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Quality Standard I: Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.
The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content that s/he teachers (e.g., science, social studies, arts, physical education, or world languages). The secondary teacher hasknowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s).
Artifacts and Rationale
Element A: Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards, their District’s
organized plan of instruction, and the individual needs of their students.
The artifact that aligns with Element A of Quality Standard 1 is drawn from the Objective/Learning Targets & Standards/Studio Habits of Mind section of my art show/critique lesson plan. This lesson was implemented in my Photo II class, which consists of students in grades 10 through 12. After completing their 100 Photo Challenge project, students selected their top 10 images, applied edits, and created a slideshow for presentation. During the presentations, classmates took notes identifying the presenter, one strength of their work, and one area for improvement.
Element B: Teachers develop and implement lessons that connect to a variety of content areas/disciplines and emphasize literacy and mathematics.
The artifact that aligns with Element B of Quality Standard 1 comes from my Typography Lesson in Graphic Design I. In this project, students were tasked with creating typographic illustrations by forming images out of words related to their subject. One student created a detailed image of a rainbow trout, carefully selecting descriptive words and arranging them to form the fish’s shape. They intentionally chose enough words to represent the full range of colors found in a rainbow trout, demonstrating thoughtful design decisions and a strong connection between content and visual communication.
Element C: Teachers demonstrate knowledge of the content, central concepts, inquiry, appropriate evidence-based
instructional practices, and specialized characteristics of the disciplines being taught.
The artifact that aligns with Element C of Quality Standard 1 is drawn from the Curriculum Structure section of my film development lesson plan, which was taught to both Photo I and Photo II students. For Photo I, this lesson introduced foundational knowledge about analog photography and darkroom processes. For Photo II, it served as a structured review to reinforce and deepen prior understanding. The lesson was designed with clear sequencing, hands-on activities, and embedded technical vocabulary to ensure that all students could successfully engage with the content, regardless of their prior experience. This demonstrates my ability to plan and deliver instruction that reflects a deep understanding of photographic processes and how to support learning at different stages of mastery.
(Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Emergent)
Reflecting on Quality Standard 1 has helped me recognize how my deepening understanding of content, instructional strategies, and student engagement has shaped both my development as a teacher and the success of my students. Through lessons like the film development unit and my typography project, I have learned how to design instruction that is rooted in strong content knowledge while remaining flexible enough to meet the needs of different learners. These experiences have pushed me to grow in my ability to plan, scaffold, and deliver lessons that balance creative exploration with academic rigor. For students, this standard has supported their growth as independent thinkers, confident artists, and collaborative learners. Moving forward, I have set a professional goal to continue refining my content knowledge in both analog and digital art practices and to stay current on evidence-based strategies that support student voice and choice in the art room. I also aim to build more cross-disciplinary connections within my curriculum so students can see how art ties into larger ideas and real-world issues.