Framework for Teaching Proficiency System
Observer Training
Training includes an overview of the system and foundational information (collecting evidence, etc.). You’ll watch short video clips (about 5 minutes) to learn about each component within domains 2 and 3. For each component, you’ll learn to differentiate between the performance levels. Rationales explain why the video best fits that performance level.
Scoring Practice
During scoring practice you’ll watch longer videos (about 15 minutes) where you’ll practice collecting evidence and score the videos in all components of domains 2 & 3. This section of the training prepares you for the proficiency tests.
Proficiency Tests (1 & 2)
Tests are very similar to your scoring practice. You will have 50 questions on each test. You’ll watch videos and record evidence to score the video. You’ll have several multiple choice questions, where you’ll need to know the difference between bias, interpretation, and evidence. You’ll also have examples of evidence from the video and will need to decide which domain & component (2a, …) it supports.
Tips –
Preparing for the Proficiency Test
- Don’t short cut. Spend time in the training modules to understand the performance levels and their differences.
- Understand the difference between bias, interpretation, and evidence. Make notes.
- Spend time in the practice modules. Study the rationales that compare your scoring to the “expert score” to deepen understanding. Print them out and study them.
- Practice scripting your evidence – what you see and hear; what the teacher does and says; what the students are doing, saying
- Practice assigning evidence to domains & components (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b . . . )
- Take notes as you study and have handy as you test
- Do the systems check
When you are ready to take the assessment . . .
- Do the systems check
- Have your notes and practice rationales handy.
- Have notes on bias, interpretation, and evidence handy.
- Schedule uninterrupted quiet time (at least 3 hours per test – 6 hours are allowed). Do not let the test sit idle for a long period or you will be locked out.
- Do not start a test unless you have time to complete it
- Have the Teachscape helpdesk email/phone number handy. If you have computer issues during your session, do not log out. Call/email helpdesk immediately. If help is unavailable, do not log out, but you can close the browser.
From Teachscape on recording evidence
Record what you see or hear in a lesson. After you have collected all of the evidence, you will interpret it using the rubrics in order to determine the levels of performance.
Evidence is not evenly distributed throughout a lesson. You may find that one brief event in a classroom contains evidence for more than one component. You may also find that some evidence is more pertinent than other evidence. Over time you will become skilled at identifying the most important evidence.
Refrain from interpreting evidence and making judgments until you've considered the evidence against the rubrics.
Evidence: It is important that you record as evidence only what you see, hear, or read—not your interpretation of what you see or your opinion about it. Evidence may be what the teacher or a student says or what they do, including body language (e.g., teacher walking around the classroom, students waving their hands in the air to be recognized, students slumping in their chairs, students putting their heads on their desks).
Interpretation: To make a scoring judgment for each component, you will need to interpret your evidence. However, you should use the criteria established in the rubrics to interpret evidence after you have collected all of the evidence. While you are in the process of collecting evidence, you should refrain from making interpretative statements. This helps to ensure that the teaching is not misrepresented and helps to ensure fair and reliable determination of levels of performance. It would be interpretation to say, for example, that the students appear comfortable, happy, or bored. These are interpretations of the actual evidence from the classroom, which would describe what students actually did or said.
Bias: When you make value judgments based on a teacher's or the students' age, race, gender, appearance, perceived economic status, or accent, these judgments may influence both how you collect evidence and make scoring decisions based on that evidence. For example, if a teacher is wearing jeans, it would be bias to assume that the teacher has established a casual, laid-back classroom atmosphere. Bias may also exhibit itself when personal preferences about teaching practices, materials, and classroom environment influence your judgment. For example, if you think that using technology is the best way to teach and let that opinion get in the way of identifying evidence of what is actually happening in the classroom when no technology is used, then bias interferes with your collection of evidence and determining the appropriate level of performance. Warning flags can sometimes be words like could have, should have, must have, ought to have, and so on.
Consider what you do not see or hear.
There might be times when what you do not see or hear is relevant evidence. For example, pertinent evidence may be that students do not ask any questions, that students are not participating in an activity, or that no inappropriate behavior is observed in the classroom.