Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Grades 4-8 pedagogy and professional
responsibilities (PPR) standards. The PPR standards identified in this section
are targeted for classroom teachers of students in Grades 4-8. The standards
address the discipline that deals with the theory and practice of teaching to
inform skill-based training and development. The standards inform proper
teaching techniques, strategies, teacher actions, teacher judgements, and
decisions by taking into consideration theories of learning, understandings of
students and their needs, and the backgrounds and interests of individual
students. The standards are also aligned with the Commissioner's Teacher
Standards in 19 TAC Chapter 149 of this title (relating to Commissioner's Rules
Concerning Educator Standards).
(b) Instructional Planning and Delivery.
Grades 4-8 classroom teachers demonstrate understanding of instructional
planning and delivery by providing standards-based, data-driven, differentiated
instruction that engages students and makes learning relevant for today's
learners. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) develop lessons that build coherently
toward objectives based on course content, curriculum scope and sequence, and
expected student outcomes;
(2)
effectively communicate goals, expectations, and objectives to help all
students reach high levels of achievement;
(3) connect students' prior understanding and
real-world experiences to new content and contexts, maximizing learning
opportunities;
(4) plan
instruction that is developmentally appropriate, is standards driven, and
motivates students to learn;
(5)
use a range of instructional strategies, appropriate to the content area, to
make subject matter accessible to all students;
(6) differentiate instruction, aligning
methods and techniques to diverse student needs, including acceleration,
remediation, and implementation of individual education plans;
(7) ensure that the learning environment
features a high degree of student engagement by facilitating discussion and
student-centered activities as well as leading direct instruction;
(8) set high expectations and create
challenging learning experiences for students, encouraging them to apply
disciplinary and cross-disciplinary knowledge to real-world problems;
(9) provide opportunities for
students to engage in individual and collaborative critical thinking and
problem solving;
(10) monitor and
assess students' progress to ensure that their lessons meet students' needs;
(11) provide immediate feedback to
students in order to reinforce their learning and ensure that they understand
key concepts; and
(12) adjust
content delivery in response to student progress through the use of
developmentally appropriate strategies that maximize student engagement.
(c) Knowledge of
Student and Student Learning. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers work to ensure high
levels of learning and achievement outcomes for all students, taking into
consideration each student's educational and developmental backgrounds and
focusing on each student's needs. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) create a community of learners in an
inclusive environment that views differences in learning and background as
educational assets;
(2) connect
learning, content, and expectations to students' prior knowledge, life
experiences, and interests in meaningful contexts;
(3) understand the unique qualities of
students with exceptional needs, including disabilities and giftedness, and
know how to effectively address these needs through instructional strategies
and resources;
(4) understand the
role of language and culture in learning and know how to modify their practice
to support language acquisition so that language is comprehensible and
instruction is fully accessible; and
(5) understand how learning occurs and how
learners develop, construct meaning, and acquire knowledge and skills.
(d) Content Knowledge
and Expertise. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers exhibit an understanding of
content and related pedagogy as demonstrated through the quality of the design
and execution of lessons and the ability to match objectives and activities to
relevant state standards. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) keep current with developments, new
content, new approaches, and changing methods of instructional delivery within
their discipline;
(2) organize
curriculum to facilitate student understanding of the subject matter;
(3) understand, actively
anticipate, and adapt instruction to address common misunderstandings and
preconceptions;
(4) promote
literacy and the academic language within the discipline and make
discipline-specific language accessible to all learners; and
(5) teach both the key content knowledge and
the key skills of the discipline.
(e) Learning Environment. Grades 4-8
classroom teachers interact with students in respectful ways at all times,
maintaining a physically and emotionally safe, supportive learning environment
that is characterized by efficient and effective routines, clear expectations
for student behavior, and organization that maximizes student learning. Grades
4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) embrace
students' backgrounds and experiences as an asset in their learning;
(2) maintain and facilitate respectful,
supportive, positive, and productive interactions with and among students;
(3) implement behavior management
systems to maintain an environment where all students can learn effectively;
(4) maintain a culture that is
based on high expectations for student performance and encourages students to
be self-motivated, taking responsibility for their own learning;
(5) maximize instructional time, including
managing transitions; and
(6)
communicate regularly, clearly, and appropriately with parents and families
about student progress, providing detailed and constructive feedback and
partnering with families in furthering their students' achievement goals.
(f) Data-Driven
Practices. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers use formal and informal methods to
assess student growth aligned to instructional goals and course objectives and
regularly review and analyze multiple sources of data to measure student
progress and adjust instructional strategies and content delivery as needed.
Grades 4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) gauge
student progress and ensure mastery of content knowledge and skills by
providing assessments aligned to instructional objectives and outcomes that are
accurate measures of student learning;
(2) analyze and review data in a timely,
thorough, accurate, and appropriate manner, both individually and with
colleagues, to monitor student learning; and
(3) design instruction, change strategies,
and differentiate their teaching practices to improve student learning based on
assessment outcomes.
(g) Professional Practices and
Responsibilities. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers consistently hold themselves to
a high standard for individual development, collaborate with other educational
professionals, communicate regularly with stakeholders, maintain professional
relationships, comply with all campus and school district policies, and conduct
themselves ethically and with integrity. Grades 4-8 classroom teachers must:
(1) reflect on their own strengths and
professional learning needs, using this information to develop action plans for
improvement;
(2) seek out feedback
from supervisor, coaches, and peers and take advantage of opportunities for
job-embedded professional development;
(3) adhere to the educators' code of ethics
in §
247.2
of this title (relating to Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas
Educators), including following policies and procedures at their specific
school placement(s); and
(4)
communicate consistently, clearly, and respectfully with all members of the
campus community, administrators, and staff.
