T-TESS Rubric Quick Guide

Planning
Instructional planning includes:
1.1
Standards and Alignment
  • All goals, objectives, activities, materials and assessments aligned to standards
  • Relevant connections to students’ prior knowledge, other subjects, and real world
  • Lesson cycle logically sequenced withtime for lesson, student work, reflection and closure
  • Appropriate for diverse learners
  • Opportunities for extensions
  • Integration of technology to enhance mastery
/ 1.2
Data and Assessment
  • Formal and informal assessments to monitor progress
  • Data informs lesson plans and use of instructional strategies
  • Timely and specific feedback
  • Self-reflection to monitor teachings strategies and behaviors
  • Engagement in campus-wide goal-setting
  • Processes in place for students to track their own progress
/ 1.3
Knowledge of Students
  • Connections to students’ prior knowledge, experiences, interests and future learning expectations
  • Adjustments to address gaps in background knowledge, life experiences and skills of all students
  • Guidance for students to apply strengths to enhance each other’s learning
  • Opportunities for students to utilize individual learning patterns and habits
/ 1.4
Activities
  • Questions, asked by teacher and students, encourage complex, higher-order thinking and problem-solving
  • Instructional groups based on needs of students
  • Grouping allows students to take ownership of group with individual accountability
  • Students set goals, reflect, evaluate and hold each other accountable
  • Activities, resources and technology aligned to standards, appropriate for ability levels, actively engage students

Instruction
The teacher:
2.1
Achieving Expectations
  • Sets high academic and social-emotional expectations
  • Anticipates and addresses student mistakes
  • Persists until all students have mastered objective
  • Provides opportunities for students to set goals, self-correct, and monitor progress over time
/ 2.2
Content Knowledge and Expertise
  • Conveys a depth of content knowledge and connections to other disciplines/real world
  • Anticipates possible misunderstandings and proactively responds
  • Provides opportunities for different types of thinking
  • Sequences instruction to reflect how lesson fits within standards, discipline, related contents, real world
/ 2.3
Communication
  • Two-way communication (teacher-student, student-teacher, students-students)
  • Clear verbal and written communication
  • Anticipates and is responsive to misunderstandings
  • Asks high-level questions to deepen learning, pique curiosity
  • Supports student-directed learning by balancing wait time, questioning and student response
/ 2.4
Differentiation
  • Adapts lessons to address needs of all students
  • Monitors quality of student performance and participation
  • Provides differentiated methods and content to support all learners
  • Minimizes confusing by responding to all students’ learning/social/emotional needs
/ 2.5
Monitor and Adjust
  • Utilizes input from students to monitor and adjust instruction activities and pacing
  • Adjusts instruction to maintain engagement
  • Checks for understanding through purposeful questioning and academic feedback

Learning Environment
Learning environment includes:
3.1
Classroom Environment, Routines and Procedures
  • Clear and effective classroom routines and procedures
  • Student leadership of routines and procedures, as well as managing groups and supplies
  • Safe and organized classroom
  • Classroom designed to engage, challenge and inspire students
/ 3.2
Managing Student Behavior
  • Clear behavior system
  • Reinforcement for positive behavior
  • Skillful interception of misbehavior
  • Collaboration with students to create, adopt and maintain classroom behavior standards
/ 3.3
Classroom Culture
  • Students engaged in relevant, meaningful learning
  • Teacher adjusts lessons based on students’ interests and abilities
  • Teacher creates a positive rapport amongst students
  • Students collaborate positively and encourage each other’s efforts and achievements

Professional Practices and Responsibilities
The teacher:
4.1
Professional Demeanor and Ethics
  • Behaves in accordance with code of ethics
  • Models professional standards in classroom, campus and district
  • Advocates for the needs of all students
/ 4.2
Goal Setting
  • Sets and modifies short and long-term professional goals
  • Uses self-assessment, reflection, peer and supervisor feedback, research, analysis of student learning to inform goals
  • Implements goals and changes in practice to improve student performance
/ 4.3
Professional Development
  • Leads colleagues collaboratively on campus and within PLCs, as well as opportunities to lead at the district/state/national level
  • Actively and collaboratively participates in all professional development activities
  • Uses data analysis and reflection to identify professional development needs of self, PLC, campus, and district
/ 4.4
School Community Involvement
  • Systematically contacts parents/guardians regarding students’ academic, social and emotional growth
  • Joins or initiates collaborative efforts to enhance student learning and growth
  • Clearly communicates missions, values, goals of school to stakeholders
  • Leads students and other stakeholders to reach goals