RESOURCES
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
The following resources have been identified to support effective practice and professional growth as defined by the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards that form the basis of the Model Teacher Evaluation System. Resources have been organized by Standards and Elements within the Professional Practices Rubric used for evaluating Colorado teachers and support the practices further described in the Resource Guide for Deepening Understanding of Teachers' Professional Practices. A timeline of the evaluation process is available here. All evaluations for the district are housed in the Colorado State Model Performance Management System (RANDA). Please note that this list is NOT comprehensive and will be regularly updated as new resources become available.
QUALITY STANDARD 1 - Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach. The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content that he or she teaches. The secondary teacher has knowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s).
ELEMENT A- Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards; their district’s organized plan of instruction; and the individual needs of their students.
District Lesson Planning Template - Use this template to plan daily and weekly lessons within a unit
Colorado Academic Standards - Direct link to the Colorado Academic Standards
Common Core State Standards- Direct link tot he Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and Math
Key Shifts in ELA - Provides an overview of the key shifts in CCSS ELA standards from previous standards
Key Shifts in Math - Provides an overview of the key shifts in CCSS Math standards from previous standards
Appendix A - Provides key information on text complexity, Writing, Speaking and listening demands of the CCSS standards.
Appendix B - Provides text exemplars and sample performance tasks to assist teachers in assuring that instruction is aligned to the CCSS
Appendix C - Provides student writing samples to guide teachers in aligning instruction to the demands of the CCSS
Colorado Sample Curriculum - A collection of sample unit overviews and instructional units for each grade level and content area
Achieve the Core - Developed by the designers of the CCSS, this resource provides PD, resources and tools for implementing the CCSS
ELA Literacy Lesson Bank - A library of nearly 300 free CCSS-aligned lessons for grades 3-10
History/Social Studies Lessons- A collection of free CCSS-aligned history and social studies lessons.
Engage NY - Common Core Aligned curriculum, units, lessons and supporting materials in ELA and Math for grades Pk-12
Saylor Academy - Open source curriculum and materials for multiple grade levels and subject areas. Includes textbooks and lesson plans
Bell Ringers and Do Nows- A list of 25 bell-ringer and do now activities to support high quality instruction
Learning Objectives - Online tutorial for writing quality learning objectives
Writing Instructional Objectives - Provides guidance and a helpful protocol for writing high quality instructional objectives
Bloom's Taxonomy - Task oriented question construction based breakdown of Bloom's Taxonomy
Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs) - A guide for writing quality DOLs to formatively assess student learning. Includes examples for all content areas.
ELEMENT B- Teachers demonstrate knowledge of student literacy development in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
What Content Area Teachers Should Know About Adolescent Literacy - Provides basic information about how to build adolescent reading and writing skills.
Instructional Strategies that Facilitate Literacy Across Content Areas - background and supporting resources for integrating literacy across content areas
Seven Literacy Strategies That Work - A brief overview of research-based literacy strategies to promote literacy across all grade levels and content areas.
Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) - Access to training, resources and curricula to support implementation of CCSS Literacy Standards.
LDC Core Tools - Access to online tool for designing LDC modules.
Closing in on Close Reading - Overview of Close Reading as a high-impact strategy for supporting development of reading skills for students
Close Reading of Text - VIDEO example of close reading using Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Close Reading Model Lessons - An array of sample lessons designed around close reading of text. Includes samples from K-12.
Text Dependent Questions and the CCSS - Overview of using Text-dependent questions as a strategy to support close reading of text
A Primer on Active Reading - Provides a brief overview of active reading and how it supports literacy skill development
Active Reading Strategies (1 of 4) - A collection of ready-to use templates to support active reading and engagement with text
Information Literacy Defined - A quick look at the skills that underlie information literacy as well as resources to support the teaching of IL
Information Literacy Skills Competency Checklist (PK-2) - A ready-to-use skills checklist for teaching IL in grades Pk-2
Information Literacy Skills Competency Checklist (3-5) - A ready-to-use skills checklist for teaching IL in grades 3-5
Information Literacy Skills Competency Checklist (6-8) - A ready-to-use skills checklist for teaching IL in grades 6-8
Information Literacy Skills Competency Checklist (9-12) - A ready-to-use skills checklist for teaching IL in grades 9-12
Socratic Seminars - A complete resource for understanding Socratic seminars as a strategy for teaching and learning. Includes links to resources
ELEMENT C: Teachers demonstrate knowledge of mathematics and understand how to promote student development in numbers and operations, algebra, geometry and measurement and data analysis and probability.
Numeracy in the News - A collection of numeracy-based articles and lessons that bring math to life for all students
Primas - Inquiry-based lessons and materials for teaching math in primary through secondary grades
Implementing the Mathematical Practice Standards - Includes visual representations of CCSS student math practices as well as teacher resources
Illustrative Mathematics - A bank of tasks, lessons and activities to build math skills and conceptual knowledge
NRICH Mathematics - A variety of resources for teaching and learning 21st century mathematics as per the CCSS
The Shell Center Mathematics Assessment Project (MDC) - A large bank of formative assessment tasks and lessons aligned to the CCSS
The Shell Center Education Publications- Complete open-source guides and projects to support inquiry-based math instruction across K-12
Bowland Maths: Math Centered Classroom Projects - A collection of classroom projects and case studies to support integration of math across curriculum
A Primer on Talk Moves - A brief overview of the "Talk Moves" strategy for supporting student discourse in mathematics
Talk Moves Poster - A ready-to-use poster for your classroom includes the 5 talk moves used to support student discourse in mathematics
ELEMENT D: Teachers demonstrate knowledge of the content, central concepts, tools of inquiry, appropriate evidence-based instructional practices and specialized character of the disciplines being taught.
A Primer on Breaking Down Content for Students - VIDEO example for understanding how to break down content for students.
Concept Mapping - A complete resource for understanding how to use concept mapping to help students break down and engage with content.
Instructional Scaffolding to Improve Learning - A primer on instructional scaffolding to support student learning across disciplines. Includes resources
50 Ways to Leave Your Lecture - A collection of research-based engagement strategies to support high quality teaching and learning
Infographics - Provides an overview of infographics and their use to support student engagement and assessment
Reading Like a Historian - A resource for engaging students in historical inquiry and building disciplinary literacy skills.
Four Stage Text Investigation - A strategy for teaching disciplinary literacy with attention to the specialized character of disciplines
ELEMENT E: Teachers develop lessons that reflect the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines