Sample Question

Review the documents provided, review the question, and then review the eight-minute video clip of the lesson.

A principal plans to observe Ms. Herrera, a third-grade teacher, who is in her fifth year of teaching. The teacher plans to review the elements of poetry and teach a lesson on inferencing and drawing conclusions from the text. The principal reviews the teacher's lesson plan and observes the poetry lesson. After the observation, the principal plans to meet with the teacher to provide instructional coaching.

In preparation for coaching, the principal reviews the teacher-created exemplar and student responses to the exit ticket given at the end of the lesson.

Documents

1. The Teacher's Lesson Plan
2. Exit Ticket, a Teacher-Created Exemplar, and Sample Student Responses
3. Video of Clips from the Lesson Observed by the Principal

The principal plans to provide the teacher with feedback during the post-observational coaching session.

Question

Develop a coaching plan to address a high-leverage instructional practice that the teacher should accomplish more effectively. The coaching plan should include the following.

1. Identify ONE high-leverage instructional practice needing improvement. Justify your selection.
2. Identify ONE high-leverage action step that can be implemented by the teacher to address the instructional practice needing improvement.
3. Provide ONE guiding question for the principal to ask the teacher to address the instructional practice needing improvement.
4. Explain how the action step and question will work together to improve the teacher's practice and support student learning.

Be specific in your answers and cite evidence from the documents and video provided.

The Teacher's Lesson Plan

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Grade 3
3.6 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. (A) Students are expected to describe the characteristics of various forms of poetry and how they create imagery (e.g., narrative poetry, lyrical poetry, humorous poetry, free verse). Fig.19.D Students make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding (literary nonfiction, poetry).
Learning Objectives
Students will identify elements of humorous poetry. Students will make inferences and draw conclusions from humorous poems, including citing textual evidence.
Assessment
Check for understanding during each portion of the lesson. Exit ticket with state-mandated assessment aligned questions assessing the targeted TEKS
Resources, Materials, Technology
Question cards for the "Everybody Knows" game Poems "My Brother Has a Habit" by Jack Prelutsky "Sick" by Shel Silverstein "Saw My Teacher on a Saturday" by Dave Crawley Guided Practice and Independent Practice Worksheet
Lesson Structure and Procedures
Activating Prior Knowledge (5–7 minutes) Review the elements of poetry studied the week before playing "Everybody Knows" game in groups. Students will be asked level 1 questions on elements of poetry. Sample Game Questions: What is a stanza? How many stanzas do you see on this poem? What are sensory details? What is an example of a sensory detail? What does visualization mean? Why is visualization an important reading strategy? Model/Teach Have students move to the carpet and show them the humorous poem "My Brother Has a Habit" on chart paper. Ask: What is a humorous poem? Read the poem and model a think-aloud showing how to process the text (wear my pink "thinking hat"). After reading the poem, model what can be inferred and what conclusions can be drawn from the poem. Highlight the textual evidence to support my inferences and conclusions. How old do you think the brother is? How does the sister feel toward her brother? Can you conclude that the brother will discontinue his habit? Write the response in sentence form and include text evidence in the written response. Check for understanding of elements of a poem by asking about the stanzas, lines, rhyme, title, and author.  Guided Practice Here is a new poem, "Sick", by Shel Silverstein to learn about together. Explain directions and student groupings. Read the poem silently. Discuss what you think the poem is about in your small group. Complete question 1 by identifying the elements of the poem (title, author, stanzas, lines, example of rhyme). Answer question 2 in their group: What makes Line 15 funny? Talk in your group. Ask a student to share his/her response. Discuss with the class. Answer question 3 in their group: What is the speaker trying to say in Line 26? Check student understanding by asking students to share their responses and correct any misconceptions for each question. Independent Practice Complete questions 4–6 on your own. While students work, rotate around the room and monitor their work. The first time look for students' conclusions. The second time look for their text evidence to support their response. Ask 1–2 students to share their responses. Discuss. Exit Ticket
Differentiation/Adaptations
Provide additional guidance for students in special education. Provide definitions for targeted words for English learners to support their vocabulary development and comprehension.

Exit Ticket, a Teacher-Created Exemplar, and Sample Student Responses

Exit Ticket Question 1 Which of these lines from the poem rhyme? Lines 2 and 4 Lines 5 and 7 Lines 11 and 12 Lines 23 and 24	Saw My Teacher on a Saturday By Dave Crawley Saw my teacher on a Saturday! I can't believe it's true! I saw her buying groceries, Like normal people do! (4) She reached for bread and turned around, And then she caught my eye. She gave me a smile and said, "Hello," I thought that I would die! (8) "Oh, hi...hello, Miss Appleton," I mumbled like a fool. I guess I thought that teacher types Spend all their time at school. (12) To make the situation worse, My mom was at my side. So many rows of jars and cans So little room to hide. (16) Oh, please, I thought, don't tell my mom What I did yesterday! I closed my eyes and held my breath And hoped she'd go away. (20) Some people think it's fine to let Our teachers walk about, But when it comes to Saturdays, They shouldn't let them out! (24)
TEKS for Question 1 3.6 (A) Students are expected to describe the characteristics of various forms of poetry and how they create imagery (e.g., narrative poetry, lyrical poetry, humorous poetry, free verse).
Item Analysis Option A–100% (Answer Key) Option B–0% Option C–0% Option D–0%
Exit Ticket Question 2 Why does the poet use exclamation points in the first stanza? To express the speaker's joy To describe the speaker's thoughts To show the speaker's fear To emphasize the speaker's surprise
TEKS for Question 2 & 3 3.6 Fig.19.D Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding (literary nonfiction, poetry).
Item Analysis Option A–13% Option B–13% Option C–13% Option D–61% (Answer Key)
Exit Ticket Question 3 Part A In line 8 of the poem, what does the author want to communicate about the speaker? Explain. Part B Do you think something happened at school recently? How do you know? Provide evidence in the text to support your answer.
Item Analysis for Ms. Herrera's Class
Sample Student Responses for Question 3 Question 3, Part A Teacher-Created Exemplar before the Lesson In line 8, the author uses exaggeration to show embarrassment and dread that the speaker feels about seeing his/her teacher at the grocery store. This strong language helps make the poem funny to the reader. High-end responses: The speaker wasn't happy to see the teacher. The boy doesn't want to see the teacher. Mid-level responses: It wants to say that the kids was really surprised. She wants to say the speakers nervous. The speaker was worried. Low-level responses: It said "I thought that it said that I was to die. I was knew that I wanted to die." He is trying to say his teacher is in big big trouble. Question 3, Part B Teacher-Created Exemplar before the Lesson Yes, I think something happened at school recently because lines 17–18 state "don't tell my mom what I did yesterday". This tells the reader that the student did something at school the previous day, and he doesn't want his mom to know about it. High-end responses: I think he did something bad because he was very scead and fritin that the teacher will tell his mom he was bad at school yesterday in the text. I khow that he did something at school because it said oh please I thought don't tll my mom what happpend on yesterday. I think the kid got in trouble because it is in line 18 and 17. Mid-level responses: I think her teacher embarrassed her because she get very nervous around her. I think that he probley did something bad at school or something embrassing Low-level responses: He/she saw his teacher at the store and probably she'd die. I don't think something happened at school. I just think that the kid was surprised to see the teacher. I think he/she was afraid at the teachers and he/she doesn't want the teachers to have break.

Video of Clips from the Lesson

Review the eight-minute video clip of a teacher presenting a lesson.

During the video, the video clip will jump ahead to a future portion of the lesson occasionally. When the video skips ahead, it will be indicated by both an audible tone and a visual fade of the video.

The video presents a teacher instructing students on a poetry lesson. Students are seated at desks positioned in groups of 2–4 students. At the start of the video, the teacher is at the front of the class ready to begin the lesson.

Play video in new window

View a transcript of the video

Suggested Approach

Candidates can apply the cognitive process questions and test-taking strategies provided earlier to this constructed-response question as follows.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 4

The instructional practice needing improvement is to more explicitly teach students how to prove their conclusions and inferences using textual evidence in a written response, as stated in the lesson plan objective. In the video Ms. Herrera did model, when she highlighted how she supported her conclusion about whether the boy would continue to stick French fries up his nose. However, during the guided practice portion of the lesson, students had difficulty citing evidence that supported their conclusions. As she monitored the students' responses on question 5, she consistently had to ask "what can the reader conclude? Use text evidence. . .". The exit ticket results for both parts of question 3 also show that many students gave mid- and low-level responses without text evidence to support their conclusions. So, although Ms. Herrera did model the process in the video, it was not explicit enough for the students to successfully follow during guided and independent practice.

The action step, that I would recommend for Ms. Herrera, would be to structure the modeling and guided practice sections of the lesson to ensure the activities align with the level of rigor of the objective and the exit ticket. During modeling the teacher should explicitly demonstrate each step of the process using the same vocabulary as the objective and the exit ticket. Additionally, if the exemplars include line numbers with the contextual evidence, then she should model this as well. Ms. Herrera could further support this action by using an anchor chart with the specific steps for students to cite text evidence and follow as she models. Then the guided practice should help the students apply those same specific steps in order to perform successfully during independent practice and on the exit ticket. Also, the students can repeatedly use the anchor chart as a reference throughout the year.

To help the teacher improve her instructional practice in explicitly teaching students to cite evidence to support conclusions, the principal could ask, "How do you determine if students fully understand what they are expected to do in each section of your lesson, before you move on to the exit ticket?"

The guiding question is intended to help Ms. Herrera reflect on how she can implement the action step to make the lesson more effective and acknowledge that Ms. Herrera has been teaching for five years and is not a novice. The question and the action step work together by bringing the focus on how Ms. Herrera can implement the action to ensure her students will be practicing, mastering and applying the specific skills they will need to demonstrate on the exit ticket. This will also support their reading comprehension in general. 

Rationale for the Score of 4 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 4 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of how to routinely monitor instruction through classroom observations and attend teacher-led meetings in order to coach and develop teachers by providing evidence-based feedback to help teachers improve instruction. The response receives a score of 4 because overall the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 3

The high-leverage, instructional practice that needs to be improved in this situation is the amount of time that the teacher spent on identifying the elements of poetry compared to the time that she spent on the more rigorous skill of making inferences and drawing conclusions. It appeared that the students had already mastered the identification of the elements of poetry. Yet, when the teacher moved to the instructional part of the lesson, she didn't take into account that the students had already demonstrated mastery of this skill. Rather, she went ahead as planned and spent too much time on the first skill, which reduced the time she could spend on the more difficult skill that needed instruction. Kids like the elements of poetry so that might be why the teacher focused on this—for fun with the kids. Again, although it is fun, it wasn't the most difficult skill to spend that much time on.

The action step that should be implemented by the teacher to address this instructional practice needing improvement is as follows:

When lesson planning, the teacher needs to take into account the skills that have been previously taught. It would appear that the TEKS objective regarding the elements of poetry had been taught and mastered when covering other types of poetry, such as narrative poetry. Then the teacher needs to be able to adjust her plan for instruction during the lesson as well. It was evident that she was going to stick to her lesson plan regardless of how the lesson was going. It was clear that they had not fully grasped the skills and steps needed. She needs to analyze the lesson at various points, such as after activating prior knowledge or modeling. By doing this in the future, she will be able to adjust her lesson plan and instruction as the lesson progresses and therefore concentrate her efforts in the area that needs the most attention.

The principal could ask the teacher how she sets the pace of the lesson and how she chooses the activities. This question and action step will allow the teacher, in future lesson planning, to allocate her instructional time more appropriately and concentrate her instruction on the rigorous skill or skills that need the most time. By doing this she will support the students by providing more opportunities to develop their mastery of the skills needed for the exit ticket.

Rationale for the Score of 3 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 3 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a general understanding of how to routinely monitor instruction through classroom observations and attend teacher-led meetings in order to coach and develop teachers by providing evidence-based feedback to help teachers improve instruction. The response receives a score of 3 because overall the response demonstrates a general understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 2

Upon viewing the lesson and examining the documents provided, there are a number of instructional practices needing improvement. Right away, I noticed that it seemed like some students were dominating the conversation. Ms. Herrera needs to develop some structures for student sharing during group work so that all students can be involved in the lesson. Next, there were way too many worksheets being used during this lesson. If Ms. Herrera is going to improve her instructional practice she will need to make instruction more authentic and engaging for all her students, again helping them to stay focused and being active participants in the lesson.

In order to improve Ms. Herrera's professional practice the principal should require her to visit some of her peers to really see how these areas can be addressed. She needs to get more students involved and encourage other students to become more active. The principal should really think about not including teachers who the teacher is really close to, as that wouldn't help. The principal can ask, "Do you make sure that all students are participating?"

After her visits, the principal should meet with her and discuss what she learned and direct her to do a better job. Kids need her and rely on her. After all, she is the instructional expert.

The principal can then do some walk-throughs to see if the teacher is actually getting more students to engage. The principal should also recommend no more than one worksheet be given to students per lesson. Copies of any worksheets given to students should be submitted with lesson plans so that the principal can determine if they are necessary or if some activity might be better to help engage students.

These actions and the question will help get more students engaged and involved in Ms. Herrera's lessons in the future.

Rationale for the Score of 2 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 2 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a limited understanding of how to routinely monitor instruction through classroom observations and attend teacher-led meetings in order to coach and develop teachers by providing evidence-based feedback to help teachers improve instruction. The response receives a score of 2 because overall the response demonstrates a limited understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 1

I would begin by giving Mr. Herrera kudos on modeling the highlighting of evidence during the video because this is very helpful to students learning to use evidence to support their conclusions.

One high-leverage instructional practice that needs to improve is making sure that Ms. Herrera can create an exit ticket that more appropriately reflects the level of her students' skills. The exit ticket created by Ms. Herrera was more rigorous than the students seemed ready for. On all three questions, the students really seemed to struggle. When students struggle they are unable to stay focused and motivated to learn.

Ms. Herrera should be directed to create some new exit tickets that her students have a better chance to be successful with.

Teachers can be very supportive of each other and are usually willing to assist fellow teachers who need help. Ms. Herrera can check with other teachers to see if they have some exit tickets that they have created that their students were more successful with.

Doing this will help Ms. Herrera build a better assortment of exit tickets that her students will be more successful with as well. Getting higher scores on the exit tickets will also make students feel more successful and motivated in Ms. Herrera's class. This will be key to improving students learning and addressing the difficulties that Ms. Herrera had during this lesson.

Rationale for the Score of 1 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 1 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates little or no understanding of how to routinely monitor instruction through classroom observations and attend teacher-led meetings in order to coach and develop teachers by providing evidence-based feedback to help teachers improve instruction. The response receives a score of 1 because overall the response demonstrates little or no understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 4

The first important area of the unit plan needing improvement is the pacing of the instructional objectives to provide more time for the more difficult concepts. Day 1–3 of the unit plan are spent on the lowest level of TEKS objective 8.8(A) and then only 1 day of instruction is spent on the more difficult parts of 8.8(A). Only 2 days of instruction are spent on TEKS objective 8.8(C), which requires students to both solve and model real-world problems with one-variable equations and inequalities with variable on both sides.

The second important area needing improvement is the rigor and alignment of the exit ticket questions for objective 8.8(A) to match the released state-mandated assessment questions. Both of the state-mandated questions are word problems with equations or inequalities having variables on both sides. However, Day 7 exit ticket questions 2 and 4 have students "solve the equation" with one a variable on one side and none are inequalities—less rigorous than the TEKS.

An exemplar of a rigorously aligned 8.8(A) question:

Ron is ordering water bottles. Company A charges $2.502 dollars and 50 cents for each bottle and a one-time engraving fee of $2020 dollars. Company B charges $6.506 dollars and 50 cents for each bottle and a one-time engraving fee of $1212 dollars. Which inequality can be used to find x, the minimum number of bottles that can be ordered so that the total charge at Company A is less than the total charge at Company B?

1. 2.5 + 20x < 6.5 + 12x2.5 plus 20x is less than 6.5 plus 12x
2. 2.5 + 20x > 6.5 + 12x2.5 plus 20x is greater than 6.5 plus 12x
3. 2.5x + 20 < 6.5x + 122.5x plus 20 is less than 6.5x plus 12
4. 2.5x + 20 > 6.5x + 122.5x plus 20 greater 6.5x plus 12

Which option is correct? _____
Explain why each of the other options is incorrect.

Ms. Franz should ask the teachers to break down the TEKS to identify content and context. Then look at how the release questions establish how that TEKS is being assessed and identify the characteristics they see. Then look at the exit ticket questions and identify aspects of the TEKS that are and are not being assessed. Then introduce the exemplar question as a possible replacement for #2 or 4 and discuss the qualities of this question. Last, have the teachers write their own replacement exit ticket questions using the state examples and her exemplar as a model.

Rationale for the Score of 4 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 4 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of how to facilitate the development of and implementation of a rigorous curriculum that aligns with state standards. The response receives a score of 4 because overall the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 3

- Two Important Areas Needing Improvement

1. Exit Tickets and TEKS are not well aligned, nor do they match up well in rigor. In two of the Exit Ticket samples provided, students are only asked to solve the equation, however TEKS requires students to not only solve equations, but to model real world problems.
2. Pacing of objectives of the Teacher-Created Unit does not reflect rigor of the skills presented.
   Looking at the scope and sequence you quickly notice that the introductory skill of one-variable equations with variables on both sides was going to be the focus for the first 3 days and the progressively more difficult skills that followed were only given a day each. While it is critical to provide students with a solid foundation from which to build it is clear that a restructuring of the pacing guide is necessary to more accurately reflect the rigor of the skill being presented.

B – High Quality Exemplar to address pacing
Day 1: Solve one-variable equations with variables on both sides.
Day 2: Solve one-variable inequalities with variables on both sides.
Day 3: Solve one-variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.
Day 4–5: Solve real-world problems that represent one-variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.
Day 6–7: Model and solve one-variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.

C – Plan to coach the teacher using the exemplar
Ms. Franz can have the teachers analyze the rigor of the daily objectives compared to the number of days of instruction. She can then use his exemplar as a model to help them create more appropriate unit pacing in the future.

Rationale for the Score of 3 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 3 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a general understanding of how to facilitate the development of and implementation of a rigorous curriculum that aligns with state standards. The response receives a score of 3 because overall the response demonstrates a general understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 2

A
1. The days that the exit tickets are being administered to students are not appropriate. Exit tickets should assess new learning that has been presented to students. This exit ticket schedule does not match the skills being covered and teachers won't know if reteaching needs to be done until they have already moved on to other skills.
2. The pacing of the scope and sequence provided in the Teacher-Created Mathematics Unit is not appropriate for the skills being taught. The least difficult skill being covered is taking three times as long to teach than the more difficult skills the follow.

B–The assessment portion of the unit plan needs to be rewritten so that exit tickets occur at the end of each lesson. The unit plan should clearly indicate that the schedule of exit ticket assessments are done each day so that student mastery of the daily objectives can be assessed. These exit tickets should be developed so that they provide a true assessment as to whether or not the students mastered the skill. Otherwise, how would the teacher know whether or not the class was ready to move on to the next skill or which students needed remediation on that skill.

C–Ms. Franz should model the example of her daily lesson exit ticket schedule, so her teachers know what her expectations are. She could also ensure that professional development is provided to her teachers on how to create appropriate daily lesson exit tickets. In addition, Ms. Franz should require all teachers to include exit tickets in their lesson plans and provide copies for her inspection periodically.

Rationale for the Score of 2 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 2 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a limited understanding of how to facilitate the development of and implementation of a rigorous curriculum that aligns with state standards. The response receives a score of 2 because overall the response demonstrates a limited understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 1

Area 1 needing improvement — When I look at the unit plan, I am not sure that the pacing provided is appropriate for the skills being taught and whether or not ample time for instruction is planned so that the students will be able to master the TEKS skills being taught. It might help if the pacing portion of the plan included activities that the teachers could use in each lesson.

Area 2 needing improvement — The other thing that I notice when I look at the unit plan is that the state questions have 2 questions on objective A and 2 questions on objective B. However, the exit ticket looks like it has 4 questions on objective A and only 1 question on objective B. This shows a lack of alignment that needs to be addressed.

Ms. Franz should work with the new teachers on how to write lesson plans and create lessons that include rigorous activities that are aligned with the TEKS objectives and the exit tickets. These exemplar lesson plans would provide the teachers with a model that they could use to create quality plans that would serve to guide their daily instruction and help to ensure student mastery on a consistent basis.

Rationale for the Score of 1 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 1 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates little or no understanding of how to facilitate the development of and implementation of a rigorous curriculum that aligns with state standards. The response receives a score of 1 because overall the response demonstrates little or no understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 4

How did you use the data for question 1 to determine the content students didn't understand and use that to inform your plan?

This question seeks to help the teacher see that 75% of the class got this question correct, so small-group instruction may be more appropriate. 25% of the students chose option A, a response that doesn't show they understand what the specific language in this question ("Honey tongue," "teller of tales") means. So the use of literary elements to communicate meaning to the reader is something that the student who chose option A need more instruction in, not theme, as noted by the teacher in her analysis. By targeting her reteach to the correct group of students, and by focusing on literary elements, the reteach will target the appropriate students and the content that the students are struggling with for question 1. The process of looking at item analysis data in this way will help the teacher develop the practice of data-driven analysis that can make each lesson more impactful for learning.

On question 2, how well do you think students demonstrated the ability to use textual evidence to support their claim, and how could you improve your plan to highlight the main ideas in the text to address this area of need?

This question will help the teacher share that the data shows that 50% of the class didn't go back to the text to find information that directly reinforces what they want to say. This coaching question helps the teacher understand that question 2 requires students to draw inferences from sensory language, and then use text evidence to support their thinking. The sample score of 1 shows only a direct quote of "Bompie", the grandfather's name which doesn't appropriately support the response. This half of the class would benefit from instruction on identifying, quoting, and paraphrasing text evidence to support a claim, rather than highlighting the main ideas in the text that address Sophie's personality. Ms. Xang should focus on other high-leverage strategies for textual evidence.

Helping the teacher gain knowledge of what students don't understand from question 1 and 2, improves her planning by using the data to better understand student learning. Tailoring her instruction to those areas, will make her reteach more effective and improve student learning.

Rationale for the Score of 4 Sample Response

Overall, the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of how to support staff to effectively use instructional data, including formative and summative assessment data, to inform effective instructional practices and intervention. The response receives a score of 4 because overall the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Candidates should note that the second attribute of the scoring rubric is not used in the scoring of this question. This attribute, which was not used, begins with "when required, provides actions ..." This attribute of the scoring rubric is not required for this particular question.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 3

Ms. Aguilar could ask Ms. Xang, "Why do you think that few students chose the correct option in the first exit ticket question and what is your rationale for reteaching the lesson to the whole class?"
Depending on the teacher's response I would probe the effectiveness of reteaching literary elements to the entire class when many answered the question indicating that they understood the concept of sensory language and were able to move beyond a literal interpretation of the text.

As a result of my questioning the teacher could develop different instructional strategies for the portion of her students who need to develop a deeper understand beyond the literal interpretation of text. These strategies will help them to make inferences and draw conclusions about how theme may be used to communicate meaning. I would move on to making sure the teacher planning is also effective.

For the second question I would ask, "Why do you think so few students were able to respond to Exit Ticket Question 2 correctly?"

The majority of the students were unable to write a short answer that fully responded to the rubric and that demonstrated their understanding of the text beyond the literal level. The teacher should first do an individual analysis of each student's written responses to identify the errors and/or omissions. Based on this analysis plans should be developed for individual intervention, as needed.

Rationale for the Score of 3 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 3 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a general understanding of how to support staff to effectively use instructional data, including formative and summative assessment data, to inform effective instructional practices and intervention. The response receives a score of 3 because overall the response demonstrates a general understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Candidates should note that the second attribute of the scoring rubric is not used in the scoring of this question. This attribute, which was not used in scoring, begins with "when required, provides actions ..." This attribute is not required for this question.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 2

First, I would ask the teacher, "Why are you planning to reteach to the whole class when only 25% of the class answered the question incorrectly?" The exit ticket analysis shows that the class isn't having trouble with this question really, they're getting to 75%, the desired level by choosing the correct answer.

Second, I would ask the teacher, "Do you think that your students are having difficulty going beyond a literal interpretation of the text?" I think the students are making a more literal interpretation of the text and this is causing them learning difficulties.

I would support the teacher's plan to do a whole class reteach on the importance of theme and how some authors present this in their writing. I would also suggest some additional activities to help students understand inference so they can go beyond a literal interpretation of an author's work.

In addition, I would suggest the teacher provide examples of open-ended responses to text that focus on understanding theme and sensory language.

Rationale for the Score of 2 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 2 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates a limited understanding of how to support staff to effectively use instructional data, including formative and summative assessment data, to inform effective instructional practices and intervention. The response receives a score of 2 because overall the response demonstrates a limited understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Candidates should note that the second attribute of the scoring rubric is not used in the scoring of this question. This attribute, which is not used in scoring, begins with "when required, provides actions ..." This attribute is not required for this question.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 1

It is important to open a coaching session with kudos to the teacher. This teacher is going a nice job making sure she uses summative assessment to guide student learning and should be commended for this work.

The open-ended question is excellent and will advance student learning. These comments will start the session off on a positive note.

Question 1 –
After looking at the students' responses to the exit ticket questions, how do you believe the students could improve their understanding of literary elements and characterization?

Question 2 –
Why did you choose the novel, The Wanderer to read since it was obviously too difficult for the students to understand?

These two questions will give the teacher time to reflect on her exit ticket questions and also determine whether or not there is a more appropriate novel that could be used to better teach this lesson.

Rationale for the Score of 1 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 1 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, the response demonstrates little or no understanding of how to support staff to effectively use instructional data, including formative and summative assessment data, to inform effective instructional practices and intervention. The response receives a score of 1 because overall the response demonstrates little or no understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Candidates should note that the second attribute of the scoring rubric is not used in the scoring of this question. This attribute, which is not used in scoring, begins with "when required, provides actions ..." This attribute is not required for this question.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 4

The most pressing, immediate need to address is reading instruction. The Campus STAAR data indicates that the school is well below the State average in "Approaching Grade Level" and "Meets Grade Level" for all grades and demographics. The Reading Skills Inventory (K–2) also indicates below state performance in all categories.

Ms. Davis will need to develop a multi-step plan that includes the following steps:

1. Complete a needs assessment to determine the conditions that contribute to a positive school culture and identify the barriers that currently exist. This is important so Ms. Davis can prioritize the most important areas to address in the short and long term. The Faculty Survey provides relevant information as 93.8% of the staff responded. Some areas to consider are the teacher's attitudes regarding the implementation of the new curriculum, the use of peer collaboration and planning, professional development opportunities, and the sense of or lack of school community. 82.2% of the faculty agree that the school has a well-defined mission, while only 62.2% agree that teachers collaborate regularly.
2. Focus on the components of change management and provide support to teachers such as instructional coaching and professional development in professional learning communities and data-driven instruction. To address teacher resistance and overall discomfort with the change of curriculum, especially as she is the new principal, Ms. Davis should build relationships with her staff, students and parents. The Faculty Survey comment section indicates not all teachers were included in the committee, and only 51.1% agreed with their decision. Conducting crucial conversations, uncovering the root cause of resistance, and coaching through the levels of change will help to create buy-in and commitment.
3. Create an implementation timeline to ensure key actions (PLC meetings, benchmarks, and data analysis) are taking place and progress checks are conducted systematically. This timeline can improve communication systems and their effectiveness, as only 68.8% of staff feel communication from admin is timely and on the Parent Survey, only 64% of parents felt well informed. Including the teachers in the development of the timeline will create ownership and help them implement the new reading curriculum with fidelity.

By focusing on the steps of this plan, Ms. Davis will effectively address the campus-wide need for improvement in reading. Additionally, this plan will help develop a culture, aligned with the mission, where all teachers and students are valued and given the support needed to achieve academic success.

Rationale for the Score of 4 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 4 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

This response receives a score of 4 because, overall, the response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents

Sample Response Earning a Score of 3

The most pressing, immediate need is putting the new reading program into practice. Assessment data indicates that the students in every grade level are performing below the state average. There are some potential barriers such as teacher resistance and lack of effective communication with staff and parents that negatively impact the culture and could impact the effectiveness of the new reading program.

Ms. Davis needs to create a multi-step plan to address the barriers and the implementation of the new reading curriculum. She should follow the steps listed below:

1. Ms. Davis needs to set the expectation that this is a school-wide initiative and all the teachers need to be committed to using the new reading curriculum. She can communicate with groups, individuals, in writing, at faculty meetings etc. It is important that all staff have buy-in and understand that the school community will need to be on board as well.
2. Ms. Davis should meet with the teachers to build relationships and to create time for collaboration and professional development. This is a new curriculum, so the teachers will need to be provided training prior to the launch. They could use PLC's or team meetings to further collaborate and share resources.
3. The parents need to be a part of this community and communication needs to address their needs. Notifications need to be sent out and meetings planned when the majority of parents can attend. Teachers also need to help parents understand how they can help their students at home.

By following the steps in the plan, Ms. Davis and the staff at Colson Elementary will begin to build a community and positive culture, aligned with the school mission, and focused on student achievement. The teachers will be able to collaborate and plan together to focus on student achievement. Parents and Guardians will now have more opportunity to participate and be kept informed about the events of the school, the reading initiative and how they can support their children.

Rationale for the Score of 3 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 3 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, this response demonstrates a general understanding of how to create a positive culture to achieve the school's mission. This response receives a score of 3 because the overall response demonstrates a general understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

The constructed-response questions on the test are primarily an assessment of candidate understanding of the targeted content from the framework, not candidates' ability to write a polished essay. Therefore, the scoring rubric does not contain attributes that specifically address grammar or format requirements.

However, each candidate response should be written as clearly as possible so that it can be understood. This response is a good example to note that, while this response does contain a couple of spelling and grammar errors, the mistakes are minor and do not limit the reader's ability to understand the response.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 2

The most pressing issue is to implement the new reading curriculum this year. For many years the students have been struggling in reading and this needs to end now. The superintendent has also stated his expectation that the new reading program be used this year. Additionally, Ms. Davis needs to make it clear to all the teachers that this is not optional. Studies show that it is important for the school leader to model expectations and allowing staff to resist will send the wrong message.

A multi-step plan Ms. Davis can follow includes:

1. Ms. Davis should begin by addressing those teachers who do not agree with the decision that the committee made to purchase the new reading curriculum. They need to know that this is non-negotiable. She should cover her bases by adding this expectation to the faculty meeting agenda and direct team leaders to add this expectation to their agendas as well. It needs to be in the forefront so the goal can be achieved.
2. Ms. Davis and the rest of the leadership team should observe and conduct walkthroughs and provide feedback for the teachers who are not providing the best for the new reading curriculum. By showing the staff that the focus will be on what they are doing in the classrooms, it will help teachers stay on track and help them ensure that they are meeting the students' needs.
3. Family Night events should be planned for the parents and community. Family nights are great activities to welcome parents and community members to the school. They will view school as a fun, welcoming place. Posters and flyers can be created and posted on the homepage, in the halls and around the neighborhood.

This plan allows Ms. Davis to demonstrate her leadership and her ability to hold teachers accountable. It helps the teachers improve their instruction and to ensure that all the teachers are using the new reading curriculum. Then it provides some fun activities to share with the community after all the teachers and students' hard work.

Rationale for the Score of 2 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 2 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, this response demonstrates a limited understanding of how to create a positive culture to achieve the school's mission and to address the most pressing need. This response receives a score of 2 because the overall response demonstrates a limited understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.

Candidate responses are not required to use labels, such as A, B, and C, that align with the parts of the question. However, each response should be written as clearly as possible so that it can be understood by the reader. While using these labels is optional and not part of the scoring rubric, labeling the parts of the response to align with the parts of the question can enhance clarity for the reader.

Sample Response Earning a Score of 1

It is evident from the faculty surveys that teachers at Colson Elementary have divergent philosophies regarding reading instruction. Since the school has been struggling to provide successful reading instruction for quite some time, this is an issue that requires immediate attention. Without a common ground in the philosophy of how to teach students to read, the students will continue to have failing grades. Although they have not come to an agreement on how to teach students to read, the teachers do feel that the school is following the mission and they value the students. This is good news, because these strengths can be built on to improve reading performance.

The first step in the plan that Ms. Davis should take, is to decide on the one reading instruction philosophy for the campus. Perhaps Ms. Davis could bring the teachers together and come to consensus on the way reading should be taught. This will allow all philosophies to be heard and help to pick one for the campus to focus on. It is important for teachers to be heard as they are the ones in the classroom making it happen.

The second step is to understand that teachers should decide on what they are teaching. There were some teachers who were a part of the committee that chose the new reading program and they would be great assets in providing professional development. The teachers who had to change their philosophy could watch them model some lessons and meet with them to choose the best activities to share with students during lessons. This will make sure that each teacher is deciding what they teach.

By bringing the teachers together to create one universal philosophy for reading instruction and then using teachers to lead other teachers by modeling lessons, a positive attitude will be created about the new reading curriculum and the students will benefit academically. Ultimately this will result in high reading performance.

Rationale for the Score of 1 Sample Response

The annotation provided below is shown side-by-side with the attributes of a score of 1 from the scoring rubric to help candidates make connections between the scoring rubric and the text in the response that demonstrates the attributes of the score point.

Overall, this response demonstrates little or no understanding of identifying and addressing the most pressing, immediate need to be addressed in the scenario. Addition the response demonstrates little or no understanding of creating a positive culture to achieve the school's mission. This response receives a score of 1 because the overall response demonstrates little or no understanding of the information in the scenario and supporting documents.