EDFS Artifact Guide 1

Artifact Guide Artifact Basics What are artifacts? Artifacts are an important piece of evidence that helps to determine formative and summative ratings. Both teachers and evaluators may submit artifacts. These are used to demonstrate your progress on goals and the four teaching standards. Why should I include artifacts? It is a chance to tell your story and have your voice and your evidence included when determining your rating. It’s one way to share elements of your practice that might not have been observed by your evaluators. How many artifacts should I include? The district recommends at least 8 artifacts during the typical evaluation cycle. Usually this means at least 4 are submitted before the formative evaluation. There’s no official maximum, but most evaluators say, “less is more.” When/how to submit artifacts? Artifacts should be submitted on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Typically, teachers should submit artifacts 2 weeks before the formative evaluation and 4 weeks before the summative evaluation. Multiple artifacts/multiple tags? You can have multiple artifacts that are connected to one another (a lesson plan and a piece of student work for example). In your rationale, be sure to remind evaluators that these artifacts connect to each another. You can also “tag” an artifact to count for more than one standard or goal. The district recommends that you have at most 2 tags for any artifact. Artifact Formats Make sure to include file extension names on your artifacts (.doc, .pdf, .mov, .jpg, etc.)

Documents: You can include Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Google Drive files.

Movies: You can include video of your practice. Short videos or small file sizes will be easiest to upload.

Photos: You can include photos from a phone or camera. This can be a great way to show student work. You can also take a screen shot by using [shift]+[command]+[4].

Scanned Images: If you have access to a scanner, this is a great way to upload student work. Make sure to save these as PDF or JPG files.

Emails: You can copy and paste relevant sections of emails into a word document.

Web Links: For online artifacts, like a class blog entry, you can include the link as part of your rationale paragraph, but should also include a screen shot.

This guide was prepared by the Peer Assistance (PA) and the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs using resources from Charlestown HS, East Boston HS, Blackstone Elementary, the BPS Office of Human Capital and other sources.

EDFS Artifact Guide 2

Artifact Menu What artifacts to include? Make sure to include artifacts to demonstrate competency is areas that may be difficult to see during a classroom observation, like unit planning or parent/family communication. In particular, you should think artifacts in these areas:

• Student Learning Goal: Show evidence and describe how you have made progress towards your Student Learning Goal

• Professional Practice Goal: Show evidence and describe how you have made progress towards your Professional Practice Goal(s).

• Teaching (Standards I and II): Show evidence that adds to your observations. See the chart below for suggestions.

• Family & Community Engagement (Standard III): Show evidence and describe how you have extended support to, communicated with and developed learning partnerships with families.

• Professional Culture (Standard IV): Show evidence and describe how you have contributed to the school community that your evaluators might not be aware of or have observed first-hand.

   Suggested Artifact Menu. This table displays some of the artifacts submitted during the 2012-2013 school year:

Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment

Standard II: Teaching All Students

Standard III: Family and Community Engagement

Standard IV: Professional Culture

• Unit plans & assessments -aligned to Common Core

• Lesson plans - modified for specific student populations - indicating standards addressed - indicating methods of addressing mastery - that include text-based questions

• Class activities/assignments • Instructional materials • Student work • Formative and summative

assessments (e.g., student writing, quizzes, tests, projects)

• Assessment data analysis • Plans for re-teaching • Observations/ notes from data

meetings • IEP meeting observations • Progress reports • Written teacher feedback on

student assignments • Exit tickets

• Exemplars/Rubrics/Criteria for success

• Systems requiring students to make up/revise work

• Lesson plans • Student surveys • Differentiated/modified

instructional plans and materials • Class rituals, routines, rules,

norms • Group work structures • Student self-monitoring • Culturally responsive

instructional materials • Assignments with scaffolding • Lesson plans for re-teaching • Academic support opportunities • PBIS interventions • Visual aides • Students work from centers • IEP goals tracker • Images of anchor charts or

word walls • Student profile sheets including

potential accommodations

• Clear communications in the form of letters, emails, or calendars to families about class activities and invitations to participate

• Multiple options for parents to support student learning

• Progress reports • Class-related activities for

families Progress reports • Letters/phone calls to families

communicating expectations, curriculum, and study strategies

• Log of contact with families with descriptions of topics discussed

• Results from family surveys • Letters to families in multiple

languages • Analysis of impact of family

engagement on student performance

• Participation in community meetings

• Self-Assessment • Student Learning and

Professional Practice Goals & Action plan

• Written reflections on practice • Reflections on participation in

PD & how it informed practice • Plans for re-teaching • Reflections on leadership roles • Observations/records of

participation in/contribution to team meetings

• Protocols used to analyze student learning

• Plans/materials created collaboratively

• Record of participation in school events

• Record of input in decision-making

• Results from student surveys • National Board Certification &

its impact on practice • Role in district-wide initiatives

 Want more help?

The BTU sponsors evaluation workshops to help members with artifacts and EDFS. Teachers working with the Peer Assistance (PA) or Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs will also have individualized support around choosing artifacts and writing rationales. Learn more at btu.org.

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Remember that artifacts should demonstrate growth

as a result of your efforts.

Instead of uploading a PD certificate, include student

progress data based on what you learned in the PD.

Instead of uploading a blank exit ticket, include two tickets

that show student improvement or teacher

feedback.

EDFS Artifact Guide 3

Artifacts Rationales For each artifact, you should explain what it is, why you’ve chosen it, and how it demonstrates your proficiency. Align each artifact to a rubric standard or a goal and use the rubric language to help guide your rationale. Rubric Language You are encouraged to use language from the EDFS rubric of effective teaching when writing. If you’re proficient, spell it out for your evaluator by including language from the rubric as part of your rationale (see how rubric language is used in the last sentence of the example below). You may want to use the BPS Interactive Rubric, which can be found at bostonpublicschools.org/ir to help you. Well-written Rationale Method 1: From Charlestown/East Boston High Here’s Charlestown and East Boston High’s guide to writing a rationale:

1. Identify the standard, indicator, element, or goal that the artifact addresses. 2. Describe the artifact and identify the section that directly connects to the standard, indicator, element,

or goal. 3. Highlight the artifact’s impact on student learning. How does it impact student learning and growth? 4. Specify the evidence of professional growth or proficiency in the standard, indicator, element the artifact

provides. Sample Name Tags Description Rationale Uploaded By Meetingnotes.docx IV-C-1.

Professional Collaboration

Monthly meeting notes with mainstream teachers

These notes from monthly meetings with mainstream teachers demonstrate proficient practice in IV-C-1. I have been meeting with mainstream teachers who teach Spanish SEI students routinely since the beginning of the year to discuss these students' strengths and weaknesses and then what each of us can do to better support these students. In the notes, I included an explanation of how the Spanish SEI students are doing in the mainstream class and also a list of actions that the mainstream teacher and I will each take to support the students’ achievement. These notes from meetings with mainstream teachers are strong evidence of how I consistently and effectively collaborate with colleagues to analyze student performance and plan appropriate interventions (IV-C-1).

Teacher, BPS

Well-Written Rationale Method 2: Hamburger/MEAL Paragraph Some educators may prefer to use guiding questions as prompts to write their rationale paragraphs.

Section Guiding Questions

Introduction What is the artifact title? What rubric element or goal are you addressing?

Description What is it? Why did you choose it? What should the evaluator notice/focus on in the document?

Impact How did the artifact impact student learning or teacher practice?

Conclusion How does the artifact show your proficiency? (use language from the rubric or your goals)

2. Give a quick description of the

artifact.

3. Highlight the impact on student

learning!

1. Identify the specific rubric

element(s) or goal.

4. Use the rubric/goal text to show proficiency.

EDFS Artifact Guide 4

Artifact Table of Contents You can use the table below to help you organize and keep track of your artifacts. Artifacts Name/ Description What is it? What does it show?

Tags Check standards/goals demonstrated.

Notes/ Rationale

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal

❑ Uploaded?

❑ Standard I ❑ Standard II ❑ Standard III ❑ Standard IV

❑ Student Learning Goal

❑ Professional Practice Goal