wag Foothills School Division Foothills SCHOOL DIVISION Teacher Evaluation Report TEACHER: ‘Samantha Leriger SCHOOL: Ecole Okotoks J. High Schoo! EVALUATOR: Leah Kingston DATE: March 254, 2019 1. INTRODUCTION This evaluation report assesses the extent to which professional growth is demonstrated in three areas of Samantia Leriger’s teaching practice during her third year with Foothills School Dixision (FSD). The report begins with the purpose and possible outcomes of the evaluation. Nex: the evaluation context is described. An overview of the processes utilized within the evaluation framework of FSD Administrative Procedure 421: Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation is: then provided. Subsequent sections assess Ms. Leriger’s teaching performance in relation to three specific aspects of the Teaching Quality Standard for Alberta (TQS). The conclusion presents the ‘evaluator’s reasoned professional judgment of the quality of Ms. Leriger's teaching practice in relation tothe overall expectations ofthe TOS. 2. EVALUATION PURPOSES AND POSSIBLE OUTCOMES ‘The primary purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which Ms, Letiger’s teaching practice has grown in the following tree areas: ‘© Interim Deseriptor 2g - Teachers demonstrate consistently that hey understand students needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security ‘© Interim Descriptor 2e - Teachers demonstrate consisienly that they understand all students can learr, albelt av diferent rates and in differen ways. ‘© Interim Descriptor 2k - Teachers demonstrate consistently that they understand the ‘purposes of student assessment Identifying teaching strengths and recommendations for improvement in these areas are two additional purposes. A fourth purpose of this evaluation is to monitor Ms. Leriger’s teaching interms of the remaining Descriptors of Knowledge, Stills and Auributes Related 10 Interim Certification. One possible outcome of this report is that it may be used as the basis for future teacher growth planning. It may also be used as a bass for making a recommendation for permanent ceniication in Alberta. 3. EVALUATION CONTEXT Miss Leriger is in her second fill year of teaching at Ecole Okotoks Junior High School, She received her Bachelor of Science from MeGill University in 2013 and her Bachelor of Education from the University of Lethbridge in 2016. Her present assignment is teaching Math 7, 8, and 9, and Science 7 and 8. This year she is also teaching a Makerspace complementary course to grade 9 students, Ms. Letiger bas volunteered to coach volleyball and co-sponsor our school’s thriving GSA. She is curently the chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Human Rights Committee of the Foothills Locel. She has demonstrated a commitment to carer-long learning in all ofthese areas. 4. EVALUATION PROCESS ‘An evaluation plan was developed with Ms. Leriger in September 2018. This written plan indicated that the evaluation of her teaching practice would be conducted in accordance with FSD ‘Administrative Procedure 421 and that the final summative report would be based on evidence gathered and recorded aver the course of the evaluation period. The following data sources were ‘noted in the plan: ‘multiple classroom observations (informal and formal), evaluation conferences, teacher prepared planning and assessment documents, samples of student work, and log of professianal development activities. During this September planning meeting the evaluation criteria detailed in Ministerial Order (4016/97) Teaching Qvality Standard Applicable to the Provision of Basie Education in Alberta ‘were reviewed, It was agreed thatthe evaluation would focus on three Interim Descriptors. In that same session timelines forthe evaluation were established, the final evaluation report format was discussed and an opportunity for questions related to the evaluation process was provided. Ms. LLeriger was also informed that the evaluation might have a bearing on her recommendation for Ms. Leriger agreed to develop an individual Professional Growth Plan (IPGP) to address each of the thee areas. It was Ms, Leriger’s responsibilty to carry out the plan and fo demonstrate growth in her practice over the course of the evaluation period, Data were then gathered about Ms. Leriger's teaching prictce from the identified sources over the course of the evaluation and feedback was provided on # regular sass. The processes used to guide observations, collect data, and provide performance feedback were consistent with Administrative Procedure 421 guidelines. Evidence to support the evaluative comments in section five was collected for each of the three identified TQS descriptors. “Somortha Larger ~ Teacher Brauation Report Pose?5, AREAS OF PRACTICE - THE TEACHING QUALITY STANDARD This evaluation is focused on the Teaching Quality Standard for Alberta ~ Ministerial Order (4016/97). The Teachirg Quality Standard isas follows: Quality teaching occurs when the teacher's ongoing analysis of the context, and the teacher's decisions about which pedagogical knowledge and abilities to apply result in optimum leaming in students. ‘The descriptive and evaluative comments that follow have been arranged in relation to three ofthe 17 Descriptors of Knowledge, Skills and Auributes Related ro Interim Cerification (KSAs). Each section starts with a summary ofthe specific KSA followed by a summary of Ms. Leriger’s plan to improve her practice in the teaching area. A short overview of the processes used to guide assessment is then detailed. Descriptive and evaluative comments are then provided. Descriptor 2¢ ~ Teachers demonstrate consistenily that they undersiand students’ needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological securiy “Assessment of teaching practice in this area was based primarily upon targeted observational visits to Ms, Leriger’s classroom over the course ofthe year. A number of conversations were devoted to discussion of progress this area and Ms. Leriger was always open to feedback and suggestions. Ms. Leriger’s classroom management system was well planned and effective over the course of the evaluation period. Clear expectations were developed with each group of students at the beginning of the year. Rules and procedures to govern respectful and learning-focused behavior were kept quite simple and were deliberately taught to her students. Ms. Leriger was able to follow-through to enforce her expectations quickly, quietly and consistently. Her ability to maintain instructional ‘momentum through the use of low-profile interventions continued to show growth over the year. A chief distinction in her teaching in yearwo was that she became much more accomplished in the use of preventative classroom management measures. Ms. Lerger is also becoming very skilled in confidently and effectively redirecting student behavior in a variety of situations in her classroom and elsewhere in the school setting, Ms. Leriger’s classroom is a sale, caring and welcoming environment even though it is @ room without any windows. She has done an excellent job of seting up posters, learning centers and ing targets around the room. One board in particular, speaks to what the students will be able to do ‘Today Week’ and “This Unit”. Another example of her thoughtful reflection on her class, isa chart that stows ‘What we all can do" (Do our best, be oper-minded and open hearted, practice patience, active listening to those speaking, take care of our class and our school, have fun), Below it she has laid out ‘What I can do’ (student self-reflection), “What we ean do” (group work and participation) and ‘What Ms. Leriger can do (rmodeling). Ms. Leriger’s classroom generally has a feel of an active and leaming focused space, Behavior has never been observed to be inappropriate and 1 know that Ms. Leriger has changed seating arrangements in order that all students can learn. We discussed cell phones expectations. and students signing out which at times can be difficult for teachers to manage. In addition, we spoke about students wearing headphones or having their heads on their desks, and how this is perceived, More importantly, how, as a teacher, she knows that they are engaged in her lesson. Ms. Leriger continues to work on her classroom ‘management and is seeing success due tothe strong relationships she forms with students. ‘Somantha Loiger ~Teackor Baton Report PagesWhen you walk into Ms. Leriger classroom or watch her work with small groups of student iti very apparent that she creates an environment where the students are suppored, cared for and secure. Ms. Leriger recognizes the needs ofall the individuals she teaches and through both her ‘words and actions, she makes it consiterily clear that each student is imporant her. She recognizes the needs ofall the students she teaches and makes accommodations accordingly. She is ‘very encouraging and sepporive of her students both academically and emotionally. 5. Leriger is a well-organized teacher who establishes clear expectations and routines. She is very flexible and adaptable. She facilitates groups for interactive learning and monitors their progress as they work together. Ms. Leriger shows her students that they are valued and respected. She is meeting the expectatiors for a safe, caring and welcoming classroom environment, where learning ‘occurs forall students, Teaching practice continues to meet FSD expectations inthis area. Data gathered through visits to Ms. Leriger’s classrooms and related professional conversations indicate that her practice has shown considerable growth in the creation and maintenance of positive classroom learning environments Descriptor 2e - Teachers demonstrate consistenly that they understand all students can learn, albeit at diferent rates and in different ways ‘The second goal of Ms. Leriger’s growth plan was to broaden her instructional repertoire to provide « wider variety of leaming activities to engage students. This goal was evaluated through informal and formal elassroom observations and related professional conversations. A brood array of effective teaching strategies has been observed over the course ofthe evaluation period. Ms. Lerger’s practice has expanded to include a continuum of approaches ranging from ‘whole class, to small group, to individual instruction. Ms. Leiger shares er own experiences, thoughts and questions with students to engage them in direct instruction and whole clase discussion, Ms. Leriger frequently bases such whole class work on student and teacher questions that connect past experiences to new concepts. Clarifying esson purposes and outlining a Teaming agenda for each class isa regular feature of he instructional platform. Her skill in framing and distributing questions, applying. wait time more appropriately, paraphrasing effectively. and providing instructive redirection when required are now very highly developed. Over the series of classtoom visits and related conferences a clear picture of Ms. Leriger’s approach to instruction in her curent assignment has emerged. Based on her belief that all students can learn, Ms. Leriger works with colleagues and uses a variety of resources to identify student learning styles and preferences, Her lessons provide multiple paths that engage all students in appropriate learning, ‘The focus of her instruction is on mastering major curicular concepts and essential skills at each student’ level A vatiety of effective teaching strategies have been observed over the course of the evaluation period. Ms. Leriger’s practice includes a continuum of approaches ranging from whole class, to small group, to individual instruction. Ms. Leriger facilitates an active, focused learning environment where students are engaged and motivated. Her awareness and atention to individual differences isa strength that helps her assess student needs and realistically provide for them, Smal Lage = Toma Focnaon Rept ToastMs. Lerger has her cassroom open at lunch and ater school so that students may eome and get additional help when needed. Students ae also regularly engaged in the use of manipulative materials including a resent classroom vist where Miss Lerger was teaching a lesson on parallel fears. She shoved a video explaining the concep, had diret instruction, gear manipulatives, and finally an actual bike atthe back of the room. She physically demonstrated the action of the gears with her students and then elated i to other real world examples. All etvities are undertaken 10 encourage and reinfore: cognitive skill development. Ms. Leriger showed her passion and creativity as a teacher in a complimentary class called Makerspace. In this particular class, students were engaged in making chairs and wobblebots. The focus on technical skil sand real-world examples was explicit. Ms. Leriger co-taught this class and was able to introduce innovative and engaging projects fr the students along with her co-teacher. Ms, Lerger’s practice was asessed through the examination of long-range instructional plans as Well as unit and daily plans. Long-zangeinstvetionl plans were reviewed and discussions were held to examine relationships tothe Program of Stuies. Ms. Leriger uses the Program of Studies to inform and dret her planning instruction and assessment of leaming very effectively. Strong academic background knowledge in the areas of math and ssience curicula informs Ms. Leriger’s planning efforts. Her long-range plans were found to conform to school expectations, Each yearly plan examined provided a curriculum-linked framework from which more detailed unit and daily plans are derived. Long-range plans ensured that the major concepts and skills outlined in the Program of Studies were addressed. Ms. Leriger recognizes the diverse needs of students and continually works at eating situations where all students ean be suecessful. Her lessons include visuals, audio, and hards-on activities. She considers the strengths, interests and challenges of her students, and plans a variety of teaching and learning strategies to actively engage student learning Ms. Leriger uses exit slips as @ way to formatively assess her students and then uses this data 10 inform her practice forthe next class. Her daily lesson plans were clearly laid out showing the desired results, established goals and assessment evidence. Ms. Leriger’s general outcomes were clear while specifi outcomes allowed me to sce what students will be able to do. Stage two, the assessment evidence, consisted of performance tasks, projets, quizes, assignments and tests. Ms, Leriger provided other examples that included student self-assessments, observations, work samples and dialogues. Optimizing student learning end engagement is a focal point in Ms, Leriger's instructional planning ‘Ms. Leriger contributes to our school learning community in a number of ways. Working together as colleagues and building strong collegial teams is a goal at Ecole Okotoks Je. High School. Ms, Leriger is comfortable expressing her ideas and working through the ebb and flow of developing best practices. She readily accepts the input of others and reflects on what she feels will work best with her style and students. She has developed solid professional relationships among the staff and has contributed to colleboratve planning processes this year. She has demonstrated a willingness to dialogue with members of her PLC team as well as with Administration in a professional manner. Ms. Leriger has continued to show growth in her ability to juggle a variety of tasks and handle deadlines such as Learner Profiles “Samantha Larger ~ Teacher valuation Raper Paves“Teaching practice continues to meet FSD expectations inthis area Data gathered through vi Ms. Letiger’s classtooms and related professional conversations indicate that her practice is continuing to grow in the area of providing fora broad range of instructional sates. Descriptor 2k - Teachers demonstrate consistently that they understand the purposes of student Student assessment was the third focus ofthe instructional improvement plan. With the support of her teaching colleagues, she has quite notably extended her assessment practices. Rubrics developed in collaboration with other members of her team are now regularly used to assess learning outcomes. Assessment information is now regularly used to adjust instruction. In addition to the informal and formal classroom observations and related professional conversations around assessment, Ms. Leriger collaborates with her colleagues to support the understanding of student assessment Student assessment plans and records were reviewed, anda variety of student work was analyzed and discussed ‘Assessment in this area of practice was based upon discussions with Ms. Leriger and a review of selected assessment instruments. ‘Ms. Leriger is an organized teacher with a wide repertoire of formal and informal assessment strategies to inform her evaluation of student progress and improve instruction for increased student leaming. Some of the strategies she uses are anecdotal record keeping, observations, pect ‘evaluations, self-evaluations, checklists and paper and pencil testing Ms. Leriger demonstrates a commitment to cafeer long learning as evidenced by her engagement ‘with other PLCs and the development of erost-curricular projects, her interest in an indigenous framework for euriculum, and trauma-informed teaching practices. She attended a CMASTE conference on Indigenous Science education with colleagues in her PLC and will be presenting their ‘work at an upcoming professional learning day. (Ms. Leriger’s teaching practice in the area of student assessment has demonstrated growth and development through this evaluation period and continues to meet TQS expectations. 6. CONCLUDING STATEMENT In my opinion, at this time and in this assignment, Ms, Leriger’s professional practice meets the expectations contained in the Teaching Quality Standard for teachers with an Interim Professional Centfiate. “Samantha Lerner ~ Teacher Evaluation Report Powe7. SIGNATURES | certify that in the preparation ofthis evaluation report, Ihave provided Miss Leriger with + ayrten pan indntng th eau’ pups, proces rir and inane, + Sopp to dcus th repr'scnenisand pond te do te oper + Sopot Fools Scoot Divison Adminsave Procedure 421 Teacher Growh Superson end Evluion and mad het avare of be ight 10 spel a ele in the ‘Nmiisttve Procedure > Avail Y, 20/4 Leah Rit mn Date ‘eertfy that Ihave ‘© been apprised in advance of the purpose, process, criteria and timeline used in the development ofthis report. been given the opportunity to discuss is contents and to respond to a draft ofthe report. ‘received a copy of Foothills School Division Administrative Procedure 421. Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation and been made aware of my right to seek a review of this evaluation as outlined the Administrative Procedure 421. gipelio, doug ce: Employee Services ‘Smantha Leriger ~ Teacher Balaton Reporh Pave?