Since 2012, The Center for the Study of Educational Policy (CSEP) at Illinois State University has been studying the use of the Danielson Framework for Teaching in early childhood classrooms (PreK through Third Grade). This video library is a culmination of research and practice over multiple phases of study and practice.
Phase 1: Content Analysis and Development of Early Learning Examples
- Examining the Danielson Framework for Teaching through the lens of early childhood practice began with a convening of early childhood stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, coaches, faculty).
- These stakeholders developed early childhood examples to provide scenarios of early childhood practice for each component in the Framework and at each performance rating level from Unsatisfactory to Excellent. These examples can be found here https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fp0IRJVZiBboYuoxFa2LgufkLFn033sM or at the Teacher Evaluation in Early Childhood Classrooms project website at: https://teecc.illinoisstate.edu/observationprotocol/danielsonframeworkwithearlylearningexamples/
- CSEP staff also crosswalked the Danielson Framework with other standards of practice common to early childhood practice (e.g., NAEYC, DEC, Head Start). A summary of this crosswalk can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=18dvpngw9dv3KQEM2lTnwPp1JO2TKqmyT
Phase 2: Fall 2015—Exploratory Committee
- CSEP staff members convened an exploratory committee to identify the PreK-Grade 3 professional development video needs for early childhood teachers.
- The environmental scan of existing teaching and classroom videos accessible on the internet found that these videos should serve a dual purpose in
- Demonstrating developmentally and culturally appropriate practice, while also
- Highlighting the alignment of such practice with the Danielson Framework for Teaching.
Phase 3: Fall 2016—Validation Study of the Danielson Framework in PreK-3rd Classrooms
- This video project is based on a deeper study of the Danielson Framework as it aligns to developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood.
- CSEP researchers and consultants conducted a validation study of the Danielson Framework in 26 PreK-3rd grade classrooms across Illinois.
- The findings of this research has guided the development of this video library and the resources included in this website. The findings of this research and resources developed out of this research can be found in the About section of this website in the Research Foundation page.