Framework

Field 103: Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary Education

The framework below is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this assessment measures.

Framework

Domain		Range of Competencies	Approximate Percentage of Assessment Score
I 1	Student Development and the Learning Environment	0001–0002	16%
II 2	Classroom Environments and Instructional Planning	0003–0004	40%
III 3	Assessment and Curriculum Design	0005–0006	28%
IV 4	Effective Collaboration and the Professional Environment	0007–0008	16%

Domain I 1 –Student Development and the Learning Environment

0001 Understand processes of adolescent development and how to apply this knowledge to provide instructional environments and experiences that promote all students' development and learning.

Includes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, principles, theories, and processes of young adolescent and adolescent development.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of developmental milestones and developmental variation in the physical, adaptive (e.g., self-help), cognitive, linguistic, social-emotional, and moral domains, including their significance for instructional decision-making for young adolescents and adolescents.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics and behaviors related to various domains in young adolescents and adolescents and ways in which a student's development in one domain may affect development and performance in other domains.
4. Apply knowledge of cognitive development in young adolescents and adolescents and how to plan instruction that promotes students' cognitive development.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of factors that influence the development of young adolescents and adolescents (e.g., environments in school, out of school, and in the community; values; cultural differences).
6. Apply knowledge of the range of developmental differences in young adolescents and adolescents and the implications of this variation for instructional decision-making.
7. Apply knowledge of common developmental challenges for young adolescents and adolescents (e.g., peer interactions, sexuality, goal-setting) and effective ways to help students address these challenges.
8. Apply knowledge of developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and approaches to address the strengths and needs of individual students.
9. Demonstrate awareness of factors in students' lives in school, out of school, and in the community that can affect learning and the implications of these factors for teaching and learning.

0002 Understand ways to provide learning opportunities and environments that are responsive to all students and families, promote all students' learning, and foster positive student engagement with peers and adults.

Includes:

1. Apply knowledge of the developmental characteristics (e.g., disability; cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic background; religion; family structure) of young adolescents and adolescents, including their influence and implications for learning.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for enhancing one's own understanding of students' backgrounds, strengths, and needs; resources in the school and community for meeting individual student needs; and strategies for connecting students and their families to these resources.
3. Apply knowledge of strategies for planning and adapting instruction that is responsive to the characteristics, skills, strengths, and needs of all students and for ensuring that all students participate fully in classroom life and activities.
4. Apply knowledge of methods and strategies for creating a positive, safe, and supportive classroom environment for all students and for promoting students' understanding and appreciation of their peers and adults within the classroom and the community.
5. Apply knowledge of various teacher and student roles in the learning process and how different roles may affect student learning and outcomes.
6. Apply knowledge of strategies and procedures for creating a supportive learning environment that encourages students' active engagement, risk-taking, and collaboration in learning.

Domain II 2 –Classroom Environments and Instructional Planning

0003 Understand principles and practices associated with various instructional approaches and learning processes, including how to apply these principles and practices to promote all students' achievement of instructional goals.

Includes:

1. Identify the characteristics, uses, benefits, and limitations of various instructional approaches (e.g., direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry, structured class discussion).
2. Apply knowledge of how to organize and implement instruction that promotes the ability of all students to achieve learning goals and of how to continuously monitor instructional effectiveness and respond flexibly to student understanding, engagement, and feedback.
3. Demonstrate understanding of how a given instructional approach (e.g., direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, structured class discussion) helps achieve a particular instructional purpose.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of instructional strategies that promote students' understanding of content, higher-order thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills and that enhance cooperative student work environments.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the use of technology (including assistive technology) to enhance instruction and strategies for effectively integrating technology into specific instructional situations to support student learning.
6. Apply knowledge of major theories and concepts related to the learning process (e.g., Universal Design for Learning [UDL], project-based learning) to educational contexts.
7. Apply knowledge of techniques for providing instruction and materials that are accessible and meaningful for all students.
8. Identify strategies and technologies for facilitating learning for students based on their strengths, needs, and learning in given instructional contexts, including strategies for differentiating instruction.
9. Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' development of independent thinking and learning, self-reflection, organizational and time-management skills, and sense of ownership and responsibility regarding their own learning.
10. Apply knowledge of literacy strategies that can be used to support students through cross-curricular content and learning.

0004 Understand how the effective use of communication methods, motivational strategies, and classroom structures promotes student learning.

Includes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, strategies for gaining students' attention and promoting their motivation to learn, and ways for using encouragement, relevance, and various types of peer support to sustain student engagement with learning activities.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of factors that can affect a student's classroom communication (e.g., disability, age, personal values, cultural and linguistic background) and methods for interacting effectively with all students to achieve specified communication goals (e.g., clarifying content, communicating high expectations).
3. Apply knowledge of communication strategies for meeting specific instructional needs and for promoting understanding and engagement of all students in learning.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of using various questioning techniques to achieve instructional goals (e.g., encouraging divergent thinking, promoting higher-order thinking, fostering creativity).
5. Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting positive student interactions, facilitating conflict resolution, and promoting students' understanding and application of ethical principles (e.g., honesty, courtesy and respect, academic and personal integrity, civic responsibility).
6. Apply knowledge of strategies for fostering positive, productive student behavior and of relationships between specific classroom-management approaches and student learning, attitudes, and behaviors.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for creating an organized and productive classroom environment that promotes students' learning, time on task, and sense of responsibility and accountability.
8. Apply knowledge of effective strategies for organizing the physical environment of the classroom to meet instructional needs, manage transitions, and handle routine tasks and unanticipated situations.
9. Apply knowledge of social-emotional learning strategies that promote students' participation in classroom activities by supporting their self-management, social awareness, relationships with teachers and other students, and responsible decision-making.

Domain III 3 –Assessment and Curriculum Design

0005 Understand assessment instruments and practices, the relationship between assessment and instruction, and how to use assessment to guide instruction and monitor students' learning progress.

Includes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of important assessment concepts (e.g., reliability, validity, bias) and the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of various types of assessments (e.g., formal, informal, formative, summative).
2. Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate assessment instruments and practices for given instructional situations and needs and how to select or construct assessment instruments for various purposes.
3. Apply knowledge of strategies, rationales, and motivations for integrating assessment and instruction, for aligning assessment with instructional goals, and for using assessment to monitor student understanding and to guide instruction.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of using multiple assessment methods to support instruction.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate strategies for adapting and modifying classroom assessments for students with various characteristics and needs, including English Language Learners (ELL) and students with exceptionalities.
6. Apply knowledge of strategies for providing students with timely, accurate, and effective feedback and for helping students use teacher assessment, peer assessment, and self-assessment to guide their own learning.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of how to interpret assessment results and how to communicate assessment results to students and their families.

0006 Understand principles and procedures of curricular and instructional planning and how to use effective planning to design instruction that promotes all students' learning and achievement.

Includes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of procedures used in curricular planning and decision-making (e.g., defining scope and sequence, determining prerequisite knowledge and skills, aligning the curriculum with content standards and with school priorities).
2. Apply knowledge of effective lesson and unit plans (e.g., logical sequence, completeness, feasibility).
3. Demonstrate knowledge of key factors to consider in instructional planning (e.g., local, state, and national standards; the nature of the content; students' characteristics, prior experiences, current knowledge and skills, and readiness to learn).
4. Demonstrate knowledge of how to define appropriate learning goals and objectives, select effective instructional approaches, and determine the sequence of instruction.
5. Apply knowledge of how to use appropriate criteria to evaluate instructional resources, including technological resources, and how to select resources to meet various instructional needs.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of and strategies for integrating curricula, creating interdisciplinary units of study, and planning learning experiences that provide students with opportunities to explore content from integrated and varied perspectives.
7. Apply knowledge of strategies for integrating accommodations and modifying instruction and for adapting lessons to ensure the success of all students in learning.

Domain IV 4 –Effective Collaboration and the Professional Environment

0007 Understand how to establish partnerships and collaborate effectively with families, colleagues, and members of the community to enhance and support student learning.

Includes:

1. Apply knowledge of strategies for developing partnerships with families to support student learning and for encouraging and facilitating the involvement of families in their children's education.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of communication with families, factors that facilitate communication, and methods of initiating and maintaining effective communication with families.
3. Identify strategies for conducting effective conferences with parents/guardians, addressing their concerns in various contexts, and interacting effectively and appropriately with all families.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of effective methods for establishing and maintaining supportive, collaborative relationships with professional colleagues in given school contexts (e.g., planning with teams and departments, consulting with specialists and administrators).
5. Apply knowledge of how to collaborate effectively with others in the school community to meet student needs and enhance student learning.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of how to develop partnerships with individuals, businesses, and institutions in the community and how to use community resources to expand and enrich student learning.

0008 Apply roles and expectations for professional teachers, legal and ethical guidelines, and strategies for continuous professional growth and self-reflection.

Includes:

1. Apply knowledge of the legal rights and responsibilities of students, families, teachers, and other professionals in the system in various educational contexts, including ethical behaviors for teachers (e.g., accepting gifts, communicating with students outside of school).
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and components of the public education system, teacher roles in various educational contexts, and appropriate teacher interactions with and responses to other professionals in the system, families, community members, and students.
3. Apply knowledge of the requirements of teachers in given situations, such as providing instruction to students with special needs, ensuring educational fairness for all students, maintaining the confidentiality of student records, and seeking copyright permission for use of instructional resource materials.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of various types of professional organizations and professional development opportunities and resources, including research, action research, and interactions with mentors, supervisors, and colleagues, and of how their use enhances professional knowledge, skills, and expertise.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for setting short- and long-term professional goals and the need for monitoring progress toward continual professional growth.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of important traits and behaviors associated with effective teaching and the use of reflection, goal-setting, self-care practices, and self-assessment to improve professional practice.

 

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