California Standards for the Teaching Profession (2009)

Translated from Bureaucratese to English

1: Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning

	Bureaucratese	English
1.1	Using knowledge of students to engage them in learning	Know your students.
1.2	Connecting learning to students’ prior knowledge, backgrounds, life experiences, and interests	Connect your subject to students’ prior experiences.
1.3	Connecting subject matter to meaningful, real-life contexts	Connect your subject to students’ lives.
1.4	Using a variety of instructional strategies, resources, and technologies to meet students’ diverse learning needs	Teach in more than one way.
1.5	Promoting critical thinking through inquiry, problem solving, and reflection	Promote critical thinking.
1.6	Monitoring student learning and adjusting instruction while teaching	Adjust instruction as needed.

2: Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning

	Bureaucratese	English
2.1	Promoting social development and responsibility within a caring community where each student is treated fairly and respectfully	Build a community in your classroom.
2.2	Creating physical or virtual learning environments that promote student learning, reflect diversity, and encourage constructive and productive interactions among students	Encourage constructive and productive interactions among students.
2.3	Establishing and maintaining learning environments that are physically, intellectually, and emotionally safe	Provide a physically, intellectually, and emotionally safe environment.
2.4	Creating a rigorous learning environment with high expectations and appropriate support for all students	Hold high expectations for all students and support them in meeting them.
2.5	Developing, communicating, and maintaining high standards for individual and group behavior	Hold high standards for individual and group behavior.
2.6	Employing classroom routines, procedures, norms, and supports for positive behavior to ensure a climate in which all students can learn	Provide a structure in which all students can learn.
2.7	Using instructional time to optimize learning	Don’t waste instructional time.

3: Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning

	Bureaucratese	English
3.1	Demonstrating knowledge of subject matter, academic content standards, and curriculum frameworks	Know your stuff.
3.2	Applying knowledge of student development and proficiencies to ensure student understanding of subject matter	Adapt your teaching to each student.
3.3	Organizing curriculum to facilitate student understanding of the subject matter	Teach in an understandable order.
3.4	Utilizing instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter	Teach in a reasonable way.
3.5	Using and adapting resources, technologies, and standards-aligned instructional materials, including adopted materials, to make subject matter accessible to all students	Use a mix of materials to make content accessible to all students.
3.6	Addressing the needs of English learners and students with special needs to provide equitable access to the content	Specifically adapt your teaching for English learners and students with special needs.

4: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for All Students

	Bureaucratese	English
4.1	Using knowledge of students’ academic readiness, language proficiency, cultural background, and individual development to plan instruction	Plan instruction based on your students’ actual readiness.
4.2	Establishing and articulating goals for student learning	Establish and share goals for what students will learn.
4.3	Developing and sequencing long-term and short-term instructional plans to support student learning	Plan in both the long and short term.
4.4	Planning instruction that incorporates appropriate strategies to meet the learning needs of all students	Use a mix of strategies to make content accessible to all students.
4.5	Adapting instructional plans and curricular materials to meet the learning needs of all students	Adapt your plans to meet the needs of all students.

5: Assessing Students for Learning

	Bureaucratese	English
5.1	Applying knowledge of the purposes, characteristics, and uses of different types of assessments	Understand different kinds of assessments.
5.2	Collecting and analyzing assessment data from a variety of sources to inform instruction	Use different kinds of assessments.
5.3	Reviewing data, both individually and with colleagues, to monitor student learning	Use data to monitor student learning.
5.4	Using assessment data to establish learning goals and to plan, differentiate, and modify instruction	Use data to set individual goals and teach to those goals.
5.5	Involving all students in self-assessment, goal setting, and monitoring progress	Involve all students in self-assessment and goal setting.
5.6	Using available technologies to assist in assessment, analysis, and communication of student learning	Use technology to assess, analyze, and communicate about students’ progress.
5.7	Using assessment information to share timely and comprehensible feedback with students and their families	Give timely and comprehensible feedback to students and their families.

6: Developing as a Professional Educator

	Bureaucratese	English
6.1	Reflecting on teaching practice in support of student learning	Reflect on your teaching practice.
6.2	Establishing professional goals and engaging in continuous and purposeful professional growth and development	Continue to grow as an educator.
6.3	Collaborating with colleagues and the broader professional community to support teacher and student learning	Collaborate with colleagues.
6.4	Working with families to support student learning	Work with families.
6.5	Engaging local communities in support of the instructional program	Work with the community.
6.6	Managing professional responsibilities to maintain motivation and commitment to all students	Don’t burn out.
6.7	Demonstrating professional responsibility, integrity, and ethical conduct	Be a mensch.