Teacher observation guide
Formative Assessment During a Teacher Observation
Plan checks for understanding that lead to visible instructional decisions.
Direct answer: Formative assessment is visible when evidence is gathered early enough to change instruction and the teacher has a clear rule for what different results will trigger.
What to do before the observation
- Choose one misconception or decision the check must reveal.
- Use a response method that samples every student or a representative group.
- Set the threshold for moving on before asking.
- Prepare a short reteach, scaffold, and extension response.
- Recheck after the adjustment.
Evidence an administrator may see
- hinge-question or mini-whiteboard responses
- a visible change in pacing, grouping, or support
- students explaining what they changed after feedback
A stronger classroom example: If fewer than 80 percent select and justify the target concept, run a two-minute contrast example and reassess. Otherwise, move to a transfer task.
Common mistakes to avoid
- waiting until the exit ticket to discover confusion
- asking “Does everyone understand?”
- gathering data that does not affect the lesson
Use this with your exact framework
Choose the framework your administrator actually uses, then apply this guidance to its exact component labels and local evidence rules. Go Distinguished keeps those labels aligned with the framework selected in the lesson tool.
Related observation guides
Teacher Observation Preparation: A Practical GuideWhat Distinguished Teaching Evidence Can Look LikeHow to Make Student Ownership Visible During an Observation
Apply it to your lesson
Use the selected framework to strengthen visible evidence while keeping the lesson authentic.
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