TEACHER GUIDANCE REPORT Page 1​ of 8

Teacher: Sara Derdiger Grade: 9-11 Course: Advanced Writing

Ratings
Meets or Exceeds Acceptable Performance = ​M
Area for Growth = ​G
Unsatisfactory = ​U

Observation Date #1 #2 #3 Final

& Category Rating
I. ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING ALL STUDENTS IN LEARNING

I.1 Connecting students’ prior knowledge, life experience and interests with
learning goals
I.2 Using a variety of instructional strategies
I.3 Facilitating learning experiences that promote autonomy, interaction, and
choice
I.4 Engaging students in problem solving, critical thinking, and other activities that
make subject matter meaningful
I.5 Promoting self-directed, reflective learning for all students M G
I.6 Promoting appropriate levels of academic rigor (student interviews)

Notes: The teacher linked the lesson to prior knowledge, with the discussion on
collectivism and objectivism at the start of class. The teacher did not use a wide
variety of instructional strategies, but that may be a result of the class being a
high level honors course with only 2 students in attendance. The teacher
promoted some critical thinking with the introduction assignment, but did not
necessarily promote self-directed or self-reflective learning. This could be good
in the future as it has students evaluate and consider their own learning and can
lead to better internalization of the material. This can be done, for example, by
having the students work in groups and present, then they grade themselves
with the same rubric the teacher uses, forcing students to reflect on their effort
and engagement. The teacher did promote a good level of academic rigor.
From Student Interviews: The students feel that the course is an appropriate
difficult. They feel that the homework is given in appropriate amounts. They feel
like the grading is fair.

Notes: The teacher linked the lesson to the previous class with a bellringer with
a focus on using transition words in their freewrite. The teacher asked the
students to underline four transition words that they used in, which she then
collected. In this particular class, the teacher did not use a wide variety of
instructional strategies, with a majority of the instructional time (60 minutes)
being allocated to working on the second draft of their research papers. The
teacher promoted some critical thinking, and asked students to self-reflect on
their own research papers by going through a checklist she created from areas
of improvement she noticed when working through their first drafts. In this
class, students did not get a chance to collaborate or work with each other with
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much of their time being spent in front of a computer. The teacher should
continue to use varied instruction and to make sure that no activity runs too
long (unless necessary in some circumstances) in order to maintain student
engagement and to ensure a higher likelihood of knowledge retention.

From Student Interviews: The students say that this class is medium difficulty
level. They said the amount of homework is adequate and is what they would
expect from a writing class. They are not sure about the grading, because they
don’t get grades until the final copies of their papers are due.

II. CREATING AND MAINTAINING AN EFFECTIVE

ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNING

II.1 Creating a physical environment that engages all students

II.2 Establishing a climate that promotes fairness and respect
II.3 Engaging all students in the lesson
II.4 Establishing clear behavior and academic expectations for the students with
follow-through when they are not met
II.5 Planning and implementing classroom procedures and routines that support
student learning
II.6 Using instructional time effectively
M M
Notes: The teacher has created a physical environment that engages the
students, with the desks in groups of 4, which should facilitate discussion
between students and a good environment for group work. She established a
climate of fairness by treating all students equally. There were only two
students and the teacher engaged them both equally. The teacher seemed to
have clear enough academic expectations, aside from that, with the exception of
the agenda, noted below. The behavior of the students was fine, but they were
eating and not quite seated and ready when the bell ended. It could be good to
establish clearer behaviors expectations about the students being alert and
active in class. This could include a participation rubric to draw the students
more into the lessons. There were not particularly noticeable classroom
procedures, such as a routine at the start of class. The class may benefit from
having more structure there, with a bell ringer, for example. However, this is an
Honors level class that had two students, so that may account for the looser
structure in this case, as it’s not really much of a problem with only two
students, both of which are strong academically. Nonetheless, The teacher used
the instructional time well.

Second Observatio​n: The teacher has created a physical environment that

doesn’t necessarily engage all of the students, with four students sitting together
at one group of desks, and several students scattered and sitting by themselves.
Whether this was a seating arrangement created by the teacher, or seats selected
by the students is unclear. In class, the teacher treats all students fairly and with
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respect. Most of the instructional time was dedicated to students working on

drafts of their research paper; it may be beneficial to work on calling students to
answer questions more regularly in order to ensure they are engaged in the
course material.. This can also be good for formatively assessing, on the go,
how well students are understanding the lesson. The teacher posted the agenda
on the board and went over it with the students verbally. This is excellent
because it provides students with a mental framework for learning can also be
good for retention. This is also important for student learning, as a distinct
agenda can help students understand what is expected of them and what they
can expect from the class on that day. The instructional time was not used
effectively for this class.

III. UNDERSTANDING AND ORGANIZING SUBJECT MATTER FOR

STUDENT LEARNING

III.1 Demonstrating knowledge of subject matter content and student development

III.2 Organizing curriculum to support student understanding of subject matter
III.3 Interrelating ideas and information within and across subject matter areas
III.4 Developing student understanding through instructional strategies that are
appropriate to the subject matter
III.5 Using materials, resources, and technologies to make subject matter accessible
to students M M

Notes: The teacher demonstrated a good amount of subject matter knowledge

during the lesson, including historical context for the novel. The curriculum is
well-organized to support student understanding. The teacher did relate some
information across varying subject matters, as the historical context is certainly
historical and there were arguably political aspects as well. This can be a great
way to create new connections in students minds by having them link
knowledge from two courses together, which can help promote creative and
outside the box thinking. The teacher developed student understanding through
instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter. She used a
couple resources: a PowerPoint and the novel.

Second Observation:​ The teacher demonstrated strong knowledge of the

subject matter during the lesson. The curriculum is well organized to support
student learning. In addition, the students were given a choice of research topics
which allows for cross-curricular connections to be made. The teacher
somewhat develops student understanding through instructional strategies that
are appropriate to the subject matter. She used only one resource, Canvas,
during this class.
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IV. PLANNING INSTRUCTION AND DESIGNING LEARNING

EXPERIENCES FOR ALL STUDENTS

IV.1 Drawing on and valuing students’ backgrounds, interests, and developmental

learning needs
IV.2 Establishing and articulating goals for student learning
IV.3 Developing and sequencing instructional activities and materials for student
learning
IV.4 Designing short-term and long-term plans to foster student learning
IV.5 Modifying instructional plans to adjust for students (such as ELL or gifted
students)
M G
Notes: The teacher did not necessarily draw upon student’s backgrounds and
interests. The teacher had the homework written on the board, but there was no
agenda for the day that was either written or verbally discussed. The teacher
could benefit from having a clear daily agenda displayed and also, importantly,
from verbally going over the day’s agenda near the start of class. Discussing it
helps give the students a mental framework for the class so they understand
what they are going to be learning and what is expected of them. Nonetheless,
the teacher planned the class with a good sequencing of instructional cohesion.
The teacher seems to have both short-term and long-term plans. She did not
necessarily modify instruction for ELL students, but neither student required
such modifications.

Second Observation: ​The teacher did not necessarily draw upon student’s
backgrounds and interests in her instruction but she did allow for choice in
research topics. As mentioned before, the teacher did an excellent job of posting
the agenda on the board and going over it verbally with the students. The
learning goals for this unit were not posted in the classroom, and it could be
beneficial to students if this was made clear. The teacher planned class activities
that seemed to flow together. The teacher has short term and long term plans in
mind. She did not necessarily modify instruction for ELL students in this class.
V. ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING

V.1 Assessing for learning goals established in UbD

V.2 Collecting and using multiple sources of information to assess students
V.3 Involving and guiding all students in assessing their own learning
V.4 Using the results of assessments to guide instruction
V.5 Reporting graded assessment results on RenWeb within 2 weeks
V.6 Giving the appropriate amount of grades in RenWeb G U

Notes: ​The assessments seem to assess for learning goals established in the
UbDs. The teacher did not particularly collect multiple sources of information
to assess student learning. There could be major benefits to regularly checking
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for student progress. It might be beneficial to implement some small summative

assessment, like quizzes, to check student learning, but it would also be good to
have other forms of formative assessment. Formative assessment can be very
important for directing future instruction, because it forces the students to
demonstrate their understanding in an immediate way so the teacher can gauge
how well they have learned and decide if something needs to be re-taught or
have more time spent on it, versus moving on to the next lesson topic. This
could be done through having the students complete exit slips, for example.
Alternatively, during the PowerPoint, the teacher could have given a handout
where the students answered questions about the lesson along the way. The
teacher would collect this and could even not grade it, but use it to quickly scan
to see if students understood how to properly use the new terms. This could be
improved as there was no real collection of information to assess student
comprehension aside from class discussion. The course seems to have an
appropriate amount of grades that have been updated in line with our grading
policy.

Second Observation: ​The final assessment assesses for the learning goals
described in the unit plans. The teacher collected a free write and also had
individual student conferences with the students to assess how they were doing
on their research papers. The teacher gave the students tips and next steps to
work on. This was great because it allowed students to get live feedback on
their assignment. However, it is now the fourth week in the course, and there
are no grades in RenWeb besides one participation grade from January and all
students have 100%. The teacher does not meet our school’s grading policies. It
is noted that the teacher has just taken on an additional class and is still
adjusting.
VI. DEVELOPING AS A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR

VI.1 Reflecting on lessons and using it to guide improvement

VI.2 Staying current in your field
VI.3 Working with colleagues to improve professional practice
VI.4 Positively contributing in professional development sessions
M M
Notes: The teacher seems to reflect upon lessons to guide improvement. She
definitely stays current in her field and can often be found reading during her
free time. She seems to work with colleagues, particularly the other high school
lit teacher, to improve their professional practice. She participates well in PD
and staff meetings.

Second Observation: ​The teacher stays current in her field and it often seen
reading in the staff lounge. She is constantly seeking out PD opportunities and
is willing to share what she has learned with other teachers. She collaborate
with her colleagues, most recently in the middle school when developing new
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unit plans for 7th grade literature. She is an active participate in professional
development sessions.

VII. PROFESSIONAL WORK HABITS

VII.1 Establishes rapport with students, parents, staff, and administrators

VII.2 Maintains timely communication with students, parents, staff, and
administrators on assigned students’ performance
VII.3 Attendance and punctuality (work / meetings)
VII.4 Modifying curriculum documents according to deadlines

Notes: The teacher is friendly and clearly has good rapport with the school’s
M M
stakeholders, including the students and other teachers. Her communication is
good and she has sent timely emails home to parents. Her attendance is pretty
good so far and she has been punctual. She hit her curriculum document
deadlines and her grading seems updated.

Second Observation:​ The teacher seems to have have good rapport with the
school’s stakeholders. She maintains timely communication with students,
parents and staff. Her attendance has been good and she is punctual to work.
She has met the most recent curriculum deadlines but her grading is not updated
at all.

OVERALL GUIDANCE RATING

M G

Notes:

The teacher began class with students doing a freewrite with a focus on transition words. She collected
this afterwards. Next, the students moved to the computer lab to work on their second drafts of their
research papers. The teacher went over a list of tips and reminders that the teacher noticed when going
through their first drafts. The students were given the rest of the period to work on their drafts and the
teacher called them up one by one to have conferences.

Areas of strength:

The teacher is very well organized. She gets her curriculum done early and puts a lot of effort into it. She
is very on top of her class plans, having strongly developed UbDs and courses that have a strong direction
for the year before they start. She also cares a lot about her lit classes in particular, putting a lot of effort
and thought into choose the novels and, in particular, developing an entirely new course from scratch. She
also has a strong grasp of her course material. She also put in some good effort to get to know and help
one or two of the new teachers this year, which is a great display of team spirit and collaboration.
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Area(s) for improvement for the school year:

The teacher wants to get her classroom organization back to where it was.

She also wants to find more time to focus on her intro and dystopian lit classes.

The teacher would like to work on more re-teaching in advanced writing because students often forget or
don’t use what they have learned.

Questions to consider for follow-up meeting:

1) How can you implement more formative assessment in the classroom? Additionally, how might
you use this to inform future instruction?
The teacher does a lot of journal entries, particularly in regard to the class novels. She gives
feedback on these and they allow her to see their level of understanding. Additionally, she does
an activity in larger classes where she does station rotating where students write on large pieces
of paper and she can assess on the go as they write on the paper at each station. She also uses
regular post-it notes for collection for formative assessment. The teacher also wants to find more
time to experiment with flipped learning as a means of at least partial formative assessment.

Second Observation: With all the teacher’s literature classes, instead of reading logs after silent
reading, she has now implemented mini book talks which encourages on the spot literary
analysis. In the teacher’s writing classes she has implemented draft meetings instead of marking
up students’ writing drafts. In her intro class, she utilizes small group discussion to facilitate
learning. She uses formative assessment to help guide her future instruction and also help her
teach a little in the moment as well and get a better sense of what her students do and don’t
understand..

2) What routines and procedures do you have in place in other, larger classes, to ensure a smooth
start to class and when transitioning between activities? How is it working so far?
At the start of the year the teacher posted the agenda on the front board and used a bell ringer at
the start of class, which created a good routine. As the year has gone on, that has slipped away
and the teacher does want to get back into it. When she did use that structure, the procedures and
routines helped the class run in an orderly way with smooth transitions. The teacher also used to
upload the class’s agenda and the homework and handouts to Renweb earlier in the year so
students could go back and check it out. But that has stopped as the year has worn on. The
teacher’s main goal is to get back to these routines from earlier in the year. She would also like
to implement and after-break bell ringer to help with that transition.
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The teacher has been working very hard to put the agenda on the board. In her literature classes
she uses silent reading to start her class and free writing in her writing classes. She still uses
ClassDojo in all of her classes and posting shoutouts for her students. The teacher has noted that
she will try to improve her closing and wrap up activities as well as implementing exit slips in the
classroom.

3) This class didn’t necessarily call for a variety of instructional strategies, although a lot of reading
aloud was used, but what are some varied instructional practices you use in your lower level and
more populated classes?

The teacher does partner, group, individual and reading aloud in class for reading the work. The
teacher also tries to bring in a lot of historical context and brings in external documents. She
runs class discussions as well as small group and TPS sharing.

The teacher has been using small group work, collaborative writing, and partner work. She will
be planning out more activities for the lower level students.

______________________ ________ ______________________ ________

Evaluator’s Signature Date Employee’s Signature Date

My signature acknowledges that I have met and discussed this evaluation, but does not necessarily imply agreement
with conclusions of the evaluator. Employee’s Comments: Attach a separate page