Crosswalk of the 2013 Danielson Framework for Teaching and

Critical Attributes of the Literacy Design Collaborative Model

Prepared by: The Southern Regional Education Board

Framework for Teaching
Danielson 2013
Distinguished Indicators (Level 4) / Aligned Characteristics of Exemplary Application of the LDC Model / What Master Teachers Need to Know/Be Able to Do / What School Leaders: Need to Know/Be Able to Do
1a: DemonstratingKnowledge ofContentandPedagogy
The teacher displays extensive knowledge of the important concepts in the discipline and how these relate both to one another and to other disciplines. The teacher demonstrates understanding of prerequisite relationshipsamong topics andconcepts and thelinkto necessary cognitive structures by studentsto ensure understanding. The teacher’s plans and practice reflect familiarity with a wide range of effective pedagogical approaches in the discipline and the ability to anticipate misconceptions.
Critical Attributes
The teacher’s plans demonstrate awareness of possible student misconceptions and how they can be addressed.
The teacher’s plans reflect recent developments in content-related pedagogy.
Teachercitesintra- andinter-disciplinary content relationships. / The Teacher:
  1. Selects a template task that is appropriate to the content instruction. The task includes an authentic written product that is based on evidence from reading multiple, informational texts.
  2. Selects informational texts or organizes students to research informational texts that are appropriate to the course content and are challenging.
  3. Designs a module that has a detailed instructional ladderthat includes specific skill instruction in literacy/content, that asks students to create a product to demonstrate skill acquisition, and that provides a scoring guide to assess student work.
  4. Organizes an instructional module that connects four distinct skill clusters in order for students to complete a successful written product.
  5. Develops a variety of instructional strategies for students to acquire skills and to avoid misconceptions as well as to be responsible for their own learning and the learning of others.
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers in selecting a template task appropriate to the curriculum.
2.Assist teachers to identify and select complex, informational text appropriate to the task.
3.Assist teachers to select a writing task that is authentic and rigorous that provides the means to showing understanding of text.
4.Assist teachers to design an instructional model that addresses the skills needed for students to be successful on the task.
5.Assist teachers to select appropriate instructional strategies, student product types and assessment, measures for literacy skills embedded in an instructional module.
6.Assist teachers to develop appropriate questions to encourage students to deeply investigate text and construct authentic written products.
7.Assist teachers in linking a variety of literacy strategies to the subject area.
8.Share formative assessment tools to examine LDC questions, tasks, modules, and literacy strategies. / School Leaders:
1.Review LDC tasks for inclusion of complex informational text and appropriate written products.
2.Review LDC Instructional Modules to identify appropriate strategies that address reading and writing skills.
3.Find evidence of student engagement and student achievement growth when reviewing instructional modules.
4.Find evidence of literacy instruction used in teaching content.
5.Advise teachers and other administrators on how to improve instructional planning.
1b: DemonstratingKnowledgeofStudents
The teacher understands that active nature of student learning and acquires information about levels of development for individual students. The teacher also acquires knowledge from several sources about individual students’ varied approaches to learning, knowledge and skills, special needs and interests and cultural heritages.
Critical Attributes
The teacher uses ongoing methods to assess students’ skill levels and designs instruction accordingly.
The teacher maintains a system of updated student records and incorporates medical and/or learning needs into lesson plans. / The teacher:
  1. Determines students’ approximate reading levels, their skills in writing, and modifies teaching tasks through the selection of appropriate Demands (D1-D8).
  2. Selects reading materials that are at or above their students reading levels.
  3. Challenges students to grow as readers by allowing them to struggle with their reading.
  4. Puts support structures in place with the scaffolding to enable them to read informational texts critically.
  5. Ensures that student assessment is constant through the designed mini-tasks; assesses where students are and revises plans accordingly.
  6. Designs flexible grouping that allows students to be responsible for their learning
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers to differentiate within an instructional module by selectingappropriate additional Demands (D1-D8) to a teaching task.
2.Assist teachers with instructional strategies that address the student diversity and additional Demands.
3.Assist teachers to establish learning groups within the classroom to aid in learning.
4.Assist teachers to identify and utilize a diverse set of complex, informational texts to address diverse student needs.
5.Assist teachers to develop a range of varied assessment measures to evaluate the quality of student work.
6.Assist teachers to review assessment results and make adjustments to instruction accordingly. / School Leaders:
1.Detect evidence of differentiated instructional planning in an instructional module.
2.Discuss approaches to address the diversity of cognitive development with teachers.
3.Identify appropriate groupings within a classroom and assess their effectiveness during mini-tasks.
4.Discuss how a variety of literacy strategies are used in a lesson to helps students acquire the literacy skills to be successful.
1c: SettingInstructionalOutcomes
All outcomes represent high-level learning in the discipline.Theoutcomes are clear, writtenin the formofstudent learning,and permit viable methods ofassessment. Outcomes reflect severaldifferent typesoflearning and, where appropriate, representopportunities for bothcoordination andintegration. Outcomes take intoaccountthe varying needs of individual students.
Critical Attributes
Teacher plans reference curricular frameworks or blueprints to ensure accurate sequencing.
Teacher connects outcomes to previous and future learning
Outcomes are differentiated to encourage individual students to take educational risks. / The Teacher:
  1. Expects students to become “readers of the content” so that they can learn, firsthand, the important aspects of the content rather than having it filtered or watered down for them.
  2. Designs a Critical Focus Question (CFQ) that will guide students through the unit, including regular reference to the CFQ to maintain continuity throughout the unit
  3. Makes connections between each mini-task activity and how the activity teaches students a skill they will need to complete the Task. Assignments are built to engage students in learning.
  4. Addresses multiple learning styles when designing modules.
  5. Designs the Teaching Task strictly from the standards as listed in the content and in the State or National standards. The module is a step-by-step approach for reaching and exceeding the standards.
  6. Guides each student to complete an individual product that allows for growth through risk taking and is a result of revision and re-doing.
  7. Encourages students toset progressively higher achievement goals and use new knowledge to identify other aspects of a topic which they want to pursue on their own.
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers to review pre-assessment data to determine student outcomes in literacy for the content area.
2.Assist teachers to develop outcomes that represent high expectations and rigor.
3.Assist teachers to generate outcomes that are related to “big ideas” of the discipline.
4.Assist teachers to develop outcomes for each module that address diverse student abilities and needs.
5.Assist teachers to select outcomes that represent a diverse range: factual, conceptual understanding, reasoning, social, management, communication.
6.Assist teachers to develop outcomes that are suitable to groups of students in the class, differentiated where necessary.
7.Assist teachers to design plans that ensure accurate sequencing.
8. Encourage teachers to connect outcomes to previous and future learning.
9.Assist teachers to develop engaging learning activities that promote interest and inspire students to seek more information to address a critical focus question. / School Leaders:
1.Preview the teacher’s pre-assessment data and discuss expected outcomes.
2.Determine student understanding of outcomes.
3.Determine how outcomes link to content/discipline.
4.Determine student engagement with outcomes and the varied range of application as well as the suitability and differentiation of outcomes.
5.Examine plans and correlation to frameworks/sequencing of content and mastery.
6.Ask question that allow teachers to explain the sequence of instruction that leads to desired outcomes.
1d: Demonstrating Knowledge ofResources
The teacher’s knowledge of resources for classroom use and for extending one’s professional skill is extensive, including those available through the school or district, in the community, through professional organizations and universities, and in the Internet
Critical Attributes
Texts are matched to student skill level.
Teacher facilitates Internet resources.
Resources are multidisciplinary.
Teacher provides lists of resources outside the class for students to draw on.
The teacher facilitates student contact with resources outside the classroom. / The Teacher:
  1. Examines the levels and appropriateness of informational texts to use, giving attention to reading level, interest level, level of engagement, vocabulary, relevance to the content, and cultural diversity.
  2. Designs instruction so that all students critically read and understand complex, informational texts that are at or above grade level.
  3. Makes use of available resources to develop instructional modules that are challenging and provide structure for learning (national LDC resources, local and state professional development resources, etc.).
  4. Designs activities and opportunities for learning through collaboration.
  5. Infuses the best available technology into the classroom to make learning more meaningful.
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers to identify and utilize a diverse set of complex, informational texts to address diverse student needs
2.Assist teachers to develop learning activities that foster independent learning, help each other in the learning and encourage collaboration
3.Guide teachers to become familiar with national LDC resources including websites, internet postings and sample modules.
4.Share sample modules and LDC exemplars to guide teachers with the development of their own modules. / School Leaders:
1.Understand strategies that allow students to investigate complex informational texts.
2.Suggest additional resources available that may enhance instruction.
3.Detect activities in an instructional module that demonstrate high levels of student engagement (socially, emotionally, behaviorally, as well as academically).
4.Become familiar with national LDC resources to help teachers with their professional growth.
1e: DesigningCoherentInstruction
The sequence of learning activities follows a coherent sequence, is aligned to instructional goals, and is designed to engage students in high-level cognitive activity. These are appropriately differentiated for individual learners. Instructional groups are varied appropriately with some opportunity for student choice.
Critical Attributes
Activities permit student choice.
Learning experiences connect to other disciplines.
Teacher provides a variety of appropriately challenging resources that are differentiated for students in the class.
Lesson plans differentiate for individual student needs. / The Teacher:
  1. Creates an instructional module around a two to four week plan of learning that is laid out step-by-step and is based on critical reading of complex, informational text and the completion of a significant writing product. The instruction that is designed for the implementation of the module is specific, engaging, and rigorous, and advances knowledge of the specific content.
  2. Establishes a clear purpose for learning through the use of Critical Focus Questions, engaging activities, texts and sustained opportunities for research to produce authentic written products.
  3. Makes clear connections between the importance of literacy and the context of the content area.
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers to plan instruction around meaningful units of time and logical “chunks” of content
2.Assist teachers to develop writing prompts that require sustained research and opportunities for revision.
3.Assist teachers to select varied literacy strategies appropriate to reading and writing in the content area. / School Leaders:
1.Identify a sequence of instruction that is consistent with the Task and content.
2.Observe plans for a diversity of student texts appropriate to the task.
3.Detect examples of differentiated instruction in lessons and min-tasks.
1f: DesigningStudentAssessments
All the instructional outcomes may be assessed by the proposed assessment plan, with clear criteria for assessing student work. The plan contains evidence of student contribution to its development. Assessment methodologies have been adapted for individual students as the need has arisen. The approach to using formative assessment is well designed and includes student as well as teacher use of the assessment information.
Critical Attributes
Assessments provide opportunities for student choice.
Students participate in designing assessments for their own work.
Teacher designed assessments are authentic, with real world application as appropriate.
Students develop rubrics according to teacher-specified learning objectives.
Students are actively involved in collecting information from formative assessments and provide input. / The Teacher:
  1. Develops daily mini-tasks that end with an assessment of the student’s learning. Each day the teacher assesses student products to determine if students are learning, if individual students need additional work, and to decide if the skill needs to be re-taught.
  2. Uses writing rubrics in a formative way throughout the unit to ensure student improvement. Students are taught the rubrics and learn to use them both on their own work and on those of their peers. The rubrics are a significant tool to ensure that students recognize excellence and that they can reach it.
  3. Makes use of designed rubrics for writing tasks (argumentative, informational/explanatory and narrative).
  4. Generates written feedback for students, assessment data to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as plans to improve future instruction.
/ Master Teachers:
1.Assist teachers to design end of class (and mini-task) assessments that pinpoint student understanding and to use the feedback to modify instruction in subsequent lessons
2.Assist teachers to use scoring rubrics for purposes other than for summative assessment, but rather as formative opportunities to understand a prompt’s demands and to revise student work prior to submission of a final product.
3.Assist teachers to develop written feedback for students on their written work, to analytically examine a body of student work, assess weaknesses and report results. / School Leaders:
1.Examine a student assessment to determine if there are clear expectations for the results.
2.Identify how teachers use formative assessment results to inform instruction.
3.Examine a module mini-task for instruction, student prompt and assessment elements.
4.Assist teachers to develop routines and opportunities to score student work analytically and to provide feedback to students.
5.Use summative assessment results to refine instruction, student growth, and to evaluate programs.
2a:Creating an environmentof respectand rapport
Classroom interactions among the teacher and individual students are highly respectful, reflecting genuine warmth, caring, and sensitivity to students.as individuals. Students exhibit respect for the teacher and contribute to high levels of civility among all members of the class. The net result of interactions is that of connections with students as individuals.
Critical Attributes
Students participate without fear of put-downs or ridicule from either the teacher or other students.
There is no disrespectful behavior among students.
The teacher respects and encourages students’ efforts. / The Teacher:
  1. Fosters collaboration by guiding students to recognize and honor that differing opinions and ideas help their own learning. Students learn that there may be no one right answer--that the ideas of all people matter that can and should be brought into the conversation.
  2. Generates shared learning opportunities in order for students to take control of their own learning and to advance their learning through thinking and thoughtful discussions and disagreements.
  3. Ensures that students learn that true learning takes place is a respectful classroom.
  4. Provides opportunities forstudents towork together in varied groupings throughout the unit.
/ Master Teachers:
  1. Assistteachers to design activities that enable students to review and respect each other’s work.
  2. Assist teachers to design classroom instruction that fosters independence and interdependence when students are engaged in mini-tasks.
/ School Leaders:
  1. Observe a lesson for activities that reflect student interaction, engagement and independence and to provide feedback on the findings
  2. Observe and provide feedback on classroom routine and structures that encourage independent learning and student responsibility for their work.

2b: Establishing aculturefor learning
The classroom culture is a cognitively busy place, characterized by a shared belief in the importance of learning. The teacher conveys high expectations for learning by all students and insists on hard work; students assume responsibility for high quality by initiating improvements, making revisions, adding detail and/or assisting peers in their precise use of language.
Critical Attributes
The teacher communicates a genuine passion for the subject.
Students indicate, through their questions and comments, a desire to understand the content.
Students take the initiative in improving the quality of their work
Students correct one another in their use of language. / The Teacher:
  1. Promotes and maintains a literacy-rich environment where reading is encouraged and supported.
  2. Expects that students take charge of their learning through the reading and analyzing of complex texts.
  3. Informs students that they are expected to learn content through reading; to struggle with their reading and learning; and to know that support will be provided when needed.
  4. Sets the expectation that the classroom is one where everyone is working at his best level, where learning is constant, where questions are posed for thoughtful processes leading to thoughtful answers.
Students know that they cannot reach “the” answer through reading one article,and learn that there may not even be one right answer.