Teacher Observation Templates / Arkansas
For Arkansas principals and co-op leaders
Arkansas Key Levers and TESS walkthrough templates
Every DESE Key Levers tool, every grade band and subject, plus TESS. Walk from your phone and send the feedback the same day.
Your first Key Levers walkthrough, today
1
Sign up free
No credit card. Every feature is open while you try it.
2
Add your Key Levers tool
Pick your grade band or subject from the template library. All five levers and every DESE look-for are already built in.
3
Walk your first classroom
Open it on your phone, note what you see, and send the feedback to the teacher.
Pick your Key Levers tool
Each template follows the DESE document it is built from. Same five levers, same indicators, every look-for, in the state's own order. K-2 Math and TESS also come as a Quick Walkthrough with one rating per lever or component.
Math
K-2 Math
Practice targets number sense, place value, counting, fluency, and problem-solving. Built on the DESE K-2 Math tool.
Get this template3-5 Math
Practice targets basic fact fluency in multiplication and division, multi-digit operations, and problem-solving. Built on the DESE 3-5 Math tool.
Get this template6-8 Math
Practice targets proportional relationships, functions, algebraic relationships, or geometry. Built on the DESE 6-8 Math tool.
Get this templateAlgebra I
Practice targets proportional relationships, functions, algebraic relationships, or geometry, with fluency like two-step equations. Built on the DESE Algebra I tool.
Get this templateGeometry
Students use geometric tools like a compass, protractor, ruler, or geometry software, and precise mathematical language. Built on the DESE Geometry tool.
Get this templateLiteracy, science, and TESS
Foundational Literacy
Direct Instruction in sounds, spelling patterns, blending, and segmenting, and practice in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Built on the DESE foundational literacy tool.
Get this templateK-12 Science
Lessons reflect the three dimensions of the Arkansas K-12 Science Standards, and students spend most of their time doing science. Built on the DESE K-12 science tool.
Get this templateTESS Domains 2 and 3
The ten components of The Classroom Environment and Instruction, rated Unsatisfactory, Progressing, Effective, or Highly Effective.
Get this template
A Key Levers walkthrough, ready to use
- All five levers, each indicator, and every DESE look-for, in the state's order
- The DESE evidence scale, Strong, Partial, Little, and No Evidence
- Send the feedback to the teacher the same day
Go deeper
The five key levers
Every Key Levers tool rates the same five levers. Each lever has one indicator and four to six look-fors. DESE adapted the tools from TNTP look-for tools and built them for coaching, not evaluation.
1. Structures for Learning
Students are engaged in the work of the lesson from start to finish, with a sense of urgency about how time is used.
2. Aligned Content
Grade-level lessons taught with the district-adopted high-quality instructional materials, reflecting grade-level standards.
3. Teacher Instructional Practices
Practices that let students take ownership of the content. In foundational literacy this lever is Direct Instruction that is explicit, clear, and correct.
4. Student Practice
Enough time for students to practice the targeted skills for the grade band, course, or subject.
5. Assessment and Differentiation
The teacher collects and responds to student data to adjust instruction for all students.
How Arkansas schools are organized
Arkansas has 15 education service cooperatives. Each one provides leadership, technical support, resource sharing, purchasing, and professional development to the school districts in its region, and each district sits entirely within one co-op. The districts of Pulaski County are not part of a co-op.
Find your co-op
Walking for TESS too
Arkansas TESS is built on the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Domains 2 and 3, The Classroom Environment and Instruction, are the parts of the rubric a walkthrough can see. The TESS walkthrough puts all ten components on one form.
The ten components on the form
- 2a Respect and rapport, 2b Culture for learning, 2c Classroom procedures, 2d Student behavior, 2e Physical space
- 3a Communicating with students, 3b Questioning and discussion, 3c Engaging students, 3d Assessment in instruction, 3e Flexibility and responsiveness