EDUCATEAlabama Orientation Module

Teacher Orientation Module

LESSON 2 (cont.): FEEDBACK

In your review of these standards here is what you should have found:

The titles of the five standards are: Content Knowledge, Teaching and Learning, Literacy, Diversity, and Professionalism.
Standards 2, 3, and 4 have been broken down into several sub-standards for utility in evaluation and planning for professional learning. That was done because expectations for teacher practice within those standards are diverse. For example, teaching and learning contains expectations regarding classroom management (2a), instructional strategies (2b), and assessment (2c).
The 39 performance indicator titles; i.e., the titles for 1.1, 2a.1, 5.1 etc. are important because they constitute sets of expectations within standards against which teachers’ current practices will be measured. You need not memorize these because you will see them often. A set of 39 continuums (one per indicator) has been developed to assist evaluators and teachers in assessing levels of practice. These 39 continuums together are called the EDUCATEAlabama Continua.
The capital letter (E, A, INT, INN) to the right of each definition item designates where it falls on the EDUCATEAlabama Continua; i.e., the level of practice represented by that item. The four levels of practice defined by definition items for each level of practice are Emerging, Applying, Integrating, and Innovating. More information about the Continua and their uses in the evaluation process will be provided in subsequent lessons in this module.
1. If you had a sharp eye, you found that there are at least three “cross-cutting” sets of expectations; i.e., expectations of a similar nature which appear in several standards. The three primary sets of cross-cutting expectations are Collaboration, Leadership, and Individualization of Instruction. Alabama teachers are expected to demonstrate collaboration in many aspects of practice; they are expected to exercise leadership in many areas and many ways, and they are expected to plan for, teach, and assess the progress of individual students, not just classes/groups of students. Keeping track of what is expected of you in these areas of practice, assessing current levels of practice and planning for related professional learning is important., We have developed tools that should make things easier for both you and your evaluator. These tools are three charts entitled “AQTS Standards: Collaboration, AQTS Standards: Leadership, and AQTS Standards: Individualization." Both you and your evaluator will have them at your disposal at all times. Access those charts now by clicking on the following link and look them over: Crosscutting Link. Notice that most of the expectations for Collaboration and Leadership are at the upper levels of the Continua, the INT and INN levels.

The three charts that you have just reviewed point up the extensiveness of the expectations in these three areas (Collaboration, Leadership, Individualization). That extensiveness may have scared you. A likely question on your part would be, “How can I be expected to do and demonstrate all this in one year or even three (if you are on a multi-year evaluation cycle)?” The answer to that question is, “You aren’t expected to do it all, all at once.” The philosophy and practice of formative evaluation and good professional development is Growth Over Time; Expertise Over Time! EDUCATEAlabama is a formative evaluation process, designed for one purpose – to identify current levels of practice and plan and implement professional learning which will enable a teacher to move up the Continua; i.e., move to new levels of practice. No teacher is expected to be at the Innovating or even the Integrating levels of practice in all performance indicators at any given point in time given that those levels are primarily concerned with one’s ability to influence adult practice beyond one’s own classroom. Many teachers may prefer to concentrate on the admirable goal of maximizing their ability to meet the educational needs of all students in their own classrooms. Those teachers may choose to concentrate on ensuring that their practice reaches the level of expertise described by indicators in the Applying level. More explanation is given in subsequent lessons.