• teach the state-adopted academic content standards for students in their content area (Grades 7-12)
• strategically plan and schedule instruction to ensure that students meet or exceed the standards
• enable students to learn and use analytic thinking skills in their content area

• use progress monitoring during instruction to determine if students are progressing toward achieving academic content standards
• pace instruction and re-teach content based on evidence gathered using assessment strategies
• anticipate, check for, and address common student misconceptions and misunderstandings
• teach students how to comprehend the complexity of writing forms and written and oral English-language conventions

• understand and use a variety of informal and formal, as well as formative and summative assessments, to determine students' progress and plan instruction
• appropriately implement the state-adopted student assessment program
• use multiple measures, including information from families, to assess student knowledge, skills, and behaviors
• use specialized assessments based on students' needs
• teach students how to use self-assessment strategies and give students specific, timely feedback on their learning
• familiarize students with and administer standardized tests, including making accommodations for students with special needs
• accurately interpret assessment results of individuals and groups, including English learners, in order to develop and modify instruction
• explain, to students and to their families, student academic and behavioral strengths, areas for academic growth, promotion and retention policies, and how a grade or progress report is derived

• incorporate specific strategies, teaching/instructional activities, procedures and experiences that address academic content standards
• use instructional materials to reinforce state-adopted academic content standards
• prioritize and sequence essential skills and strategies in a logical, coherent manner
• vary instructional strategies according to purpose and lesson content
• provide opportunities and adequate time for students to practice and apply what they have learned
• develop student skills in using and understanding academic language
• teach students strategies to read and comprehend a variety of texts and information sources in the subjects taught
• encourage student creativity and imagination and motivate students and encourage student effort
• balance instruction by adjusting lesson designs relative to students' current level of achievement

• clearly communicate instructional objectives to students and ensure that students understand what they are to do during instruction
• ensure the active and equitable participation of all students and encourage students to share and examine points of view
• monitor student progress toward academic goals
• use community resources, student experiences, and applied learning activities to make instruction relevant
• extend the intellectual quality of student thinking by asking stimulating questions and challenging student ideas
• teach students to respond to and frame meaningful questions

• provide intensive support for students who lack basic skills as defined in state-adopted academic content standards
• design learning activities to extend students' concrete thinking and foster abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills
• help students develop learning strategies to cope with increasingly challenging academic curriculum
• assist students in developing and practicing strategies for managing time, completing assignments, and working in groups
• build on peer relationships and support students in trying new roles and responsibilities in the classroom
• communicate course goals, requirements, and grading criteria to students and families
• help students to understand connections between the curriculum and life beyond high school
• understand adolescence as a period of intense social peer pressure to conform, and support signs of students' individuality while being sensitive to what being "different" means

• apply pedagogical theories, principles, and instructional practices for comprehensive instruction of English learners
• implement an instructional program that facilitates English language development, including reading, writing, listening and speaking skills
• use information about students' assessed levels of literacy in English and first languages to provide instruction differentiated to students' language abilities
• collaborate with specialists and para-educators to support English language development
• select instructional materials and strategies, including activities in the area of visual and performing arts, to develop students' abilities to comprehend and produce English
• use English that extends students' current level of development yet is still comprehensible
• apply pedagogical theories, principles and practices for the development of academic language, comprehension, and knowledge in the core curriculum
• use systematic instructional strategies, including contextualizing key concepts, to make grade-appropriate or advanced curriculum content comprehensible to English learners

To download a template copy of a sample lesson plan (format) in MS Word™ click here.

• draw upon knowledge of child and adolescent development to understand their students
• use formal and informal methods to assess students' prior mastery of academic language abilities, content knowledge, and skills
• encourage parents to become involved and support their efforts to improve student learning
• understand how multiple factors, including gender and health, can influence students' behavior
• identify students needing specialized instruction, including students whose physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or health status require instructional adaptations, and students who are gifted

• plan instruction that is in accordance with state-adopted academic content standards for students
• establish clear long-term and short-term goals for student learning, based on state and local standards and students' current levels of achievement
• understand the purposes, strengths and limitations of a variety of instructional strategies
• sequence instruction so the content to be taught connects to preceding and subsequent content
• select or adapt instructional strategies, grouping strategies, and instructional material to meet student learning goals and needs
• connect the content to be learned with students' linguistic and cultural backgrounds, experiences, interests, and developmental learning need
• accommodate varied student needs through differentiated instruction

• allocate instructional time to maximize student achievement in relation to state-adopted academic content standards
• establish procedures for routine tasks and manage transitions to maximize instructional time

• develop and maintain clear expectations for academic and social behavior
• promote student effort and engagement and create a positive climate for learning
• write and implement a student discipline plan
• establish rapport with all students and their families for supporting academic and personal success
• help students learn to work responsibly with others and independently

• allocate instructional time to maximize student achievement in relation to state-adopted academic content standards
• establish procedures for routine tasks and manage transitions to maximize instructional time

• develop and maintain clear expectations for academic and social behavior
• promote student effort and engagement and create a positive climate for learning
• write and implement a student discipline plan
• establish rapport with all students and their families for supporting academic and personal success
• help students learn to work responsibly with others and independently

• take responsibility for student academic learning outcomes
• appropriately manage their professional time spent in teaching responsibilities to ensure that academic goals are met
• understand important elements of California and federal laws and procedures pertaining to the education of English learners, gifted students, and individuals with disabilities, including implications for their placement in classrooms
• identify suspected cases of child abuse, neglect, or sexual harassment
• maintain a non-hostile classroom environment
• implement school and district policies and state and federal law regarding inappropriate or violent student behavior
• honor legal and professional obligations to protect the privacy, health, and safety of students, families, and other school professionals
• demonstrate awareness of and act in accordance with ethical considerations
• honor all laws relating to professional misconduct and moral fitness

• evaluate his/her teaching practices and subject matter knowledge in light of information about the state-adopted academic content standards
• improve their teaching practices by soliciting feedback and engaging in cycles of planning, teaching, reflecting, discerning problems, and applying new strategies
• use reflection and feedback to formulate and prioritize goals for increasing their subject matter knowledge and teaching effectiveness