Instructional Practice
Standards
(IPS)

The Five High-Leverage Instructional Standards is an interwoven set of high-leverage principles of learning. The five standards are intended to reflect the practice of effective teaching in the classroom. They are not intended to act as curriculum; rather, they interact with curriculum and student standards in teachers’ classroom practice. The Five High-Leverage Instructional Standards are:

1. New Learning is Connected to Prior Learning and Experience

2. Learning Tasks Have High Cognitive Demand for Diverse Learners

3. Students Engage in Meaning-Making through Discourse and Other Strategies

4. Students Engage in Metacognitive Activity to Increase Understanding of and Responsibility for Their Own Learning 

5. Assessment is Integrated into Instruction

Included in this section are a variety of resources to give you a better understanding of the NEPF Instructional Practice Standards and Indicators.

Instructional Practice Standards Rubric

The Instructional Practice Standards Rubric outlines the Standards and Indicators, identifies mandatory and confirmatory pieces of evidence that can be used by educators and evaluators to demonstrate proof of practice, and a breakdown of the performance levels for each Standard and Indicator.

NEPF Descriptor Key Words  

While the performance levels are explained on the rubric itself, the NEPF Descriptor Key Words resource helps educators and evaluators more easily differentiate between the levels by noting key descriptor words for each level (common language). The performance levels are not intended to be used during the observation cycle, but rather at the end of the evaluation cycle to assess practice on the Summative Evaluation. Educators should only be scored after multiple observations have been conducted and all evidence has been reviewed. A review of this resource should make it clear that a performance level of 4 is the high bar for which educators should strive, but it is not that easy to attain. The rubric clearly states that to receive a Performance Level 4, a teacher needs to demonstrate that ALL the students are being well served by instruction. Other common words to describe this performance level include fully, clearly, effectively, and appropriately. This score denotes highly effective instructional practice. To receive a Performance Level 3, a teacher needs to demonstrate that MOST students are being well served by instruction. While a teacher may have intended to address all students' needs, they may not have been successful in reaching all students. Common words to describe this performance are adequately, generally, and sufficiently. This score denotes effective instructional practice. A teacher receives a Performance Level of 2 if only SOME of the students are being served by instruction. Common words to describe this performance are inadequately, insufficiently, minimally, limited, or somewhat. This score denotes developing instructional practice (minimally effective). A teacher receives a Performance Level 1 when there is NO, or almost no, evidence that any student is being served well by the instructional practice. This score denotes ineffective instructional practice. The linked resource provides additional detail.

Instructional Practice Standards: Examples in Action  

The IPS Rubric provides some additional guidance for educators and evaluators in the Description/Notes column; however, the Instructional Practice Standards: Examples in Action resource provides specific instructional practices that can be used/may be observed in the classroom as evidence for each of the aligned Standards and Indicators. This resource is merely a guide to help teachers identify some strategies they can use in their classes and help evaluators identify some strategies they may observe when they visit classrooms. It is, by no means, an exhaustive list.

NEPF Lesson Plan Template  

The use of the NEPF Lesson Plan Template is not required, but the template is designed to help educators focus on the high-leverage instructional practices as they plan their lessons.