Supporting Research and Methodology
The five skill areas selected for use in the Assessment Tools for Teaching ProficiencyTM were identified using a two-step process. First, relevant research publications, including Educational and Psychology journals were reviewed. In addition, selected state teacher performance measurement guidelines were reviewed. Based on this review, a list of five process teaching skills were identified along with sub-components which served to clearly define each skill area.

Next, the list of five skill areas and their sub-components were presented in a questionnaire format for review by experienced teachers. The average teaching experience level of questionnaire respondents was 14.6 years and approximately half of the teachers reviewing the five skill areas reported receiving an award for teaching excellence. The questionnaire asked teachers to rate each skill area in terms of its importance for successful classroom teaching and its frequency of use. The questionnaire also provided teachers an opportunity to identify any additional skills they thought were critical for successful teaching performance. This type of rating methodology helps to "quantify" the relevance and criticality of job activities and skills, and provides a legal basis for including them in key human resource activities, such as professional development.

The results from the questionnaire were that a large majority of the teachers indicated that the skill areas and their components were "highly" important for success and were used frequently (on a weekly basis or more often). Thus, these skills are considered "critical" for classroom teaching performance. These skills were also chosen because they could be depicted using video-simulation. The power of simulation is that it presents a realistic context for presenting the skills and thus resulting feedback is presented in a similarly relevant context that can be easily understood and acted upon.

To summarize, the five Assessment Tools for Teaching ProficiencyTM skill areas have been identified in the research literature as being key factors for improving student learning, motivation and achievement, and are recognized by experienced teachers as being "critical" for success in the classroom. The five Assessment Tools for Teaching Proficiency skills also closely match core teacher competency areas defined by the national and state Departments of Education.