What are my learning goals and standards? Am I clearly aligning instruction with grade-level expectations and essential skills?
How will I know if students are learning? What formative and summative assessments will I use, and how will I adjust based on the results?
What prior knowledge or misconceptions might students bring? How can I build on what they already know and address any gaps?
What strategies will engage all learners?How can I differentiate to meet the needs of diverse students, including those with IEPs, English learners, and gifted students?

*What do I want them to be able to do after this lesson?

*How will I know my students understand this?

*What does my data show about my students' goals?

*What will be the best way to assess their knowledge?

*What different ways could I present this information?

Possible questions needing to ask include:

What are the learning/essential standards students need to know?

What are the possible misconceptions?

How can I differentiate for students that need it?

What strategies will I use to engage my students?

What do I want my students to know at the end of this lesson?

How will I assess learning?

How will I differentiate my instruction?

How can I effectively engage my students?

What do my students already know? What higher level questions can be asked? How will I know they've learned it? What do my extensions and interventions look like?

1. Teachers clearly communicate what students are expected to learn and how they will know if they are successful. (Domain 1c: Setting intructional outcomes-Outcomes are clear. measureable, and aligned with standards.) (Domain 3a: Communicating with students- Instructional purpose and expectations are made clear).

2. Teachers gather real time data on student understanding and provide targeted feedback to guide learning. (Domain 3d: Using assessment in instruction- Teachers use formative assessments and adjust instruction based on student needs.) (Domain 3c: Engaging students in learning- Teachers make adjustments to keep all students appropriately challenged.)

- What is the learning target that my students need to understand?

-How will I know when they understand it?

-What will I do if they do not have the understanding?

-What will I do when they do have the understanding?

-What questions will I ask?

-How will I keep the students engaged?

-We resources will I need?

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What do I want my students to learn?

How does this lesson align with state standards?

What learning targets and or success criteria will I communicate to my students?

What do my students already know about the topic?

How will I explicitly teach and model the skill?

How will I make the learning relevant and meaningful to my students?

How will I know if my students are meeting the learning goals?

“What do my students know currently?”

“What do I need my students to learn?”

“How can I get them there?”

“Is there any necessary background knowledge they need to know first?”

“How can I make this more engaging?”

The AR TESS Rubric Descriptors for teachers and the video about high impact instruction go hand-in-hand. We all know that the better prepared you are for something, the greater the chance you have at being successful, and that is how the rubric and the elements of high impact instruction are connected, I believe. Strategically planning instruction requires the consideration of not just the content that you are teaching, but also, with whom you are teaching it to. Considering your audience, every aspect of your audience, will help lead to a more positive impact on your "audience" (students) at the end of your "performance" (lesson).

Clear learning goals - 1c setting instructional outcomes and 3a communicating with students

Formative assessments - 1f designing student assessments and 3d using assessment in instruction

Student engagement and active learning - 1e designing coherent instruction, 3c engaging students in learning, and 2b establishing a culture for learning

High order questioning - critical thinking - 3b using questioning and discussion, 3c engaging students in learning

Differentiation - 1b demonstrating knowledge of students, 3e demonstrating flexibility, 1e designing coherent instruction

Classroom Culture - 2a creating an environment of respect and rapport, 2d managing student behavior, 2c managing classroom procedures

Use of technology - 1d demonstrating knowledge of resources and 3c engaging students

Feedback - 3d using assessment in instruction and 3a communicating with students

Collaboration and ownership of learning - 3c engaging students in learning and 2b establishing a culture of learning

*What do I want my students to be able to do after instruction?

*How can I present this in a different way?

*How will I assess my students after?

What is it that I want my students to learn? What do they already know regarding this topic? How can I make sure that I am teaching to all of my students? Have I utilized all of my resources to the best of my ability? Have they mastered the skill? What can I do for those who didn't master it, and what can I do differently moving forward so that those same students don't find themselves struggling to conquer the tasks at hand in future lessons?

What do I know about my students' academic levels, interests, cultural background, and learning styles?

What misconceptions might students have, and how will I address them?

How will I hook my students and keep them engaged in the lesson?

How will I check for understanding during the lesson?

What will I do if the lesson isn't going as planned?

What materials, tools, and technology is needed for the lesson?

The connection between high-quality instruction and the TESS descriptors is that both center on a deep understanding of each student. Teachers can plan lessons based on the students' educational background.

What is my objective?

How can I plan this lesson that will meet the needs of all students?

What questions do I want to ask?

How will I assess?

High impact teaching involves careful planning and intentional instruction. It is data and student-driven; implemented with student achievement in mind. It communicates clear goals and objectives and holds students accountable to the learning required to achieve those goals. It sets expectations high, and then equips students to reach those expectations using knowledge of students, content, and pedagogy as well as utilization of resources.

What do I want students to be able to do when this lesson is over?

What transfer of prior knowledge is necessary for the success of this lesson? What do I need to build on?

Do all of my students have mastery of this prior knowledge? If not, how do I need to scaffold to make the new content approachable for them?

1. What are the learning objectives?

2. What do my students already know, and what do they need?

3. What instructional strategies will best support learning? (Materials, resources, technolgy)

4. How will I measure students level of understanding?

5. How will I model and provide helpful feedback as the lesson is taught ? (reteach and extensions)

What do my students know? (data and knowledge of students)

What do I want my students to know? (setting instructional goals/outcomes)

What standards does my instructional goal align with? (designing coherent instruction)

What resources and activities will I use to engage students and meet their academic needs? (demonstrating a knowledge of resources)

What will I use to assess student progress based on their needs? (designing student assessment)

Being a highly effective teacher will have a direct impact on student achievement. The TESS Rubric continuously touches on the importance of differentiation, student learning, intentional planning, and overall student engagement. It is important to remember that we need to create a productive environment for students to learn, collaborate, and we need to model those expectations. Data driven learning should be evident in every lesson.

• What do I want students to know and be able to do?

• How will I know if they’ve learned it?

• What strategies will support all learners in reaching this goal?

• What misconceptions might come up—and how can I address them?

• How can I keep students engaged, curious, and challenged?

• These questions help ensure instruction is intentional, equitable, and impactful.

1. Does this align with instructional outcomes and standards?

2. What do my students already know?

3. Does this align with the needs/interests/backgrounds of my students?

4. What high-level questions can I ask?

5. How can I differentiate the lesson for the needs of all learners?

6. How can I keep my students engaged?

What should I do to be better prepared to support students who aren't meeting the goal or learning objective? How can I push students who have already mastered the concept to understand and preform on a deeper level? What do students already know and what do I want them to achieve? How will I ensure that students are able to clearly communicate the desired outcome? What assessments will I use to determine mastery and how will the data drive further instruction?

• What do we want the students to learn?

• What prior knowledge or misconceptions might students bring?

• How will we actively engage students in the learning?

• How do we differentiate to meet the needs of diverse learners?

• What do we do if they aren't learning the material?

• How do we extend learning for those who know the material?

"How can I check to make sure they are grasping the material (aka what assessments are needed)?"

1. what kind of students do I have, what is the objective/standard or aim (lesson to be learned) and what gaps AND background knowledge do we (students) already know about so we don't start from scratch, but we also don't start too far ahead.

2. We need to know what kind of assessment works well with these students and if it is necessary to stretch them on their assessment abilities or if the KIND of assessment is going to be just as big of a problem (Use computer/easy grading? Use paper for simplicity? Other ideas/issues?)

3. How can I modify my lesson and/or assessment for students who really have a disadvantage and need help without simply giving them the answer.

4. How can I have an assessment that is able to be collaborative with other teachers and THEIR student needs and how do I find time/resources to reteach if/when students have misperceptions.

5. How can I keep it all fun/engaging during the whole process? (What can I use from life to make this more applicable without costing too much time?)

What do my students already know?

What is the objective for this lesson?

Do I need to add any background prior to the lesson?

What strategies should I use to teach this concept?

How will I know that they have mastered this concept?

How can I engage my students?

How will I differentiate?

What is the background knowledge of my students, and how can I build on it?

How can I scaffold this lesson to assure each student can be successful?

What will keep my students engaged during this lesson?

How will I know my students have learned?

In order to be an effective teacher on this scale, a teacher needs to be utilizing high impact instruction elements.

What refresher might students need? 

What previous learning will we need to access/activate?

What supports might students need?

How will I engage students?

How will students show their learning?

-is it developmentally appropriate

-do the students have a background or do we need to provide a background for the students to build upon

-what the learning target will be

-how to assess the learning target

-is the lesson engaging

-are the materials being used HQIM

-how to differentiate for the higher level and lower level students

Planning (HII)-Domain 1 (TESS)

Delivery (HII)- Domain 2 (TESS)

Measurement (HII)-A mix between Domain 3 and 4 (TESS)

Domain 4 is easily sprinkled in to each of the HII pieces.

Needless to say, in Arkansas you will be considered a highly effective teacher if you can apply high impact instruction in your classroom.

• What is the purpose of my lesson? What do I want students to gain from this lesson? What standards am I focussing on?

• What background information do my students already know or need to know in order to be successful during this lesson?

• How will I keep students actively engaged? What strategies will I apply in order to maintain attention?

• How will I know that students understand the material? What indicators am I looking for in terms of struggling learners?

• How am I going to assess this material? Does my assessment match the purpose of this lesson?

We as teachers have to plan strategically to ensure we are teaching our students what they need to learn in a meaningful and engaging way. We must plan our learning goals from state standards or College Board (for AP teachers like myself). We have to model appropriately and with clarity so our students see what the standard is that they are trying to reach. This planning and modeling connects to TESS Domains 1 and 3.

We have an obligation to continue to grow as educators. This involves reflecting on our lessons - what went well, what needs improvement - as well as our own continuing education. We need to take our own professional development seriously and intentionally implement what we learn in our classrooms. As lead teachers we should share strategies that we have learned through experience and professional development with our mentees and other colleagues. This connects to TESS Domain 4.

One should also ask "what will the students struggle with in this unit, and how can I help students avoid pitfalls?". As we all know, students will struggle with different things, and we need to be prepared to differentiate for our learners.

Another question educators should ask themselves when planning for a unit is "how can I make this learning relevant and engaging for my students?". Making learning relevant to students will increase their engagement. If they see a need to learn a concept, they are much more likely to be engaged in the topic.

While planning a unit, we should also ask ourselves, "how will I know if the students have learned the objectives, and what will I do for those who haven't?". We have to include good questioning techniques along the way - this includes formative assessments whether in the form of whole class discussions or exit tickets, etc. - before the summative assessment. There also needs to be a plan for those students who did not learn the objectives. For example, I offer "retests" in my classes for those who need more time and clarification before they exhibit mastery of the topics.