Hi, this is Liz Losee from ESE�s Educator Effectiveness team.
The Professional Standards for Teachers (also known as the PSTs) were updated in 2014 to
mirror the Massachusetts' Educator Evaluation Framework.
ESE released Guidelines in January 2015 with detailed indicators for each of the four professional
standards.
The PSTs and indicators outlined in the PST Guidelines help ensure that preparation in
Massachusetts results in teachers who are ready for the classroom on day one.
We acknowledge that teaching is a profession in which individuals will grow in their expertise.
We are clear, however, that in order to make a difference with students, teachers must
meet a standard for readiness on the first day in the classroom.
Working with a group of educators, ESE sought to differentiate expectations appropriate
for the developmental nature of the profession.
Understanding that teachers will progress on each standard throughout their career,
the PST Guidelines describe the level of practice that candidates should demonstrate by the
time they complete their teacher preparation program and are endorsed for licensure.
The three levels of practice include: Introduction, Practice and Demonstrate
At the Introduction level of practice Candidates are expected to show understanding
through coursework and/or in field-based experiences.
At the Practice level Candidates are expected to have opportunities
to practice, to be observed, and to receive feedback through coursework and/or in field-based
experiences.
At the Demonstrate level of practice Candidates are expected to consistently demonstrate
competency through coursework and in field-based experiences as measured by the candidate assessment
of performance.
The Indicator differentiation signals the level of practice that candidates should demonstrate
by the time they complete their teacher preparation program and acknowledges that teachers will
progress on each standard throughout their careers.
When considering the content to assess in CAP, ESE and the CAP Advisory Committee identified
the need to focus on the Indicators identified at the �demonstrate� level of practice
in the PST Guidelines.
Part of the reason the expectation for candidates for this subset of Indicators is at the �demonstrate�
level is because the underlying practices and skills are most critical for success as
a beginning teacher, so it is fitting for CAP to also focus on these areas.
In order to keep the content assessed by CAP manageable by programs, supervising practitioners,
and candidates, ESE selected six essential elements to assess in CAP that would be representative
of a candidates� readiness to be impactful on day one.
These specific elements were selected because they can be crosswalked to each of the PST
Indicators required at the �demonstrate� level and the absence of a teacher�s abilities
in these areas is likely to put students at risk.
Overall, there are 23 PST Indicators, 13 of which were designated at the �demonstrate�
level of practice, and 6 that were deemed essential for ensuring teacher candidate readiness.
As an Example, when looking at the Well-Structured Lessons element that sits within the Curriculum,
Planning and Assessment Standard, and is one of the four elements embedded within the Curriculum
and Planning indicator, we found that the other three elements included in this indicator
were prerequisites for the Well-Structure Lessons element.
So for the well-structured lessons element, We believe that students will not be at risk
if a teacher: Develops and implements well-structured lessons
with challenging and measurable objectives, Uses appropriate student engagement strategies,
Appropriately paces and sequences activities, Uses appropriate materials, resources, and
technology, and Uses thoughtful grouping strategies.
In summary, the six elements were deemed essential if:
The absence of a teacher�s competency in the skill was likely to put students at risk
and if The element could serve as an umbrella for
skills outlined in other elements, in most cases other elements were pre-requisite skills
to those outlined in the essential element.
We believe that the combined performance on the six essential elements will be representative
of candidates� readiness to be impactful on day one.