May 14, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Compass Teacher Rubric:

1. May 14, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Compass Teacher Rubric: Considerations for Teachers of Students with Significant Disabilities

2. OBJECTIVES Louisiana Believes • Examine the Compass Teacher Rubric • Identify areas which readily align to instruction for students with significant disabilities, and those which may require additional consideration • Review guidance to support use of Compass Teacher Rubric for teachers of students with significant disabilities • Pre-observation conference questions • Possible examples • Key concepts • Strategies to support an effective observation/feedback cycle

3. Louisiana believes that every child can achieve college or career. • Every child should be on • track to a college degree • or a professional career. • Louisiana has adopted the Common Core standards for student learning that put students on a level playing field with students across the country and around the world. • Compass is a set of professional development tools to guide teachers in attaining these rigorous goals with all students.

4. Teacher Feedback and Support Before Compass We need to ensure that the Compass observation/feedback cycle supports the professional practices growth of all teachers, including those who work with students with significant disabilities. Louisiana Believes Before Compass’ launch, few teachers received frequent, meaningful information about their performance. Excellence was often unrecognized and ineffective teaching went unaddressed. Many teachers did not have the feedback and support they needed to reach their potential. Specifically: More than 98 percent of teachers were assigned the same rating, “Satisfactory” Observations occurred as infrequently as once every three years Feedback provided to teachers was not necessarily based on their individual needs or the performance of their students

5. The Compass Framework • Student Growth • Student learning targets • Value-added measures, where available In the Compass system, educators set goals, receive feedback and support to develop their practice, and earn end-of-year ratings based on multiple sources of information.

6. TOOLS FOR TODAY Louisiana Believes • Compass Teacher Rubric • Compass Teacher Rubric – Resource for Evaluators of Teachers of Students with Significant Disabilities • Section I – Setting Rigorous Student Learning Goals • Section II - Supplemental Examples of Highly Effective Performance • Section III: Appendix • Pre-Observation Conference Questions • Key Terms Related to Education for Students with Significant Disabilities • PowerPoint slides

7. Who are these students? Louisiana Believes

8. Modifications and Accommodations Louisiana Believes

9. Access Guide: Significant Disabilities http://sda.doe.louisiana.gov Access Guide: SRCL site http://tiny.cc/lasrcl Louisiana Believes

10. Communication Supports Louisiana Believes The absolute first consideration for every student! SRCL site communication resources

11. Compass Teacher Rubric

12. Compass Teacher Rubric Louisiana Believes • Domain 1: Planning and Preparation • Setting Instructional Outcomes • Domain 2: The Classroom Environment: • Managing Classroom Procedures • Domain 3: Instruction • Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques • Engaging Students in Learning • Using Assessment in Instruction

13. Compass Teacher Rubric: Activity Louisiana Believes • As a small group • Examine your assigned Domain/Indicator area (including Critical Attributes, all 4 levels of effectiveness) • Identify key features of Domain/Indicator • Determine areas of clarity /”fit”, and those of particular concern for both the teacher of students with significant disabilities and his/her evaluator • Write comments on chart paper • “Switch” when notified to review other groups’ findings • Large group reporting • Be prepared to share your groups’ findings on assigned Domain/Indicator with the whole group

14. Compass Observation Results: Professional Practices Louisiana Believes • At this point: • What do we know about statewide findings? • What areas of the rubric have presented the greatest challenge for you? • How do these findings “resonate” with your experience in the application of the rubric for teachers of students with significant disabilities?

15. Compass Teacher Rubric – Resource for Evaluators of Teachers of Students with Significant Disabilities

16. Activity: (1c) Setting Instructional Outcomes Louisiana Believes • In small group, review/discuss: • Pre-observation Questions: Which questions might be most critical to cover in depth? Which might present the greatest challenge? • Supplemental Examples: What are very specific examples that you might see as they pertain to students with varying levels of abilities/challenges? • “Trips and traps” in providing clarity on the presence of rigorous instructional goals for a class with very different needs and strengths. • Use sticky notes to ID challenges, wonders and great ideas. • Large group report out

17. Share thoughts with the group Louisiana Believes Challenges Wonders Great Ideas

18. Activity: (2c) Managing Classroom Procedures Louisiana Believes • In small group, review and discuss: • Pre-observation Questions: Which questions might be most critical to cover in depth? Which might present the greatest challenge? • Supplemental Examples: • What are very specific examples that you might see as they pertain to students with varying levels of abilities/challenges? • Have you observed a “highly effective” practice in this area (describe)? • What might “ineffective” or “emerging proficient” practices look like? • Issues pertaining to this section of the Rubric as regards support of students who present with very challenging behaviors. • Use sticky notes to ID challenges, wonders and great ideas. • Large group report out/discussion

19. Share your thoughts with the group Louisiana Believes Challenges Wonders Great Ideas

21. Literacy Lesson (Primary Students) • Consider • accommodations and modifications • individualized support to make choices • age-considerate accessible instructional materials • support to participate in activities with differentiation VIDEO

22. Activity: (3b) Questioning and Discussion Techniques Louisiana Believes • In small group, review and discuss: • Pre-observation Questions: Which questions might be most critical to cover in depth? Which might present the greatest challenge? • Supplemental Examples: • What are very specific examples that you might see as they pertain to students with varying levels of abilities/challenges? • Have you observed a “highly effective” practice in this area (describe)? • What would “ineffective” or “emerging proficient” practices look like? • How to address needed augmentative/alternate communication supports. • Use sticky notes to ID challenges, wonders and great ideas. • Large group report out/discussion

25. Middle School Student Louisiana Believes • Consider: • Support for receptive and expressive communication • Assistive technology aligned to academic work • Wait time • Student evaluating own work VIDEO

26. High School Morning Meeting Louisiana Believes • Consider strategies used: • Communication supports • Encouraging peer to peer interactions with students with complex communication challenges VIDEO

27. Activity: (3c) Engaging Students in Learning Louisiana Believes • In small group, review and discuss: • Pre-observation Questions: Which questions might be most critical to cover in depth? Which might present the greatest challenge? • Supplemental Examples: • What are very specific examples that you might see as they pertain to students with varying levels of abilities/challenges? • Have you observed a “highly effective” practice in this area (describe)? • What would “ineffective” or “emerging proficient” practices look like? • Strategies to ensure students are provided accommodations/ modifications (e.g., accessible instructional materials and assistive technology) • Use sticky notes to ID challenges, wonders and great ideas. • Large group report out/discussion

28. Reading with an Electronic Reader

29. Simple Compare/Contrast Activity Directions: After reading, sort words/pictures from story/book into categories. Example is showing sorting words/pictures into good and bad categories. Multi level voice output device and modified switch is used by non-verbal student to respond: “This is a good thing” or “This is a bad thing.”

30. Reading: Physical supports for engagement

31. Activity: (3d) Using Assessment in Instruction Louisiana Believes • In small group, review and discuss: • Pre-observation Questions: Which questions might be most critical to cover in depth? Which might present the greatest challenge? • Supplemental Examples: • What are very specific examples that you might see as they pertain to students with varying levels of abilities/challenges? • Have you observed a “highly effective” practice in this area (describe)? • What would “ineffective” or “emerging proficient” practices look like? • Use sticky notes to ID challenges, wonders and great ideas. • Large group report out/discussion

32. Sight Word Assessment Using Communication Device This video depicts a teacher assessing a student with flashcards from the PCI Reading Program.  The student is utilizing a 32 location TechTalk.  The overlay consists of symbols without words for concrete picture representations to insure that the student is reading the cards and is placing meaning to the words.  The student is reinforced with a favorite book. Look for: Student self-correcting VIDEO

33. Pre-Observation Conference: Framing your Classroom Louisiana Believes

34. Pre-Observation Conference: Role Play • Small Group Activity • Envision a class for students with significant disabilities. Agree upon the characteristics of students (e.g., grade levels, student needs and challenges). • Pick one person to be a teacher and one person to be an evaluator. Have the 2 role play a pre-observation conference. Take turns in playing roles. • After the role plays, the small group observers give feedback on the discussion (areas that were clear, areas where greater clarity needed, how the teacher might better lay the groundwork for an observer).

35. Pre-Observation Conference: Role Play • Large Group Activity • Selected teams conduct role play in front of whole group • Large group provides feedback on role play/discuss implications for pre-observation conferences

36. Key Concepts Curriculum Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC) Assistive Technology Accessible Instructional Materials Active Participation Partial Participation

37. Standards • Louisiana Extended Standards • LAA1 Participation Criteria • Common Core State Standards • Teacher Tool Box (resources)

38. Key Concepts • Age-appropriateness • Student Dignity • Community Access • Vocational Training/Employment • Generalization (and other levels of learning including acquisition, fluency, and maintenance) • Intervention Central • Sample article

39. NCSC: National Center State CollaborativeA 4-year Federally Funded Consortia • NCSC is one of two consortia challenged to create alternate assessments aligned to the CCSS. • Louisiana is partnering with NCSC and other states to develop an alternate assessment (to replace LAA1, which is aligned to the Extended Standards). • http://www.ncscpartners.org/

40. NCSC State Partners

41. Beyond the Summative Test • The NCSC long-term goal is to ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for postsecondary options. • A well-designed summative assessment alone is insufficient to achieve the purpose. • To achieve this goal, an AA-AAS system also requires: • Curricular & instructional frameworks • Teacher resources and professional development

42. NCSC Communities of Practice (CoPs) • The CoPs are stakeholders across participating states who inform the NCSC Consortium. • CoP members participate in professional development and share their insights with: • NCSC • CoP and school colleagues • State leads

43. Questions • Who are the “consumers” in your school and district who need to understand this guidance and its application to use of the Rubric (e.g., teachers, principals, instructional specialists, pupil appraisal)? • How can this guidance empower you to improve instruction for students with significant disabilities? • What are strategies at your school and district levels to promote understanding and adoption of the tool (e.g., collaborative PD structures, infusion in Compass Leader Evaluation training?) • How might your school/district support you in improving your skills (as defined on the Compass Teacher Rubric)? What type of support do you need?

44. Action Plan: Improving your skills in alignment with the Compass Teacher Rubric • Either alone or with partner(s), • identify areas in which you would like to focus on your skill development in alignment with the Compass Teacher Rubric Domains/Indicators. • Identify resources/strategies to support you in this effort.

45. Louisiana Believes Send questions to compass@la.gov Nanette Olivier, Network 5 Nanette.olivier@la.gov Debra Dixon, Network 3 Debra.dixon@la.gov