Teaching Criteria

Area | * What Should Be Assessed? | Lesson Objectives | * Alignment to rigorous standards * Clarity of lesson objectives * Differentiation of lesson objectives | Lesson Strategies, Activities, and Delivery | * Activation of students’ prior knowledge * Use of strategies that are appropriate for the lesson objectives * Use of activities and student work that engage students as active learners * Differentiation of strategies, activities, and student work to ensure that all students sufficiently benefit from the lesson * Communication of accurate, relevant content, key concepts and understandings * Pacing and use of class time * Collaboration with co-teachers and aids | Physical Environment | * * Acquisition of resources and supplies needed for the lesson * Classroom organization that allows for planned teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions. * Appropriate accommodations for special needs students |

Area | * What Should Be Assessed? | Classroom Management and Leadership | * Classroom rules, expectations and procedures that minimize down time, maintain student discipline/behavior, and maximize student engagement in the material * Reinforcement of positive behavior; redirection of off-task conversations; correction of disruptive behaviors * Reinforcement of school-wide norms and use of school-wide routines * Modeling of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility | Student Engagement and Real-TimeAssessment | * Students’ active participation in the learning process * Students’ perseverance and persistence through material; students’ resilience * Students’ timely completion of assignments (out of class and in class) * Assessment of students’ understanding using real-time techniques that align to lesson objectives (e.g., Checks for Understandings) * Identification and correction of common misunderstandings * Movement of students to the rigorous levels of understanding required