For California principals and instructional teams

Learning walks for California instructional teams

Non-evaluative, teacher-visible, and CSTP-aligned. Walk with your instructional teams, use one shared look-for list, and end with a debrief, not a rating.

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Your first learning walk, this week

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Add the CSTP Learning Walk

Pick it from the template library. CSTP 1, 2 and 5 are already built in, and nothing is scored.

Walk with your team

Visit a few rooms together, note what you see, then debrief on it.

cstp learning walk california template education walkthrough

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A CSTP learning walk, ready to use

Built on the 2024 CSTP language, for the standards you can see on a walk: 1, 2 and 5
Observed, partially observed, or not yet observed. Nothing is scored
Add comments, photos and video, then share the notes with the teacher
One shared look-for list your whole grade-level team uses

Go deeper

The 2024 CSTP, and the three you can see on a walk

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing updated the CSTP in 2024. Many principals were trained on the 2009 version, so the language may be new. Three of the six standards show up in a short classroom visit.

1 Engaging and supporting all students in learning

Student talk, checking for understanding, and access for English learners. The standard everyone agrees on.

2 Creating and maintaining effective environments

Routines, respect, and a classroom set up for learning. Visible in ten minutes.

5 Assessing students for learning

Checking understanding during the lesson, and adjusting when students are stuck.

3 Understanding and organizing subject matter

Better seen in planning and content conversations than on a short walk.

4 Planning instruction and designing learning experiences

Happens before the lesson. Leave it for planning conversations.

6 Developing as a professional educator

Happens outside the room, in PLCs and professional learning.

How learning walks stay non-evaluative

The hard part of starting learning walks is trust, not the look-fors. This is how the walk stays about growth.

Teacher-visible notes

Teachers see what was noted in their room. Nothing goes into a file they never see.

No scores

Observed, partially observed, or not yet observed. No ratings, no points, no rankings.

Team-owned look-fors

The grade-level team agrees on one list together, so everyone is looking for the same things.

From the Dashboard to your school plan to the walk

The California School Dashboard tells you what to work on. Learning walks show whether the work is happening, room by room.

Read the Dashboard

Your CAASPP and ELPAC results show where your school stands this year.

Set the SPSA goal

Dashboard results feed your School Plan for Student Achievement and its goals.

Walk to the goal

Learning walk trends give your SPSA real classroom evidence, not only test scores.

How California schools are organized

California has 58 county offices of education, one in each county, and they provide services to the state’s school districts.

Find your county office of education

Built for every grade level

Every K-2 student in California is now screened once a year for risk of reading difficulties. The screener tells you who. A learning walk tells you why, while most of the year is still ahead.

Look-fors for your next K-5 reading or math block

Students are talking about the work, and English learners can take part (CSTP 1)
Routines run smoothly and the room is set up for learning (CSTP 2)
The teacher checks understanding and adjusts during the lesson (CSTP 5)