Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #1 - Demonstrates
ability to enhance academic
performance and support for
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implementation of the school
district student achievement
goals.

Math portfolio + enrichment plan – In my elementary math enrichment groups, students compile a portfolio of their
a. Provides evidence of student
work throughout the quarter to be shared with their classroom teacher and parents at conferences. Additionally, I
learning to students, families and Teacher
develop individualized enrichment plans to communicate the ways each student’s needs are being met to their
staff.
parents and classroom teacher.

b. Implements strategies Writing lesson plan – Written language instruction is a big focus of the team at Adel Elementary. One goal is for
supporting student, building, and students to draw on mentor texts to influence their own writing. This lesson allowed students to explore a variety of Teacher
district goals. texts on a theme (Halloween) and find mentor authors and mentor texts to draw inspiration from.

GATE committee data – As part of the GATE committee, I worked to compile 3rd grade student data for review.
c. Uses student performance data
The data points used were based on performance on the CogAT assessment, as well as observations from the Teacher
as a guide for decision making.
Kingore lessons. This data was used as part of the GATE identification process.

d. Accepts and demonstrates Alternative activities - Students arrive to my classroom with unique needs, just as in any general education
responsibility for creating a classroom. I am working with one particular student who has difficulty with group work. During a group project, I
Teacher
classroom culture that supports provided him with an alternative activity that was more personally motivating for him and allowed him to be more
the learning of every student. successful.

e. Creates an environment of
Love & Logic poster – Love & Logic sign is posted in the classroom and states the expectations for behavior. Love Administrator/
mutual respect, rapport, and
and Logic language is used to maintain positive and respectful classroom environment. Teacher
fairness.

f. Participates in and contributes Email with colleague – This email with a colleague was a prelude to a meeting to discuss enrichment options for a
Teacher/
to a school culture that focuses on gifted math student. Open communication with classroom teachers is essential to ensuring success for students who
colleague
improved student learning. need and deserve a challenge.

g. Communicates with students,

families, colleagues, and Email with parents + note home – When students participate in the enrichment program, parents are contacted Teacher/
communities effectively and and routinely updated about their student’s needs and achievements. parent
accurately.
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District
 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #2 - Demonstrates
competence in content knowledge
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appropriate to the teaching
position.

a. Understands and uses key

concepts, underlying themes, 2nd grade math lesson plan – This lesson plan addresses key concepts from the 2nd grade math common core
Teacher
relationships, and different curriculum.
perspectives related to the content
area.
b. Uses knowledge of student 5th Grade math project (see 4e) – This motivating math project was created to provide an example for students
development to make learning of when they would need to multiply decimals in a “real world” scenario. Students developed a personal budget
experiences in the content area based on an imagined salary and determined responsible ways to spend their money. Teacher
meaningful and accessible for
every student.
4th grade math lesson plan + materials – This 4th grade activity related math concepts across grade-levels as
c. Relates ideas and information
well as social studies concepts, and social concepts such as empathy. Teacher
within and across content areas.
d. Understands and uses Formal observation notes – As observed during my first formal observation, the instructional strategies I use are
instructional strategies that are appropriate for gifted math students, particularly questioning techniques to support deeper student thinking. Administrator
appropriate to the content area.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #3 - Demonstrates competence in

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planning and preparing for instruction.
Math pre-test – Classroom teachers share unit pre-tests with me to aid in my
a. Uses student achievement data, local planning. Using the pre-test data from students who qualify for enrichment, I am
standards, and the district curriculum in better able to address the skills and concepts that students have yet to master and Student
planning for instruction. can extend those they have developed grade-level mastery of.

First day of math presentation – When my enrichment groups began, I

b. Sets and communicates high expectations communicated my expectations with students and how they related to building-
Teacher/
for social, behavioral, and academic success wide expectations. Using the PBIS framework of ROAR, students helped brainstorm
Students
of all students. examples of appropriate behavior.

Learning Styles essay – As part of a GATE project, students took two quizzes to
determine their learning styles. Based on their results, they developed a “dream
c. Uses student developmental needs, classroom” suited to their unique needs. Students created a visual representation of
background, and interests in planning for this classroom as well as a written essay. Student
instruction.

Math stations – Student choice in rotating stations during math enrichment allows for
d. Selects strategies to engage all students in Teacher/
high levels of engagement and differentiation.
learning. Student
QR Code Treasure Hunt – 4th Grade students participated in a riddle-based
e. Uses available resources, including
treasure hunt created using QR codes. Students decoded the riddles and used Teacher/
technologies, in the development and
iPads to uncover the next riddle. Student
sequencing of instruction.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #4 - Uses strategies to deliver

instruction that meet the multiple learning Artifact Source
needs of students.
2nd Grade Math Lesson Plan – This math lesson plan uses standards from the
a. Aligns classroom instruction with local
Common Core, which directly tie to the Iowa Core. Teacher
standards and district curriculum.
Informal observation notes – The prompts and questioning I use with students are
b. Uses research-based instructional intended to improve student independence and allow for deeper thinking. Research
strategies that address the full range of supports the use of open ended prompts such as “What strategy did you try?” and Administrator
cognitive levels. “Walk me through how you solved that.”

Informal observation notes – Being responsive in variable task completion times

c. Demonstrates flexibility and responsiveness allows for student engagement at all times. Providing alternative activities for
Administrator
in adjusting instruction to meet student needs. students who are ready to move on allows for differentiation.

Informal observation notes + student teamwork challenge - Creating experiences

d. Engages students in varied experiences that address academic needs in addition to social needs is, in my opinion, a critical
that meet diverse needs and promote social, piece of educating gifted children. My GATE classroom participates in team Administrator
emotional, and academic growth. challenges in which students address an open ended performance task and must
work together to achieve a common goal.
5th Grade Math project – This math project was created in part to engage
e. Connects students' prior knowledge, life student’s interest by creating a “real world” scenario for them to play out. Students
experiences, and interests in the instructional were able to demonstrate choices in buying a home and vehicle, and use prior Teacher
process. knowledge of budgets and taxes to engage with the task.

Formal observation notes + photo - As documented in the notes from my formal

f. Uses available resources, including evaluation, I use technology (PowerPoint, projector) to post questions or activities Administrator/
technologies, in the delivery of instruction. for my students. This makes the question or task accessible to all students. Teacher

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #5 - Uses a variety of methods to

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monitor student learning.
Math pre-test (see 3a) – I use student pre-tests to inform participation and
instruction in my math enrichment groups. Because I do not give my own classroom
a. Aligns classroom assessment with instruction. Student
assessments, I focus more on how I can use pre-test data to shape my instructional
decisions.
Learning Styles project rubric – During the Learning Styles unit, students used this
b. Communicates assessment criteria and rubric to guide their decisions as they worked to create a visual representation of Teacher
standards to all students and parents. their “dream classroom” and write their accompanying essay. /Student

Parent/teacher observation form – This formed was developed this year to guide
c. Understands and uses the results of multiple teachers in providing feedback for the GATE committee. Completed forms were
Teacher
assessments to guide planning and instruction. shared with the committee to aid in GATE placement decisions.

GATE Reflection + Informal observation notes – This GATE reflection form was
created this year as a part of the 5th grade student-led conferences. This allowed
d. Guides students in goal setting and Teacher/
students to reflect on the school year so far and set both an academic and social
assessing their own learning. Administrator
goal.

e. Provides substantive, timely, and Informal observation notes (see 4c) – Providing verbal feedback to students in the
constructive feedback to students and moment helps shape their thinking and allows them to grow. Administrator
parents.
Comprehensive evaluation form - I frequently collaborate with classroom teachers
f. Works with other staff and building and and grade-level teams in order to determine ways to best meet the needs of
district leadership in analysis of student gifted students. During PLC meetings, team planning time, and frequent informal Administrator
progress. communication I work with my colleagues to meet the unique needs of my students.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #6 - Demonstrates competence in

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classroom management.
2nd grade math seating chart – This seating chart is used at the elementary level
with my math enrichment group. At the intermediate level, I use expo markers to
a. Creates a learning community that
label desks for flexible seating charts. This allows me to change groups daily
encourages positive social interaction, active
based on how I wish to group students – based on behavior, ability, cooperation Teacher
engagement, and self-regulation for every
challenges, etc. Students are sometimes allowed to choose their own seating when
student.
appropriate, so long as they maintain focus and respect for the task at hand.

Kindergarten behavior mini-lesson (photo) – When we returned from winter break,

b. Establishes, communicates, models, and my kindergarten students and I collaborated to create a list of expectations for
Teacher/
maintains standards of responsible student how we should travel through the hallway to get to math and how we should act
students
behavior. once we are in math class. Students showed examples of this behavior and we
practiced entering and exiting the classroom responsibly.
c. Develops and implements classroom I Can Statements – I Can Statements are posted to communicate high expectations
procedures and routines that support high for student learning, and read aloud by students to increase ownership over one’s Teacher
expectations for learning. own learning.
Brain warm-up (see 4f) – Because my time with students is limited, I begin each
math group with a “brain warm up”. This establishes student focus, and is especially
d. Uses instructional time effectively to
useful with my 2nd – 5th grade groups, as students show up at slightly variable Teacher
maximize student achievement.
times. This allows me to wait to open class until all students have arrived, while still
engaging students in a task from the moment they enter my classroom.
ROARing examples – At the beginning of the year and occasionally as my groups
change, I work with students to find examples of “ROARing” behavior in my
e. Creates a safe and purposeful learning Teacher/
classroom. These conversations keep students on-track with PBIS expectations and
environment. student
ensure safety in my classroom.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #7 - Engages in professional

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growth.
Growth Mindset article – The Iowa Talented and Gifted conference has been a very
important component of my professional development since I began working as a gifted
a. Demonstrates habits and skills of continuous
educator. This year, I attended a session on fostering a growth mindset in gifted students ITAG Conference
inquiry and learning.
and I developed a unit on this concept that I used with my 3rd grade GATE students.

Email with colleague - Collaborating with my colleagues is an essential piece of meeting

the needs of gifted students. This year, I have been working to establish relationships
b. Works collaboratively to improve with grade-level teachers in able to open lines of communication about student success. Teacher/
professional practice and student learning. Working with classroom teachers to develop an enrichment plan that meets the unique colleague
needs of their students is a critical step in ensuring they are challenged both in the
enrichment group setting and in their general education classroom.
Writing Partners article - Through the Achieving Success Today conference, I was
fortunate to learn about the many benefits of writing partners. This experience, in
c. Applies research, knowledge, and skills
addition to the district written language professional development, has directly Cathy Hsu/
from professional development opportunities
influenced my writing enrichment groups. My understanding of the art of teaching writing colleagues
to improve practice.
has improved significantly, and I have implemented ideas from the PD and have begun
pairing students with writing partners.
IPDP - The Individual Professional Development Plan I developed this year focuses on
d. Establishes and implements professional
creating whole grade math assessments to assist in identifying students for math
development plans based upon the teacher
enrichment groups at the elementary level. I feel this work is critical in establishing a
needs aligned to the Iowa Teaching Teacher
standard identification process and will be beneficial not only immediately, but as the
Standards and district/building student
district continues to grow in the future. This work directly addresses the goals of the
achievement goals.
district’s GATE program.
e.
Analysis of whole-grade math assessment – After creating and administering whole
Provides an analysis of student learning and
grade tests, I worked to analyze the data. This helped me in making decisions about how Teacher
growth based on teacher created tests and
to improve the assessment for next year, and gave me diagnostic insights in to the math /colleague
authentic measures as well as any
abilities of this year’s students.
standardized and district-wide tests.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District

 Iowa Teaching Standards

Standard #8 - Fulfills professional

responsibilities established by the school Artifact Source
district.

Comprehensive evaluation form – As observed by my administrators, I uphold my

a. Adheres to board policies, district
contractual obligations as a member of the staff at both DeSoto Intermediate and Adel Administrator
procedures, and contractual obligations.
Elementary.

b. Demonstrates professional and ethical AEA online training forms – I conduct myself in a professional and ethical manner
conduct as defined by state law and routinely, and have completed the mandatory trainings as required by Iowa law and Teacher
individual district policy. district policy.

Email from administrator – Flexibility in scheduling and location have been an important
c. Contributes to efforts to achieve district Administrator/
component in my position. In order to achieve district goals, it is essential to view the
and building goals. Teacher
building as one big team.

Strengths Finder form - Working with the 4th grade team on Strengths Finder has
d. Demonstrates an understanding of and deepened my understanding of my colleagues. While I have always had a professional
Teacher
respect for all learners and staff level of respect for all of my colleagues, this professional development opportunity has
improved my relationships with my colleagues and helped me think of all learners from a
different perspective.

e. Collaborates with students, families, 5th Grade PLC Feedback Sheet – I routinely collaborate with grade-level teams in order
colleagues, and communities to enhance to ensure success for all students. Discussions with the 5th grade team about math Colleagues
student learning. enrichment have helped us meet the needs of all 5th grade learners.

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District