Welcome to the inaugural edition of the A.C.C.E.S.S. newsletter! The Educator Support team of the Delaware Department of Education's goal is to provide you with the most up-to-date resources for implementing teacher evaluation and development in your school(s). Each month, this newsletter will provide you with research and tools to support DPAS-II implementation, including trainings and tools to share with your teachers. The newsletter will also include key dates and deadlines. We’ll also profile leaders from across the state who are implementing innovative practices to support teacher growth and development.

In order to maximize the value of this newsletter, please help us by doing the following:
  • Pass the newsletter on! Our aim is to help school leaders implement DPAS-II in service of teacher improvement. Please make sure the school leaders you work with receive this message.
  • Sign up! If you received this email as a forward, click the link at the bottom of the newsletter to sign up to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox.
  • Share feedback! We want to hear what’s helpful to you. Please share feedback by emailing us.
Join us! The next DPAS-II Advisory Committee meeting is January 11 at 1:30 at
Delaware State Police Troop 3, 3759 S. State Street, Camden Wyoming, DE 19934.
All are welcome, no RSVP required.
Delaware Framework for Teachers: Digging Deeper
The Delaware Framework for Teachers sets the standard for what strong instruction looks like and sounds like. The four components and 18 criterion identify key attributes of successful teaching, and describe what practice looks like at different performance levels. Each month, we’ll feature a section called “Digging Deeper” where we’ll do just that: dig deeper into the framework. We’ll share resources and research on core elements of teaching, and share materials that you can use to facilitate professional learning with your teachers. Have an idea for a topic for Digging Deeper? Contact us here .
Digging Deeper:
Selecting Instructional Goals
All lesson planning begins with a lesson goal - what will students accomplish in that lesson? Teachers may consider: what are my goals for students today? What do I want them to know and be able to do at the end of a lesson? Educators must remember instructional goals are not the same as instructional activities. Instructional goals do not answer the question: “What will my students do?” but instead answer the question “What will my students learn?” To be effective, lesson outcomes must be relevant to the students in the classroom, and to the broader goals and focus of the subject/course.

Criterion 1a in the Delaware Framework for Teaching defines characteristics of strong lesson goals. At the effective level, the framework language is: “Teacher’s goals represent valuable learning and are suitable for most students in the class; they reflect opportunities for integration and permit viable methods of assessment.” Charlotte Danielson , author of the Delaware Framework for Teaching, breaks criterion 1a into a series of elements:

  • Value, sequence and alignment: Lesson goals represent high expectations and important learning. The lesson outcomes are aligned to a sequence of learning that happens over a series of lessons; they’re connected to previous learning and what is to come. Lesson goals should be worthwhile given the standards of the subject and course.
  • Clarity: Lesson outcomes are clear and written in the form of student learning. For example, a lesson outcome should be translated to SWBAT: Students will be able to...
  • Balance: Outcomes reflect different types of learning. Outcomes should be focused enough to learn in one class.
  • Suitable for diverse learners: Lesson outcomes are suitable for all students in the class.

Doug Lemov, in Teach Like a Champion , shared a similar way to think about lesson objectives: The Four Ms.

  • Manageable: An effective objective should be able to be taught in a single lesson.
  • Measurable: An effective objective should be written so that the teacher (and ideally, the students) will know if they've achieved it.
  • Made First: The objective should be set first and designed to guide the rest of the lesson. That’s why 1a, Selecting Instructional Goals, is first in the Delaware Framework for Teaching.
  • Most Important: An effective objective should focus on the most important content given the standards and students learning.
Share this with your teachers!
Click the links below for training materials to conduct a 2-hour PD with your teachers on Writing Lesson Outcomes and the Delaware Framework for Teachers.
Profiles in Leadership: Superintendent Dr. Brenda G. Wynder, Lake Forest School District
The Lake Forest School District Superintendent, Dr. Brenda G. Wynder, cares deeply about teaching and learning. She stated, “We are working to increase student achievement and learning, not only the data the state generates, but complete learning that carries our students throughout their lives.” She also realizes that the best way that school leaders can contribute to this learning is by being a resource for teachers in the classroom. Her focus on improving student achievement is why she is so deeply invested in DPAS-II.

“The first step in using DPAS-II to improve instruction is really knowing the rubric,” says Dr. Wynder. “Next, you can identify resources for teachers to help them improve. It’s very difficult to move teachers from the cusp of effective to highly effective, unless you can provide examples of what highly effective looks like and resources that are needed to get there.” Dr. Wynder regularly works with her leaders in PLCs (Senate) and one-on-one to review evidence and prepare for post-conferences, with conversations deeply grounded in the DPAS-II framework.

This summer, Dr. Wynder hosted a retreat with all of the administrators in her district. Leaders spent an entire day reviewing examples of evidence from real observations, and comparing that evidence to the criterion in the Delaware Framework for Teachers. Leaders pulled evidence, aligned it to criterion, and assigned a rating. In this process, leaders engaged deeply in the content of the rubric, and pushed each other to defend ratings given the evidence that was present. In addition, leaders also discussed feedback for the teachers based on the evidence. They discussed what they would share with the teacher about his or her practice in a post-conference and resources they would provide. Dr. Wynder stated, “Just like anything in life, if you have to put a lot of time into it, the best thing to do is to complete it effectively.”
 
“As the Superintendent, I need to be the instructional leader in our d istrict....whether a district uses DPAS-II or their own system, leaders have to value the work. It is evident that leaders find the retreat and ongoing support helpful. I just had another leader tell me how valuable our time together was,” says Dr. Wynder. The Lake Forest leaders will continue to work on completing DPAS-II effectively.

Thank you, Dr. Wynder, for sharing your practice with us!
Do you know a leader who should be featured in our newsletter?
Do you have a great practice to share with your colleagues? Email us!
What's on the agenda?
Each month, check this box for details on upcoming PD, meetings, and key dates for DPAS-II. Have something we should highlight? Tell us about it!

What should be on your DPAS-II to-do list this month:
  • Complete the second round of formative observations for Novice Educators
  • Complete formative observations for Experienced Educators
  • Find relevant resources and information you need at the Educator Evaluation homepage on the DDOE website.
Engaging Students in Meaningful and Challenging Instruction
PDMS Course #25970
January 18
Government Support Services Building, Dover
DPAS II Teachers & Specialists System Review Camp
PDMS Course # 26503
January 19
Government Support Services Building, Dover
Questioning and Discussion Techniques
PDMS Course #25978
January 25-February 22
Pre-recorded Webinar
DPAS-II Boot Camp Training for the Teacher/Specialist System
PDMS Course #25968
February 5-8
Government Support Services Building, Dover
DPAS-II Boot Camp Training for the Administrator System
PDMS Course #26155
February 21
Government Support Services Building, Dover
DPAS-II Danielson's Prerecorded Calibration Webinar Series
PDMS Course#25969
February 21-March 21