Teaching and Learning: Instructional Leadership

The Broad Prize Framework for School District Excellence

Instructional Leadership Requirements

District leaders and staff serve as models and guides for instructional effectiveness.
The district supports effective instruction.
District staff systematically monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction and provide feedback for improvement.

Best Practice Instructional Leadership Documents

Evaluating Teachers – Bridgeport Public Schools

Bridgeport Public Schools has designed its teacher evaluation process to encourage teachers to reflect on their own professional goals and practices.

1 – Teacher Evaluation Form Provides teacher and evaluator with an opportunity to record goals, action steps and a professional development plan.
What to Notice Bridgeport’s teacher evaluation form has two parts. The first page provides a structured form for the teacher and evaluator to record goals and action steps to achieve those goals. The second page gives both the teacher and the evaluator the chance to reflect on the teacher’s progress in working toward his or her instructional goals and overcoming obstacles. Notice that there are specific deadlines for completion of the teacher’s narrative section, as well as submission of the form itself. Objectives are specifically student-centered.	Questions to Ask How did the district develop this tool? Who was involved, and what process was used to draft and refine the tool? Who are the evaluators? What training do they receive? What kinds of conversations do teachers and evaluators have? How is this information reflected in the teacher’s personnel file?
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2 – Pre-Observation Form Gives the teacher a chance to record lesson plan observations and make requests for specific feedback prior to an evaluator’s classroom observation.
What to Notice The pre-observation form solicits input from the teacher prior to a formal classroom observation by an evaluator. It gives the teacher the opportunity to provide necessary information about the lesson plan and to request specific feedback on aspects of his/her instruction.	Questions to Ask How often do teachers undergo a formal classroom observation? Do they find these observations helpful? Are there other tools used for informal classroom observations?
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3 – Observation Report Allows evaluator to record structured and unstructured feedback to classroom observation.
What to Notice The observation report—to be filled out by the evaluator after each formal classroom observation—includes space for both quantitative scoring and qualitative observations. Notice that the scoring focuses specifically on knowledge, instruction and classroom management. Notice also that Bridgeport provides a scoring guide to ensure that teachers are evaluated consistently.	Questions to Ask How did the district develop this tool? How did they decide on knowledge, instruction and classroom management as the three areas? Do teachers and evaluators feel that this form covers all aspects of a teacher’s classroom performance? Where are the completed forms stored? How are they used from year-to-year? Do they go into the teacher’s personnel file?
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Supporting Effective Instruction – Bridgeport Public Schools

Bridgeport Public Schools has developed this series of tools that support the continuous improvement of instruction. Teachers are encouraged to reflect upon the effectiveness of their instructional strategies, share data and experiences during common planning time, and develop strong relationships with the district’s instructional coaches.

1 – Coaching Cycle Details, month-by-month, the expectations of how instructional coaches will work with classroom teachers.
What to Notice Bridgeport coaches start the coaching cycle during the summer, before their teachers have even reported for work. By the start of school in September, the coaches are prepared to have substantive goal-setting meetings with their teachers. In addition, the coaching cycle is iterative, featuring a repetitive cycle of goal-setting, behavioral modification and assessment. The cycle culminates with a preliminary discussion of instructional goals for the following year.	Questions to Ask How many coaches does Bridgeport employ? Is each coach assigned to one school or multiple schools? How frequently does a teacher meet with a coach? How does Bridgeport select its coaches? What qualities are most important for an instructional coach to have? What kind of training program does Bridgeport offer?
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2 – Literacy Checklist Guides an instructional coach through a substantive classroom walkthrough, focusing on literacy.
What to Notice The formatting of this document makes it very easy to read. Individual items are grouped into important areas of focus: (1) the Learning Environment, (2) Reading Workshop, (3) Word Study, (4) Accountable Talk, and (5) Writing Workshop. Teachers know exactly what they will be held accountable for in each of these areas.	Questions to Ask How widely is this tool used by Bridgeport’s coaches? Does the district evaluate the effectiveness of the tool by talking to individual teachers? What kind of training do coaches receive in how to use the tool? How frequently do they do classroom walkthroughs?
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3 – Common Planning Meeting Data Sheet Assists teachers in structuring common planning time with their grade-level peers.
What to Notice Common planning time is a period of time in which teachers meet with their grade-level peers to discuss implementation of the common curriculum, instructional strategies and assessment results. This form acts as an agenda for common planning time, ensuring that teachers discuss goals, assessment and instructional strategies.	Questions to Ask What are level 2 and level 4 students? Why has Bridgeport decided to focus on these particular students? How widely is this form used? Do teachers find it helpful? How are they trained to use it? And who is responsible for holding the group to the agenda?
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4 – Planning Reflection Template Provides teachers with the opportunity to reflect back on the school year, month-by-month, and set goals for the following year.
What to Notice By forcing teachers to reflect—in writing—on a monthly basis, the district ensures that teachers will work to continuously improve their instruction from one year to the next. Without this tool, teachers could easily move from one unit to the next, without stopping to record lessons that will help them improve their instruction in future years.	Questions to Ask Who is responsible for working through the template with individual teachers? An instructional coach? Or the principal? Does the district have processes in place to ensure that teachers revisit their “lessons learned” from the previous year? How are the completed forms stored so that they are not forgotten or lost from one year to the next?
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