Charlotte Danielson's Effective Classroom Rubric

The Framework for Teaching provides that shared definition, and the common language that permits self-assessment, reflection on practice, and collegial dialogue. Mentors use interpersonal communication skills and a process of structured professional conversations to enhance educators’ capacity to plan, reflect, and problem solve about their practice. The aim of a coaching process is to encourage the development of self-directed learning on the part of all teachers. Mentors collect classroom data and translate the data into diagnostic information necessary for establishing NE (new educator) goals. The Mentor's measures of success are evidenced through the NE's response to the intervention and support. The Framework for Teaching is a research-based set of components of instruction, aligned to the FEAP standards, and grounded in a constructivist view of learning and teaching. In this framework, the complex activity of teaching is divided into 2 components clustered into four domains of teaching responsibility: planning and preparation (Domain 1), classroom environment (Domain 2), instruction. Each component defines a distinct aspect of a domain; two to five elements describe a specific feature of a component. Levels of teaching performance (rubrics) describe each component and provide a roadmap for improvement of teaching. The Framework is used as the foundation of mentoring and coaching processes, thus linking activities together and helping teachers become more thoughtful practitioners. Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully and honestly complete this survey.
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A red asterisk (*) indicates required questions.

  1. Organizing Physical Space: Safety and Arrangement of Furniture*
    Foundation Level-The classroom is safe, and classroom furniture is adjusted for a lesson, or if necessary, a lesson is adjusted to the furniture, but with limited effectiveness.
    Application Level - The classroom is safe and the furniture arrangement is a resource for learning activities.
    Accomplished Level - The classroom is safe and the students adjust the furniture to advance their own purposes in learning.


  1. Organizing Physical Space: Accessibility to Learning & Resources*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher uses physical resources adequately, and at least essential learning is accessible to all students.
    2. Application Level -Teacher uses physical resources skillfully and learning is equally accessible to all students.
    3. Accomplished Level -Both teacher and students use physical resources optimally and students ensure that all learning is equally accessible to all students.


  1. Engaging Students in Learning: Instructional Materials and Resources*
    1. Foundation Level -Instructional materials and resources are partially suitable to the instructional goals, or student's level of mental engagement is moderate.
    2. Application Level -Instructional materials and resources are suitable to the instructional goals and engage students mentally.
    3. Accomplished Level -Instructional materials and resources are suitable to the instructional goals and engage students mentally. Students initiate the choice, adaptation, or creation of materials to enhance their own purposes.


  1. Engaging Students in Learning: Structure and Pacing*
    1. Foundation Level -The lesson has a recognizable structure, although it is not uniformly maintained throughout the lesson. Pacing of the lesson is inconsistent.
    2. Application Level -The lesson has a clearly defined structure around which the activities are organized. Pacing of the lesson is consistent.
    3. Accomplished Level -The lesson's structure is highly coherent, allowing for reflection and closure as appropriate. Pacing of the lesson is appropriate for all students.


  1. Engaging Students in Learning: Activities and Assignment*
    1. Foundation Level -Some activities and assignments are appropriate to students and engage them mentally, but others do not.
    2. Application Level -Most activities and assignments are appropriate to students and include a variety of learning resources. Almost all students are cognitively engaged in them.
    3. Accomplished Level -All students are cognitively engaged in the activities and assignments in their exploration of content. Students initiate or adapt projects using a variety of learning resources to enhance understanding.


  1. Engaging Students in Learning: Grouping Students
    1. Foundation Level -Instructional groups are only partially appropriate to the students or only moderately successful in advancing the instructional goals of a lesson.
    2. Application Level -Instructional groups are productive and fully appropriate to the students or to the instructional goals of a lesson.
    3. Accomplished Level -Instructional groups are productive and fully appropriate to the instructional goals of a lesson. Students take the initiative to influence instructional groups to advance their understanding.


  1. Managing Student Behavior: Expectations*
    1. Foundation Level -Standards of conduct appear to have been established for most situations, and most students seem to understand them.
    2. Application Level -Standards of conduct are clear to all students.
    3. Accomplished Level -Standards of conduct are clear to all students and appear to have been developed with student participation.


  1. Managing Student Behavior: Monitoring of Student Behavior*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher is generally aware of student behavior but may miss the activities of some students.
    2. Application Level -Teacher is alert to student behavior at all times.
    3. Accomplished Level -Monitoring by teacher is subtle and preventive. Students monitor their own and their peer's behavior, correcting one another respectfully.


  1. Establishing a Culture for Learning: Importance of the Content*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher communicates importance of the work but with little conviction and only minimal apparent buy-in by the students.
    2. Application Level -Teacher conveys genuine enthusiasm for the subject and students demonstrate consistent commitment to its value.
    3. Accomplished Level -Students demonstrate through their active participation, curiosity and attention to detail that they value the content's importance.


  1. Establishing a Culture for Learning: Student Pride in Work*
    1. Foundation Level -Students minimally accept the responsibility to "do good work" but invest little of their energy in the quality of the work.
    2. Application Level -Students accept teachers insistence on work of high quality and demonstrate pride in that work.
    3. Accomplished Level -Students take obvious pride in their work and initiate improvements in it, for example, by revising drafts on their own initiative, helping peers ensuring that high quality work is displayed.


  1. Establishing a Culture for Learning: Management of Transition Time*
    1. Foundation Level -Much time is lost during transition. Considerable instructional time is lost in performing non-instructional duties.
    2. Application Level -Transitions are sporadically efficient, resulting in some loss of instructional time. Systems for performing non-instructional duties are fairly efficient, resulting in little loss of instructional time.
    3. Accomplished Level -Transitions occur smoothly, with little loss of instructional time. Efficient systems for performing non-instructional duties are in place, resulting in minimal loss of instructional time.


  1. Establishing a Culture for Learning: Management of Materials and Supplies*
    1. Foundation Level -Routines for handling materials and supplies function moderately well.
    2. Application Level -Routines for handling materials and supplies occur smoothly, with liitle loss of instructional time.
    3. Accomplished Level -Routines for handling materials and supplies are seamless, with students assuming some responsibility for efficient operation.


  1. Establishing a Culture for Learning: Expectations for Learning & Achievement*
    1. Foundation Level -Instructional goals and activities, interactions, and the classroom environment convey inconsistent or modest expectations for student achievement.
    2. Application Level -Instructional goals and activities, interactions and the classroom environment convey high expectations for student achievement.
    3. Accomplished Level -Both student and teacher establish and maintain through planning of learning activities, interactions and the classroom environment has high expectations for learning of all students.


  1. Creating Environment of Respect and Building Rapport: Teacher Interaction with Students*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher-student interactions are generally appropriate but may reflect occasional inconsistencies, favoritsm, or disregard for students' cultures. Students exhibit only minimal respect respect for the teacher.
    2. Application Level -Teacher-student interactions are friendly and demostrate general warmth, caring, and respect. Such interactions are appropriate to developmental and cultural norms. Students exhibit respect for teacher.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher demostrates genuine caring and respect for individual students. Students exhibit respect for teacher as an individual, beyond that for the role.


  1. Creating Environment of Respect and Building Rapport: Student Interactions*
    1. Foundation Level -Students do not demonstrate negative behavior toward one another.
    2. Application Level - Student interactions are generally polite and respectful.
    3. Accomplished Level -Students demonstrate genuine caring for one another as individuals and as students.


  1. Managing Classroom Procedures: Management of Instructional Groups*
    1. Foundation Level -Tasks for group work are only partially organized, resulting in some off-task behavior when the teacher is involved with one group.
    2. Application Level -Tasks for group work are organized and groups are managed so most students are engaged at all times.
    3. Accomplished Level -Groups working independently are productively engaged at all times, with students assuming responsibility for productivity.


  1. Instruction Communicating Clearly and Accurately: Directions and Procedures*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher directions and procedures are clarified after initial student confusion or are excessively detailed.
    2. Application Level -Teacher directions and procedures are clear to students and contain an appropriate level of detail.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher directions and procedures are clear to students and anticipate possible misunderstanding.


  1. Instruction Communicating Clearly and Accurately: Oral and Written Language*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher's spoken language is audible and written language is legible. Both are used correctly. Vocabulary is appropriate but limited or is not appropriate to student's ages or background.
    2. Application Level -Teacher's spoken and written language is clear and correct. Vocabulary is appropriate to syudent's ages and interests.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher's spoken and written language is correct and expressive, with well-chosen vocabulary that enriches the lesson.


  1. Instruction Questioning Discussion Techniques: Quality Questions*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher's questions are a combination of low and high quality.
    2. Application Level -Most of teacher's questions are of high quality. Adequate time is available for students to respond.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher's questions are of high quality, with adequate time for students to respond. Students formulate many questions.


  1. Instruction Questioning Discussion Techniques: Student Participation*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher attempts to engage all students in the discussion, but with only limited success.
    2. Application Level -Teacher successfully engages all students in the discussion.
    3. Accomplished Level -Students themselves ensure that all voices are heard in the discussion.


  1. Instruction Providing Feedback to Students: Quality, Accurate, Constructive, Specific*
    1. Foundation Level -Feedback is inconsistent in quality: some elements of high quality are present, others are not.
    2. Application Level -Feedback is consitently high quality.
    3. Accomplished Level -Feedback is consistently high quality. Provision is made for students to use feedback in their learning.


  1. Instruction Providing Feedback to Students: Timeliness*
    1. Foundation Level -Timeliness of feedback is inconsistent.
    2. Application Level -Feedback is consistently provided in a timely manner.
    3. Accomplished Level -Feedback is consistently provided in a timely manner. Students make prompt use of the feedback in their learning.


  1. Instruction Demonstrating Flexibility Responsiveness: Lesson Adjustment*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher attempts to adjust to a lesson with mixed results.
    2. Application Level -Teacher makes a minor adjustment to a lesson and the adjustment occurs smoothly.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher successfully makes a major adjustment to a lesson.


  1. Instruction Demonstrating Flexibility Responsiveness: Response to Student*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher attempts to accommodate students's questions or interests. The effects on the coherence of a lesson are uneven.
    2. Application Level -Teacher successfully accomodates student's questions or interests.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher seizes a major opportunity to enhance learning, building on a spontaneous event.


  1. Instruction Demonstrating Flexibility Responsiveness: Persistence*
    1. Foundation Level -Teacher accepts responsibility for the success of all students but has only a limited repertoire of instructional strategies to use.
    2. Application Level -Teacher persists in seeking approaches for students who have difficulty learning, possessing a moderate repertoire of strategies.
    3. Accomplished Level -Teacher persists in seeking effective approaches for students who need help, using an extensive repertoire of strategies and soliciting additional resources from the school.





Mrs. Fowler
Third Grade Teacher
Davie Elementary School
Davie, FL