Evaluation of teachers is a challenging task. It requires a great deal of observation, assessment review and student surveys. All of this is combined into measuring the level of teaching proficiency for a certified teacher. In Georgia, the public school system uses the TKES model.

Last year, I feel like I fared well on the measures. 

I scored a bit higher in communication, differentiated instruction, professional knowledge and assessment strategies. I agree that these are my strengths. 

Here are my evaluator's comments on differentiated instruction. 

BRYSON WORLEY 12/16/2013 12:49 PM	The nature of the ELL classroom allows itself for differentation. You provided both remediation and enrichment to assist ELL students in further understand the English material.
2	BRYSON WORLEY 10/29/2013 11:18 AM	The level of creative thinking was appropriate, and you allowed students to demonstrate high expectations for learning as you did not allow any students to sit passively. You effectively questioned and had students compare the two versions of Romeo and Juliet. Student responses made it evident that they were engaged and thinking at a creative level - you made them choose which Romeo/Juliet they liked better and had them defend their answer).

Planning	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Development	Ineffective
1. Professional Knowledge - The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, pedagogical knowledge, and the needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences. View Feedback	1	3   6
2. Instructional Planning - The teacher plans using state and local school district curricula and standards, effective strategies, resources, and data to address the differentiated needs of all students. View Feedback		1   3   6
Instructional Delivery	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Development	Ineffective
3. Instructional Strategies - The teacher promotes student learning by using research-based instructional strategies relevant to the content to engage students in active learning & to facilitate the students' acquisition of key knowledge & skills. View Feedback		2   3   6
4. Differentiated Instruction - The teacher challenges and supports each student’s learning by providing appropriate content and developing skills which address individual learning differences. View Feedback	6	2   3
Assessment of and for Learning	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Development	Ineffective
5. Assessment Strategies - The teacher systematically chooses a variety of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment strategies and instruments that are valid and appropriate for the content and student population. View Feedback	6	3   4
6. Assessment Uses - The teacher systematically gathers, analyzes, and uses relevant data to measure student progress, to inform instructional content and delivery methods, and to provide timely and constructive feedback to both students & parents. View Feedback		3   4   6
Learning Environment	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Development	Ineffective
7. Positive Learning Environment - The teacher provides a well-managed, safe, and orderly environment that is conducive to learning and encourages respect for all. View Feedback		3   5   6
8. Academically Challenging Environment - The teacher creates a student-centered, academic environment in which teaching and learning occur at high levels and students are self-directed learners. View Feedback		3   5   6
Professionalism and Communication	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Development	Ineffective
9. Professionalism - The teacher exhibits a commitment to professional ethics and the school’s mission, participates in professional growth opportunities to support student learning, and contributes to the profession. View Feedback		3   6
10. Communication - The teacher communicates effectively with students, parents or guardians, district and school personnel, and other stakeholders in ways that enhance student learning. View Feedback	6	3

Adjusting courses based on Data

Adjusting courses based on Data:


This graphic show the past lexile scores of a class of my students. This shows that all of them are reading below grade level. This is understandable, since all of the students are English Learners. Only 14 percent of the 12th graders are on level. This tells me that I must adjust the reading level of class material and perhaps give assistance on reading assignments.

Current Grade	Classroom Lexile Performance
	09
	10
	11
	12

'

This image shows the ACCESS test scores on a particular student. This data shows areas of strength and weakness. A teacher would be able to make adjustments to meet the needs of this student based on this data. 

Linking Course objectives with assessments

Linking Course objectives with assessments

Some LMS allow teachers to match course objectives or competencies.

This allows the teacher to associate a grade or assessment with a particular course objective.


This allows a teacher to document mastery of the student learning objectives





Some LMS platforms to not allow for matching to objectives. Instead, the teacher might weight categories instead and match assignments to those categories.

Using Data

Using Data

Student Enrollments and Student Progress


Using this data, we know that there are almost twice as many students in the regular ed social studies class as compared to the AP section. This is understandable, as generally fewer students are willing to attempt a college level course.


This graphic shows when students access the lessons. Generally, it seems that some students are progressing steadily, while others haven't viewed any pages at all. The ones toward the bottom seemed to have not been working.



This graphic shows the student's completed assignment, the grade, the number of items correct and the teacher's feedback. This is a way for the student to have direct knowledge of how to improve.

Reliable Assessments

Here is an example of an assessment that I have used in my courses in the past:

Romeo and Juliet

 Quiz 2
(Test not in current use)

1.     Who kills Mercutio?

2.     What crime does Romeo commit?

3.     What is Romeo’s punishment?

4.     Who does Juliet’s father want her to marry after Tybalt’s death?

5.     What does Juliet do instead of marrying him?

6.     Why does Romeo think Juliet is dead?

7.     Who says, “I defy you stars!”?

8.     Who does Romeo meet and kill on the way to the Capulet tomb?

9.     How does Romeo kill himself?

10.          What happens to Juliet at the end?

As you can tell, this is version 2 of the test. I created multiple versions with a bank of questions in order to discourage cheating. Additionally, I give a pre test and check it against the end of unit test to measure gains and also to test the validity of the assessment. I checked the answers after completion in order to see if too many people missed the same question in order to check the reliability of the test questions. Generally, I also like for another teacher to look over the answers to increase the reliability. 

Feedback

Work feedback

Good job writing down the page numbers where you found the answers!

1. Please write in a complete sentence. A better answer would be, " He planned to take them to the cinema," (p. 134)

2. Remember to capitalize the word Texas. (Write a complete sentence here, too.)

3. You gave a description of what Lucky was wearing, but what was he like? What was his personality? 

4. Please do not start a sentence with because. 

Lesson plan sample with Assessment

Lesson Plan example with Assessment

Example added assessment

Assessments can be short or they can be long. Sometimes an assessment is simply a quick checkup to see if the student requires extra help on a topic or to see if he/she is ready to move on within the lesson.

Here is one example:  https://www.myhaikuclass.com/maestrawade/9thgradelitesol/cms_page/view/16492939

Digital Feedback

Examples of ways to create digital feedback: 

1. Sign Generator is a tool that can be used to create an interesting picture for positive feedback or as a way to remind a student to recheck a specific portion of his/her work. You could use it to ask the student to "ten cuidado con los acentos" (be careful with the accent marks) or to simply say "Good Job!"

2. Discussion boards are also useful to provide ongoing feedback while a student is interacting with you or the other students online during a group work session or during a synchronous class. Teachers can ask questions, prompt discussion and offer constructive thoughts. 

3. Voki  can be used to provide a an animated voice/avitar combination that can be embedded or sent to the student to offer feedback, suggestions or reminders. They can be changed to be funny or serious, and they can be recorded in various languages!!

Rubrics for feedback

Example of a Rubric used for Assessment and Feedback

Discussion Forums

Discussion forums can be a great feedback tool, but only when used judiciously and responsibly. 
They can be used to facilitate class "discussions" and offer a venue for students to ask questions and for the teacher to perform informal assessments on how the students are learning. 
These forums can function as a teaching tool by allowing the teacher to ask higher order thinking questions in order to facilitate discussion about a topic. The students can also use this as a collaboration venue for doing group work. 
If discussion forums are used in these ways, it can lead to being an effective means of instruction. If students are allowed to chit-chat without direction, then it can become a waste of time. 
Best practices: 

1. Have a plan. Know what you will discuss and set a specific amount of time for the discussion. 
2. Require all students to participate in some form or fashion. 
3. Restrict inappropriate or off topic comments. 

Evaluating Effective Communication

Communication practices can directly correlate to effective feedback, specifically in areas that require student input. By providing as much information and explanation as possible to students and parents, the stakeholders can feel well informed as to the expectations of the course. Teachers can also respond globally to direct questions that might apply to more than one student. For example, a student might ask in a discussion for clarification on directions for a project assignment. The teacher could respond back using a mass communication tool to make sure to clear up any confusion that any of the students may have about the directions.
Authentic feedback is important to assist students and to help them with specific problems. It is a way to provide positive reinforcement as well as to convey positive constructive criticism.
One of the advantages of online education is the ability to provide instruction to a group, but also with the feedback of an individual lesson. A teacher is able to offer suggestions and corrections without the student having to be corrected in front of his/her peers. This is specifically advantageous for students learning another language. In order for true learning to take place, one must remove the affective filter (break down the barriers to trying.) b

News Differentiation

I used Voki to create a catchy news delivery avatar.

Reflecting on Classroom Communication

Classroom communication is essential for having a learning environment where students and parents are informed and invested. Three communication tools that can work well to keep students up to speed are:

Homepage:
Having homepage that is frequently updated with a "news" section can keep students engaged in what work is due, what events are upcoming and provide additional information to make students successful. It is a great place for posting pictures, too.

Reminders: Remind.com is a great way to quickly remind students of test or assignments that are due. Through this program/ap teachers can send mass emails or mass text messages to the students that have signed up for the reminders. Since most students have a phone, sending informative text messages is a quick way to get info to the stakeholders.

Newsletters: My own daughters bring home informative newsletters each week. They send them out to keep parents in the loop about upcoming events and the current unit of study. It can be sent out electronically or through snail mail.

Benefits of a Synchronous Session

Benefits of a Synchronous Session

I currently tutor two adult students online on Saturday mornings using a platform called eLecta. We spend our time working on different English Language skills based on the student's needs. The greatest benefit of teaching/learning in this manner is that by talking and getting to know one another, I can taylor the lessons to the student's specific needs. For example, if one student has a question about something he/she heard in conversation during the previous week, we can discuss it and address the confusion directly. Additionally, this allows for me to actually hear the student speak, and therefore I can make pronunciation and intonation corrections that I would not be able to assess and correct otherwise. Interacting and using teachable moments is a big part of any learning experience. Synchronous lessons allow distance learners to experience the benefits of these experiences, too. 

Space for news

A place for news on my homepage: 

I used quickmeme.com to create the post for the blog/news section of my homepage. 

Classroom Homepage

Weebly isn't a bad place to create a free teacher homepage. 
It was relatively simple!

My homepage

Levels of Reporting in LMS

Levels of reporting

1. Grades for each course - percentage of mastery for each course. It also gives the number of students that have attempted the course

2. Last student interaction- the last time a student worked on the class

3. Last faculty journal entry - the last comment a teacher added about the student's work

4. Current score

5. Final score

6. Ungraded assignments - hyperlinks to each student's ungraded assignments for quick access

7. grading history

Tools within the LMS

Tools within the LMS

Grades/Reports- For viewing grades, percentages of completion for each assignment and a tab for generating reports for these students. There is also information about the number/percentage of students that have participated and for what length of time.

Calendar- This tool is handy for time management. It keeps the teacher and students on track for course completion.

Assignments- The very important tab for adding assignments. Activities can be added to the whole group or for individuals. This would be good for customizing curriculum.

Discussions - For chats and scheduled discussions.

Files - Where files can be uploaded to the assignments

Syllabus - for the creation/editing of the course syllabus

Creation of a course shell

Creation of a Course Shell

I began by downloading a free version of Blackboard LMS. I have used much earlier versions of Blackboard, and I was familiar with the brand, so I decided to give this one a try.
First, I chose to upload existing course content as directed in the quest from the zip file provided. Then, I chose the course name and decided that I wanted students to be instructor enrolled.
It was very frustrating because it kept saying "Import: DCTools is Complete, with errors. To access the detailed log, click here"'

These are the errors that I received.

Log Details (5)

• Nov 8, 2014 3:57:11 PM - Debug
  no IMS manifest file
• Nov 8, 2014 3:57:11 PM - Fatal
  A fatal error has occurred. The reason for the error is:
  The provided file could not be identified as a supported package format and therefore can not be processed.
  For more information, consult the detailed log.
• Nov 8, 2014 3:57:11 PM - Debug
  blackboard.apps.cx.papi.PackageException: The provided file could not be identified as a supported package format and therefore can not be processed.
  at blackboard.apps.cx.papi.PackageSupportFactory.getReaderInstance(PackageSupportFactory.java:83)
  at blackboard.apps.cx.papi.CxPackage.prepImport(CxPackage.java:1118)
  at blackboard.apps.cx.papi.CxPackage.<init>(CxPackage.java:135)
  at blackboard.apps.cx.Importer.execute(Importer.java:351)
  at blackboard.apps.cx.Cx.invoke(Cx.java:371)
  at blackboard.apps.cx.CxQueuedOperation.execute(CxQueuedOperation.java:89)
  at blackboard.platform.queue.QueuedTaskManager.processTask(QueuedTaskManager.java:395)
  at blackboard.platform.queue.QueuedTaskManager.access$500(QueuedTaskManager.java:79)
  at blackboard.platform.queue.QueuedTaskManager$WorkerThread.run(QueuedTaskManager.java:798)
• Nov 8, 2014 3:57:11 PM - Status
  The operation import did not complete.
• Nov 8, 2014 3:57:11 PM - Information
  The operation took 2.59 seconds to complete.

I'm going to try another platform I guess... 

Created Shell course using Canvas. I uploaded the material and I can see the files from the course content. However, admittedly I am still unsure as to what I'm supposed to do with them. 

Creation of course object

Objects for use in the literature classroom

Romeo and Juliet (using Prezi) This can be used as an introduction Romeo and Juliet in order to map out the main characters and the events of the first few acts.

Romeo and Juliet-the beginning (using GoAnimate)
I would use this as a funny way to introduce the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues.

Choosing a LMS

Choosing the best Learning Management System can be a taxing process. There are many factors that need to be thought through carefully. Consider these steps:

1. Gather general information. Ask around to see what others in your field/ education level are using for their own LMS.
Here is some general market information provided by Georgia Virtual's TOOLs course.




2. Try out demos. Most of the available LMS offer online demos of their products. Make use of them to gather information.

3. Decide what you need. Determine what available features/tools your institution needs, so you will know what to look for and ask about when you move to the next step.

4. Pick out the candidates that most closely fit what you are looking for. Request additional information or a product presentation.
5. Decide which product best meets your needs and is the most cost-effective.
6. MAKE YOUR CHOICE,