Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
Pursuant to the mission of improving the academic achievement
of all students in the public schools of Alabama, educators will align their
practice with the following standards modified from the Model Core Teaching
Standards developed by the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium
(InTASC).
(1)
Learner
Development. The educator understands how learners grow and develop,
recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within
and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas,
and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning
experiences.
(a) The educator
regularly assesses individual and group performance in order to design and
modify instruction to meet learners' needs in each area of development
(cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical) and scaffolds the next
level of development.
(b) The
educator creates developmentally appropriate instruction that takes into
account individual learners' strengths, interests, and needs and that enables
each learner to advance and accelerate his/her learning.
(c) The educator collaborates with families,
communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and
development.
(d) The educator
understands how learning occurs-how learners construct knowledge, acquire
skills, and develop discipline thinking processes-and knows how to use
instructional strategies that promote student learning.
(e) The educator understands that each
learner's cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development
influences learning and knows how to make instructional decisions that build on
learners' strengths and needs.
(f)
The educator identifies readiness for learning and understands how development
in any one area may affect performance in other areas.
(g) The educator understands the role of
language and culture in learning and knows how to modify instruction to make
language comprehensible and instruction relevant, accessible, and
challenging.
(h) The educator
respects learners' differing strengths and needs and is committed to using this
information to further each learner's development.
(i) The educator is committed to using
learners' strengths as a basis for growth and their misconceptions as
opportunities for learning.
(j) The
educator takes responsibility for promoting learners' growth and
development.
(k) The educator
values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other
professionals in understanding and supporting each learner's
development.
(2)
Learning Differences. The educator uses understanding of individual
differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning
environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
(a) The educator designs, adapts, and
delivers instruction to address each student's diverse learning strengths and
needs and creates opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning in
different ways.
(b) The educator
makes appropriate and timely provisions (e.g., pacing for individual rates of
growth, task demands, communication, assessment, and response modes) for
individual students with particular learning differences or needs.
(c) The educator designs instruction to build
on learners' prior knowledge and experiences, allowing learners to accelerate
as they demonstrate their understandings.
(d) The educator brings multiple perspectives
to the discussion of content, including attention to learners' personal,
family, and community experiences and cultural norms.
(e) The educator incorporates tools of
language development into planning and instruction, including strategies for
making content accessible to English language learners and for evaluating and
supporting their development of English proficiency.
(f) The educator accesses resources,
supports, and specialized assistance and services to meet particular learning
differences or needs.
(g) The
educator understands and identifies differences in approaches to learning and
performance and knows how to design instruction that uses each learner's
strengths to promote growth.
(h)
The educator understands students with exceptional needs, including those
associated with disabilities and giftedness, and knows how to use strategies
and resources to address these needs.
(i) The educator knows about second language
acquisition processes and knows how to incorporate instructional strategies and
resources to support language acquisition.
(j) The educator understands that learners
bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities,
talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as
language, culture, family, and community values.
(k) The educator knows how to access
information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to
incorporate learners' experiences, cultures, and community resources into
instruction.
(l) The educator
believes that all learners can achieve at high levels and persists in helping
each learner reach his/her full potential.
(m) The educator respects learners as
individuals with differing personal and family backgrounds and various skills,
abilities, perspectives, talents, and interests.
(n) The educator makes learners feel valued
and helps them learn to value each other.
(o) The educator values diverse languages and
dialects and seeks to integrate them into his/her instructional practice to
engage students in learning.
(3)
Learning Environments. The educator
works with others to create environments that support individual and
collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
(a) The educator collaborates with learners,
families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of
openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
(b) The educator develops learning
experiences that engage learners in collaborative and self-directed learning
and that extend learner interaction with ideas and people locally and
globally.
(c) The educator
collaborates with learners and colleagues to develop shared values and
expectations for respectful interactions, rigorous academic discussions, and
individual and group responsibility for quality work.
(d) The educator manages the learning
environment to actively and equitably engage learners by organizing,
allocating, and coordinating the resources of time, space, and learners'
attention.
(e) The educator uses a
variety of methods to engage learners in evaluating the learning environment
and collaborates with learners to make appropriate adjustments.
(f) The educator communicates verbally and
nonverbally in ways that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the
cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning
environment.
(g) The educator
promotes responsible learner use of interactive technologies to extend the
possibilities for learning locally and globally.
(h) The educator intentionally builds learner
capacity to collaborate in face-to-face and virtual environments through
applying effective interpersonal communication skills.
(i) The educator understands the relationship
between motivation and engagement and knows how to design learning experiences
using strategies that build learner self-direction and ownership of
learning.
(j) The educator knows
how to help learners work productively and cooperatively with each other to
achieve learning goals.
(k) The
educator knows how to collaborate with learners to establish and monitor
elements of a safe and productive learning environment including norms,
expectations, routines, and organizational structures.
(l) The educator understands how learner
diversity can affect communication and knows how to communicate effectively in
differing environments.
(m) The
educator knows how to use technologies and how to guide learners to apply them
in appropriate, safe, and effective ways.
(n) The educator is committed to working with
learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and
supportive learning environments.
(o) The educator values the role of learners
in promoting each other's learning and recognizes the importance of peer
relationships in establishing a climate of learning.
(p) The educator is committed to supporting
learners as they participate in decision making, engage in exploration and
invention, work collaboratively and independently, and engage in purposeful
learning.
(q) The educator seeks to
foster respectful communication among all members of the learning
community.
(r) The educator is a
thoughtful and responsive listener and observer.
(4)
Content Knowledge. The educator
understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the
discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make
these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to
assure mastery of the content.
(a) The
educator effectively uses multiple representations and explanations that
capture key ideas in the discipline, guide learners through learning
progressions, and promote each learner's achievement of content
standards.
(b) The educator engages
students in learning experiences in the discipline(s) that encourage learners
to understand, question, and analyze ideas from diverse perspectives so that
they master the content.
(c) The
educator engages learners in applying methods of inquiry and standards of
evidence used in the discipline.
(d) The educator stimulates learner
reflection on prior content knowledge, links new concepts to familiar concepts,
and makes connections to learners' experiences.
(e) The educator recognizes learner
misconceptions in a discipline that interfere with learning, and
creates
(f) The educator evaluates
and modifies instructional resources and curriculum materials for their
comprehensiveness, accuracy for representing particular concepts in the
discipline, and appropriateness for his/her learners.
(g) The educator uses supplementary resources
and technologies effectively to ensure accessibility and relevance for all
learners.
(h) The educator creates
opportunities for students to learn, practice, and master academic language in
their content.
(i) The educator
accesses school and/or district-based resources to evaluate the leaner's
content knowledge in the learner's primary language.
(j) The educator understands major concepts,
assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are
central to the discipline(s) she/he teaches.
(k) The educator understands common
misconceptions in learning the discipline and how to guide learners to accurate
conceptual understanding.
(l) The
educator knows and uses the academic language of the discipline and knows how
to make it accessible to learners.
(m) The educator knows how to integrate
culturally relevant content to build on learners' background
knowledge.
(n) The educator has a
deep knowledge of student content standards and learning progressions in the
discipline(s) she or he teaches.
(o) The educator has deep knowledge of
current and emerging state initiatives and programs including, but not limited
to, the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI); the Alabama Math, Science, and
Technology Initiative (AMSTI); Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX); Alabama
Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS); and RTI
(Response to Instruction) and their relationship to student
achievement.
(p) The educator
realizes that content knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex,
culturally situated, and ever evolving. She or he keeps abreast of new ideas
and understanding in the field.
(q)
The educator appreciates multiple perspectives within the discipline and
facilitates learners' critical analysis of these perspectives.
(r) The educator recognizes the potential of
bias in his/her representation of the discipline and seeks to appropriately
address problems of bias.
(s) The
educator is committed to work toward each learner's mastery of disciplinary
content and skills.
(5)
Application of Content. The educator understands how to connect concepts
and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking,
creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and
global issues.
(a) The educator
develops and implements projects that guide learners in analyzing the
complexities of an issue or question using perspectives from varied disciplines
and cross-disciplinary skills (e.g., a water quality study that draws upon
biology and chemistry to look at factual information and social studies to
examine policy implications).
(b)
The educator engages learners in applying content knowledge to real world
problems through the lens of interdisciplinary themes (e.g., financial
literacy, environmental literacy).
(c) The educator facilitates learners' use of
current tools and resources to maximize content learning in varied
contexts.
(d) The educator engages
learners in questioning and challenging assumptions and approaches in order to
foster innovation and problem solving in local and global contexts.
(e) The educator develops learners'
communication skills in disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts by creating
meaningful opportunities to employ a variety of forms of communication that
address varied audiences and purposes.
(f) The educator engages learners in
generating and evaluating new ideas and novel approaches, seeking inventive
solutions to problems, and developing original work.
(g) The educator facilitates learners'
ability to develop diverse social and cultural perspectives that expand their
understanding of local and global issues and create novel approaches to solving
problems.
(h) The educator develops
and implements supports for learner literacy development across content
areas.
(i) The educator understands
the ways of knowing in his/her discipline, how it relates to other disciplinary
approaches to inquiry, and the strengths and limitations of each approach in
addressing problems, issues, and concerns.
(j) The educator understands how current
interdisciplinary themes (e.g., civic literacy, health literacy, global
awareness) connect to the core subjects and knows how to weave those themes
into meaningful learning experiences.
(k) The educator understands the demands of
accessing and managing information as well as how to evaluate issues of ethics
and quality related to information and its use.
(l) The educator understands how to use
digital and interactive technologies for efficiently and effectively achieving
specific learning goals.
(m) The
educator understands critical thinking processes and knows how to help learners
develop high level questioning skills to promote their independent
learning.
(n) The educator
understands communication modes and skills as vehicles for learning (e.g.,
information gathering and processing) across disciplines as well as vehicles
for expressing learning.
(o) The
educator understands creative thinking processes and how to engage learners in
producing original work.
(p) The
educator knows when and how to access resources to build global awareness and
understanding, and how to integrate them into the curriculum.
(q) The educator is constantly exploring how
to use disciplinary knowledge as a lens to address local and global
issues.
(r) The educator values
knowledge outside his/her own content area and how such knowledge enhances
student learning.
(s) The educator
values flexible learning environments that encourage learner exploration,
discovery, and expression across content areas.
(6)
Assessment. The educator
understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their
own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the educator's and
learner's decision making.
(a) The
educator balances the use of formative and summative assessment as appropriate
to support, verify, and document learning.
(b) The educator designs assessments that
match learning objectives with assessment methods and minimizes sources of bias
that can distort assessment results.
(c) The educator works independently and
collaboratively to examine test and other performance data to understand each
learner's progress and to guide planning.
(d) The educator engages learners in
understanding and identifying quality work and provides them with effective
descriptive feedback to guide their progress toward that work.
(e) The educator engages learners in multiple
ways of demonstrating knowledge and skill as part of the assessment
process.
(f) The educator models
and structures processes that guide learners in examining their own thinking
and learning as well as the performance of others.
(g) The educator effectively uses multiple
and appropriate types of assessment data to identify each student's learning
needs and to develop differentiated learning experiences.
(h) The educator prepares all learners for
the demands of particular assessment formats and makes appropriate
accommodations in assessments or testing conditions, especially for learners
with disabilities and language learning needs.
(i) The educator continually seeks
appropriate ways to employ technology to support assessment practice both to
engage learners more fully and to assess and address learner needs.
(j) The educator understands the differences
between formative and summative applications of assessment and knows how and
when to use each.
(k) The educator
understands the range of types and multiple purposes of assessment and how to
design, adapt, or select appropriate assessments to address specific learning
goals and individual differences, and to minimize sources of bias.
(l) The educator knows how to analyze
assessment data to understand patterns and gaps in learning, to guide planning
and instruction, and to provide meaningful feedback to all learners.
(m) The educator knows when and how to engage
learners in analyzing their own assessment results and in helping to set goals
for their own learning.
(n) The
educator understands the positive impact of effective descriptive feedback for
learners and knows a variety of strategies for communicating this
feedback.
(o) The educator knows
when and how to evaluate and report learner progress against
standards.
(p) The educator
understands how to prepare learners for assessments and how to make
accommodations in assessments and testing conditions, especially for learners
with disabilities and language learning needs.
(q) The educator possesses knowledge of
Alabama's assessment requirements and processes.
(r) The educator is committed to engaging
learners actively in assessment processes and to developing each learner's
capacity to review and communicate about their own progress and
learning.
(s) The educator takes
responsibility for aligning instruction and assessment with learning
goals.
(t) The educator is
committed to providing timely and effective descriptive feedback to learners on
their progress.
(u) The educator is
committed to using multiple types of assessment processes to support, verify,
and document learning.
(v) The
educator is committed to making accommodations in assessments and testing
conditions, especially for learners with disabilities and language learning
needs.
(w) The educator is
committed to the ethical use of various assessments and assessment data to
identify learner strengths and needs to promote learner growth.
(7)
Planning for
Instruction. Based on the appropriate Alabama Course(s) of Study, the educator
plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning
goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum,
cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and
the community context.
(a) The
educator individually and collaboratively selects and creates learning
experiences that are appropriate for curriculum goals and content standards,
and are relevant to learners.
(b)
The educator plans how to achieve each student's learning goals, choosing
appropriate strategies and accommodations, resources, and materials to
differentiate instruction for individuals and groups of learners.
(c) The educator develops appropriate
sequencing of learning experiences and provides multiple ways to demonstrate
knowledge and skill.
(d) The
educator plans for instruction based on formative and summative assessment
data, prior learner knowledge, and learner interest.
(e) The educator plans collaboratively with
professionals who have specialized expertise (e.g., special educators, related
service providers, language learning specialists, librarians, media
specialists) to design and jointly deliver, as appropriate, learning
experiences to meet unique learning needs.
(f) The educator evaluates plans in relation
to short- and long-range goals and systematically adjusts plans to meet each
student's learning needs and enhance learning.
(g) The educator integrates Alabama-wide
programs and initiatives into the curriculum and instructional
processes.
(h) The educator
communicates with students, parents, and the public about Alabama's assessment
system and major Alabama educational improvement initiatives.
(i) The educator understands content and
content standards and how these are organized in the curriculum.
(j) The educator understands how integrating
cross-disciplinary skills in instruction engages learners purposefully in
applying content knowledge.
(k) The
educator understands learning theory, human development, cultural diversity,
and individual differences and how these impact ongoing planning.
(l) The educator understands the strengths
and needs of individual learners and how to plan instruction that is responsive
to these strengths and needs.
(m)
The educator knows a range of evidence-based instructional strategies,
resources, and technological tools and how to use them effectively to plan
instruction that meets diverse learning needs.
(n) The educator knows when and how to adjust
plans based on assessment information and learner responses.
(o) The educator knows when and how to access
resources and collaborates with others to support student learning (e.g.,
special educators, related service providers, language learner specialists,
librarians, media specialists, community organizations).
(p) The educator respects learners' diverse
strengths and needs and is committed to using this information to plan
effective instruction.
(q) The
educator values planning as a collegial activity that takes into consideration
the input of learners, colleagues, families, and the larger
community.
(r) The educator takes
professional responsibility to use short- and long-term planning as a means of
assuring student learning.
(s) The
educator believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and revision
based on learner needs and changing circumstances.
(8)
Instructional Strategies. The
educator understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to
encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their
connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
(a) The educator uses appropriate strategies
and resources to adapt instruction to the needs of individuals and groups of
learners.
(b) The educator
continuously monitors student learning, engages learners in assessing their
progress, and adjusts instruction in response to student learning
needs.
(c) The educator
collaborates with learners to design and implement relevant learning
experiences, identify their strengths, and access family and community
resources to develop their areas of interest.
(d) The educator varies his/her role in the
instructional process (e.g., instructor, facilitator, coach, audience) in
relation to the content and purposes of instruction and the needs of
learners.
(e) The educator provides
multiple models and representations of concepts and skills with opportunities
for learners to demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of products and
performances.
(f) The educator
engages all learners in developing higher order questioning skills and
metacognitive processes.
(g) The
educator engages all learners in using a range of learning skills and
technology tools to access, interpret, evaluate, and apply
information.
(h) The educator uses
a variety of instructional strategies to support and expand learners'
communication through speaking, listening, reading, writing, and other
modes.
(i) The educator asks
questions to stimulate discussion that serves different purposes (e.g., probing
for learner understanding, helping learners articulate their ideas and thinking
processes, stimulating curiosity, and helping learners to question).
(j) The educator understands the cognitive
processes associated with various kinds of learning (e.g., critical and
creative thinking, problem framing and problem solving, invention, memorization
and recall) and how these processes can be stimulated.
(k) The educator knows how to apply a range
of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate instructional
strategies to achieve learning goals.
(l) The educator knows when and how to use
appropriate strategies to differentiate instruction and engage all learners in
complex thinking and meaningful tasks.
(m) The educator understands how multiple
forms of communication (oral, written, nonverbal, digital, visual) convey
ideas, foster self-expression, and build relationships.
(n) The educator knows how to use a wide
variety of resources, including human and technological, to engage students in
learning.
(o) The educator
understands how content and skill development can be supported by media and
technology and knows how to evaluate these resources for quality, accuracy, and
effectiveness.
(p) The educator is
committed to deepening awareness and understanding the strengths and needs of
diverse learners when planning and adjusting instruction.
(q) The educator values the variety of ways
people communicate and encourages learners to develop and use multiple forms of
communication.
(r) The educator is
committed to exploring how the use of new and emerging technologies can support
and promote student learning.
(s)
The educator values flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as
necessary for adapting instruction to learner responses, ideas, and
needs.
(9)
Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. The educator engages in
ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her
practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others
(learners, families, other professionals, and the community) and adapts
practice to meet the needs of each learner.
(a) The educator engages in ongoing learning
opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in order to provide all learners
with engaging curriculum and learning experiences based on local and state
standards.
(b) The educator engages
in meaningful and appropriate professional learning experiences aligned with
his/her own needs and the needs of the learners, school, and system.
(c) The educator, independently and in
collaboration with colleagues, uses a variety of data (e.g., systematic
observation, information about learners, research) to evaluate the outcomes of
teaching and learning and to adapt planning and practice.
(d) The educator actively seeks professional,
community, and technological resources, within and outside the school, as
supports for analysis, reflection, and problem-solving.
(e) The educator reflects on his/her personal
biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural,
ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and
create more relevant learning experiences.
(f) The educator advocates, models, and
teaches safe, legal, and ethical use of information and technology including
appropriate documentation of sources and respect for others in the use of
social media.
(g) The educator
understands and knows how to use a variety of self-assessment and
problem-solving strategies to analyze and reflect on his/her practice and to
plan for adaptations/adjustments.
(h) The educator knows how to use learner
data to analyze practice and differentiate instruction accordingly.
(i) The educator understands how personal
identity, worldview, and prior experience affect perceptions and expectations,
and recognizes how they may bias behaviors and interactions with
others.
(j) The educator
understands laws related to learners' rights and teacher responsibilities
(e.g., for educational equity, appropriate education for learners with
disabilities, confidentiality, privacy, appropriate treatment of learners,
reporting in situations related to possible child abuse).
(k) The educator knows how to build and
implement a plan for professional growth directly aligned with his/her needs as
a growing professional using feedback from educator evaluations and
observations, data on learner performance, and school- and system-wide
priorities.
(l) The educator takes
responsibility for student learning and uses ongoing analysis and reflection to
improve planning and practice.
(m)
The educator is committed to deepening understanding of his/her own frames of
reference (e.g., culture, gender, language, abilities, ways of knowing), the
potential biases in these frames, and their impact on expectations for and
relationships with learners and their families.
(n) The educator sees him/herself as a
learner, continuously seeking opportunities to draw upon current education
policy and research as sources of analysis and reflection to improve
practice.
(o) The educator
understands the expectations of the profession including the Alabama Educator
Code of Ethics, professional standards of practice, and relevant law and
policy.
(10)
Leadership and Collaboration. The educator seeks appropriate leadership
roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to
collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals,
and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the
profession.
(a) The educator takes an
active role on the instructional team, giving and receiving feedback on
practice, examining learner work, analyzing data from multiple sources, and
sharing responsibility for decision making and accountability for each
student's learning.
(b) The
educator works with other school professionals to plan and jointly facilitate
learning on how to meet diverse needs of learners.
(c) The educator engages collaboratively in
the school-wide effort to build a shared vision and supportive culture,
identify common goals, and monitor and evaluate progress toward those
goals.
(d) The educator works
collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual
expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and
achievement.
(e) The educator,
working with school colleagues, builds ongoing connections with community
resources to enhance student learning and wellbeing.
(f) The educator engages in professional
learning, contributes to the knowledge and skill of others, and works
collaboratively to advance professional practice.
(g) The educator uses technological tools and
a variety of communication strategies to build local and global learning
communities that engage learners, families, and colleagues.
(h) The educator uses and generates
meaningful research on education issues and policies.
(i) The educator seeks appropriate
opportunities to model effective practice for colleagues, to lead professional
learning activities, and to serve in other leadership roles.
(j) The educator advocates to meet the needs
of learners, to strengthen the learning environment, and to enact system
change.
(k) The educator takes on
leadership roles at the school, district, state, and/or national level and
advocates for learners, the school, the community, and the
profession.
(l) The educator
understands schools as organizations within a historical, cultural, political,
and social context and knows how to work with others across the system to
support learners.
(m) The educator
understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of
influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of
influence interferes with learning.
(n) The educator knows how to work with other
adults and has developed skills in collaborative interaction appropriate for
both face-to-face and virtual contexts.
(o) The educator knows how to contribute to a
common culture that supports high expectations for student learning.
(p) The educator actively shares
responsibility for shaping and supporting the mission of his/her school as one
of advocacy for learners and accountability for their success.
(q) The educator respects families' beliefs,
norms, and expectations and seeks to work collaboratively with learners and
families in setting and meeting challenging goals.
(r) The educator takes initiative to grow and
develop with colleagues through interactions that enhance practice and support
student learning.
(s) The educator
takes responsibility for contributing to and advancing the
profession.
(t) The educator
embraces the challenge of continuous improvement and change.
Author: Dr. Eric G. Mackey
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §§
16-3-16,
16-13-14.