New York State's vision of effective teaching is expressed in the New York State Teaching Standards (2011),developed by the State Education Department with input from educators and adopted by the Board of Regents in 2011. Members of the labor/management Innovation Teams, who represented one-third of the practitioners invited to shape the state’s official standards, were credited with significant contributions to the process, which drew on their own pioneering work, already well underway, on teacher evaluation.
Each state teaching standard, SED says, "represents a broad area of knowledge and skills that research and best practices in the classroom have shown to be essential to effective teaching and to positively contribute to student learning and achievement." The standards explicate effective teaching practices along with their relationship to student growth and achievement. The standards acknowledge the range of student needs, referencing students with disabilities, students who are English language learners, and students who are gifted and talented.
The development of clear standards was critical to give teachers, schools, and institutions of higher education a common language and shared tools for defining teacher effectiveness. Because the New York State standards will form the foundation for teacher evaluations through Annual Professional Performance Reviews, they are fundamental to each stage of a teacher’s preparation and career development. An effective teacher is portrayed through the standards as a lifelong learner, progressing through a continuum of career growth: preparation, induction, mentoring, evaluation, professional development, and movement through a career ladder.
The New York State Teaching Standards are:
Standard 1: Knowledge of Students and Student Learning
Teachers acquire knowledge of each student, and demonstrate knowledge of student development and learning to promote achievement for all students.
Standard 2: Knowledge of Content and Instructional Planning
Teachers know the content they are responsible for teaching, and plan instruction that ensures growth and achievement for all students.
Standard 3: Instructional Practice
Teachers implement instruction that engages and challenges all students to meet or exceed the learning standards.
Standard 4: Learning Environment
Teachers work with all students to create a dynamic learning environment that supports achievement and growth.
Standard 5: Assessment for Student Learning
Teachers use multiple measures to assess and document student growth, evaluate instructional effectiveness, and modify instruction.
Standard 6: Professional Responsibilities and Collaboration
Teachers demonstrate professional responsibility and engage relevant stakeholders to maximize student growth, development, and learning.
Standard 7: Professional Growth
Teachers set informed goals and strive for continuous professional growth.
"Elements" describe the desired knowledge, skills, actions, and behaviors that advance a particular standard. The elements define what teachers do, and performance indicators describe how teachers accomplish the actions or behaviors.
The New York State Teaching Standards determine the framework within which evaluative judgments should take place. Measures of teacher effectiveness in the TED system have been selected to reach across the continuum of teacher practice so that all New York State Standards are referenced. TED recognizes that a system that provides for continuous improvement and commits to career-long support and professional development opportunities makes the pathway to teaching excellence accessible to every educator in New York State.