Table of Contents

Preamble

Standards for Teachers (a listing)

• Content
• Human Development and Learning
• Diverse Learners
• Communication
• Learning Environment
• Planning
• Instructional Strategies
• Assessment
• Professional Growth
• Professional Relationships
• Educational Technology
• Professional Conduct

Glossary

Members of Delaware's Task Force to Develop Professional Teaching Standards

This draft document was developed by the members of Delaware's Task Force to Develop Professional Teaching Standards Second Draft Committee and prepared by Yvonne Harper of the Assessments and Accountability Branch of the Delaware Department of Education and William J. Thompson of TBA Consultants, Stratham, New Hampshire.

A Common Core of Teaching Knowledge and Skills

Shared commitment to ethical practice and a common core of knowledge connect the members of a profession creating a common language, set of understandings, and beliefs that permit professionals to work together toward shared purposes on behalf of their clients. Educators must share an understanding of child development and learning that allows them to plan together and to assess student needs from a common perspective.

The articulation of that common core of teaching knowledge and performances has been the charge of the Task Force for Teaching Standards. "The Delaware Professional Teaching Standards" addresses the knowledge and skills essential for all teachers regardless of specialty area. The application of the standards is manifested in specific contexts defined by the students, the discipline(s), the school, and the community. Therefore, the standards are not analogous to generic or context-free teaching behaviors.

Beyond Teachers

Teachers are one part of a total system whose purpose is the education of Delaware's diverse population. This system also includes curriculum, administrators, fiscal resources, and the policies and procedures to support the system. To insure maximum effectiveness toward the educational purpose, all parts of the system must work together with a shared vision of excellence.

Performance-Based and National Board Compatible

An important aspect of "The Delaware Professional Teaching Standards" is that they are performance-based: that is they describe what teachers should know and be able to do. This shift towards performance-based standards is in line with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards approach and reflects what teachers should know and be able to do to implement Delaware's Student Content Standards.

Although the standards are performance based, they do not establish performance levels. The standards communicate the range of performance expected of teachers, without stating how well a teacher must perform to be judged effective as a beginning or advanced teacher. Performance-based standards represent the first step towards establishing performance levels. Agreement within the profession on standards for what a teacher should know and be able to do is the initial step in the development of assessments of those abilities. Once assessment have been designed and are demonstrated to be valid and reliable, the profession can then establish reasonable expectations for teachers at different points in their career. These "benchmark performances" then define the performance levels expected of teachers with respect to the standards.

The Beginning Teacher and the Advanced Teacher

The appropriate distinctions between beginning and advanced practice are in the degrees of sophistication teachers exhibit in the application of knowledge and in the breadth and depth of knowledge, rather than in the kind of knowledge or practice required. Advanced practitioners have developed their abilities to deal simultaneously with more of the complex facets of the teaching context, with greater flexibility and adaptability, and a more highly developed capacity to integrate their understandings and performances on behalf of their students' individual needs. At the same time, to eventually become an expert practitioner, beginning teachers must have the knowledge and understandings defined in the standards, as well as the resources available to refine their skills. It is, therefore, incumbent on the educational system, and the professionals and policy makers therein, to provide support and opportunities for beginning teachers to develop their abilities. Additionally, the beginning teacher must enter the profession with the potential to address the many facets of curriculum, classroom, and student life, as well as a commitment to professional development and professional responsibility.

Delaware's educational systems must continue to address the needs of accomplished teachers as continual learners by encouraging collaborations, by providing quality learning opportunities and resources, and by developing opportunities for expanded roles for teachers. Delaware's teachers are the state's primary educational leaders. "The Delaware Professional Teaching Standards" recognizes the importance of teachers' contributions to the educational system and the future of the state.

Organization of the Delaware Professional Teaching Standards

The Preamble. The Professional Teaching Standards begin with a preamble that articulates the set of beliefs that underlie the Delaware Professional Teaching Standards. The dispositions reflected in these beliefs provided the starting point for articulating the Delaware Professional Teaching Standards and many of these ideas are often repeated throughout the standards.

The Standards. The common understanding of what constitutes effective teaching is communicated through twelve distinct standards. Although effective teaching is demonstrated through the integration of these standards, the articulation of distinct standards provides an opportunity to focus on key aspects (e.g., Content, Human Development and Learning, Instructional Strategies, Assessment) of teaching. Establishing these somewhat distinct categories provides colleges, universities, and schools with common lenses through which they can view the preparation and ongoing development of teachers.

Knowledge and Performances. Each standard is written to encompass what a teacher should know (e.g., The teacher understands the central concepts and structures of the discipline...) and what the teacher should be able to do with this knowledge (e.g., ...and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to the student). Specific indicators that describe the knowledge base and the associated performances in greater detail are provided for each standard to provide a sense of the range of knowledge and performances that comprise the standard.

Glossary . A glossary is provided at the end of the document.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

We believe that all children can learn and should have the opportunities to achieve their highest potential. A well-educated citizenry is essential for maintaining our democracy and ensuring a competitive position in a global economy.

We believe that Delaware's educational system must guarantee a supportive learning environment in which all students can learn. The educational environment should nurture the unique talents and creativity of students, understand, respect and incorporate the diversity of experiences, and cultivate students' personal commitment to enduring habits of life-long learning.

We believe that Delaware must strive to ensure excellence in teaching for all children by establishing professional licensing standards and learning opportunities which enable all teachers to use professional knowledge and skills on behalf of students.

We believe that these standards and opportunities should enable teachers to support the development of the whole student, to respond with flexible and professional judgment to the differing needs of students, and to actively engage students in their own learning so that they can use and generate knowledge.

We believe that teaching and learning comprise an integrated process that connects ideas and disciplines to each other and to the individual experiences, environments and communities of the students. Consequently, the process of teaching must be dynamic and interactive. Such teaching demands that teachers integrate their knowledge of content, students, communities, and curriculum to create a bridge between learning goals and learners' lives.

We believe that professional teachers assume roles beyond the classroom which include interacting with parents/guardians and other professionals, developing the school as a part of a learning community, and using all available resources to foster the education and welfare of students.

We believe that teachers' professional development is a dynamic process that begins with initial preparation and continues throughout the course of their entire career. Professional teachers are responsible for planning and pursuing their ongoing learning, for reflecting on their practices, and for working collaboratively with colleagues. To ensure continuous opportunities for teacher learning, all stake holders in Delaware's educational system must be responsible for investing in the necessary resources, organizational structure, and policies which support life-long learning.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

Standards for Teachers

  |Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands learning theory, including how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of mind.
• understands human development, including the ranges of individual variation within each domain.
• understands the interaction between student development and learning.

• chooses developmentally appropriate instructional strategies that promote student learning.
• develops concepts and principles at different levels of complexity so that they are meaningful to students at varying levels of development.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands how student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, and prior learning, as well as language, culture, gender, health, family, and community.
• understands differences in approaches to learning and performance, including learning styles, multiple intelligences, and performance modes.
• understands cultural diversity and how to incorporate multi-cultural experiences into instruction.
• understands areas of exceptionality in learning, including talented and gifted and special needs, and how to access strategies to accommodate individual differences.
• understands the process of second language acquisition and how to access strategies to support learning for students whose first language is not English.
• understands the needs of culturally and/or linguistically diverse students.
• understands when and how to access appropriate resources or services to meet special learning needs.

• accepts and values all students.
• treats all students equitably.
• respects students as individuals with differing experiences, skills, talents, and interests.
• uses cultural diversity and individual student experiences to enrich instruction.
• designs instructional activities that address the range of student learning styles, multiple intelligences and performance modes.
• makes appropriate provisions for individual students who have particular learning differences or needs.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands communication theory and its application.
• understands effective oral, written, non-verbal, and media communication techniques.
• understands the importance of audience and purpose when selecting ways to communicate ideas.
• understands how cultural and gender differences may affect communication in the classroom.

• uses a variety of communication techniques.
• communicates effectively with diverse populations.
• models accurate and grammatically correct language.
• creates opportunities for students to learn effective communication.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands principles of effective classroom management.
• understands factors that influence motivation and engagement and how to help students become self-motivated.
• understands individual behavior and how individuals behave in groups.
• understands group dynamics and how groups function within a community.
• understands how to help students learn to participate effectively in groups.

• establishes and maintains a classroom environment with clear expectations and standards of behavior.
• organizes, allocates, and manages time, materials, and physical space to support learning.
• establishes classroom practices that promote a safe environment.
• creates a learning community which respects individual differences.
• establishes a classroom environment which promotes positive relationships, cooperation, and purposeful learning.
• creates a classroom environment where student thoughts and ideas are a basis for exploring and developing understanding.
• creates a learning community in which students work independently and collaboratively.
• encourages students to assume responsibility for their own learning and behavior.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands how to incorporate learning theory, content, curriculum development, and assessment, and student development when planning.
• understands that effective instructional planning includes the alignment of assessment and instruction prior to implementation.
• understands how to develop short- and long-range plans consistent with curriculum goals, learner diversity, and learning theory.
• understands how to make connections between student experiences and education goals.

• evaluates teaching resources and materials for accuracy and usefulness.
• applies principles of scope and sequence when planning instruction.
• creates approaches to learning that are interdisciplinary and that integrate multiple content areas.
• creates and selects learning materials and learning experiences appropriate for the discipline and curriculum goals.
• uses student prior knowledge and principles of effective instruction to plan learning activities relevant to students.
• incorporates authentic experiences into instructional planning.
• creates multiple learning activities that allow for student choice.
• establishes and communicates expectations for student learning.
• creates and adapts short- and long-range plans to achieve the expectations for student learning.
• incorporates assessment components into instructional planning

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands principles and techniques of a broad range of instructional approaches, including questioning, problem solving, discourse, activation of prior knowledge, and student reflection on learning.
• understands the relationship between instructional approaches, assessment, and the types of learning promoted.
• understands how instructional materials and educational technologies enhance learning.

• uses a range of instructional approaches that allows students to explore concepts and develop an in-depth understanding of content.
• designs lessons that routinely engage students in activities that develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.
• designs instructional activities that provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge.
• uses a variety of materials and educational technologies to enhance student thinking and further conceptual understanding.
• assumes different roles in the instructional process based on the content and purposes of instruction.
• uses a range of questioning techniques to promote different levels of understanding.
• emphasizes communication as a vehicle for learning, through the use of discussion, listening, collaboration, and responding to the ideas of others.
• links new concepts to student prior knowledge.
• promotes student awareness of their own thought processes and how to use reflection to build new understandings.
• incorporates assessment components into instructional delivery.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands measurement theory, including principles of testing and assessment (e.g., design, validity, reliability, and bias).
• understands assessment as a means of collecting information about student progress.
• understands the purposes and characteristics of different kinds of assessments.
• understands how to select, construct, and use assessment strategies and instruments for diagnosis and evaluation of learning.
• understands how to use the results of assessment to reflect on and modify teaching.

• uses assessment to diagnose student learning needs as a basis for designing instruction.
• uses a variety of assessment modes and multiple measures to evaluate student learning.
• uses both formal and informal assessment strategies to monitor and evaluate student understanding, progress, and performance.
• aligns assessment with instruction.
• maintains accurate records and communicates student progress.
• involves students in self-assessment to help them become aware of their strengths and needs.
• encourages students to establish personal goals for learning based on self-assessment and assessments results.
• modifies instruction based on assessment results.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands that reflection on teaching is an integral part of professional growth.
• understands the implications of educational research for teaching.
• understands methods of inquiry that provide for a variety of self-assessment and problem-solving strategies for reflecting on practice.

• engages in continuous learning.
• participates in professional discourse about educational issues.
• uses classroom observation, information about students, pedagogical knowledge, and research as sources for active reflection, evaluation, and revision of practice.
• collaborates with other professionals as resources for problem solving, generating new ideas, sharing experiences, and seeking and giving feedback.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands how school are organized and operate.
• understands schools as organizations within the larger community context.
• understands the importance of community-school interaction.
• understands the importance of collaboration in education.

• cooperates with colleagues to develop an effective learning climate within the school.
• collaborates with other professionals to solve problems and make decisions to promote student success.
• develops relationships with parents and guardians to acquire an understanding of the students' lives outside of the school.
• works effectively with parents/guardians and other members of the community to advocate for student need and to promote learning.
• identifies and uses community resources to enhance student learning and to provide opportunities for students to explore career opportunities.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands how to use various educational technological tools to access and manage information.
• understands how to integrate educational technology into classroom instruction.
• understands how to review and evaluate educational technologies to determine instructional value.
• understands the uses of instructional technology to address student needs.

• designs instruction to promote student skills in the use of educational technologies to access and manage information.
• uses a wide range of instructional technologies to enhance student learning and problem solving.
• uses technological advances in communication to enrich discourse in the classroom.
• uses appropriate educational technology to create and maintain data bases for monitoring student progress.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

The teacher...

• understands school policies and procedures.
• understands legal issues in education.
• understands the codes of conduct of professional education organizations.

• acts in the best interests of students.
• follows school policies and procedures, respecting the boundaries of professional responsibilities, when working with students, colleagues, and families.
• follows local, state, and federal law pertaining to educational and instructional issues, including regulations related to student rights and teacher responsibilities.
• interacts with students, colleagues, parents, and others in a professional manner.
• follows codes of professional conduct adopted by the Delaware Professional Standards Council.*

*to be developed.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

Alignment of Assessment The ability to determine what students know and are able to do with respect to the curriculum is dependent upon how well the assessment methods and task are aligned with, or in agreement with, the curriculum. Assessments should be aligned with the content of the curriculum, consistent with the instructional approaches, and address the range of topics as weighted in the curriculum.

Authentic Experiences The use of performances, or "authentic activities", such as writing a letter, solving a real-world mathematics problem, or investigating a question in science, as a way to teach and to assess student learning.

Culturally and/or Linguistically Diverse Students and families who come to schools with cultural and/or language backgrounds that differ from the predominant experience of monolingual English speakers. The term calls attention to the range of geographic background, cultural heritage, and level of English proficiency found among students in schools.

Codes of Conduct Many professional educational organizations have adopted codes of conduct that establish the ethical parameters that guide professional behavior. The codes range from general guides for teachers (NEA) to more specific guidelines for teachers of certain subject areas.

Communication Theory An understanding of the principles of communication theory (e.g., productive and receptive communication, cultural context of language, metacommunication) as they apply in practice in the classroom.

Community The school community includes: teachers, administrators, students, and parents and/or guardians. However, the schools are a part of a larger community (i.e., neighborhood, town, city) that supports the school and the broader society or community in which students will live.

Disciplines Academic disciplines include the arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, and natural and social sciences that provide the basis of the subjects taught in schools.

Discourse Discourse refers to both the writing and speaking in the classroom that teachers and students engage in as they seek way to represent ideas, concepts and their thinking. It is the ways in which they discuss, agree and disagree, and explore the discipline.

Diverse Learners Students are individuals who differ in the ways in which they learn. They have different learning styles, interests, talents and personalities, all of which affect the ways in which teachers design instruction.

Domains The broad areas of human development - intellectual, social, emotional, and physical - that influence learning.

Educational Technology The use of any technology (e.g., word processing, data retrieval, electronic mail) as a set of skills that can be learned and used to support learning in the classroom.

Habits of Mind Mental habits influence what students do and how they learn. The development of habits of mind, like perseverance, confidence, a willingness to explore new ideas and experiment, seeking feedback from others, valuing accuracy and precision, avoiding impulsivity, are a part of the teaching and learning process.

Health Health issues that can affect learning range from cerebral palsy, Down's Syndrome, and other severe disabilities to less pronounced and not easily detected concerns such as diabetes or asthma. An awareness of these conditions and how they affect learning furthers a teacher's ability to meet the needs of students.

Instructional Technology The use of specific technologies that are integrated with content to enhance learning within the disciplines (e.g., graphing calculators in mathematics, accounting or tax software in business, editing software for writing).

Learning Theory An understanding of the principles of learning theory (e.g., behaviorism, constructivism, transmission of knowledge) as they apply in practice in the classroom.

Meaningful (to students) Meaningful is intended to convey a sense of purpose to students for their learning. The content takes on significance because of the connections that are made between the learning and students' lives. It helps students make sense out of what they are learning.

Measurement Theory An understanding of the principles of measurement theory (e.g., validity, reliability, bias in testing, test construction, interpretation of tests) as they apply in practice in the classroom.

Media Communication The use of technologies that document events (e.g., audio-tape, videotape, electronic transfer of information through computer programs) as a means of communicating information.

Methods (Process) of Inquiry Inquiry is the process through which students make new discoveries, extend their knowledge, or deepen their understandings of things they already know. Students need to be able to create, observe, compare, question, record and interpret data, evaluate and revise, search resources, and share information.

Multicultural The term multicultural is usually used as an adjective to describe the diverse cultural backgrounds of students and their families and school personnel, with an emphasis on their ethnicity, race, religion, gender, socio-economic status, and family structures. The term takes on importance in the development of teachers who recognize the importance of these factors in the education process.

Multiple Assessments Decisions about what students know and are able to do should be based on an analysis of information obtained from a variety of sources of evidence. Assessments should be conducted in a variety of formats (e.g., written and oral tests, observations, performances) and address the full range of content.

Multiple Intelligences Based on the writing of Howard Gardner, the identification of seven abilities (i.e., linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intra-personal) that describe distinct aspects of "intelligent."

Non-verbal communication Communication through means other than the use of words (e.g., facial expressions, body position, action).

Pedagogical Knowledge Pedagogical knowledge is the knowledge of how to teach - the knowledge of instructional methods.

Performance Carrying out or completing an activity or production which displays a student's knowledge and ability through demonstration.

Performance Modes The range of ways in which students can demonstrate what they know and are able to do (e.g., writing, speaking, visual works, videotapes, enacting).

Professional Growth The process in which teachers examine the relationship between what they and their students are doing and what their students are learning, through self-reflection and feedback from students and colleagues and an exploration of the findings from research, and use this information as the basis for improving their practice.

Structures The structures of disciplines provide the overall framework which both connect and transcend the skills and content of the discipline. The big picture or outline of the discipline helps students understand the commonalties and the interrelationships of concepts within a discipline and help them to make connections as they acquire more knowledge. An understanding of the principles of measurement theory (e.g., validity, reliability, bias in testing, test construction, interpretation of tests) as they apply in practice in the classroom.

Technology The use of the word technology is meant to encompass both educational and instructional technology within this document unless one of these terms is used specifically.

Theory The knowledge of the principles and methods of a science (e.g., learning, measurement) as contrasted with its application.

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|

|Back to Top|Back to Services & Programs|Back to DOE Home Page|