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Jeffco Public Schools – Teacher Rubric – Rev. 5/29/13 Page 1
JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TEACHER RUBRIC
Professional Preparation
Purposeful planning for lesson design and instruction as evidenced by:
• Knowledge of current District curriculum and school goals
• Knowledge of subject matter
• Knowledge of research-based best practices
Indicator Highly Effective Effective Partially Effective Ineffective
a. Demonstrates accurate,
up-to-date knowledge of
subject(s)
Actively seeks and implements
current research and
resources through
professional organizations,
colleagues, or the community
to improve knowledge base
and enhance teaching
effectiveness
Accesses and uses current
research, district/school
professional development, and
professional resources within
subject area(s) to increase and
apply knowledge in order to
teach timely and accurate
content
Accesses a few resources
to teach timely and
accurate content
Teaches outdated,
inaccurate, or inadequate
content
b. Demonstrates knowledge
of how to integrate subject
matter/disciplines and
literacy across content areas
Purposely creates and
intentionally provides
connections and relevancy
with other subject areas,
previous/successive learning,
life experiences, and future
careers
Provides consistent
connections and relevancy to
literacy skills, other subject
areas, previous/successive
learning, life experiences, and
future careers
Occasionally provides
connections and
relevancy to other subject
areas,
previous/successive
learning, life experiences,
or future careers
Rarely provides
connections or relevancy
to other subject areas or
life experiences
c. Plans and Implements
research-based best
practices
Knows content and
instructional practices in such
a thorough way to plan for
possible student conceptions
and misconceptions of
particular topics and adjusts
depth of content to meet
varying learning needs of
students
Purposefully aligns
instructional practices with
content knowledge in the
planning process which
accomplishes instructional
goals to meet student needs
Occasionally aligns
instructional practices with
content knowledge and
instructional resources to
teach instructional goals
Displays limited
understanding of
instructional practices and
content knowledge
d. Develops lesson plans
incorporating effective lesson
design
Incorporates, adapts and
refines elements of an
effective lesson design,
including a stated learning
goal, a variety of guided and
independent practices,
differentiation, closure and
assessment
Incorporates elements of an
effective lesson design
resulting in a coherent,
appropriately sequenced
lesson including a stated
learning goal, guided and
independent practices,
differentiation, closure and
assessment
Demonstrates evidence of
incorporating elements of
an effective lesson design
Demonstrates little or no
evidence of the elements
of an effective lesson
design
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Jeffco Public Schools – Teacher Rubric – Rev. 5/29/13 Page 2
Professional Preparation – Levels of Performance
Indicator Highly Effective Effective Partially Effective Ineffective
e. Plans and Implements
district-adopted curriculum
through alignment of
resources and assessments
Collaboratively utilizes the
pacing guides to develop
course outline and for lesson
planning and assessments
Consistently utilizes district
curriculum and the pacing
guide for development of
course outline, lesson planning
and assessments
Occasionally utilizes
district curriculum and the
pacing guide for lesson
planning
Rarely utilizes district
curriculum in instruction or
planning
f. Aligns content within
course and with previous
and succeeding
grades/courses
Collaboratively aligns content
within own grade level(s) and
course(s) to coordinate with
previous and/or succeeding
grade level(s) and course(s)
Aligns content within own
grade level(s)/course(s) with
some reference to previous
and/or succeeding grade
level(s) and course(s)
Displays limited
understanding of content
at own and previous
and/or succeeding grade
level(s) and course(s)
Rarely displays
understanding of content
at own and previous
and/or succeeding grade
level(s) and course(s)
Professional Techniques
• Utilizes effective teaching strategies and assessments that enhance
student learning
• Establishes a classroom environment conducive to learning
Indicator Highly Effective Effective Partially Effective Ineffective
a. Communicates to students
expectations for learning
Students are able to articulate
the lesson goal in a broader
context
Clearly communicates learning
goals so that students are able
to articulate goals
Inconsistently identifies
learning goals for students
Does not communicate
learning goals to students
b. Models and facilitates
higher-level thinking,
problem solving, creativity,
and flexibility
Models and creates structures
that facilitate the transfer of
higher-level thinking to new
and/or unpredictable situations
resulting in high levels of
student engagement and
student-generated questions
Models strategies to promote
higher-level thinking for
students to interact with the
rigorous and challenging
content in a meaningful way
that elicits thoughtful
responses from students
Inconsistently provides
opportunities for higher
level thinking and
engagement and student
responses do not
demonstrate the transfer
of higher level thinking
Focuses on low-level
thinking skills,
drill/practice
c. Adapts instruction to meet
the instructional needs of all
students
Consistently demonstrates
and adapts appropriate and
varied research based
teaching strategies, lessons,
and techniques to meet the
needs of all students, allowing
all students to learn to greatest
ability
Consistently demonstrates
appropriate and varied
research based teaching
strategies, lessons, and
techniques that meet the
needs of all students,
supporting students to learn to
greatest ability
Implements some
research based, effective
strategies and techniques
to accommodate the
learning needs of
students, supporting some
students to learn to
greatest ability
Uses strategies that rarely
meet the needs of
students and a limited
understanding of how to
support students to learn
to greatest ability
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Jeffco Public Schools – Teacher Rubric – Rev. 5/29/13 Page 3
Professional Techniques – Levels of Performance
Indicator Highly Effective Effective Partially Effective Ineffective
d. Uses a variety of formative
and summative assessments
to make instructional
decisions
Uses multiple data points and
on-going data analysis to plan
and modify whole-group and
individualized instruction
Uses a variety of assessment
data to modify instruction for all
students based on periodic
data analysis
Occasionally uses
assessment results to
adjust instruction
Rarely uses assessment
results to adjust
instruction
e. Provides varied
opportunities for student
demonstrations of learning
Provides frequent and varied
opportunities for
demonstration of student
learning including student
choice
Provides frequent and varied
opportunities for demonstration
of student learning
Provides frequent
opportunities for
demonstration of student
learning
Does not regularly provide
opportunities for
demonstration of student
learning
f. Explicitly communicates
criteria for student success
Performance criteria is utilized
by students to assess and
adapt their performance
Provides clear performance
criteria and guidance for
students to determine
performance levels (i.e.
rubrics, exemplars, student
self-assessment etc.)
Occasionally provides
performance criteria (i.e.
rubrics, exemplars,
student self-assessment,
etc.)
Rarely provides students
with performance criteria
(i.e. rubrics, exemplars,
student self-assessment,
etc.)
g. Provides meaningful and
constructive feedback to
students
Provides students with timely
and meaningful feedback to
scaffold future learning, self- assess and set goals
Provides students with timely
and meaningful feedback
Supports summative
information with
meaningful feedback
Provides students with
summative information but
seldom provides
meaningful feedback
h. Maximizes available
instructional time
Matches appropriate
instructional time for content,
incorporates appropriate
pacing, has smooth transitions
between activities, engages
students in rigorous learning
for the entire time period and
modifies based on student
need
Matches appropriate
instructional time for content,
incorporates appropriate
pacing, has smooth transitions
between activities, engages
students in rigorous learning
for the entire time period
Matches appropriate
instructional time for
content, pacing is
inconsistent, transitions
between activities are
sometimes awkward, and
students are
inconsistently engaged
during instructional time
Inappropriately allocates
time for content with
pacing that is too slow or
too rushed, transitions
between activities that are
not well planned and
executed, students
frequently not engaged in
the learning
