Inclusive Practice Tool:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR—Observations

A RESOURCE FOR SUPPORTING INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

This tool—a supplement for classroom

Power Elements for Inclusion
Identified by Massachusetts
observation—is designed to identify, reinforce,
stakeholders as being most directly and support educator practice in inclusive
related to successful inclusive
classrooms.
instruction. Elements within Standards I
and II below are observable.

Standard I:
Curriculum Planning and Assessment

Child and Adolescent Development

Classroom educators can use this tool to
Variety of Assessment Methods
promote discussion, collaboration, and planning
Adjustments to Practice
around inclusive practice. Building
Standard II: administrators can use this tool to support
Teaching All Students
classroom educators and target feedback and
Meeting Diverse Needs
supports to meet the needs of educators and
Safe Learning Environment students. District administrators can use this
Access to Knowledge tool to support inclusive practice across schools.
Definition
Standard III:
Inclusive practice refers to the instructional and behavioral
Family and Student Engagement
strategies that improve academic and social-emotional
Two-Way Communication outcomes for all students, with and without disabilities, in
general education settings.
Standard IV:
To support inclusive practice, the tools of this Guidebook
Professional Culture
are based on the frameworks of Universal Design for
Reflective Practice Learning, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports,
and Social and Emotional Learning.
Shared Responsibility

The Guidebook tools are designed to strengthen inclusive practices and empower educators to meet the
needs of all students by leveraging and augmenting the educator evaluation process. Although each tool
is designed as a stand-alone resource, many tools mutually support educator practice. This tool has a
strong relationship to the following Guidebook tools:
■ Tool 2a: Massachusetts Classroom Teacher Rubric Resource
■ Tool 3a: Professional Practice Goal Setting Template
■ Tool 5a: Lesson Plan Artifact Review
■ Tool 5b: Example Artifact List

The Educator Effectiveness Guidebook for Inclusive Practice │4a: What to Look For—Observations—Page 1
In an Effective Inclusive Classroom . . .
The educator will be . . . The student will be . . . The classroom will . . .
■ Providing options for student ■ Making connections between ■ Support a variety of tasks
engagement, persistence, and new content, prior knowledge, and learning formats
self-regulation and real-world applications
■ Provide positive
■ Conducting frequent checks for ■ Engaging in learning through a reinforcement and
student understanding variety of approaches and motivators
developmentally appropriate
■ Providing clear academic ■ Clearly display expectations,
tasks with a variety of resources
objectives and behavioral rules, and routines
expectations ■ Demonstrating self-regulation
■ Use clear and effective
strategies by monitoring his or
■ Providing frequent and varied displays of information,
her own thinking, setting goals,
feedback and positive tools, resources, prompts,
and monitoring and reflecting on
reinforcements to student etc.
progress
responses
■ Support student use of
■ Demonstrating autonomy and
■ Collaborating actively when resources and scaffolding
self-advocacy by choosing
other adults are in the room
appropriate learning tools and ■ Be safe and respectful of all
■ Presenting curriculum content supports cultures and backgrounds
through multiple means and
■ Persevering on difficult tasks ■ Be rich with connections to
providing scaffolds and support
student experience and
for metacognitive processing ■ Making academic and behavioral
interest
corrections based on staff
■ Providing multiple and varied
feedback and other evidence ■ Be conducive to
options for student
collaboration and group
communication and expression ■ Using a variety of tools and
work
means to demonstrate and
■ Modeling and reinforcing
communicate knowledge ■ Allow for smooth physical
positive behavioral
movement of students and
expectations ■ Collaborating with peers and
educators
demonstrating appropriate
■ Using data and student
behavior during group and ■ Create a nonthreatening,
response to differentiate
individual work positive, and academically
instruction and support
rigorous atmosphere

Observation Notes Reflection and Feedback

Educator Behaviors: Guiding Probes:

■ How do you engage

Student Behaviors: students who are “hard to
reach”?
■ What strategies have you
Classroom Environment: put in place to address
challenging behaviors?
■ How do you provide tiered
interventions and supports
for students who need
them?
■ What data have you used to
guide your instruction?
■ In what areas do all students
struggle, and in what areas
do only some students need
targeted support?

The Educator Effectiveness Guidebook for Inclusive Practice │4a: What to Look For—Observations—Page 2