Teacher Leadership: What Strong Observation Evidence Can Look Like

Make leadership, respectful culture, content knowledge, facilitation, and reflection visible in the way students engage with ideas and one another. For Teacher Leadership, the strongest preparation question is not “Did I mention it?” but “What student evidence will make this part of McREL Teacher Evaluation observable?”

A classroom micro-scenario

A routine developed through team collaboration gives students a consistent way to self-assess across classes, and the teacher uses that shared language during the observed lesson.

Teacher moves that fit this component

• connect collaborative work to classroom practice
• model ownership and follow-through
• use systems that increase student success

Evidence students can produce

• professional collaboration shapes instruction
• students benefit from consistent systems
• teacher decisions show responsibility beyond task delivery

What an administrator may be able to see

• lesson decisions that reflect prior evidence and documented reflection
• professional responsibilities supporting student access and continuity
• teacher explanation of how feedback or data informed the plan

What students might be doing

• benefit from routines, materials, or supports created through professional follow-through
• experience coherent expectations across lesson phases
• use feedback systems that the teacher has refined over time

What students might be saying

• “This routine helps us know what to do next.”
• “We use the same criteria when we revise.”
• “The feedback system makes the next step clear.”

Artifacts that can make evidence concrete

• reflection notes tied to instructional change
• family or team communication artifact when locally appropriate
• professional learning evidence connected to a classroom adjustment

Weak evidence vs. stronger evidence

Common missed opportunities

• Teacher Leadership is named in the lesson plan but no student behavior demonstrates it.
• The teacher can explain the intent, but the observer would have to infer too much because the evidence remains hidden.
• Only one student produces the evidence, so it is difficult to judge how broadly learning is occurring.
• The teacher collects information but the next instructional move does not respond to it.

Planning questions for Teacher Leadership

1. At what exact moment should Teacher Leadership become visible?
2. What should students be doing differently because this component is strong?
3. What student language would tell me the intended thinking is actually happening?
4. What artifact, response, or behavior can provide evidence beyond my own explanation?
5. What will I change if the evidence is weaker or stronger than expected?

Related McREL Teacher Evaluation components