November 2025

Welcome to the November edition of Learning Leader Digest. As the year progresses, our focus turns toward building coherence — aligning every layer of the system to strengthen teaching, learning, and leadership across Delaware.

Coherence happens when the work of instruction, professional learning, and educator development come together with one clear purpose: supporting every learner’s success. This year, teachers across the state have shown alignment in action through their professional growth goal selections, with the majority focusing on Indicator 2.3 (Checks for Understanding & Feedback) and Indicator 3.2 (Questioning & Discussion). These priorities mirror our shared commitment to making learning visible and responsive — ensuring that every student’s voice, understanding, and potential are at the center of instruction.

We see this same coherence reflected in the field — from workforce development pipelines like the Paraprofessional Registered Occupation (PRO) program to collaborative Learning Walks that connect department staff, instructional coaches, and school leaders in shared learning.

Together, these initiatives illustrate what it means to be one Delaware team — working in partnership to ensure great teaching for every student, every day.

If you'd like to nominate an educator or leader to be spotlighted in a future issue, please email Angela Socorso. We would love to celebrate the great work happening across our schools.

In this issue, you’ll find:

Spotlight: PRO Signing Day — Celebrating Delaware’s newest paraprofessional apprentices.

This Month’s Focus: Deep Dive into Indicator 2.3 and 3.2.

Leader Action Hub: Translating classroom evidence into growth-oriented feedback.

Professional Opportunities: Learning and collaboration opportunities this month.

Resource Spotlight: Tools for Questioning, Feedback, and Clarity

We are excited to celebrate ten educators who are serving as registered paraprofessional apprentices this school year under a pilot program to grow Delaware’s teacher workforce.

Paraprofessional Registered Occupation (PRO) launched this fall in Appoquinimink and Seaford school districts and will expand to additional school districts next year. The program is funded by the Delaware Department of Labor.

PRO serves two pipelines: recent high school Teacher Academy graduates and current paraprofessionals who don’t yet have 60 education credits.

Apprentices work full-time as paraprofessionals and study evenings/asynchronously to complete associate’s degree-equivalent credits in about two years.

The program is supported through a partnership with the Delaware Department of Labor, Delaware Department of Education, Delaware Technical and Community College and Wilmington University.  For more information, contact Katie Burns.

The graph below shows the top professional growth priorities selected by Delaware teachers for the 2025–2026 school year. Indicators 2.3 (Checks for Understanding & Feedback) and 3.2 (Questioning & Discussion) emerged as the most frequently chosen areas of focus, highlighting a strong statewide commitment to instructional clarity, responsive teaching, and engaging students in meaningful dialogue to deepen learning.

2.3 Checks for Understanding & Feedback

When teachers gather real-time evidence of student learning and use it to adjust instruction, they create opportunities for immediate growth.

Key Question:
How does the teacher know if students are learning — and what happens next?

In Practice:

- Circulating to observe and check student work in real time.

- Using quick exit tickets or responses to determine next instructional steps.

- Providing feedback that tells students both what they did well and how to improve.

- Adjusting instruction or re-teaching based on student responses.

Focus: Responsive instruction — teaching that evolves based on evidence of student understanding.

 

3.2 Questioning & Discussion

While 2.3 focuses on using evidence, 3.2 focuses on eliciting it — through purposeful questioning that deepens thinking and promotes dialogue.

Key Question:
Whose voices are heard, and whose thinking is stretched?

In Practice

- Asking “why” and “how” questions that move beyond recall.

- Encouraging multiple students to contribute and build on others’ ideas.

- Creating space for student-to-student dialogue and visible wait time before responses.

Focus: Intellectual engagement — students as thinkers, explainers, and collaborators.

 

Connecting 2.3 and 3.2

Together, these indicators form a continuous learning cycle: asking, assessing, and adjusting.

Questioning (3.2) sparks curiosity and reveals student understanding.

Checks for Understanding (2.3) capture that evidence and drive responsive feedback.

When both are strong, classrooms become spaces where learning is visible — for students, teachers, and observers alike.

Great teaching is a conversation — one that listens, probes, and responds in real time.

2.3 Checks for Understanding & Feedback

Look-Fors

- Teacher monitors learning through frequent checks (verbal, written, visual).

- Feedback identifies what students did well and what to improve next.

- Students use feedback to make immediate corrections or adjustments.

- Instruction is adjusted in real time based on evidence of student understanding. 

3.2 Questioning & Discussion

Look-Fors

-Teacher asks open-ended “why” or “how” questions that prompt reasoning.

-Multiple students contribute to dialogue and build on each other’s ideas.

-Wait time is evident before responses.

-Discussion leads students to refine, justify, or reconsider thinking.

Examples of 2.3 and 3.2 in Practice 

Call to Action: 

As you visit classrooms this month, focus your lens on how teachers check for understanding and extend thinking through purposeful dialogue. The look-fors above offer quick cues for evidence collection; the linked examples show how each indicator looks when present — and what’s missing when it’s not.

Session on Performance Area 3 

School principals are invited to a two-hour, virtual session on Performance Area 3 - Rigorous Assignments (3.1) to be held 9-11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. Held in partnership with Research for Better Teaching (RBT), the session will focus on identifying evidence of rigorous assignments and crafting high-quality action steps aligned to DTGSS 3.1. Principals will gain practical tools for observations, calibration, and feedback, and will earn two hours toward DTGSS re-credentialing. Register for  PDMS course #44134. For more information, access the PA 3.1 flyer. (DDOE contact: Angela Socorso)

Leadership Lift 2025: Sharpening observation and feedback
Principals, strengthen your observation and feedback practice with our new 30-minute quick learning series designed specifically for administrators! These virtual sessions build your skills step-by-step, culminating in a personalized Leader Action Plan to drive teacher growth For more information, view the flyer.

DTGSS sessions for teachers by teachers 
The Delaware Department of Education is offering virtual DTGSS sessions (4:30–5:30 PM) to support educators in strengthening their instructional practices and understanding of the DTGSS process. Each month features a focused theme, with special sessions dedicated to Early Childhood and Special Populations. Participants will earn clock hours toward re-licensure. For more information, view the flyer: DTGSS sessions for teachers by teachers.

DTGSS office hours – Monthly support for observation and feedback
School and district staff are invited to join DTGSS Office Hours, held the third Wednesday of each month from 9:00–10:00 AM, beginning August 20, 2025, through May 20, 2026. These informal, one-on-one support sessions offer space to analyze evidence, refine debrief questions, ask questions about DSC, and strengthen your use of the DTGSS framework. Whether you’re looking to think through feedback or clarify next steps, we’re here to help. Drop in as needed.  Let’s strengthen your DTGSS practice—one thoughtful conversation at a time. We’re here to support you! Join Zoom Meeting here. Contact Angela Socorso.

28 Ways to Quickly Check for Understanding” (Edutopia) — provides numerous formative assessment strategies to gather evidence of student learning. Edutopia

 62 Check for Understanding Strategies to Use During a Lesson” (HMH) — a detailed list of actionable approaches to monitor student learning and adjust instruction. HMH

Questioning Strategies” (Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (University of Illinois)) — explores how to design and use questions that deepen student thinking and discussion. CITL | Illinois

Using Effective Questions to Engage Students” (Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation) — emphasizes designing questions aligned to learning objectives and stimulating peer discussion. Center for Teaching Innovation

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