Great Teaching Framework

MMSD is committed to being anti-racist, culturally responsive, and inclusive. We have a simple but bold vision — to ensure that every school is a thriving school, that prepares every student to graduate from high school ready for college, career and community. 

To achieve this vision, we seek to retain staff in all positions, who are committed to being anti-racist, culturally responsive, and inclusive. Staff who will actively contribute to our ongoing commitment to making MMSD a thriving, welcoming environment for all students, families and staff. 

We firmly believe and are here to create a work environment that is challenging and rewarding, while supporting you in your career path. We strive to provide, encourage, grow, develop and retain a talented workforce that better supports and represents the diversity of our student population. 

1. Set high and clear expectations for all students

• Demonstrate through actions and words the belief that each and every student can achieve high standards
• Commit to understanding and addressing assumptions and deficit thinking
• Provide needed scaffolds and accelerated support to ensure equitable access to grade level content and materials

2. Acknowledge all students

• Use proximity and eye contact while also demonstrating awareness of students’ cultural expectations
• Use affirming or clarifying language
• Be consistent and positive in delivery and approach

3. Develop Self-Efficacy

• Nurture students’ sense of agency around their learning
• Provide students with the criteria and standards for successful task completion
• Explain and model positive self-talk

4. Connect to students’ lives

• Make links between content and student experiences, perspectives and personal goals
• Connect purpose for learning to students’ current and possible selves
• Create equitable opportunities for all students to access culturally and linguistically responsive materials
• Build meaningful relationships

5. Apply academic press

• Create engagement and community among learners
• Monitor students understanding and offer timely, meaningful feedback
• Ask students for feedback on effectiveness of instruction
• Understand deeply and love the subject matter

6. Address racial and cultural identity

• Create cultural conversations in a safe space that are sensitive and productive
• Deepen understanding and create community
• Understand cultural and linguistic behavior patterns
• Value and welcome home culture and language as assets

PLAN for student learning

Use standards to identify common learning targets for all students

• Use standards (CCSS, SELS, Language) to identify common learning targets that represent what all students should know, do and understand as a result of the instruction
• Use knowledge of students’ background, interest, style, culture, language, individual needs, and assessment data to inform planning

Plan how progress toward student learning goals will be measured and monitored

• Define standards-based interim and summative assessments
• Plan formative assessments for learning
• Determine ways to communicate feedback to students on their progress toward learning targets

Plan coherent standards-based instruction using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework

• Engage in long-term planning:
• Develop common year-long/course plans that identify the essential questions and resources to support student learning
• Develop unit plans that include the knowledge, skills, assessments and learning activities
• Engage in short-term planning:
• Develop weekly and daily plans that support students growth toward mastery of standards

• Identify differentiation strategies to address a variety of learners while ensuring rigor for all students

TEACH to advance student learning

Deliver coherent standards-based instruction

• Use student-friendly language to communicate the lesson purpose and student learning targets
• Deliver instruction using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework
• Provide instruction that builds student engagement, collaboration and independence with complex tasks
• Provide multiple opportunities and methods to show evidence of learning

Make adjustments in instruction based on frequent checks for understanding

• Use multiple ways to check for student understanding and clarify, reteach and/or make adjustments to instruction based on information gathered
• Provide students with meaningful feedback that reinforces effort, provides recognition and promotes student involvement in the learning process
• Provide opportunities for teacher–to-student, student-to-student and student-to-teacher feedback both orally and written

Provide daily opportunities for students to engage in academic language

• Provide daily opportunities for students to describe their reasoning, share explanations, make conjectures, justify conclusions, argue from evidence, and negotiate meaning
• Scaffold literacy and language skills to promote student agency and self-efficacy
• Attend to language and literacy instruction across disciplines

REFLECT AND ADJUST to support student learning

Analyze data based on student achievement, observation and teacher practice data

• Engage in regular routines to reflect on student achievement and teacher practice data
• Use summative, interim and formative data at appropriate times to make instructional decisions
• Identify student growth patterns, skill mastery and root cause of misconceptions
• Use student achievement and teacher practice data to identify areas for teacher professional learning

Adjust instruction based on student achievement, observation and teacher practice data

• Use data to flexibly group students
• Adjust instructional moves related to strategies, product, or content
• Provide the necessary scaffolds, interventions and extensions to support teaching and learning for all students