teacher+work+sample

A Teacher Work Sample (TWS) is a narrative prepared by a teacher candidate centering on a unit or an instructional activity with a focus on increased student learning. The Teacher Work Sample provides written evidence that documents the teacher candidate’s ability to increase student learning. The primary advantage of the TWS is that it requires teacher candidates to consider what they want to teach, how they want to teach and assess it, what contextual factors may affect their teaching, and what insights they will gain in the process of planning, adapting, implementing and assessing instruction__.__
 * TEACHER WORK SAMPLE (You can post parts of the work sample in the discussion section)**
 * Introduction**


 * Benefits of the Teacher Work Sample **
 * 1) **Provides performance-based assessment:** The TWS requires teacher candidates to document their understanding of the teaching and learning process and their ability to increase student learning.
 * 2) **Contributes to reflective practice:** Teacher candidates practice and internalize the reflective process and begin ongoing professional development.
 * 3) **Enriches the pre-service teacher’s portfolio:** Principals and human resource personnel obtain additional insight into candidate’s teaching ability and professional potential.
 * 4) **Serves as an alternative to standardized testing:** Evaluators gain a better perspective of student learning through documentation provided in the candidate’s TWS.
 * 5) **Informs teacher preparation programs:** English Education faculty review teacher work samples to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in programs.
 * 6) **Affords accountability:** Provides actual documentation of how candidates affect student learning.


 * Components of the Teacher Work Sample **
 * // Part I: Context //**
 * We would like you to gather and use ** information about the teaching/learning context, developmental characteristics of diverse learners and knowledge about individual differences to plan, conduct and assess and analyze instruction. ** First, d **iscuss relevant factors and how they may affect the teaching/learning process. Include any supports and challenges present that affect instruction and student learning. After listing relevant information for each of the following factors, explain specifically how this might change the teaching/learning process. In your discussion, include:
 * **Community, district and school factors.** Address geographic location, community and school population, socioeconomic profile, and race/ethnicity. You might also address factors like stability of the community, political climate of the school, etc. These should include such considerations as location (e.g., rural, intercity), socio-economic (e.g., high income level), unique characteristics of the population (e.g., drug problems, mostly farming), etc.
 * **Classroom factors.** Address physical features, availability of equipment and resources, and the extent of parental involvement. You might also discuss other relevant factors such as classroom rules and routines, grouping patterns, scheduling, and classroom arrangement.
 * **Student characteristics.** Address age, gender, race/ethnicity, special needs, achievement levels, and students’ skills and prior knowledge relevant to your learning goals. You might also include relevant factors such as culture, language, interests, and learning styles/modalities.
 * **Curriculum Factors:** Address the purpose of the class, unit or curricular goals in relation to the activity or unit.

**//Evaluation//** q **Does not meet:** Cursory or incomplete description of the context. Failure to address relevant factors. Failure to relate context to the teaching/learning process.

q **Approaching Target:** All relevant areas of context are addressed. An attempt has been made to relate the context to teaching and learning.

q **Target:** Context described in detail with thoughtful reflection on how that context would affect the teaching/learning process in the classroom. It is clear from the description that context played a significant part in shaping the unit or activity.

**//Part II: Learning Goals//** In this section of your Teacher Work Sample, include a** list of learning goals **that will guide the planning, implementation and assessment of the activity or unit. These goals should define what you expect students to know and be able to do at the end of the activity or unit. The goals should address at least two of the following areas: (1) knowledge, (2) reasoning and problem solving, (3) skills, (4) products, and (5) dispositions. Number each learning goal so you can reference it later.
 * You will need to develop ** appropriate goals which are meaningful and which take into account the varying learning needs of individual students and groups. You should provide 1-3 learning goals for the activity.
 * You should also include justification ** for the choice of learning goals. Elements of your brief justification should identify how your learning goals (1) relate to the students’ current progress and development; (2) align with long-range instructional goals; and (3) align with local, state and national standards. This can be done in a few brief statements.

**//Evaluation//** q **Does not meet:** Goals are vague and seem to have been hastily assembled. They do not address two of the areas listed. Justification incomplete or missing.

q **Approaching Target:** This section was prepared according to the guidelines above. Goals are appropriate to the context.

q **Target:** Goals address the varying learning needs described in the context and are meaningful and relevant. The justification is brief, but thorough and thoughtfully addresses the relevant points.

** You should ** ** design ** assessments which are consistent with instructional goals. Assessment criteria should be clear and appropriate for all students and inform them of their progress.
 * // Part III: Assessment Plan //**

First you should do a pre-assessment. A writing sample done prior to instruction might help you to evaluate progress in composition, for example. Your pre-assessment will be dictated by your goals.

Design an assessment plan to monitor student progress toward learning goals. Your assessment should be on-going as well as cumulative. These assessments should authentically measure student learning. Describe why your assessments are appropriate for measuring what your students have learned. The assessments should be clearly related to the goals.

** In ** this section of your Teacher Work Sample, include ** a description of pre- and post- assessments **. Clearly explain how you will evaluate pre- and post- assessments. State what **__criteria__** you will use to assess the students’ performance in relation to the goals and a brief **__rationale__** for doing the assessment. Include evidence of pre- and post- assessments (copies of the assessments or prompts and the student directions for the prompts) and the criteria for judging student performance.

**//Evaluation//** q **Does not meet:** Pre-assessment missing or not clearly aligned with goals. Assessment plan is not cumulative, but seems tacked on. The assessments do not clearly relate to the goals. Criteria for evaluation and rationale missing or vaguely described.

q **Approaching Target:** The assessment plan contains all of the elements described here. The pre-assessment is related to the final assessment and there is a plausible relationship between the assessments and the goals. Criteria for assessment and rationale are reasonably well described.

q **Target:** Assessments are clearly described and relate well to each other and clearly connect to the goals specified for the unit or assignment. Criteria for judging student performance and rationale clearly described and meaningful. = = You should design learning activities which are challenging and highly relevant to all students. Learning activities should address instructional goals, progress coherently and meet the needs of diverse students by allowing for multiple paths to learning. You should plan and select a wide variety of instructional strategies, resources and tools of inquiry aimed at meeting the needs of all students.
 * //Part IV: Design for Instruction (plan) (NCTE 3.1.1)//**

Using some of the information described in your contextual factors and other factors you’ve learned about your classroom and students, **describe how you will design instruction** related to your goals, student characteristics and individual needs, and the specific learning context. This can be done in one or two paragraphs.

In this section of your Teacher Work Sample**,** develop **lesson plans** for the learning activity or activities to address your goals. A learning activity can take many forms including, but not limited to direct whole-group instruction, a teacher directed activity, small group experience, project, etc.

**//Evaluation//** q **Does not meet:** Plans are vague, poorly developed and unimaginative. The plan is highly reliant on one form of learning activity. Activities seem neither challenging nor relevant to goals.

q **Approaching Target:** The plans are clearly elaborated and show a variety of teaching strategies. The plans clearly address the goals and take the context into consideration.

q **Target:** The plans show a good variety of teaching strategies that address a diversity of learning styles. The plan relates clearly to the goals and to the context described in #1. The activities are consistently challenging and meaningful.

= //Part V: Analysis of Learning Results (NCTE 3.7.2)// = Analyze your data to report **the performance of the whole class, and two individual students.** Use a narrative to profile student performance. In this narrative, you should explain what you saw to be the strengths and growth areas in the work. What are the strengths of the work? What common strengths do you see in virtually all of the papers? What common weaknesses do you notice? What does this suggest about the students’ understanding of the assignment? Where did they experience difficulty? How would you plan your assignment differently if you were to do it again with this group of students? What follow up, or re-teaching, would you want to do, if any, with this group of students? With the two individuals you selected for closer analysis? Where you see students failing at this assignment, why do you think they are failing? How could you build in a “safety net” for these students to avoid failure?

You should reflect on and evaluate outcomes of your practice. You will use this reflection to improve your practice. Reflect on the entire process of developing, teaching and assessing your activity. What did you learn from doing this teacher work sample?

**//Evaluation//** q **Does not meet:** Analysis is cursory or missing significant elements. No significant reflection on the assessment or the process as a whole.

q **Approaching Target:** The assessment contains all of the elements required and addresses the significant questions. Evidence that the reflection will affect practice.

q **Target:** The assessment is thorough and insightful. The reflection is clear about what was learned and how that learning will affect future practice, not only with the particular assignment or unit, but more globally.