RACHAEL WELLS
PART 3 EVIDENCE
Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice – The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate [their] practice, particularly the effects of [their] choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner
Performance Criterion 9.1
Candidates are prepared for self-directed, continuous professional learning.
Evidence #1: AP Art Critique
Rationale: The AP Art Teacher asked the rest of the art teachers and I to take on a group of her AP students for a day to talk about their art, critique it, and give them feedback. This was a self-directed learning opportunity for me, as it was optional for me, and I went for it. I have attached notes that I made for one of the students I had that day. This experience has also prepared me to continue to learn about becoming an AP Art teacher in the future, now having gotten a taste of what it is like.
Evidence #2: The Art of Ed Modules
Rationale: Also, as part of my student teaching after school was closed, I completed two modules on The Art of Ed website. I chose these two modules because I am interested in learning more about SEL and how to teach in a diverse setting. The modules focused on these two topics and they gave me tips and resources to develop my skills in implementing methods in SEL and teaching in a diverse setting. These modules also fueled my interest in applying these tips and my new knowledge in the classroom.
Performance Criterion 9.2
Candidates are prepared to practice in a legal and ethical manner.
Evidence #1: Special Education Comprehensive Evaluation Report
Rationale: This assignment was from my first placement in the fall of 2019, as a special education student teacher. my mentor teacher and I worked together to conduct an evaluation on a student who was suspected of having ED (Emotional Disturbance) and needed to be re-evaluated for SLD (specific learning disability), ED, and Other Health Impairment (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
On page six, I answer the question “Do you believe that the team adhered to the legal and procedural requirements associated with the comprehensive evaluation process?”
I answered that yes, I believe the team adhered to the legal and procedural requirements associated with the comprehensive evaluation process. The parents were notified before and after each decision made and were involved in the decision making process. There were more than three assessments that were measured for adverse effect, as the law says that you should have at least 3. The IEP team had meetings on time and with all attendees there and on time. The evaluation included classroom based measures, tests and other tests done by a licensed psychologist and by a doctor. Cognitive and achievement tests were done by the special educator. Parents were aware of and offered a copy of their parental right at each meeting. At the end, the comprehensive evaluation report was made and sent to parents in the mail. I also wrote this document paying attention to the legal obligation for teachers to not leak student names or any means of identification. Wherever the student’s name would be in this document is substituted with an XX.
I also understand that the legal obligation for special education teacher and art teachers, as with all teachers is to provide each student with fair and appropriate opportunities. By evaluating this student, my mentor teacher and I were able to see how this student learns best, where their academic strengths are and where their academic weaknesses are. We were also able to discover more about the student with a doctor’s note on whether they proved to have emotional disturbance. This is a condition that significantly affects the student's ability to engage with school and people around them. Art teachers can be involved in the IEP, 504 and EST process as well, and share important information about how students show up in class and the school environment in general as well as monitoring student progress toward IEP goals. All teachers, including art teachers, receive all the IEPs, 504s, and EST Plans of the students they have for each academic period. My mentor teacher for art and I discreetly printed and looked over each IEP when we got them by email from case managers. We then sorted them into the classes we had, and put them all in a binder that we could reference at any time. It was important that we looked at these plans as soon as we got them all in, to make sure that we were helping each child in the best ways we could. If we had this student, we would look at the accomodations on their IEP and apply them to our classroom. If we had any questions, we would request a meeting with the student's case manger to learn more about how to support them specifically in art class. While this report tells us that the student does not meet the criteria of having a SLD, they do present a weakness in reading ability and is suspected of having ED. So, we would be careful to make sure that we were supporting this student in Social Emotional Learning, in reading and by following the suggestions made in the accomodations part of their special education plan.
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Evidence #2: Sample IEP
Rationale: If we had gotten the IEP attached as evidence here, we would read that this student has cognitive weaknesses in the areas of verbal reasoning, auditory processing, and both short-term and long-term memory. This would affect the student's ability to comprehend language vocabulary, retrieve or recall information, and follow multi-step instructions. These are the main things that we would look out for in art class. We would then look at the student needs section and read that this student would benefit from support in GUM editing and punctuation. We would also take note of any benefits listed in the reading section and notes in the executive functioning and other considerations sections. We would take mental notes of the accomodations section at the end of the IEP. The accomodations listed are the same as we saw in the above sections. We would pay close attention to making sure this student understood any readings and auditory teaching methods for art class by asking her questions and checking in with her and her classmates as well as giving the class paint lists and graphic organizers. These tools, which would be helpful for her cognitive weaknesses, would also benefit the whole class. If we plan any accomodations for this student or any student, we should offer these options to the whole class.
Standard 10: Leadership and Collaboration – The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth and to advance the profession.
Performance Criterion 10.1
Candidates are prepared to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure student learning.
Evidence #1: Letter to Parents/Guardians
Rationale: At the end of the first unit, I wrote an email to all parents of the Graphic Design class to check in with them and tell them about what had been happening in class and how they can check in on and support their student's progress to ensure student learning. This acted in the place of CVU not having parent-teacher conferences in the spring semester but I do see the value in sending out a letter like this even in a semester where parent/teacher conferences do happen. As the bond and communication forms between guardians and teachers, they are able to connect and collaborate more to ensure student learning. If there’s a problem on either end, the guardian will be more likely to voice it to the teacher, because communication forms trust, and shows that the teacher is committed to the success of their student. Communicating with parents in ways like this ensures student learning by forming connections between their parents/guardians which are people who likely play an important role in supporting students and their learning.
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Evidence: Landscape Photography Unit Piece Collaboration
Rationale: I collaborated with a local photographer to use their photos in our Landscape Unit and I introduced the unit piece and the photographer that we were working with. I also collaborated with an english teacher who came in to lead a workshop on writing ekphrastic poems. This collaboration brought new voices into the classroom, therefore engaging students with the excitement of having a visitor. It also helped to ensure student learning in the way that we bonded artist to image through allowing students to pick a photograph of familiar imagery that they related to on a personal level and then writing a poem for the image.
Performance Criterion 10.2
Candidates are prepared to advance the profession through advocacy, leadership and/or action research.
Evidence: Professional Learning Team Meetings on Personalization- A reflection
Rationale: I participated in several PLC meetings in the group that my mentor teacher and I had been selected for; Personalization. We teamed up with an english teacher who helped us through the process of creating our own Harkness discussion. Teaching students how to have their own discussion in class empowers them and leads to personalization in that they are empowered to share their own ideas and have that part of their class as their own time with their peers to learn together. We ended up doing the discussion after practicing it first with the intro to art classes split up into groups of three, then six, talking about a piece of artwork. Then we split the class up into two and then finally we participated in a full-class harkness discussion. As we got the students ready for the final full-class discussion, we started off by guiding them, then worked them into having their own discussion with us teachers as listeners. From start to finish, the students were guided through discussion about art pieces using the structure of the 4 Steps of Critique that they did at the end of each unit in their sketchbook. The four steps include Description, Analysis, Interpretation, Judgement, and a Conclusion to wrap all their thoughts up into one or two sentences. This piece of evidence shows how we set out to advance out position as art teachers through action research on personalization and learning how to achieve personalization through harkness discussions.
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Evidence #2: Department Meetings
Rationale: During department meetings with the CVU (Visual and Performing Arts) teachers, many topics are discussed. Many of these issues pertain to improving the arts programs at the high school, and arts advocacy events such as Celebrate The Arts and talking about involvement in such events. In these meetings, certain teachers took on a leadership role to help the meetings run smoothly. Every teacher was also in charge of updating the group members of changes in their section of the arts department as well as voicing concerns and advocating for their section of the arts department. The images attached are of the school's graduation standards. This is one of the many things that all teachers go over together and provide feedback on in their department meetings. The department head then brings notes from the meeting to the consideration of school administrators.