional Responsibility forms with each educator (this may be completed and/or updated at any point over the course of the year) Find relevant resources and information you need at the Educator Evaluation homepage on the DDOE website

DPAS-II Teacher Framework Calibration Webinars Ensure a common understanding of what practice looks like at different performance levels Offered monthly beginning in October, 2018 through May, 2019 PDMS Course #26995

DPAS-II Review Camp A one-day review of the framework to support calibration and re-credentialing requirements. Spend an entire day with experts from the Danielson Group realigning and calibrating understanding of the criteria and element rubrics. March 25, 8:30-3:30 Delaware State Troop 3, Camden PDMS Course #27555

Plan Ahead! DPAS-II For Evaluating Administrators (New Evaluators): Required one-day training for all administrators new to evaluating assistant principals, principals, and/or district administrators. Offered beginning this summer. PDMS Course # 27795

DPAS-II for Evaluating Administrators (Currently Credentialed): Required half-day training for administrators to become re-credentialed to evaluate assistant principals, principals and/or district administrators. Offered beginning this summer. PDMS Course # 27796

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