Observable Conditions for Learning

at_________________________________ on:_________________

Condition Strongly Evident Somewhat Not Comments

Evident Evident Evident
The school is welcoming and inviting
a) First impression
b) Greetings
c) Relationships
d) Safety
e) Orderliness
f) Appearance
School-wide rules and procedures
a) Rules posted in hallways and common
areas
b) Dress code compliance is evident
c) Rules and procedures in place to address
tardies
d) Behavior in hallways and common areas
is appropriate
Classroom rules and procedures
a) Rules posted in classrooms
b) Common language
c) Teacher has procedures for when
students arrive
d) Efficient transitions between lessons
e) Students follow instructions 1st time
f) Classroom rules are evident in student
behavior
g) Students can restate rules and
procedures
Acknowledgement of students who are and
are not following the rules
a) Consequences/recognitions are
immediately evident and visible
b) Students respond to redirection
c) Students adhere without teacher
intervention
Teachers display withitness
a) Teachers circulate around the room
b) Teachers use proximity to refocus
students
c) Teachers are proactive in preventing
disruptive behavior
d) Teachers greet students as they arrive

Teachers are aware of non-engagement

a) Teachers redirect students who are not
engaged
b) Teachers make adaptations when
students are disengaged
c) Teachers implement a variety of

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 Condition Strongly Evident Somewhat Not Comments
Evident Evident Evident
engagement strategies
Teachers use a variety of engagement
strategies
a) Teachers use movement
b) Teachers use academic games
c) Teachers vary the strategies they use
based on group
d) Teachers maintain an appropriate pace
e) Teachers display enthusiasm
f) Students appear cognitively engaged
g) Teachers relate to students’ interests
h) Teachers share intriguing information
i) Teachers use a motivations hook
j) Teachers vary their voice and physical
gestures
k) Teachers call on many students to
answer more complex questions
Students appear engaged in the lesson
a) Cognitively engaged
b) Appropriately involved
c) Staying on topic in discussion
Students are interacting appropriately with
other students
a) Students in all areas of the campus show
respect to other students
b) Students use appropriate behavior and
language in all areas of school
c) Students do not engage in physical
altercations
d) Students use respectful language with the
teacher and other students in class
Teachers model the thinking and learning
process
a) Think aloud process is used
b) Elaborative and inferential questions are
asked of students
c) Demonstrations and exemplars are
provided
d) Guided practice is used
Teachers make the curriculum/learning
experiences relevant for their students and
help students identify relevancy by
a) Relating relate the information to
students’ interests
b) Connecting curriculum to real world
situations
c) Providing a rationale for learning
d) Connecting activities to the learning goal
e) Identifying benefits of learning this
content
f) Connecting the instruction to prior
learning

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Lessons are rigorous
a) Rigor is evident in student work samples
b) Goals and scales reflect rigor
c) Lesson plans reflect rigor
d) Level of questioning varies and reaches
higher levels
e) Higher levels of taxonomy are used
f) Practicing, deepening understanding, and
application strategies are evident
g) Tasks are appropriate and time on task
remains at high levels
h) Authentic learning tasks are evident
i) Critical content is identified
j) Instructional materials reflect appropriate
levels of rigor
Students are working harder than their
teachers
a) Gradual release of responsibility is seen
b) Cooperative groups are evident
c) Application of learning tasks is evident
d) Learning experiences are designed to
deepen understanding and provide
practice in guided practice and
independent situations
e) Teachers use mixed grouping and
evidence of student experience
f) Students can relate how effective the
grouping was to their learning
g) There is evidence of higher level
questioning

Evidence of data is visible

a) School-wide
1. Classroom
2. Entire class
b) Individual student
c) Data walls are visible in hallways and
classrooms
Teachers show interest in their students
a) Teachers smile
b) Teachers use friendly conversation
c) Teachers maintain objectivity
d) Teachers connect to students through
common interests
Students are appropriately responsive to
teacher interactions
a) Positive student interactions
b) Teachers and students are smiling
c) Supportive comments are used with
students
d) Comments in hallways are positive and
respectful
e) Personal conversations are held and
appropriate

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Teachers question all students with the same
frequency
a) Teachers vary response rates
b) Teachers have random calling on
mechanism
c) Teachers provide all students
opportunities to respond
d) Teachers require of give another
opportunity to respond
e) Teachers use appropriate wait time

Teachers ask all students questions at all

levels of cognitive complexity
a) Types of question vary in complexity
b) All students are given opportunities and
support, where necessary, to answer
cognitively complex questions
Student developed anchor charts reflect
current location in units and are referenced in
lesson
Student notebooks/stickynotes are rigorous
and reflect unit standards and test
specifications
Leader is visible
a. Positive interactions with staff are seen
b. Positive interactions with students are
seen
c. Students know who the principal is
d. Leaders engages in conversations with
students and staff
e. Leader responds to incidents
f. Leader is approachable
Leader can identify best practices or lack
thereof and plan/provide growth-producing
feedback
a) Demonstrates thorough understanding of
best practice in teaching, learning, and
assessment
b) Communicates with teachers about best
practice and impact of instructional
decisions using data and evidence

Notes:

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