Northern State University

Pre-Student Teaching Experience

Teacher Work Sample
Spring 2018
Description
A Teacher Work Sample (TWS) is designed to assess the impact of teacher candidates’ instruction
on students’ learning as well as provide evidence of candidates’ teaching performance during the
Pre-Student Teaching Experience. The TWS assignment includes the following tasks:

I. Professional Goal Setting and Reflection

II. Contextual Information
III. Instructional Design and Implementation

Format
Ownership: Complete the cover page verifying the TWS to be your own authentic work.

References and Credits: If you refer to another person’s ideas or material (such as theorists), cite
these in a separate section at the end of the TWS under References and Credits. (APA is
recommended)

Font and Spacing: Use Arial size 12 font and print on both sides.

Anonymity: Do not include the names of individual students, teachers, or staff as well as
participating schools in any part of the work sample in order to insure the anonymity of all involved.

Submission
An electronic copy of your completed TWS must be submitted to:

• D2L for ELED/SPED/SEED 496

• Your electronic portfolio/professional website (please remember to remove the cover page of
the TWS as it contains identifying information before posting).
• Your university supervisor (please check with your university supervisor to determine which
format (print copy or electronic) he/she prefers.

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Task I: Professional Goal Setting
Objective: Candidates set a professional goal, identify the action strategies they will use to achieve
that goal, and reflect on their learning and growth (as it relates to that goal) near the end of their pre-
student teaching experience.
Resources: Candidates will use the NSU Conceptual Framework (see table below) as a guide for
determining their professional goal.
NSU Conceptual Potential Category Outcomes
Framework Categories (You will choose one of these outcomes
as the basis for your goal)
Knowledge of Self as an ➢ Respect and Concern for Students
Individual
➢ Commitment to Health and Safety
Knowledge of the Learner ➢ Developmental Needs
➢ Student Diversity
Knowledge of Content ➢ Understanding Subject Matter
Knowledge of Pedagogy ➢ Planning
➢ Implementation
➢ Assessment
➢ Classroom Management and
Organization
➢ Instructional Materials and Technology
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Description
Knowledge of Self as an Individual
recognizes the educator’s influence in the
lives of students and emphasizes the
importance of building trust relationships,
and setting positive examples.
Knowledge of the learner focuses on an
understanding of growth and development
of learners in the contexts in which
development takes place and an
understanding of how student diversity
interacts with the learning process.
Knowledge of Content implies a broad
understanding of the centrality of content
knowledge for teaching, and ability to
organize central concepts and principles of
a subject matter, and a responsibility for
acquiring new knowledge.
Pedagogical Knowledge includes those
principles and strategies necessary for
effective teaching, including the planning,
implementation, and assessment of
instruction, classroom management and
organization, knowledge of curriculum and
instructional materials, and integration of
technology.
 Knowledge of Self as a
Teacher and Member of a
Learning Community
➢ Parent and Community Involvement
➢ Commitment to Teaching
➢ Interpersonal Relations
➢ Professional Growth and Development
Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and
Member of a Learning Community calls for
a collaboration among teachers, students
and their families and communities that
embraces diversity, promotes a positive
sense of personal identify, and enhances
the possibilities for academic success.

1. Conceptual Framework Goal Statement, Action Plan, and Reflection:

a. Identify the Framework Category to which your goal aligns:

Knowledge of the Learner

b. Identify the specific Category Outcome you will use to determine your goal:
Student Diversity

c. Based on the outcome you selected, write a specific goal for this experience. After your goal
statement, provide a brief narrative explaining the reasons as to why you chose this goal.
During my Pre-Student Teaching Experience, I will strive to effectively plan explicit lessons with every students’
ranging abilities and age in mind. To do so, I will have the students grade level and IEP goals in mind when
planning instruction, as well as activities, so that we are working toward their areas of needs.

One thing that is especially important when teaching special education is being able to differentiate instruction
so that it is appropriate for all of the students involved. During my last Pre-Student Teaching Experience, I
didn’t feel like I did this as much. My primary goal then was to make sure all of the students met the goal, but I
didn’t differentiate for the students who were at a higher level than their peers. This led to a few behavior
issues from inattention. My goal, then, is to make it so that all students are engaged based on my teaching to
the diversity within the classroom.

d. Describe the action plan (steps/strategies and resources) required to accomplish this goal:
My first resources will be to talk to my Cooperating Teacher to see what strategies work best with certain
students and what levels students are able to achieve. After that, I will talk with my University Supervisor to
see what information or insight she could add for differentiating instruction for students with Specific Learning
Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder. After that, I will look back in my notes from my CT’s classes to see
articles that she has required us to read in regards to differentiating instruction. Another resource I could
review would be Dr. Anita Archer’s book on explicit instruction because that had a lot of well written lesson
plans to model off of, specifically for my goal based on differentiating instruction. And finally, I will research
lesson ideas from various websites such as Edutopia and the Teaching Channel to give more research and
ideas towards proper instruction for my lesson.

e. Reflect on your progress/growth toward achieving this goal:

While working toward this goal of being able to teach more to student diversity, I have found that I my skills
grew more than I was anticipating. The most helpful resource that I received was the class roster/seating chart

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that Mrs. Howard, the Physics teacher, gave me where she took the time to write out the individual needs of
the students. It was so helpful to be able to know which students were ESL, on behavior IEPs, and had visual
or hearing impairments. Because of this sheet, I knew specifically what which students’ needs were, and I was
able to adapt the lesson for them. One thing that I think helped the students who have Spanish as their first
language was I added all of the important vocabulary words from the chapter in Spanish for the PowerPoint so
that those students may be able to more easily connect the information to what they already knew. Another
thing was I allowed students to choose their groups to work with which helped the students work with people
who they knew would get along with. Initially, I was going to choose the groups for them in order to hopefully
decrease behavior problems that may have been caused by the groups but having them choose their own
groups allowed the students to choose who they work with best. They were also allowed breaks throughout
the lesson that allowed the students who needed the breaks to take them without hesitation. All of these steps
helped to create a more open and inviting environment for all the students, and my goal was achieved to learn
more about student diversity.

Task II: Contextual Information (see rubric for scoring details)

Objective: Candidates gather contextual information and discuss factors that may influence the
teaching and learning process.

Resources: Use a variety of resources to gather contextual information including Census data for the
community, School Improvement Plan, cooperating teacher, Title I/SPED teachers, principal, school
counselor, Infinite Campus, student files (with administrative approval), school data available online.
http://doe.sd.gov/reportcard/listnew/

**The below information and resource is take, in part, from Educational Testing Service Praxis Performance
Assessment for Teachers (PPAT) Candidate and Educator Handbook, copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

Contextual Information: This chart is designed to help you understand the many factors that affect teaching
and learning. Understanding these factors as they relate to your teaching will help you determine the
instructional strategies and approaches that will support your students’ learning. In this chart, address any
factors listed as they pertain to your teaching assignment. The subcategories listed under each category are
just suggestions; there may be other subcategories that you would like to address, or there may be a
subcategory listed that does not apply to your situation.

Categories of Contextual Factors Description of the Contextual Factors

General Context of Your Students
(All subcategories listed in this box are required.)
Students’ grade and developmental levels; the age range
of students; the content area being taught; any other
factors that are pertinent to understanding your class
assignment
Out of the 23 total students in the class, there are 11
males and 12 females. The grade breakdown is 3 ninth
graders, 3 tenth graders, 12 eleventh graders, 5 twelfth
graders. There are 10 total ESL students—4 of which
have Spanish as their first language and 6 with other
languages as their first language. Of those 6 who do not
have Spanish there are 4 who are higher achieving and 2
who are quite low. There are 9 total students on IEPs, but
there are no students on 504 plans. 2 students from New
Beginnings Center who are being integrated slowly back
into a general education setting 2 blocks a day. There is 1
with poor eye sight and 1 with cochlear implant. 2

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Community
(e.g., whether the area is urban, suburban, or rural;
socioeconomic information; census data for the
community)
District
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; graduation rates; ethnicities;
percent of students with IEPs; percent of students who are
ELLs; per-pupil expenditures)
School
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; ethnicities; percent of students
with IEPs; percent of students who are ELLs; teacher-to-
student ratio)
Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation
Objective: Candidates design, implement, and assess one lesson. (see rubric for scoring on each
component)
Complete this task using the Common Lesson Plan Template (below).
Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template
Teacher Candidate Name: Catherine Leber
Grade Level: High School (9th-12th)
Subject: Basic Physics
Date: 3/28/2018
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students are diagnosed with either ADD/ADHD. 3
students are in the strive program for behavior, and they
are allowed to leave early for lunch and allowed to go to
the Strives classroom during class if necessary as an
accommodation. The content area that is being taught is
physics.
The community of Aberdeen would be considered urban
because of its location. The population is 27,4181. The
average age is 34.9. The medium household income is
$47,290 with -0.53% as the declining poverty rate. The
number of employees is 14,705 with 1.04% growth. The
poverty rate is 12%. White residents (88.3%), 1,144
Native residents (4.17%), 682 Hispanic residents (2.49%),
678 Asian residents (2.47%), and 388 Black residents
(1.42%). (Information found on
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/aberdeen-
sd/#demographics)
Percent attending 94% or more of enrolled days – 82.3%;
ELA Multi Year Proficiency – 56.68%; Number of students
– 3430; Graduation rates – 83.28%; ELL – 4.48%;
Students with disabilities – 12.85%; Economically
Disadvantaged – 40.5%; Hispanic/Latino – 5.39%;
American Indian/Alaskan Native – 6.88%; Asian – 3.41%;
Black/African American – 2.39%; Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander – 0.29%; White/Caucasian – 77.23%; Multi-race
– 4.4%
Male – 51%; Female – 49%; Total minority enrollment –
15%; Economically Disadvantaged – 26%; Graduation
rate – 91%; Enrollment – Approx. 1200; American
Indian/Alaskan Native – 8%; Asian – 2%; Black – 2%;
Hispanic – 2%; White – 85%; Multi-race – 1%; Students
with disabilities – 11%; ELL – 2.5%.
 PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.
HS-PS4-3. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be
described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than
the other.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

As stated by Vygotsky, students learn best when social interaction is involved as it “plays a fundamental role in the
process of cognitive development” (Gravells and Simpson). Therefore, I will incorporate social interaction into the
lesson by having plenty of conversations among the students so that they can learn from “The More Knowledgeable
Others”—another theory of Vygotsky’s—that will help the students to learn more from each other (Gravells and
Simpson). The lesson will also be in the students Zone of Proximal Development as will be decided through the
results of the pre-assessment. Through Vygotsky’s theory of learning material that is just above a student’s level to
learn on their own, the students, with assistance from adult guidance and peer collaboration, will be able to learn
effectively about the “Nature of Light” which will lead to the understanding that electromagnetic radiation can be
shown as a wave model or particle model.

List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable, timebound).
Use the following format: “Students will be able to…”
Students will be able to draw the electromagnetic spectrum in regard to how various sizes and lengths of waves can
determine what people are able to see, feel, and how the various waves are used in modern day, such as
microwaves, radio waves, and x-rays.
Students will be able to determine the two types of models used for describing the properties of light.
Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

Students within this basic level of physics class, although most are English Language Learners and/or have
disabilities, are within the Formal Operation stage of Piaget’s Theory. Having the students start to hypothesize and
find answers to questions they may not already have helps them to think more deeply about the world around
them. These students have always lived in a world where technology is present and important to living daily life.
Having the students learn about how light is seen, along with other waves found on the electromagnetic spectrum
helps them to be more knowledgeable about their world, and the topic is relevant to their students’ lives because
they use light, cell phones, and microwaves every day.

Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs, including those of
gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to cultural characteristics).
Out of the 23 total students in the class, there are 11 males and 12 females. The grade breakdown is 3 ninth
graders, 3 tenth graders, 12 eleventh graders, 5 twelfth graders. There are 10 total ESL students—4 of which have
Spanish as their first language and 6 with other languages as their first language. Of those 6 who do not have
Spanish there are 4 who are higher achieving and 2 who are quite low. There are 9 total students on IEPs, but there
are no students on 504 plans. 2 students from New Beginnings Center who are being integrated slowly back into a
general education setting 2 blocks a day. There is 1 with poor eye sight and 1 with cochlear implant. 2 students are
diagnosed with either ADD/ADHD. 3 students are in the strive program for behavior, and they are allowed to leave
early for lunch and allowed to go to the Strives classroom during class if necessary as an accommodation.
Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

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Prior to this lesson, students will be taught about sound waves, sonar, and pitch; these concepts will help the
students to expand their knowledge on waves into what can all be classified as a wave. There are quite a few English
Language Learners within the class who can exceed greatly, but they struggle with the language barrier between
themselves and most classroom teachers. I can help this by putting some of the English vocabulary words in Spanish
on the PowerPoint so that the students can make the connection easier. There are also quite a few students who
have exceptionalities, including behavioral and specific learning disabilities.
List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

• Computer
• Projector/Screen
• Notes handout/copies of book
• Cardstock Paper
• Markers
• Flashlights
• Whiteboard/appropriate markers
• Sheet of Roll Paper
• Stick Notes

Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the lesson and explain how it
will enhance instruction and student learning.
Through using the Projector and computer, I will be able to project pictures and notes that are used to help the
students better understand the material that I am teaching to them. Having the notes on the slides will help the
students that are English Language Learners because some students are better at reading information in English
than listening to it in English. And there is a particular student who suffers from a visual impairment; so, having the
information on the board in clear, bold, black lettering will help her to be able to better take notes and understand.

Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom Demographics and
Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs of all learners
and accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *
Accommodations that are being made within the lesson include having the information on the slide show for
students who are English Language Learners as some of the important vocabulary may be foreign to them. To better
help them to understand, I will put the important vocabulary word in English and Spanish. This will help their
connection to the material. The students in this particular class also will benefit from repetition but with a quick
pace. There are students in the class who are on IEPs for behavior, and an easy accommodation to be made for
those students is making sure that the lesson moves at a brisk pace so that learning is accomplished, but there is also
not necessarily time for negative behaviors to occur.

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level of
understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

The pre-assessment will include a worksheet that will help show if the students understand the idea of a wave,
frequency vs energy, and light characteristics, but the students will have the entire back page of the quiz to
draw/write whatever they know about light. Students will have 7-10 minutes to complete the quiz with the quick
write activity taking up the rest of the time once they have finished answering the questions on the front side.

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Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have demonstrated
they know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-assessment. (Include charts,
graphs if applicable)
The pre-assessment will help me to determine what students already know about light and the
electromagnetic spectrum so that we don’t spend too much time on something they already understand or
not enough time so that students are confused. This will also determine if we do the activity of creating an
electromagnetic spectrum together, in groups, or by students’ self.

Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student behavioral/developmental needs
in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the lesson.

Classroom management strategies that I plan to utilize include introducing myself as well as my expectations at the
beginning of the lesson. I will utilize the space of the classroom including letting the students use the lab area to
keep them moving. By keeping the lesson at a brisk pace, behaviors will be less likely to happen, but I will teach at a
pace that also allows learning. While I am instructing, the students will also have something to do by taking notes
that are already somewhat put together for them. While the students are working on the project, I will walk
through the lab tables to encourage students keep working.

Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the knowledge and skills
required of the objective.
I will bring the class to attention by asking them for to have “eyes up front” so I know they are listening
and ready to learn. At that point, I will have the packets ready for the students to pass back in their rows
while explaining the learning objectives for today which include knowing what light is, what the two
models are that explain it, and then the electromagnetic spectrum. Then, I will go through the notes slide
after slide with the students filling in their notes packets that match my slides. When a question in red
appears, the students will have the task to “think, pair, share” with a partner near them for 1 minutes to
see what the answer is. For example, one of the questions in the notes is: what is an example of reflection,
refraction, or diffraction. The students will have time to talk to their partners and come up with ideas for
what the answers are. Once students have had their time to discuss, I will bring the conversation back to
large group so that we can share some of our answers as well as the examples I have just a click away on
the PowerPoint. I will also be using a flashlight to describe how certain properties of light work. To
demonstrate my point (We Do), the students will get to try using their phone flashlights in order to try to
describe intensity. However, the moment someone uses their phone incorrectly, we will all put the
flashlights away.

“We Do”
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the skills and
content needed to meet the learning objective(s).
The students will be receiving multiple opportunities to practice their reasoning skills within the “think,
pair, share” time in order to understand potential answers they may not be the easiest to come up with.
This lesson was designed so that it right in Zone of Proximal Development for students. And it also goes
along with the saying that “whoever doing the talking is the one doing the learning.” There are also

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different tables within the notes that the students will get to fill out for practice of determining which
model best fits the description. After we are done with notes, the students will be directed that they will
be splitting into groups to create a display. They will help me to create a display/educational poster of the
electromagnetic spectrum. There are a few students within the class that struggle with behavior—those
students will get to help me draw the spectrum on the paper while the others research. This will be a good
way for the students to still be involved, but they are also getting to do something important which will
help with cooperation. The rest of the students will be working on reading a description from the book
that is part of their notes and then describing it on a piece of paper. The notes they are taking are on one
specific part of the electromagnetic spectrum that they may not be familiar with. The students will have
15 minutes to have good notes and a picture down on their separate sheet of paper that will be added to
the spectrum.

“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by the lesson
objectives?
The part that the students will do independently includes having them come up in front of the class and
teach their part of the electromagnetic spectrum to the other students in the class while they finish their
notes from their classmates’ presentations. This adds in more students’ responsibility because they will be
sharing it with their peers. After all the presentations are over, we will take 10 minutes for the students to
do the same quiz as they did before, but instead of doing the quick-write on the back, they will have to
explain to how the wave model and particle models are different. But they will also have to explain why
both are necessary.
Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were taught in an
interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).
After the 10 minutes is up, I will bring attention back to the front of the class where we will close the
lesson by having the students share with a partner something they learned from the class, and then telling
the students a preview of what they will be learning the next day, which is light and lenses.
Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use to measure
students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.

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 Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre and Post-Assessment, to what extent did students achieve the
learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson plan, assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.

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 Answers Right From Pre- and Post-Asessment
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5

Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment

From the results of the assessments, I can tell that 16 of the students were able to achieve one of the
objectives that was being “able to determine the two models that are used to define the properties of
light” (Question 3). That was probably the largest jump for answers right—3 to 16. That was the step
towards the standard we were working on which was being able to “argue why there are two models to
describe the electromagnetic spectrum.” Question 5 also pertained highly to the first objective of the
electromagnetic spectrum being able to draw it and explain it. By asking the students what is not found on
the electromagnetic spectrum, they had to look a little bit harder for the right answer in the
electromagnetic spectrum. Overall, the results are accurate but not complete because there were 4
students missing on the day that I did my lesson; so, the results may have been different had all the
students been in attendance. Question 2 was over the frequency of light waves increasing and how the
energy increases as the frequency does—the results of the pre-assessment show me that I didn’t make
that point clear in the lesson. Now, that question didn’t relate to the standard or objectives directly, but it
was important for the students to understand for connecting the information to prior learning.
Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management strategies. Describe
what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples (from video) that support your
conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would you make each revision?
Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would prompt revisions.
One thing that jumped out at me right away while watching the video was the lack of student participation. I tried
to include “think-pair-share” and group responses, but the students didn’t necessarily seem as engaged as they
could have been. That is definitely an area I wish I could have improved on to get the students more involved with
the direct instruction part of the lesson. This was a big difference from my first placement in a Kindergarten
classroom where they all wanted to answer the questions, and they had problems with blurting the answer; whereas
with this class, it was almost a struggle to get them to talk. I, also, may have been talking to fast or moved at too
brisk of a pace, but that was a difficult thing to determine since the students have such varying needs. Some
students could have used more time on certain concepts, but others understood them right away. An
accommodation that could have been made would have been to not have the students who are ESL have to write
the answers to the questions on the board on the back of the post-assessment. Drawing a picture for the metal plate
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 example was much better than the way I was explaining it just be using words. There was also too much information
to have for the students in one lesson; if I was to teach this again, I would take out some information that wasn’t
necessary for the students to know when it comes to the standard and objectives. It would not have been as maybe
overwhelming had some of the information not been included or just split into two different lessons.

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 Teacher Work Sample Scoring Rubric
Pre-Student Teaching Experience

Teacher Candidate Name:_________________________________________________________________

Semester: Spring Fall Year 20____
Grade/Subject Area______________________________________________________________________

Task I: Professional Goal Setting

Components Advanced/Excellent
4 3
Candidate identifies one
well-planned goal and
effectively communicates
reasons/justifications for why
s/he chose the goal.
Candidate provides a
detailed action plan for the
achievement of the goal and
Professional Goal
cites any specific resources
Setting and Reflection s/he will use to enhance goal
achievement efforts.
Candidate is highly effective
at communicating any
progress/growth made
toward the goal in the
reflection.
Task II: Contextual Information
Components Advanced/Excellent
4 3
Candidate clearly identifies
numerous contextual factors
which may impact the
instructional strategies,
approaches, and
Contextual Factors assessments used to support
their students’ learning.
Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation
Components Advanced/Excellent
4 3
Lesson contains evidence of
setting measurable
objectives that are clearly
aligned with specific state
and/or national standard(s).
Lesson allows for numerous
connections across the
Standards/Objectives curriculum which serve to
build understanding, and
encourage application to real
world issues.
Proficient/Competent
Candidate identifies one goal
and communicates
reasons/justifications for why
s/he chose the goal.
Candidate provides an
action plan for the
achievement of the goal and
cites resources s/he will use
to enhance goal
achievement efforts.
Candidate effectively
communicates any
progress/growth made
toward the goal in the
reflection.
Proficient/Competent
Candidate identifies several
contextual factors contextual
factors which may impact the
strategies, approaches, and
assessments used to
support their students’
learning.
Proficient/Competent
Lesson contains evidence of
setting measurable
objectives that are aligned
with specific state and/or
national standard(s).
Lesson allows for
connections across the
curriculum which serve to
build understanding, and
encourage application to real
world issues.
Basic/Developing Below Basic/
2 Needs Work
1
Candidates identifies one Candidate does not
goal but does not identify a well-planned
adequately provide goal nor provide a reason
reasons/justifications for for the selection of the
the selection of the goal. goal.
Candidate provides an Candidate does not
action plan for the provide an action plan for
achievement of the goal the achievement of the
but needs to work to goal.
develop a more specific
list of resources to be Candidate is not clearly
used for achievement of able to reflect on his/her
that goal. performance in the area
of goal
Candidate’s reflection on setting/achievement.
goal achievement is
minimal and needs
development.
Basic/Developing Below Basic/
2 Needs Work
1
Candidate identifies very Candidate does not
few contextual factors identify the contextual
which prohibits his/her factors.
ability to fully recognize
any impact those factors
would have had on
potential strategies,
approaches, and
assessments used to
support their students’
learning.
Basic/Developing Below Basic/
2 Needs Work
1
lesson contains minimal Lesson contains no
evidence of setting evidence of setting
measurable objectives measurable objectives
that are only somewhat and are not aligned with
aligned with specific specific state and/or
state and/or national national standard(s).
standard(s).
Lesson allows for no
Lesson allows for very apparent connections
few connections across across the curriculum;
the curriculum which do students are not able to
not build understanding, build an understanding or
nor encourage apply to real world issues.
application to real world
issues.

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 Incorporates a well-aligned
pre-assessment to measure
students’ prior knowledge of
the learning objective and
purposefully utilizes the
results to inform
planning/instruction for the
lesson and post assessment.
Includes copies of the Pre-
Assessment and Post-Assessments used.
Includes a copy of a high
quality key/product to show
desired outcome.
Purposefully and consistently
incorporates the use of
available technology to
further enhance instruction in
ways that authentically
engage all students in the
learning experience. For
Technology cases where technology is
not utilized, candidate
provides a logical
explanation.
Purposefully adjusts
instruction during lesson
planning and implementation
in order to significantly meet
all of the identified needs of
individuals, small groups or
Accommodations the class by including
specific methods of
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications.
Numerous
management/motivational
strategies are clearly
identified and rationale
provided for how these
Management strategies serve to
significantly enhance both
student engagement and
learning.
Purposefully activates
Lesson student interest by
Implementation consistently including a
highly-effective/engaging
introduction and closing.
(I Do/We Do/You Do)
Effectively introduces and
repeatedly reinforces the
learning objective(s) so that
14 | P a g e
Incorporates a pre-
assessment to measure
students’ prior knowledge of
the learning objective and
somewhat utilizes the results
to inform planning/instruction
for the lesson and post
assessment.
Includes copies of the Pre-
and Post-Assessments
used.
Includes a copy of a
key/product to show desired
outcome.
Incorporates the use of
available technology to
somewhat enhance
instruction in ways that
engage most of the students
in the learning experience.
For cases where technology
is not utilized, candidate
provides an explanation.
Adjusts instruction during
lesson planning and
implementation in order to
meet some of the identified
needs of individuals, small
groups or the class by
including general methods of
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications.
Management and
motivational strategies are
identified and rationale is
provided for how these
strategies enhance student
engagement and learning.
Activates student interest by
including an
effective/engaging
introduction and closing.
Introduces and reinforces
the learning objective(s) so
that students are cognizant
of expected outcomes.
Incorporates a pre-
assessment which
partially measures
students’ prior
knowledge of the
learning objective but
fails to adequately utilize
the results to inform
planning/instruction for
the lesson and post
assessment.
Includes copies of the
Pre- and Post-
Assessments used.
Includes a copy of a
key/product to show
desired outcome.
Is still developing the
ability to incorporate the
use of available
technology to enhance
instruction in ways that
engage the students in
the learning experience.
For cases where
technology is not utilized,
candidate provides an
explanation.
Attempts to adjust
instruction during lesson
planning and
implementation but the
differentiated instruction,
accommodations and
modifications used do
not fully meet the
identified needs of
individuals, small groups
or the class.
Management and
motivational strategies
are not clearly identified
and rational is lacking
evidence of how these
strategies fully serve to
enhance student
engagement and/or
learning.
Attempts to activate
student interest but
needs to work to develop
a more effective lesson
opening and closing.
Needs to be more
purposeful about
introducing and
reinforcing the learning
Does not incorporate
evidence of a pre-
assessment to measure
students’ prior knowledge
of the learning objective.
Does not include copies
of the Pre- and Post-
Assessments used.
Does not include a copy
of a key/product to show
desired outcome.
Does not incorporate the
use of available
technology to enhance
instruction nor provide an
explanation for why
technology is not utilized.
Does not adjust
instruction during lesson
planning and
implementation in order to
meet the identified needs
of individuals, small
groups or the class. No
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications present.
Management and
motivational strategies to
enhance student
engagement and learning
are not identified.
There are no clear
attempts to activate
student interest.
Candidate does not
include evidence of an
effective opening and/or
closing.
 students are cognizant of
expected outcomes.
Presents all content in a
sequential manner and
provides numerous
opportunities for modeling
and practicing the skills and
content needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Consistently checks for
student understanding
throughout the entire lesson
cycle and provides detailed
evidence of re-
teaching/remediation where
necessary.
Includes numerous detailed
reasons for why the
instructional strategies and
learning activities chosen for
the lessons are
developmentally appropriate
(claims are supported by
relevant theory/research that
is clearly cited).
Includes professional-quality
table/charts/graphs which
clearly show post
assessment results (and pre-
post comparison if
applicable)
Provides detailed description
of the post assessment
results which thoroughly
addresses all of the following
items :
students’ progress toward
Analyzes mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post assessment
results
how the results of the post
assessment highlight what
areas of the lesson will
require re-teaching (if any)
15 | P a g e
Presents all content in a
sequential manner and
provides opportunities for
modeling and practicing the
skills and content needed to
meet the learning
objective(s).
Checks for student
understanding throughout
most of the lesson cycle and
provides evidence of re-
teaching/remediation where
necessary.
Includes reasons for why the
instructional strategies and
learning activities chosen for
the lessons are
developmentally appropriate
(claims are somewhat
supported by relevant
theory/research that is cited).
Includes average-quality
table/charts/graphs which
show post assessment
results (and pre-post
comparison if applicable)
Provides a description of the
post assessment results
which somewhat addresses
most of the following items:
students’ progress toward
mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the post
assessment highlight what
areas of the lesson will
require re-teaching (if any)
objective so that the
students are cognizant of
expected outcomes.
Content is not always
presented in a sequential
manner and candidate
needs to provide more
opportunities for
modeling and practicing
the skills and content
needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Checks for student
understanding
throughout most of the
lesson cycle and
provides little evidence of
re-teaching/remediation
where necessary.
Includes reasons for why
the instructional
strategies and learning
activities chosen for the
lessons are
developmentally
appropriate (claims are
not sufficiently supported
by relevant
theory/research nor
sufficiently cited).
Includes poor-quality
table/charts/graphs
which do not clearly
show post assessment
results (or pre-post
comparison if applicable)
Provides a weak
description of the post
assessment results
which does not
adequately address the
following items:
students’ progress
toward mastery of the
objectives from pre-to-
post
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the
post assessment
highlight what areas of
the lesson will require re-
teaching (if any)
Learning objective is not
reinforced throughout the
lesson.
Content is not presented
in a sequential manner
and candidate does not
provide evidence of
allowing opportunities for
modeling and practicing
the skills and content
needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Candidate does not check
for student understanding
throughout the lesson
cycle and there is no
evidence of re-teaching
/remediation.
Does not includes
reasons for why the
instructional strategies
and learning activities
chosen for the lessons
are developmentally
appropriate (claims are
not at all supported by
relevant theory/research
nor sufficiently cited).
No quality
table/charts/graphs which
show post assessment
(and/or pre) results.
Does not provide a
description of the post
assessment results is
weak and illogical and
does not address all of
the following items:
students’ progress toward
mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the
post assessment highlight
what areas of the lesson
will require re-
 Identifies, describes, and
explains more than two
relevant successful teaching
Lesson Reflection:
strategies and provides
Successes detailed supporting evidence
for why they were effective.
Identifies and describes more
than two challenges
Lesson Reflection: encountered throughout
lesson.
Challenges
Identifies and describes more
than two significant ideas for
Lesson Reflection: redesigning the lesson and
Improvements provides full details to
support the redesign.
Overall Professional Quality of Teacher Work Sample
Components Advanced/Excellent
4 3
Content Organization:
All formatting requirements
followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font and
spacing, anonymity)
Paper is well organized with
clarity of thought and
purpose.
Writing Skills Conventions:
Writing has very few errors in
spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and/or sentence
structure.
Overall Quality:
Professionally written, high-
quality paper.
16 | P a g e
Identifies, describes, and
explains two successful
teaching strategies and/or
provides supporting
evidence for why they were
effective.
Identifies and describes two
challenges encountered
throughout the lesson.
Identifies and describes two
ideas for redesigning the
lesson and provides details
to support the redesign.
Proficient/Competent
Content Organization:
All formatting requirements
followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font and
spacing, anonymity)
Paper is organized.
Conventions:
Writing has only occasional
errors in spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and/or sentence
structure, but does not
significantly detract from
overall quality.
Overall Quality:
Adequately written, average
quality paper.
Identifies, describes, and Fails to adequately
explains only one identify, describe, or
successful teaching explain successful
strategy and/or provides teaching strategies and
only minimal supporting provides no supporting
evidence for why it was evidence.
effective.
Identifies and describes Fails to adequately
only one challenge identify, describe, or
encountered throughout explain challenges
the lesson. encountered throughout
lesson.
Identifies and describes Fails to identify and
one idea for redesigning describe an idea for
the lesson and provides redesigning the lesson
very minimal details to and/or provides no details
support the redesign. to support the redesign.
Basic/Developing Below Basic/
2 Needs Work
1
Content Organization: Content Organization:
Most formatting Few formatting
requirements followed: requirements were
(Cover page, followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font references/credits, font
and spacing, anonymity) and spacing, anonymity)
Paper is somewhat Paper requires much
organized but candidate better organization of
needs to continue to content and candidate
develop communicating needs to significantly
thought and purpose. develop in the area of
communicating thought
and purpose.
Conventions: Conventions:
Writing has frequent Writing has numerous
errors in spelling, errors in spelling,
grammar, punctuation, grammar, punctuation,
and/or sentence and/or sentence
structure, and this structure, errors which
somewhat detracts from significantly detract from
overall quality. overall quality.
Overall Quality: Overall Quality:
Writing and quality of Poorly written, low-quality
paper are in paper. Resubmission
development but required.
resubmission is not
required.