Resource Guide for Deepening the Understanding of Teacher's Professional Practices

Resource Guide Overview

To support fair and consistent evaluations, CDE is developing tools to promote common interpretations of teacher quality. One tool is The Resource Guide for Deepening the Understanding of Teacher's Professional Practices. The resource guide is meant to support Colorado school district employees, administrators and teachers in developing an understanding of the Colorado State Model Evaluation System Teacher Rubric.

As individuals apply the rubric to their own teaching and to that of others, the resource guide can support observers and coaches in accurately identifying evidence for the professional practices. The research, examples provided and the glossary can be used to support the development of a common language for Colorado school district employees to analyze, reflect and plan instruction.

To further support educators, observers, coaches, and principals/evaluators in their efforts during this time of different and changing instructional environments (i.e., in-person, remote/virtual, and hybrid), a new Addendum to the Resource Guide for Deepening the Understanding of Teachers’ Professional Practices is now available. This Addendum does not provide an example for every professional practice or element. Rather, it offers suggestions and considerations for teachers and evaluators/observers when thinking about what the element might look like, as well as considerations for observing the element, in remote/virtual or hybrid learning environments.

We encourage your feedback and submission of examples and resources for the continued development of this resource. Please contact Educator_Effectiveness@cde.state.co.us with your feedback, questions or additional resources.

View the entire Resource Guide here, or access an interactive version below.

View the entire NEW Addendum here, with links to specific elements below.

About the Standards and Elements

For the elements within each standard, you will find explanations of the professional practices under three rating levels: Level I, Level II, Level III.

The content at the practice or element level presents research related to the practice and ideas for implementing it. Related research provides a rationale for the professional practices in the rubric and can be useful to principals, assistant principals, or others who provide training on an element or who provide feedback to a teacher.

Using research to illustrate a specific practice increases understanding of why that practice is considered a best practice. Ideas for implementation are suggestions for teachers to consider when planning for instruction. Additionally, evaluators can refer to them when providing feedback or ongoing support to teachers.

Quality Standard I

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 (e.g., science, social studies, arts, physical education, or world languages). The secondary Teacher has knowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s).

Quality Standard II:

Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.

Quality Standard III:

Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction and create an environment that facilitates learning for their students.