AN EXAMPLE TWS 1 An Example of a Teacher Work Sample:

AN EXAMPLE TWS
1
An Example of a Teacher Work Sample:
A Unit on Perimeter and Area for 6th Grade Advanced Math
Matthew R. Lavery
University of Central Florida
Comment [ML1]: This example of a TWS has
been developed to demonstrate the Proficient level
for all seven components. Comments have been
added to show exactly how each indicator at the
Proficient level has been met.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
2
Contextual Factors
This unit was developed for a sixth grade Advanced Math class on block scheduling at a
Comment [ML2]: Indicator P1 - The Contextual
Factors (CF) component doesn’t have any names in
it. I need to make sure that I don’t use any names in
the rest of the components as I develop them.
large, diverse middle school in central Florida. The curriculum for the Advanced Math course is
designed for students that perform at or above grade level in math. This school also offers sixth
grade Honors Pre-Algebra I, the first half of a two-year program designed to prepare students to
take Algebra I in the eighth grade. Most students that are high-achieving in math (i.e., that score
a 5 or a high 4) are placed in this other course. Thus, the Advanced Math courses contain
students who scored at achievement levels 3 and 4 on the fifth grade math FCAT. My
supervising teacher teaches three Advanced Math sections, one section of Honors Pre-Algebra I,
and two remedial math classes for students who have not passed the FCAT. This TWS will
include the students for the three Advanced Math classes, since these classes will all receive the
same pre and post assessment.
The school serves about 1400 students from a diverse metropolitan area. The school
serves a semi-urban area where many residents work in the tourist industry, or in a variety of
related businesses providing goods and services. In the school, 51.7% of the students identify
themselves as Hispanic; 27.4% as White, Non-Hispanic; 12.1% as Black, Non-Hispanic; 2.8% as
Comment [ML3]: The information in this first
paragraph is necessary to explain for which kind of
class your TWS unit was prepared. It is described in
the guidelines and directions in your syllabus.
Comment [ML4]: Indicator P3 – Include the
size of the school.
Comment [ML5]: Indicator P2 – The
description of the area need only give a sense of
whether the area is Urban, Suburban, Rural, or
mixed. The added detail in this example is helpful,
but not necessary.
Asian or Pacific Islander; 0.4% as Native American, and 5.6% as multiracial. At this school, 20.8%
of the students are identified as ELLs, 13.6% of the students receive ESE services for a disability,
and 67.9% of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
My classes are very similar to the demographics of the school. Based on the data
available to the teacher through the grade book system, of the 65 students in these three classes,
32 are identified as Hispanic, 19 as White or Caucasian, 10 as Black or African-American, and 4
Comment [ML6]: Indicator P3 – This
information can often be found on school or district
web sites, or you can pull it from the various school
accountability reports available at
http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
3
as Asian. Nine of these students are identified as ELLs currently receiving ESOL services, while
4 students receive ESE services, and one is in tier three of the Response to Intervention (RtI)
process. The ELLs in these classes all function at intermediate or advanced levels of English
language proficiency. Spanish is the first language for 6 of these ELLs, while two students were
Comment [ML7]: Indicator P4 – Describe your
class the way you described the school. How does it
compare? Work with your supervising teacher to
find access to this information.
raised speaking Haitian Creole, and one student originally spoke Vietnamese.
The IEPs of the four students receiving ESE services indicate the nature of their
disabilities. Three students have language-related specific learning disabilities that hinder their
reading comprehension and writing abilities. One has a mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
that affects his interaction with others and may cause him to feel overwhelmed and
overstimulated in noisy or chaotic situations. The student in RtI is under evaluation for a
suspected emotional behavioral disorder.
My supervising teacher’s classroom is a portable classroom. The desks are arranged in
Comment [ML8]: Indicator P5 – Describe the
unique educational needs of individual learners in
your class. The more details you can give in this part,
the better.
groups of four or five, with a projector and space for the teacher’s laptop computer in the center
of the groups. Because this class is held in a portable, there is no wireless network to provide
internet access to the computer that is connected to the projector. The room also has no
computers for student use, but there are two separate work stations with two desks each and one
desk by itself, where students can work in pairs or individually. There are also a variety of
mathematics manipulatives in the room, and more available from the math department workroom.
The arrangement of the desks and the available manipulatives will allow me to use some
hands-on learning activities. With the projector and laptop always in the room, and with my
supervising teacher’s wireless presentation remote, it should also be relatively easy for me to use
presentations to give instructions, show visualizations of concepts. I will not be able to use any
Comment [ML9]: Indicator P6 – Describe the
physical characteristics of the classroom, including
technology. Diagrams or photos could also be
included if you like. Just make sure that photos don’t
have any names or faces in them.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
4
interactive online resources, though. The contextual factors of the class also suggest that I should
offer images, visualizations, and non-linguistic representations of concepts whenever possible
because of the language-related disabilities and ELLs in the classroom.
Comment [ML10]: Indicator P7 – This is the
first of two required instructional implications. This
implication relates to contextual factors covered
under Indicator P6.
Comment [ML11]: Indicator P7 – The second
instructional implication address the contextual
factors covered by Indicator P5. The different
indicators on the rubric can help you think about the
different contextual factors that may affect your
design for instruction.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
5
Learning Goals
The goals for this unit are based on the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for
sixth grade that relate to perimeter and area. All of the students in these classes performed at or
Comment [ML12]: Browse through the Next
Generation Sunshine State Standards at
http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/FLStanda
rdSearch.aspx.
above grade level on last year’s FCAT, so these standards should be appropriate for this group of
students. Since the FCAT typically uses word problems, I will also use word problems in my
classroom activities and assessments. In order to support the ELLs in the class, I will include
clearly labeled visual aids or diagrams for each word problem. I may also have to support the
students with language impairments and teach them specific strategies to deal with the word
problems.
The specific learning goals for this unit are as follows:
1. The student will understand and be able to explain the concept of π, list common
estimates of π (3.14 and 22/7), and use these values to estimate and calculate the
circumference and the area of circles (Next Generation Sunshine State Standards:
MA.6.G.4.1).
2. The student will analyze composite, complex, irregular two-dimensional figures,
including non-rectangular (such as triangular and/or semicircular) parts to develop
methods to calculate the perimeter and area of those figures and evaluate the methods
developed by others (Next Generation Sunshine State Standards: MA.6.G.4.2).
3. The student will develop methods to find a missing dimension of a plane figure given
its area and some of the dimensions, and assess the accuracy of their methods and the
methods of others (Next Generation Sunshine State Standards: MA.6.G.4.3).
Comment [ML13]: Indicator P4: I make sure to
relate how these learning goals are appropriate to my
specific students. I won’t know if my goals are too
easy or too tough until I administer my preassessment, but I have plenty of data in the
Contextual Factors component to make a good
estimate. Then, as I think about my plan, I’m going
to discuss it with the one person that knows my
students the best, my cooperating teacher.
Comment [ML14]: Indicator P1: I have the
right number of learning goals, but that’s not quite
enough. My learning goals need to be measurable,
too. Each of my goals contains something that I can
evaluate (e.g., they must explain the concept of π,
they can list or identify estimates of π to show that
they know them, and use those values to calculate
perimeter and area). If there’s a way that I can assess
the learning goal and determine a student’s percent
accuracy, then it’s measurable.
Comment [ML15]: Notice that this learning goal
contains several sub-skills. This is a goal for my unit,
but I am not going to use this language for my lesson
objectives. I may have one objective for students to
describe the concept of π, another for them to list or
identify common estimates of π, another to estimate
circumference, another to calculate circumference,
another to estimate area, and one to calculate area.
This one goal covers six lesson objectives.
Comment [ML16]: Indicator P3: Notice that
this is not just the standard that I have copied and
pasted into my TWS. I modified it to make the
language more measurable and reflect what I plan to
do.
Comment [ML17]: Indicator P5: This goal
incorporates higher-order thinking skills as indicated
by the verbs used (analyze figures, develop methods,
and evaluate)
AN EXAMPLE TWS
6
For all of these goals, I will consider that a student has mastered the goal when she or he
consistently demonstrates 80% accuracy on exercises, skills, and calculations related to that goal.
Although each goal has several sub-skills that may be assessed separately, my pre and postassessments and any other assessment that is supposed to determine mastery will assess all parts
of the goal as much as possible. These goals will also be assessed by applying the knowledge and
skills taught as realistically as possible.
Comment [ML18]: Indicator P2: This is a very
clear description of what constitutes mastery on the
learning goals. In this example of a TWS, mastery is
holistic, applied, and 80% accurate. When I enter my
pre/post assessment scores into the TWS
GraphMaker, my Required Mastery Scores for each
learning goal will be 80% of the points available for
that learning goal, rounded up.
Indicator P5: The verbs used in the learning goals
above indicate higher-order thinking skills. This unit
will definitely require my students to use multiple
steps and complex thinking. This matches the
standards, as the state has identified these
benchmarks as moderate in complexity. For
Learning Goal 1, see
http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/PublicPre
viewBenchmark616.aspx, for Learning Goal 2, see
http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/PublicPre
viewBenchmark617.aspx, for Learning Goal 3, see
http://www.floridastandards.org/Standards/PublicPre
viewBenchmark618.aspx. For a description of the
different levels of cognitive complexity associated
with the math standards, see
http://floridastandards.org/textonly.aspx?ContentID=
21&UrlPath=/page21.aspx.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
7
Assessment Plan
My supervising teacher uses mini quizzes, with three or four questions, about once per
week to assess the students on material they have studied recently and as part of their final grade.
I will continue to use this system, since these students are accustomed to it, but I will also use
informal questioning and some of the unit’s learning activities to help me assess the students’
understanding of the material.
Class Meetings:
Week before unit
Description of Assessment:
Pre-assessment (included at end of TWS)
Learning Goals Assessed:
1, 2, 3
Day 2
Finding Pi activity
1
Day 3
Mini Quiz 1 (simple figures)
1, 2
Day 4
Campus Geometry
1, 2
Day 5
Mini Quiz 2 (composite figures & missing dimensions)
2, 3
Day 5
Perimeter & Area Unit Practice
1, 2, 3
Day 6
Post-assessment (included at end of TWS)
1, 2, 3
In order to properly accommodate for ELLs in this classroom I will be teaching specific
academic vocabulary using simple definitions paired with non-linguistic representations of the
terms. These instructional techniques will not assist these students on the pre-assessment,
however. I will make sure to provide a copy of my Pre/Post assessment to the ESOL Compliance
Specialist for help in translating key portions of the instructions and of items into the native
languages of my ELLs. I plan to have these translated portions available to assist these students,
if needed. I will also allow all students to ask me to read parts of the assessment for them. This
will allow me to simply read the assessment as written for any student that does not require
accommodation, and to paraphrase or explain further for those students that are having trouble
with the language. I also plan to allow my ELL students and my students with language related
Comment [ML19]: Indicator P3: The
Assessment Plan discusses both formal and informal
methods of assessment that have been clearly
planned in advance. The table details the plan pretty
effectively.
Comment [ML20]: Indicator P5: The overall
Assessment Plan is linked to the learning goals to
show that I have consciously linked my assessment
activities to specific learning goals.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
8
disabilities to explain their answers orally, as needed. The student with ASD and the student in
RtI also get extended time and/or an alternate assessment location on request.
Comment [ML21]: Indicator P4: Assessment
accommodations for all unique learners identified in
the Contextual Factors component are discussed in
the Assessment Plan.
Perimeter & Area Unit Assessment
Student Name:
Block:
Answer Key
Date:
Answer the questions below. Use the blank space or the back of this sheet to write out any work that
you do. Be sure to put your final answer in the blank provided.
The Radigans are putting tile in their family room, pictured to the right.
They want to have enough tile to cover the floor, and also put a tile
border all the way around the room on the walls.
1) How many square feet of tile will the Radigans need to
LG2 192
cover the family room floor?
2) What length of tile border will the Radigans need to go
on the walls around the entire room?
4 cm
12 ft
18 ft
ft2
4 ft
6 ft
LG2 60
Comment [ML22]: Indicator P1: I created this
pre/post assessment myself. When I am hired for my
first teaching job, I will have lots of resources that I
can use for student assessment. For the TWS, I need
to create my own assessments because that’s
something the state expects new teachers to be able
to do before they get certified. I may be able to look
at the teacher resources that come with my
curriculum or textbook to give me ideas, but I have
to design my own assessments.
Indicator P2: By using the same assessment, for my
Pre/Post Assessment, the pre- and post-assessment
scores can be reliably compared to show student
growth. My assessments don’t have to be identical,
but they can be. I can also add additional items to my
Post-Assessment, but only compare the items that
appear on both assessments, or I can modify my
assessments to create a Pre-Assessment form and a
Post-Assessment form that will help me demonstrate
exemplary Indicator E2.
Comment [ML23]: Indicator P6: Items like this
one show that my assessment matches the cognitive
complexity of my learning goals.
Comment [ML24]: Indicator P5: Each
assessment item is linked to a specific learning goal.
ft
3) What is the area of the figure to the left? LG2 42.85 cm2
Comment [ML25]: Indicator P6: Items like this
one show that my assessment matches the cognitive
complexity of my learning goals.
5 cm
10 cm
4) Rebecca wants to put up a fence around an
area in her yard for Buffy, her dog. She wants
Buffy's play area to be just as long as the side of
her house, which is 18 ft long. If Rebecca only
has 50 feet of fence, how wide can she make
Buffy's play area?
12 in
Buffy’s
18 ft
LG3 7
Play Area
ft
5) Luis has some cylindrical pots to put his plants in that are 12 inches in
diameter. He thinks they are too plain the way they are. He decides to
decorate them by putting ribbon around them, but he can only order
ribbon by a number of whole feet in length. How long must he order LG1 4 ft
each piece of ribbon to go all the way around one pot?
6) What decimal value can you use for π?
LG1 3.14 7) What fraction can you use for π? LG1
8) In the space below, describe what π is and what it is used for. LG1
Ratio of circumference to diameter (distance across a circle to distance around a circle)
used to calculate the circumference and area of circles
NOTE: This example of a TWS only shows one page worth of assessment items. This unit
assessment would actually have 30 total questions, with ten for each learning goal.
Comment [ML26]: Indicator P6: Items like this
one show that my assessment matches the cognitive
complexity of my learning goals.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
10
Design for Instruction
The students in my classes scored an average 31.2% on the pre-assessment and no
student demonstrated mastery of any of the learning goals. This tells me that my students have
some familiarity with the concepts that I plan to teach them, but that my learning goals are not
too easy for them. Clearly, my students should not show mastery of learning goals that haven’t
been taught to them, but the fact they were able to show some correct understanding of the
content means that I haven’t made my unit too difficult either. I want to avoid causing frustration
for my students since, especially with math, such frustration might cause them to shut down and
become demotivated.
The pre-assessment also showed me that many of these students know how to find the
perimeter and area of simple shapes when the information that they need is given to them in a
simple diagram. The kinds of questions that were most frequently answered correctly required
one-step calculations that used clearly labeled diagrams of simple geometric shapes that asked
for either the perimeter or area. Students had a much tougher time applying these skills in more
complex problems. If the question used a complex shape, if they needed to use multiple steps and
formulas, or if the information they needed was in a word problem, students were much more
likely to get it wrong.
These results told me that I didn’t need to spend too much time teaching them what
perimeter and area are, but that I really needed to teach them how to use that knowledge in more
complex ways. I also need to teach these students how to approach word problems better. I
always planned to use the first day to introduce vocabulary, formulas, and practice some simple
problems. After seeing my pre-assessment results, though, I think will spend more time on all the
different ways that perimeter and area can be described in word problems. I’ll also spend some
Comment [ML27]: Indicator P2: This
component reports aggregate results of the preassessment. The added detail and discussion that
follows indicates that I didn’t just report the stuff
that the TWS GraphMaker shows me automatically,
but that I analyzed the results and thought through
what the results indicate about my students and the
instruction that they need.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
11
time teaching students specific strategies for chopping up composite shapes into more
manageable pieces.
The unit will follow the general timeline below. For more detail, I have attached my
lesson plans (NOTE: This example of a TWS does not have detailed lesson plans attached).

Day 1: Unit Introduction (all LGs)– vocabulary, formulas, & word problem
strategies

Day 2: Finding and Applying Pi (LG1) – an activity calculating pi in small groups
by wrapping string around cylindrical objects to measure their circumference, and
another activity cutting up construction paper circles and arranging the pieces in a
parallelogram to find its area

into smaller ones to find perimeter and area, and using formulas in reverse to find
missing measurements
Day 4: Campus Geometry (LG1 & LG2) – activity with a partner using meter
sticks to measure designated parts of the campus or the school building

Day 5: Mini Quiz 2 (LG2 & LG3) and Unit Review and Practice (all LGs) –
review and individual practice on all learning goals and concepts

Your formal lesson plans fulfill several different
requirements, just like the plans that your
supervising teacher has to write. Even though you
may have already discussed these elements in
another part of your TWS, a teacher’s lesson plans
are a legal document and must contain goals and/or
objectives, linked standards, materials, learning
activities and procedures, accommodations for
individual learning needs, and how student learning
will be assessed.
You do not need to place these lesson plans inside
your TWS Word document, though. There is a
separate spot where you can upload them to
LiveText as part of your final submission.
For detailed instructions on how to upload your
TWS to LiveText, visit the TWS web site at
http://education.ucf.edu/clinicalexp/TWS.cfm.
Day 3: Mini Quiz 1 (LG1 & LG2), Composite Shapes (LG2), & Missing
Measures (LG3) – strategies and practice breaking complex, composite shapes

Comment [ML28]: Indicator P1: All lesson
plans for your TWS unit must be submitted to
LiveText with your final TWS, and will be
previewed by your coordinator when s/he previews
this component.
Day 6: Unit Post-assessment (all LGs)
Indicator P4:Your attached lesson plans are the
primary source for demonstrating that you have met
this indicator. Your learning activities must be
appropriate for your learners. You may also discuss
this appropriateness briefly in the text of this
component.
Indicator P5: Your attached lesson plans are the
primary source for demonstrating that you have met
this indicator. Your bullet list of daily activities will
indicate active learning and higher-order thinking,
but your plans will show that more clearly.
Indicator P6: Both your attached lesson plans and
your bullet list summary will indicate the variety of
learning activities and modes of instruction.
Indicator P7: Your attached lesson plans are the
primary source for demonstrating that you have met
this indicator. You should speak to the general nature
of your accommodations in the text of this
component, but specific ESOL and ESE
accommodations are legally required on lesson plans
for virtually all teachers in the nation.
Indicator P8: The bullet list summary will indicate
that the learning activities are arranged in a logical
sequence that builds toward student mastery of the
learning goals, and your attached lesson plans will
confirm it.
Indicator P9: Both your attached lesson plans and
your TWS observation will be used to demonstrate
that the content of your unit is being represented
accurately.
Comment [ML29]: Indicator P3: All learning
activities are explicitly linked to my learning goals.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
12
Instructional Decision Making
Example One: The first example of a time that I had to adjust my instructional plan
came when I had the students do the Applying Pi activity. When I did this exercises with my first
block class, the students seemed to have a really hard time with the instructions. When I asked
them to cut up the construction paper circles and arrange them with the points of each wedge in
alternating directions to make something that looks sort of like a parallelogram, they were clearly
confused. The written directions had a few drawings that I thought were pretty clear, but they
Comment [ML30]: Indicator P1: In this
component I must describe two separate occasions
when my ongoing assessment of student learning
and/or my observation of student responses and
behavior in the class indicate to me that I have to
change my plans. Both of my examples describe the
kinds of situations that I remember from my first
year teaching math. As a result, they describe times
when I made changes to my plan that affected the
entire class. You may also choose to describe a time
when you made changes that affect one student or a
small group of students based on your interaction
with and assessment of those particular students.
Good teachers make instructional decisions
constantly, so you should have many examples to
choose from. These examples do not have to be
based on formal assessments of the whole class, but
must indicate that you are paying attention to
indications of student understanding.
were not as clear as I had hoped. During first block, several groups of students seemed confused
and started to get frustrated. The ELLs in this class especially seemed to have difficulty with the
written directions, even though the EELs were in groups with native English speakers as well. It
seemed that the students’ confusion and frustration started to get them agitated. I feared that the
noise level and chaos may start to over stimulate and overwhelm the student with ASD.
I stopped the class as soon as I realized the confusion so that I could demonstrate the
activity and clarify the directions. As I showed them what they needed to do step by step, I began
to hear students saying things like, “Ooohh,” and “I get it.” During the planning period that
comes right after this class, I added some additional slides to my instructions that I use at the
Comment [ML31]: Indicator P2: This is a great
example of informal assessment. I didn’t have to let
the students complete the assignment and grade their
papers to see that my plan wasn’t working properly.
Comment [ML32]: Indicator P4: I have
explained my rationale for making the change I
describe.
Comment [ML33]: Indicator P3: The Applying
Pi activity is one of the primary learning activities
that supports LG1. By making sure that I support my
students’ ability to complete the activity, this
instructional decision is consistent with and supports
the stated learning goal.
beginning of class, and pre-cut a series of construction paper circles to illustrate each step. This
made the instructions much more clear for my third and fourth block classes, and helped the
students get more out of the activity. Because the instructions were better, the students needed
less time to complete the activities. This left more time for us to compare everyone’s results and
process through the activity to help build their understanding of using π to find a circle’s
perimeter and area.
Comment [ML34]: Indicator P5: I have
described the result of my instructional decision. The
kind of detail that I have given here shows that I’m
really reflecting on my instructional technique,
student learning, and classroom management. This
example of instructional decision making would put
me a long way towards demonstrating exemplary
Indicator E1, too.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
13
Example Two: The second time that I needed to adjust my plan came when I taught the
students how to find the missing dimensions of a shape given its perimeter or area, and some of
the other dimensions. My supervising teacher told me to think of each block as two class periods
that happen back to back. I followed this advice, and planned to use day 3 to teach two lessons;
one on finding the perimeter and area of composite shapes, and the other on finding the missing
dimensions of a shape when given some of its dimensions and the area or perimeter. Each lesson
was supposed to have a short assignment that the students would begin to work on in class and
finish for homework. I used the time while students worked on the practice exercises in class to
circulate around the room and check their understanding of each concept.
The students seemed to understand the lesson on composite shapes well, and their
performance on the practice exercises confirmed that. Unfortunately, the students performed
poorly on the Missing Measures practice exercises. The problem seemed to come from the
algebraic thinking required for students to use the formula for the perimeter and area to find one
of the other values. It wasn’t natural for them to “use the formula backwards” like I suggested.
Comment [ML35]: Indicator P2: This example
of instructional decision making relies on a more
formal assessment method. While I circulated around
the room, I could tell that the students were having
difficulty, but grading the assignment confirmed it
for me and showed me how much difficulty the
students had.
They also seemed to have a hard time using division to reverse multiplication, and using
subtraction to reverse addition. The practice exercises confirmed that they were having a hard
time with it.
Comment [ML36]: Indicator P4: This passage
indicates that I’m reflecting on what may cause the
problem and what the results I’m seeing indicate
about student learning.
As I discussed the lesson with my supervising teacher later that day, I suggested that I
should delay the unit review and post-assessment, and include another lesson that focuses on the
algebraic thinking required to solve these kinds of problems. She agreed. I planned a lesson for
the first part of the block that taught students how to reverse mathematical operations, and a
lesson for the second part of the block that applied those skills more naturally to the kinds of
problems that go with Learning Goal 3. This was the reinforcement that many of these students
Comment [ML37]: Indicator P3: This
instructional decision is directly linked to one of the
learning goals.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
14
needed, and the students did much better with the Missing Measures exercises after that. I gave
the students the opportunity to redo and resubmit the Missing Measures assignment with no
penalty to their grade. Several of the students took the opportunity, and all of the ones that turned
in the assignment again completed it at or above the mastery level of 80%.
Comment [ML38]: Indicator P5: I have
described the result of my instructional modification
and given details and data that support my decision.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
15
Analysis of Student Learning
The pre and post assessment results definitely show that my students increased their
understanding of perimeter and area. The class scored an average 79.9% on the post-assessment,
which was an increase of 48.7 points from the average pre-assessment score of 31.2%. Individual
students increased their scores by anywhere from 23 points to 70 points. The graphs on the next
pages show the individual student scores on the pre/post assessment for each student in the three
classes in which I taught this unit.
93.3%
90.0%
90.0%
90.0%
83.3%
83.3%
93.3%
26.7%
23.3%
30.0%
36.7%
26.7%
33.3%
83.3%
43.3%
30.0%
40.0%
33.3%
33.3%
40.0%
33.3%
36.7%
83.3%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
76.7%
76.7%
73.3%
73.3%
73.3%
53.3%
70.0%
66.7%
46.7%
20.0%
30.0%
26.7%
40.0%
23.3%
50.0%
23.3%
60.0%
46.7%
40.0%
70.0%
66.7%
80.0%
43.3%
66.7%
90.0%
20.0%
10.0%
Post %
S15
S16
S05
S20
S17
S06
S19
S09
S13
S21
S03
S01
S22
S10
S02
S18
S08
S04
S07
S12
S11
S14
0.0%
Pre %
Indicator P8: This indicator applies to the whole
Analysis of Student Learning component. It is
possible to crunch some numbers, make some graphs,
and not make meaningful and reasonable
conclusions. As long as you do more than simply go
through the motions, though, you should be able to
meet this indicator.
Comment [ML40]: Indicator P3: Somewhere
close to the beginning of this component, I need to
state the average pre and post assessment score for
all the students I taught in simple language.
Pre/Post Assessment Scores for Block 1
100.0%
Comment [ML39]: Indicator P1: The pre and
post assessment measures must be submitted with
your final TWS in LiveText. You do not need to
include them in the Word document that contains
your TWS, though. You may upload them separately
into LiveText and submit them with your final
assignment. I included a page of the pre/post
assessment measure for this example TWS in the
Assessment Plan component, since that is the step at
which you must develop your assessments.
Indicator P9: This statement is the first of many in
this component that provides evidence of my impact
on student learning. As long as my students tend to
do better on the post-assessment than they did on the
pre-assessment, and show some growth, You will
demonstrate that you have had an impact. You do
not need to demonstrate that you are an amazing
teacher that makes a huge impact on student learning
with every single lesson. Follow the TWS process,
pay attention to evidence of student learning, and the
numbers will show that you had an impact.
Comment [ML41]: Indicator P4: Simply
pasting the graphs into Word isn’t sufficient for this
component. I also need to interpret the graphs and
highlight the important bits in the text of the
component. This sentence is only the first example
of this kind of summary and explanation. The rest of
the component adds clarity to my graphs.
Comment [ML42]: Indicator P2: I have
included the required graphs that show pre and post
assessment results for individual students in my
classes. Because this example TWS reports more
than 40 students, and because those students are
naturally grouped into three different classes, I have
included three separate graphs that display all of the
students.
I used the TWS GraphMaker to enter my data and
create my graphs. The graphs that I need were
automatically created for me, and then I copied and
pasted them into Word. After I pasted the graphs in
Word, I changed the titles of each graph and made
the data labels bold for the two students that I have
specifically mentioned in the text of my TWS. This
will make the data for these students easier for my
readers to find.
The GraphMaker is designed to make your life easier
by generating the graphs you need automatically.
You may generate your graphs using another tool if
you like, but you must sill enter all of your student
learning data into the GraphMaker and upload it into
LiveText with your final TWS.
Pre %
Post %
33.3%
30.0%
30.0%
26.7%
23.3%
56.7%
96.7%
96.7%
86.7%
86.7%
83.3%
83.3%
83.3%
83.3%
S27
S37
S41
S34
S25
S31
S43
S36
S33
S24
S38
36.7%
43.3%
33.3%
23.3%
23.3%
26.7%
30.0%
33.3%
43.3%
40.0%
30.0%
26.7%
16.7%
33.3%
96.7%
93.3%
93.3%
90.0%
90.0%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
83.3%
83.3%
83.3%
83.3%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
76.7%
70.0%
70.0%
70.0%
Pre/Post Assessment Scores for Block 3
S55
23.3%
20.0%
83.3%
Pre/Post Assessment Scores for Block 4
S59
S44
S63
S64
S47
S49
S45
S65
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
26.7%
30.0%
40.0%
S23
S32
S39
33.3%
36.7%
60.0%
S51
20.0%
80.0%
Pre %
S62
S58
50.0%
80.0%
76.7%
S40
S35
36.7%
26.7%
26.7%
23.3%
100.0%
S53
26.7%
20.0%
73.3%
73.3%
S29
S42
S28
20.0%
S54
S50
30.0%
33.3%
70.0%
70.0%
66.7%
90.0%
S57
16.7%
40.0%
36.7%
S26
50.0%
S56
20.0%
23.3%
90.0%
S46
30.0%
10.0%
50.0%
S48
60.0%
S61
70.0%
63.3%
80.0%
S52
S30
30.0%
50.0%
40.0%
40.0%
16.7%
80.0%
S60
AN EXAMPLE TWS
16
70.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Post %
10.0%
0.0%
AN EXAMPLE TWS
17
Before instruction, none of my students demonstrated mastery of any of my learning
goals. At the conclusion of my unit, 63% of my students had demonstrated mastery of Learning
Goal 1, 76% had mastered Learning Goal 2, and 45% of my students had mastered Learning
Goal 3. Also, 25% of my students demonstrated mastery of all three learning goals, and only 8%
had not shown mastery of any of them. Since so few students have shown mastery of all three
goals, I plan to incorporate some review exercises in our assignments for the remainder of my
time with them. This will give me an opportunity to continue to review these concepts with the
Comment [ML43]: Indicator P5: My analysis of
student learning is directly related to individual
learning goals. The TWS GraphMaker provided all
the data that I needed for this part.
Indicator P6: I have reported the percent of my
students that showed mastery of the learning goals
both before and after instruction. This information
was also provided to me by the TWS GraphMaker.
class as a whole, and will give the students some much needed practice.
My cooperating teacher sometimes does what he calls, “Extension Days” after a unit of
instruction. These days feature fun, challenging, group enrichment activities that provide
advanced practice and application of the content of the unit. He told me that he had a few
activities on file that might work with my unit and suggested that I include an Extension Day in
next week’s plan. This would allow me to reinforce my students’ learning and pay close attention
for gaps in understanding that need filling. For the 5 students that had mastered none of the goals,
I will watch for opportunities to directly support them and provide remediation. If they do not
engage in the activity or appear to get frustrated, I can also pull them aside for some direct oneon-one instruction.
Two students in my classes failed the post-assessment. One of these 2 students (S60) was
an ELL that was very resistant to instruction throughout the class and did not complete most of
her assignments. I attempted several times to determine what the problem might be and offer my
support. I even called her in from her elective classes to try and complete her work. She did not
respond to my efforts. As we discussed the post-assessment results together, my cooperating
teacher told me that an ELL receiving ESOL services cannot receive a D or an F as a final grade
Comment [ML44]: Indicator P7: I have given a
detailed plan to support the needs of students who
have not demonstrated mastery of my learning goals.
I will need to give them ongoing support with these
skills as we continue through the rest of our
curriculum.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
18
in a course unless a) it can be verified that the poor performance is not the result of a language
problem, and b) a conference was held with the parents and the ESOL compliance specialist
during the first semester. In hindsight, I should have made contact with her parents and worked
with them as soon as I noticed the problem.
The other student that failed (S14) was the student in RtI for a suspected Emotional
Behavioral Disability. This student seemed to do well throughout the entire unit. He seemed to
understand the instruction and did well on his assignments. Unfortunately, on the day of the postassessment, he was upset because of an incident in a previous class and was not interested in
doing careful work. He may have shown more improvement if he was allowed to take the
assessment at a later date.
Comment [ML45]: Indicator P10: For any
student that failed the post-assessment, I have to
discuss what happened and what I did to try and
prevent failure. The TWS is part of a reflective
learning process. You might get to this step and
realize what you should have done. That kind of
realization is still valuable and will make you a
better teacher in the future. Feel free to point out the
lessons that you have learned.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
19
Evaluation and Reflection
Overall, I think the unit was a success. I think it was important that I decided to use word
problems like the FCAT uses that require multiple steps to find the answer. It required more
Comment [ML46]: Indicator P7: As I write my
Evaluation and Reflection, the conclusions I make
should be consistent with all of the data that I
discussed in the previous component. If the evidence
for my conclusion isn’t already in the Analysis of
Student Learning component, I should include the
data in the text of this component.
work for me, but I think it made a difference in student learning. I think one of the reasons the
pre-assessment scores were so low is because my students haven’t been asked many complex,
multi-step problems in their math classes before. I did use a few practice exercises from the book
as we learned individual skills in each lesson. By keeping my focus on the ultimate goal of
complex, multi-step word problems, though, I didn’t decide that the students had “gotten it” until
I had them show me that kind of mastery. I did have to break down these kinds of problems into
smaller steps and teach my students how to analyze them, but I think the kind of assessments that
I used and the results that my students got on them shows that it worked. I think that my ability
to keep instruction and learning activities focused on the application and real-world use of the
skills I’m teaching is one of my strengths as a teacher.
Comment [ML47]: Indicator P4: I specifically
identify at least one of my strengths as a teacher.
As I reflect on my experience with the TWS, I also notice some areas where I can grow
as a teacher. When I look at post-assessment data for ELLs, I notice a weakness of mine. On the
post-assessment, the ELLs in my classes scored an average of 67.9%, which is 14.5 points lower
than students who are not receiving ESOL services. Also, none of my ELLs showed mastery of
all three learning goals. I need to pay attention to this difficulty. I plan to read about effective
ESOL accommodations and attend some workshops to help me grow in these skills and become
a much more effective teacher.
One of the main things that I learned from this unit is that if we want our students to use
higher-order reasoning to solve complex, multi-step, real-world problems, then we have to teach
them those skills. Just because a student understands all of the separate skills that a complex
Comment [ML48]: Indicator P5: I identify,
acknowledge, and reflect on one of my weaknesses
as a teacher. If, as you write about the areas in which
you can grow as a teacher, you can also think of how
to develop those skills, you are well on your way to
meeting exemplary Indicator E5.
AN EXAMPLE TWS
20
problem requires doesn’t mean that they will naturally be able to string those skills together on
their own. Students must be taught how to analyze complex problems, how to break those
problems down into more manageable steps, and how to figure out which skills to apply to each
step. Drill and practice pages don’t accomplish this level of understanding.
I think this lesson is reflected in my most effective and my least effective learning goal.
Learning Goal 2 was my most effective learning goal, with my students soring an average of
83.8% on these items and 76.9% of my students demonstrating mastery. Both values were the
highest of any of my learning goals. I think that Learning Goal 2 was so effective because I
planned from the beginning to teach my students how to work through complex, composite
Comment [ML49]: Indicator P6: I learned a lot
through my TWS. In this passage I reflect on the
biggest thing I learned about teaching and learning. I
could also discuss something that I learned about
assessment or specific teaching techniques. To meet
this indicator, I need to reflect on something that I
learned about education, in general, beyond the
things I learn about teaching this specific content.
Comment [ML50]: Indicator P1: Both my most
effective and my least effective learning goals are
identified specifically in the next two paragraphs,
meeting this indicator.
Comment [ML51]: Since I did not include this
data in my Analysis of Student Learning component,
I must include it here to support identifying LG2 as
the most effective.
figures. Since I specifically taught them the problem solving techniques that they would need for
these kinds of exercises, my students were much more proficient at using them.
Comment [ML52]: Indicator P2: I identify and
reflect upon the things that contributed to the success
of LG2.
Learning Goal 3 was my least effective learning goal, with my students scoring an
average of 74.3% on its items and only 44.3% of them demonstrating mastery. As I discussed in
my second example of instructional decision making, I did not start by explicitly teaching my
Comment [ML53]: Since I did not include this
data in my Analysis of Student Learning component,
I must include it here to support identifying LG3 as
the least effective.
students how to use algebraic reasoning to approach these kinds of problems. By the time I went
back and tried to fix my error, though, I think some of the damage had already been done. All of
the students that chose to resubmit the Missing Measures assignment demonstrated mastery of
that Learning Goal, but far too few students took the opportunity for the additional practice. If I
teach a similar unit again, I will definitely start with algebraic thinking, and then apply it to
geometry. I think that will have much better results.
Comment [ML54]: Indicator P3: I identify and
reflect on the things that may have hindered growth
on LG3, and talk about how to avoid this problem in
the future.