Module 3: Observing and Assessing Your Teacher Candidate
The assessment of the teacher candidate has two major purposes:
- to aid the teacher candidate in improving teaching skills, and
- to provide a meaningful description of the teacher candidate’s teaching ability
The former usually occurs in the formative stages during conferences held with the college supervisor and cooperating teacher, while the latter occurs at the end of the Clinical Practice experience. All assessments should lead to the best possible answer to the question: “Does this teacher candidate demonstrate the necessary skills, attitudes, concepts, and reflective decision-making techniques required to be an effective teacher?”
It is important to clarify that assessment in Clinical Practice is based on teacher candidate performance, not potential of the teacher candidate - even though a teacher candidate may possess profound potential. The assessment must be based on actual performance.
Evaluation and Assessment of Teacher Candidates
Video for Evaluation and Assessment, Part 1
Video for Evaluation and Assessment, Part 2
The same rating scale is used for our Formative and Summative Evaluation. The evaluations are based on InTASC standards and are used across the state of Nebraska to evaluate teacher candidates and document the candidate’s ability to effectively demonstrate the standards. The rating scale includes levels for Advanced, Proficient, Developing, and Below Standard. Please see the full rubric for descriptions of each level. At midterm, the goal would be for teacher candidates to be performing at Developing or Proficient. Note: Whenever performance is scored “Below Standard,” please be in communication with the Academic Coordinator.
In an effort to create consistency in the interpretation of the scale and therefore consistency in the evaluation data, please consult the Evidence Charts. All college supervisors and cooperating teachers will take part in a Reliability Check to further enhance consistency. Please refer to appendix for more details.
Types of Assessment Used During Clinical Practice*
| Assessment | Completed by | When Completed | How Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly conference | Cooperating teacher | Weekly throughout the semester | On paper |
| Formative evaluation | College supervisor (can collaborate with cooperating teacher) | For each observation visit made | Via Anthology portfolio |
| Summative evaluation | Cooperating teacher college supervisor individually | Mid-term and end of term | Via Anthology portfolio |
*The student will not submit any of these evaluations to WSC.
The teacher candidate will be able to access all evaluation forms using his/her Anthology Portfolio Account. All forms can be found in the appendix.
Weekly Conference Forms
Completed by Cooperating Teacher with Student
Weekly Conference Forms should be filled out as a hard copy or digitally. They should include all pertinent observations, concerns, suggestions, and strengths observed from the week, including comments regarding lessons. These forms should be submitted to the Academic Coordinator and the Director of Education Services only if you have concerns; otherwise the evaluation should be given to the teacher candidate for use (the teacher candidate should also have them available to be viewed by their college supervisor/s).
Download the Weekly Conference Form (PDF)
Summative Assessments
- Summative evaluations are conducted at mid-term and at the end of the experience, following a consultation with the content college supervisor. If your teacher candidate is only doing half of his/her full experience with you before moving to a second placement, then you only need to submit a Summative Evaluation at the end of his/her time with you.
- Please keep your school administration informed regarding the teacher candidate's progress.
- The summative should reflect what has been observed, what has been read in the journal (reflections, other observations), and what has been learned through dialog with the other college supervisor (if applicable) and with the cooperating teacher. The summative evaluation should include all aspects of Clinical Practice, not just the performance on one lesson.
- You will be sent an email that includes instructions and a direct link to the evaluation form located in our data management system called Anthology Portfolio. You will be able to log on to that system as a guest user when it is time to complete the evaluation.
All cooperating teachers are provided with material from WSC on how to conduct formative and summative assessments. In addition, training is provided to ensure a valid and reliable system for assessing teacher candidates as they learn and grow. Make sure to follow all WSC guidelines and use the provided assessment tools. If there are any questions, contact the Academic Coordinator for Clinical Practice. It is expected that you will provide feedback daily to your teacher candidate. Ideally, after each lesson there can be some time to reflect and discuss elements that went well and areas of opportunity. Additionally, you should meet weekly to discuss the teacher candidate’s progress and areas to work on for the following week.
Low Marks on Assessments: When a teacher candidate receives a low mark in any area on any of the evaluation forms, please document (in the space provided by that item on the form) the reason for the low assessment. Together with the teacher candidate, determine a strategy and timeline to remedy the area of concern. A recommended timeline would be one to two weeks for lower-level instructional skills and two to four weeks for upper-level instructional skills. If you do not see satisfactory progress towards meeting the deadline for remedying the area of concern, or if you have any questions about the process, please contact the Academic Coordinator or Director of Education Services immediately.
Effective communication between the cooperating teachers and the college supervisor(s) to discuss the progress of the teacher candidate, help plan for scheduled observations is crucial for the success of the candidates.
Please do not wait to notify the appropriate people if you have concerns about your teacher candidate. The sooner everyone is aware of problems, the sooner the problems can be addressed. If you feel and/or observe that something is not quite right, it probably isn’t. Of course it is necessary to allow the teacher candidate to make mistakes – this is a learning experience after all – but if the same mistake or concern comes up more than once, then college personnel should be notified.
You may wish to familiarize yourself with the part of this handbook that describes supervision of a struggling teacher candidate.
Contact the college supervisor or the Academic Coordinator, Dr. Christian Legler, at [email protected] or 402-375-7387 with any Clinical Practice concerns. We are here to provide support for this experience – to you and the teacher candidate.
Sample Phrases for Observation and Evaluation
The following phrases may help you focus in your observation of the teacher candidate.
| Learning and the Learner | Instruction | Professional Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Gives developmentally, age-appropriate directions, activities, and vocabulary | Follows lesson plans | Involves all students |
| Acknowledges individual students in a positive manner | Uses developmentally appropriate objectives | Allows students time to respond |
| Varies learning activities | Fits activities into curriculum | States the objectives |
| Keeps students on task | Addresses all learning styles | Uses appropriate voice quality |
| Facilitates cooperative groups completely | Utilizes available resources | Gets housekeeping chores done quickly |
| Demonstrates “with-it-ness” | Demonstrates a broad knowledge of subject matter | Handles inappropriate comments |
| Sets up lessons for different learning styles | Assesses teaching methods and adjusts/modifies instruction as needed | Shows enthusiasm |
| Arranges classroom appropriately for the type of instruction | Uses sequential lesson planning | Demonstrates fairness |
| Uses activities that are reflective of the instruction given | Employs a variety of teaching strategies | Exhibits tolerance of differences |
| Uses a variety of questioning techniques | Uses visual materials correctly | Communicates effectively with students, teachers, and parents |
| Monitors and adjusts teaching style | Fosters understanding of materials presented | Uses correct grammar |
| Accommodates individual needs | Exhibits good organization skills | Employs good listening skills |
| Exhibits awareness of emotional needs and cultural differences | Moves fluently through the lesson | Dresses appropriately |
| Maintains a non-threatening climate | Varies evaluative techniques | Arrives on time |
| Varies classroom activities | Assigns appropriate homework | Maintains confidentiality |
| Designs attractive bulletin boards/visual aids | Closes lessons adequately | Exhibits responsibility |
| Utilizes interdisciplinary curriculum | Able to communicate and accept criticisms | |
| Demonstrates technological competencies | Abides by the policies and procedures of the school | |
| Positive attitude | ||
| Respect shown to all |
See the Forms section of this site for information regarding the assessments.
