STEP Standard 7 – Reflecting on Instruction to Improve Student

Progress
Improved Practice Based on the Unit of Study
Based on the experience of developing and delivering your instructional unit, list three short-
term goals to improve specific areas of your teaching practice based on the unit of instruction
and describe your plan to reach each short-term goal.
Plan to Reach the Goal (i.e., professional
development, research on the Internet,
Short-Term Goal
observation of a veteran teacher, etc.)
1. Goal: To build classroom The plan to reach the goal includes:
management and engagement  Explicitly teaching when, where, and
protocols into each lesson. why classroom rules and engagement
protocols are needed.
 Providing students with opportunities to
practice classroom rules and engagement
protocols while relaying feedback on
whether procedure was implemented
correctly or incorrectly.
 Setting a routine where the first five
minutes of each lesson is used focusing
students’ attention on academic and non-
academic expectations.

2. Goal: To design lessons and plan
activities that accommodate different
learning styles.
The plan to reach the goal includes:
 Finding an evidence-based Learning
Profile Inventory from a valid and
reliable internet source.
 Utilizing both the Learning Profile
Inventory and classroom observations to
assess each student’s preferred method of
learning new information and skills.
 Researching on the internet what
multisensory instructional techniques and
tasks are used by teachers in the
classroom.
 Building a variety multisensory
instructional approaches and activities
into curriculum.
 Continuing to collect student-driven data
and information to evaluate the

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3. Goal: To actively seek creative
partnerships and involve parents in
creating a positive and safe
environment that is conducive to
learning.
effectiveness of multisensory approaches
used in the classroom.
The plan to reach the goal includes:
 Initiating communication with
parents/guardians, sharing the classroom
management and engagement protocols
with them, and requesting their feedback.
 Inviting parents/guardians to participate
in a meeting focused on creating a
parent-teacher action team focused on
establishing a shared responsibility of
providing academic and behavior
interventions for each student.
 Establishing a parent-teacher action team
with ground rules for communication,
shared expectations, and team goals for
enhancing the schooling at Bedford
County Learning Academy for all
students.
 Scheduling convenient times and
methods monthly for all representative
members to engage in collaborative
problem-solving and consensus decision-
making processes.

Long-Term Goals: Teachers who are dedicated to their profession and to improving the lives of
students will continually look for ways to grow and learn. The best way to ensure that learning is
prioritized is to create a long-term goal. Create one long term goal that is specific and
measurable. Make sure to discuss the following:

Long-Term Goal: Given the limited resources and services during the 2021-2022 school
year, I will develop expertise necessary for creating a safe, positive, and physically
comfortable environment that is conducive to learning that will utilize a variety of
instructional approaches to ensure all students receive an education that is attuned to their
academic and non-academic needs and focused on supporting them to become both
responsible and productive citizens.
Rationale: Why did you choose this goal? How  The purpose and rationale of choosing this
do you expect it to improve the outcomes of your goal begins with the underlying
future students? philosophy that child-focused educational
systems must encompass a holistic view
that is attuned to students’ academic and
non-academic needs.

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End Date: By when do you expect to accomplish
this goal?
Action Timeline: What steps will you take to
complete this goal, and by when will you take
them? Example:
1/31/18: Join AACTE
© 2022. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
 I believe improving the outcomes of my
future students begins with altering the
classroom to accommodating individual
needs, maintaining high expectations for
learning, establishing and building on
collaborative relationships with
educational stakeholders, sharing
responsibility for helping students learn
with parents/guardians, providing a
variety of challenging instructional
approaches to actively engage students in
the learning process, relaying feedback to
enhance motivation to learn, and seeking
creative partnerships with the community
to ensure students receive the services and
resources necessary to demonstrate
continuous improvement.
 I expect to have an action plan for
accomplishing this goal created by the end
of the 2022 school-year that will be
implemented at the start of the 2022-2023
and modified throughout my career.
01/13/2022: Began learning about my
students’ strengths, skills, interests, and
factors that influence learning.
01/17/2022: Started examining the
curriculum, learning activities, instructional
approaches, and environmental conditions for
potential learning obstacles.
02/01/2022: Scheduled weekly shared lesson
planning times with mentor teacher to design
curriculum, create activities, and gain
expertise on a variety instructional techniques
and approaches used in the classroom.
02/07/2022: Altered the classroom
environment, curriculum, learning activities,
and instructional approaches to reflect
students’ backgrounds and accommodate
individual needs.
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 03/07/2022: Present mentor teacher/principal
with modified lesson plans and presentations
for the behavior modification classroom
setting.

04/04/2022: Present mentor teacher/principal

with draft of letter inviting parents to
participate in a meeting focused on
identifying resources, services, and strategies
to improve their child’s education and the
public’s perception of Bedford County
Learning Academy.

04/28/2022: Send letter out to parents of

students in the behavior modification
classroom and BCLA.

05/16/2022: Hold initial meeting about

establishing a collaborative action team with
school- and community-based members and
constructing a plan for improving the
educational system and societal perception of
BCLA.

06/01/2022: Actively review funding,

research relative grant opportunities, and seek
creative partnerships with providers of
resources and services in the community.

07/01/2022: Start creating a framework/action

plan based on information accumulated from
parents/guardians, colleagues, and members
of the community.

07/25/2022: Present framework/action plan

template to administrators during in-service
training clarifying the tentative on-campus
schedule that integrates:
 Content for Academic Development.
 Extracurricular Activities for Social
and Emotional Development.
 Community Service Projects for
Productive Citizenship.
 Current and Prospective Resource and
Service Providers in the Community

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 for Personal and Collective
Responsibility.
08/01/2022 to 08/12/ 2022: Modify
framework/action plan template based on
feedback received; receive final approval.
 Plan 1: 50/50 split with one half of the
day focused on academics and the
other half on non-academics like job
readiness skills, community service
projects, and services to address
social-emotional skills necessary.
 Plan 2: 75/25 split with three quarters
of the day focused on academics and
one quarter focused on non-academics
like job readiness skills, community
service projects, and services to
address social-emotional skills
necessary.
08/15/2022: Notify action team members of
pilot program implementation and schedule
meeting with all school-based members to
discuss their roles and responsibilities during
30-day pilot program.

09/06/2022: After fall break, implement

action plan pilot for 30 days and collect data.

10/06/2022: Collect data accumulated during

30-day pilot program and invite students to
provide feedback.

10/07/2022: During a professional

development day, analyze data with school-
based team members and create a presentation
summarizing the findings.
 Did the program have a positive or
negative impact on students’ academic
and social-emotional development?
 Did the program have a positive or
negative impact on the social
perspective of Bedford County’s
alternative school program?

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  Did the school-based community
learning program help or hinder the
students and their families’ abilities to
meet any court-mandated
requirements?
10/20/2022: Present findings to parents
during open house/parent-teacher
conferences.

Resources: What resources are available to assist Scheduled time for professional development
you in accomplishing your goal? opportunities, in-service trainings, open house
events, and parent-teacher conferences.

A private room free from outside distractions

within the school for action team members to
meet.

Multiple means of communication with

parents/guardians, colleagues, and
administrators that include phone calls,
emails, text messages, and direct mail.

Access to a list of established relationships

with non-profit organizations, agencies, and
providers of resources and services in the
community.

Peer-reviewed journals on School-

Community Learning Partnerships, Behavior
Management approaches, instructional
techniques, and the Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) framework.

Funding to purchase Positive Behavior

Curriculum and resources/supplies needed to
teach job skills required by community
partners and prerequisite coping skills mental
health services.

Allocated time during the school day for

research, collaboration, consultation, teaming,
designing lessons, and planning across
content units.

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