EDUCATEAlabama Orientation Module

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Teacher Orientation Module

LESSON 2: THE ALABAMA QUALITY TEACHING STANDARDS

As mentioned in Lesson 1, Alabama has a new set of state approved teaching standards, the Alabama Quality Teaching Standards (AQTS). They were developed under the auspices of the Governor’s Commission on Quality Teaching.

In order to make the five AQTS standards more useful in both evaluation of teacher practice and teacher professional development, the Alabama educator task forces working in those areas (professional development, evaluation) restructured the original lists of performance indicators defining each of the five standards into sets of performance indicators and definition items (items defining indicators). The result was five standards and 39 indicators with numerous, exemplary definition items for each indicator. Please note the term “exemplary”. A teacher does not have to exhibit practice of all definition items for a particular indicator at any given time. Rather, a pattern of practice consistent with listed definition items will be used to identify a level of practice for a given indicator.

You need to review now the EDUCATEAlabama version of the AQTS. To do so click on the following link: EDUCATEAlabama version of AQTS. As you review these standards, here are some “look fors”:

Look for and name the titles of the five teaching standards.
Look for standards that contain “sub-standards" (2a, 2b, etc.) and note what they are.
Look for the titles of the performance indicators (1.1, 2a.1, etc.) which define emphases/expectations within each indicator.
Look for the capital letters (B/E, A, etc.) beside each definition item within an indicator. Note particularly the INT and INN designations. These letters stand for Beginning/Emerging (B/E), Applying (A), Integrating (INT), and Innovating (INN).
1. Look for “cross-cutting expectations”, i.e., expectations for teacher practice that are contained in several standards, not just a single standard. Hint: Many of these expectations are found in definition items (the items that define performance indicators). For example, look for expectations regarding collaboration, leadership, addressing learner differences, etc. in more than one Indicator and/or Standard.

When you have finished your review of the AQTS: EDUCATEAlabama version, continue to the next page for feedback on what you should have found.