The Network for Educator Effectiveness’ EdHub Library currently offers over 500 professional development activities for teachers, school leaders, and specialists. The library materials are designed to provide specific supports for the NEE Indicators. This means the materials are exactly tailored to the expectations of the NEE Standards and Indicators.

We are starting off the 2022-23 school year here at EdHub with a look back. Last year we undertook a huge revision process. During this process, we examined all our modules and activities to update the version, interactions, and content as needed. Although our primary focus last year was on revising and tidying up the library, we didn’t forget about creating new materials. You can read about them below and check them out in the EdHub Library located right inside the NEE Data Tool.

Assessment

Communicating Student Progress – Although perhaps not apparent during a classroom observation, research indicates that when teachers communicate with students about their learning progress, it can improve their success. This module explains how teacher communications contribute to student learning, discusses progress monitoring, and shares some best practice tips for teachers.

Proficiency Scales – Many schools have started using proficiency scales as they transition to standards-based learning. This module explains the relationship between the two; describes the benefits for teachers, students, and parents; and explains how they can better define the mastery of learning goals for all involved.

Error Analysis – Formative assessment involves determining what students know and still need to learn. It can be hugely beneficial for a teacher to know the cause of students’ mistakes and misunderstandings. Careful planning allows a teacher to tailor instruction to avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings. Introducing students to the practice helps them avoid errors and gives them one more tool to support their learning.

Classroom, School, and Community Culture

Evaluating Teaching Skills for SEL – Many schools have recently adopted a Social and Emotional Learning initiative based on research indicating that students who are skilled in social competence are more likely to do well in school. This module defines social and emotional learning or SEL, explains the relationship between SEL and school success, suggests specific strategies teachers can use to support the social competence of their students, and reviews the NEE indicators that are connected to SEL. You may also download a copy of the NEE guide to Evaluating Social-Emotional Learning.

Content Knowledge and Cognitive Engagement

Building on Student Learning Strengths and Needs – Meeting the diverse needs of the students in any one classroom can seem like an overwhelming task. For many years, teachers were urged to differentiate the instruction they provided to personalize it for their students. Now, we know that instead of planning for each individual student, teachers can differentiate by offering choices of materials, activities, assignments, and problems. They can guide their students to the right combination to meet individual learning needs.

Curriculum

Lesson Design to Meet Diverse Student Needs – This module complements Building on Student Learning Strengths and Needs. It presents ideas for planning lessons that provide the choices and variety necessary in instruction to meet diverse student needs.

Educational Leadership

Feedback Paths for Teachers – NEE has incorporated components on feedback into our training sessions for administrators over the past few years. This module presents the concepts so you can refresh your memory and bring new NEE members up to speed. After all, providing effective feedback is the key to teacher growth!

Best Practices for NEE Implementation – The NEE processes and methods support improved teaching and learning IF they are used in specific ways. This module uncovers some of the whys and hows of NEE to ensure an effective implementation.

What Signals Are We Sending? – Students encounter many “signals” each day in their school. It’s important for educators to consider the nature of those signals and what they say to students. This is a PD Quick session that can be used in a F2F setting.

Putting Your Character Strengths to Work – So often we focus on what needs to be fixed in our teachers and schools. This process places the focus on strengths possessed by each teacher. Putting those strengths to work to improve instructional effectiveness can be a breath of fresh air for everyone! This is a PD Quick session that can be used in a F2F setting and is designed to launch a strength-based approach to professional growth.

Continuous Improvement – This module defines continuous improvement as a process, provides examples of improvement routines for instruction, walks you through the process of creating a culture of continuous improvement, and suggests some strategies to use.

Research-based Instructional Strategies

Think Like a Lawyer – Making sure that instruction requires students to think critically can be difficult. This activity has been added to the critical thinking module to present the ideas of a teacher who is a former lawyer. His instructional strategies introduce students to the ways that lawyers construct claims and the value of “argument” in learning.

Questioning Toolkit to Support Student Learning – Learning the skills of inquiry can greatly increase a student’s chances of success in today’s world. After all, asking a good question is half the battle when looking for answers. This activity introduces the idea of teaching students about a set of tools to help students become successful in questioning and in locating the answers they need.

NEE Training Materials

Feedback Paths for School Leaders – Not only is it important to deliver effective feedback to teachers, it’s also critical for the professional growth of administrators. This module shares how evaluators can make use of the research on feedback to increase its effectiveness for building administrators.

Professional Practices

Using Peer and Self Observation – There has been a great deal of research on the positive effects to be gained by incorporating peer- and self-observation practices into teacher development programs. NEE is putting the finishing touches on a tool that will simplify and document these observations as well as guide the reflection and planning processes that must accompany the experiences. This module provides the knowledge teachers need to participate in the process effectively.

Special Education

High Leverage Practices – Much has been written recently concerning high-leverage practices. These are basic instructional strategies that are highly effective in supporting learning for all students. Any teacher can learn the practices and improve their skills in using them with students. This module defines the concept, introduces the critical practices, and provides suggestions for their use in the classroom.

Student Learning Growth and Development

Multicultural Teaching – Every student enters the classroom with an array of experiences and skills that derive from their culture. Culture can affect both student learning and wellbeing in myriad ways. This module introduces the research and practices of multicultural teaching and suggests strategies for classroom use.

Student Goal Setting – It is important for teachers to set learning goals and ensure that their students know exactly what they are expected to learn and be able to do to meet those goals. However, current research indicates that it is equally important for student motivation and success in learning to involve students in setting their own goals. This module introduces the concept, provides the background research, and suggests processes for accomplishing student goal setting in the classroom.

Beginning Teacher Assistance Materials

Updated – The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires that beginning teachers complete a program of professional development and mentoring during their first years in the classroom. EdHub provides a Beginning Teacher Support program that meets the newly revised Missouri standards but can be used to offer a strong start for new teachers everywhere.

Take a look at these new materials in EdHub, and be sure to watch monthly Announcements on the NEE Data Tool Dashboard for new additions to the library.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.