Teacher Work Sample at

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Emporia State University
The Teachers College
Teacher Work Sample www.emporia.edu/teach/tws
Ken Weaver kweaver_at_emporia.edu 620-341-5367 (So
me Slides by Dr. Larry Lyman)
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Current Status at ESU

• Required of all elementary and secondary
  interns/student teachers beginning Spring
  2002
• Practice Teacher Work Sample completed
• during Block 2 or Phase I
• The Teacher Work Sample is a major part of
• the final grade for the course EL/ED 431
• (2/3 of the grade)

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Collaboration in Its Development

• Emporia and Olathe mentor teachers
• Emporia and Olathe elementary interns
• Emporia State University faculty
• Renaissance Group partner universities
• Oklahoma teachers and university professors

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The Teacher Work Sample measures the ability to

• Construct and deliver an instructional unit
• Construct challenging and meaningful assessments
• Adapt instruction to meet student needs
• Measure learning gains
• Analyze and reflect on teaching decisions and
  results

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General Structure of the TWS

• Contextual Information Learning Environment
  Adaptations
• Unit Learning Goals and Objectives
• Instructional Design and Implementation
• Demonstration of Integration Skills
• Analysis of Classroom Learning Environment
• Analysis of Assessment Procedures
• Reflection and Self-Evaluation

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Factor 1 Contextual Information Learning
Environment

• Educational Purposes
• Increase students concept of
• classroom diversity
• Link information about
• diversity to instructional design

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Factor 2 Unit Learning Goals Objectives

• Educational Purposes
• Promote use of more challenging instruction for
  all PK-12 pupils
• Promote use, interpretation, and application of
  local and state standards
• Encourage student teachers/interns to avoid
  knowledge only targets unless appropriate

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Factor 3 Instructional Design Implementation

• Educational Purposes
• Foster use of assessment and context data in
  planning instruction
• Link instruction to learning objectives
• Encourage student teachers/interns to
• design challenging lessons that
• -impact learning for all students
• -address different learning styles
• -incorporate technology
• -incorporate a range of reading abilities
• -use learning-centered environments

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Factor 4 Demonstration of Integration Skills

• Educational Purposes
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate across and
  within content fields
• Demonstrate the ability to teach thinking skills

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Factor 5 Analysis of Classroom Learning
Environment

• Educational Purposes
• Provide opportunity for student
• teachers/interns to link learning results
• to classroom efforts
• Promote student teacher/interns reflection on
  the impact the unit had on individual, small
  group and whole group learning
• Provide evidence of an appropriate
• classroom management plan
• Provide evidence of appropriate
• motivational skills

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Factor 6 Analysis of Assessment Procedures

• Educational Purposes
• Promote link between learning
• objectives and assessments
• Encourage the use of different
• assessment formats
• Encourage the use of challenging assessments

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Factor 7 Reflection and Self-Evaluation

• Educational Purposes
• Promote analysis and synthesis of all activities
• Promote professional development
• Promote a better understanding of the
  implications of state assessment and
  accreditation process on the teachers classroom

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• Strengths Identified by TWS
• Awareness of classroom context
• Ability to write outcomes and align instruction
  and assessment
• Use of collaboration
• Use of active learning and inquiry
• Use of multiple learning strategies
• Use of formative assessments

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• Strengths continued
• Use of assessment throughout instruction
• Use of technology
• Reflection on successes and failures in the
  classroom
• High degree of reported impact on student
  learning

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• Challenges
• Reflection on professional development plan
• Alignment of objectives, instruction, and
  assessment
• Time to complete during
• student teaching/internship

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Student Teacher/Intern Surveys

• Most important thing gained from the TWS
• Planning and implementing units and lessons
• Reflecting about my experience of teaching
• Learning to evaluate students gain scores

• Changes to the TWS based on Feedback
• Having more specific details and better examples
• Reduce repetition
• More training sessions

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In the last survey of Student Teachers/Interns
about the TWS

• The TWS accurately show-cased my knowledge/skills
  as a teacher.
• 73 agreed 27 disagreed
• The TWS was a valuable experience to my
  professional training.
• 79 agreed 21 disagreed

A reversal of opinion from the first survey!
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Candidate Mean Scores, Student Gain Scores, and
Objective Mastery Index
Candidate mean scores have increased from 82 to
95 Student Gain Scores are approximately
65 Objective Mastery Index is approximately 77
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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 1

• Become familiar with the goals and requirements
  of the
• Teacher Work Sample.

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 2

• Help the student teacher identify an appropriate
  goal for the instructional sequence which is
  linked to state or local outcomes.

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 3

• Help the student teacher plan so that instruction
  can be completed by required deadlines.
• (See The Teacher Work Sample
• Flowchart on last page of your handout)

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 4

• Suggest resources which might be useful to the
  student teacher in planning and teaching the goal.

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 5

• Provide feedback to the student teacher about
  planning and teaching and check progress toward
  TWS completion.

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 6

• Alert the student teaching supervisors if
  planning and teaching are not going well.

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 7

• Sign Cover Page! (see p. 6 of your handout)
• Ask to see the TWS before signing
• (See p. 4 of your handout)

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Mentor Teachers Responsibility 8

• Celebrate your student teachers success with the
  completion of the Teacher Work Sample.

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
1

• Completed Teacher Work Sample cannot exceed 25
  pages
• Supporting material can be included in appendices
  at the end of the Work Sample

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
2

• The student teacher needs to use the cover page
  included in the Prompt and Evaluation Rubric as
  their cover page.

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
3

• The intern/student teacher should be aware
  of the Irregularities and Penalties Procedures
  and Integrity Guidelines (see p. 3 of your
  handout).

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
4

• Names of students in the classroom should not be
  included any place in the Work Sample.
• Students can be identified by an alias or by an
  assigned student number.

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
5

• The pre- and post-assessments must evaluate the
  exact same objectives. Although the exact same
  assessment instrument (exam, rubric or
  observation) need not be used, there must be a
  method for calculating gain scores and mastery
  index.

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
6

• The completed Teacher Work Sample must include
  low, middle, and high level objectives, and the
  objectives must be classified according to
  Blooms three domains (cognitive, affective, and
  psychomotor).

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
7

• When completing the TWS, candidates must
  demonstrate the ability to use
• Descriptive writing skills
• Analytical writing skills
• Reflective writing skills

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
8

• The Teacher Work Sample must demonstrate that the
  student teacher has made appropriate
  modifications and adaptations in teaching to meet
  the learning needs of all students.

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Things to Remember about the Teacher Work Sample
9

• All Work Samples must be received in the Deans
  Office by the date indicated on the TWS Flow
  Chart
• Delivered by mail, in person, or by e-mail (see
  Prompt and Rubric for instructions)
• Any exceptions must be approved by the Deans
  Office and Department Chair

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• Completed Teacher Work Samples will be assessed
  by trained evaluators for
• Quality
• Completeness
• Alignment
• Matches Checklists and Rubrics

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• TWS Scoring Process
• All TWSs are scored during a single scoring
  session, usually on a Saturday.
• Each TWS is scored separately by two trained
  scorers.
• The two scorers compare their scores.
• If the scores are the same, that is the final
  score.
• If scores are different, the two scorers review
  the TWS together and agree on a final score.
• If the TWS score is below 70 (94), a session
  leader scores the TWS and arrives at a final
  scored based on the three scores.
• Candidates may appeal their score.

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Assessor Guidelines

• Avoiding Bias and Other Issues

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Maintain the Proper Attitude

• Excellent teaching takes many faces
• Remember that teachers (particularly beginning
  ones) may not make the same choices you would
  make
• Treat all performances confidentially
• If you recognize a candidates work, keep that
  information to yourself

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Scoring Subtleties

• Do not be fooled by writing ability,
  organization, or colorful and interesting
  materials
• Evidence should be explicitly linked to
  designated components of the TWS, but you may
  have to look for it
• Points should not be taken off because the
  candidate didnt follow directions or put
  evidence where the guide calls for it
• Some TWS require more inference than others to
  score
• You may need to combine multiple pieces of
  evidence to decide if a standard has been met

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Pitfalls of Scoring

• Pitchfork effect
• A bad section should not cloud your view of later
  work
• Halo effect
• Do not allow one spectacular section to blur your
  vision regarding the remaining sections
• Leniency/stringency
• The best way to avoid this is to constantly refer
  to the scoring guide and rubric
• Tending toward the center
• Do not take the easy way and rate everything down
  the middle

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Caveats

• Weird stuff
• If it is so poorly done, give it back to us.
• Personal biases
• Do not use personal experience, beliefs, or
  values to score the sample
• I used cooperative learning once and it didnt
  work

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Anti-Bias Training

• What to look for in my own opinions?

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Bias Recording Sheets

• What would you consider to be the traits of an
  excellent teacher work sample in terms of
  content, format, organization, and style?
• What would you consider to be the traits of a
  poor teacher work sample in terms of content,
  format, organization, and style?

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Review

• Candidate Assistance Policy
• Irregularities and Penalties Procedures and
  Integrity Guidelines
• Cover Page Signatures
• Page limit is a firm 25 pages and total points is
  134 (see score sheet)
• Tables and charts are encouraged and more
  examples of tables are provided

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Review (continued)

• Electronic submission is permitted/ encouraged

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Kansas Performance Teaching Portfolio

• Task 1 Contextual Information Learning
  Environment Factors
• Task 2 Designing Instruction
• Task 3 Teaching and Learning
• Task 4 Reflection and Professionalism
• Videotaping of two lessons required and the basis
  for the reflection piece
• 35 pages
• KPTP currently being validated

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NCATE

• The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
  Education is the accrediting body for teacher
  education at Emporia State.
• ESUs next accreditation visit is fall of 2010.
• We rely on our mentor and cooperating teachers to
  partner with us in preparation for the visit and
  participating in interviews with the NCATE team.