Common Ground Framework

CA3.A

Recognize the experiences of learners, educators, educational leaders, families, and caregivers and the diverse knowledge they bring into educational spaces.

CA3.B

Integrate multiple perspectives into learning experiences and interactions that capitalize on learners’ experiences, identities, and heritage.

CA3.C

Recognize that learners are connected to local and global communities and events that influence and impact learning, relationships, and the understanding of institutions and society.

CA3.D

Analyze their own beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, and behaviors regarding the knowledge and backgrounds of social groups, thinking critically about the nuances of culture, identity, and other social markers, and how they manifest themselves in curricula and other educational materials.

CA3.E

Design learning experiences and spaces for learners to identify and question economic, political, and social structures that may exist in the school, community, nation, and world.

CA3.F

Provide rigorous learning experiences and relevant projects in culturally supportive spaces that integrate advocacy skills, listening and thinking, collaboration, resource gathering, and strategic actions.

CA4.A

Design instruction and assessments to ensure all learners have equitable access to educational resources, experiences, and opportunities.

CA4.B

Create an equitable learning environment by challenging and debunking stereotypes and biases about the intelligence, academic ability, and behavior of historically marginalized learners, educators, educational leaders, families, and caregivers (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion).

CA4.C

Utilize differentiated methods of communication to articulate clear expectations aligned with the ability of each learner, which allows them to demonstrate knowledge through differentiated modalities.

CA4.D

Create multiple pathways and opportunities for students to achieve academic and social success.

CA5.A

Recognize and reflect on diversity as an asset to the entire learning community.

CA5.B

Recognize and acknowledge the cultural, racial, and linguistic differences of learners, educators, educational leaders, and families (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion).

CA5.C

Assess how learners from different backgrounds experience the environment and encourage them to reflect on their own experiences with bias.

CA5.D

Exhibit sensitivity to the ways learners, educators, educational leaders, families, and caregivers (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion) experience social and academic spaces.

CA5.E

Assist learners in valuing their own and others' cultures and help them develop a sense of responsibility for recognizing, responding to, and addressing bias, discrimination, injustice, and bullying.

CA6.A

Recognize that every family/caregiver, regardless of their differences (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion) want the best for their children.

CA6.B

Acknowledge the cultural aspects of the community as an extension of their teaching spaces.

CA6.C

Identify parents/caregivers as assets and resources.

CA6.D

Understand the nuances of diverse families and the wide range of factors that shape how families interact with educators and schools.

CA6.E

Identify systems, structures, practices, and policies that exclude marginalized learners and historically underrepresented groups (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion).

CA6.F

View family and community engagement as a priority.

CA7.A

Recognize the ways in which culture influences verbal and nonverbal communication.

CA7.B

Employ diverse channels to communicate with families in their first language.

CA7.C

Acknowledge the first language of learners and their families.

CA7.D

Recognize the multi-dialectical nature of language in American society and the social constructs of different dialects, including learners’ natural ways of talking.

CA7.E

Understand that all learners have a choice and a right to practice the language(s) of their culture.

CA8.A

Understand the importance of having high expectations for all learners.

CA8.B

Communicate expectations and a clear framework for all learners, which clarify and articulate the standards to which they are being held.

CA8.C

Foster positive learning spaces that nurture creativity, build high self-esteem, support agency, and lead to self-actualization for all learners.

CA8.D

Understand that learners have the right and are capable of contributing to their own learning.

CA8.E

Develop authentic relationships with learners.

CA8.F

Recognize the integral role parents/caregivers play in their students’ education and work closely with them to set mutually agreed-upon goals and devise a plan for accountability that is supported by all individuals.

CA9.A

Recognize comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude and take steps to educate oneself about the subtle, unintentional ways in which these may be used to harm and invalidate others.

CA9.B

Identify and self-assess the impact of the various types of comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude and the specific communities and subgroups harmed by these practices.

CA9.C

Research and reflect upon the long-term impact of unchecked comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude on the mental and emotional health of marginalized and historically underrepresented learners, educators, educational leaders, and parents/caregivers (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion).

CA9.D

Understand the relationship between impact and intent.

CA9.E

Create learning communities and spaces that are inclusive and free of negative comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude.

CA9.F

Engage in affirming and reflexive practices that validate others.

TA3.A

Develop practices that promote a sense of belonging and connection within the classroom setting.

TA3.B

Develop lesson plans and activities that build upon identified student strengths and encourage growth.

TA3.C

Select and implement age-appropriate social and emotional learning activities and strategies.

TA3.D

Integrate social and emotional learning skills (e.g. problem-solving, communication, self-awareness, relationship building) into existing curriculum.

TA3.E

Identify and model techniques for managing emotions, coping with stress, and regulating the nervous system.

TA3.F

Recognize changes in student behavior, mood, and performance that may be an early warning sign for mental health concerns.

TA3.G

Understand the importance of collaborating with parents, school- based mental health professionals, and community resources to support students.

TA3.H

Recognize how cultural backgrounds can influence experiences of trauma and identify appropriate supports.

TA3.I

Demonstrate knowledge of self-care practices to manage stress and maintain professional boundaries with students and families by creating a self-care plan.

TA4.A

Understand dimensions of wellness, including emotional, physiological, psychological, physical, and social wellness.

TA4.B

Identify ways to create a safe and inclusive classroom atmosphere where students feel comfortable discussing mental health.

TA4.C

Demonstrate ability to teach and model stress management techniques to students (e.g. deep breathing, mindfulness, grounding, relaxation exercises).

TA5.A

Develop strategies to create a classroom environment that feels physically and psychologically safe with clear routines and expectations.

TA5.B

Identify how building trusting and supportive relationships by demonstrating empathy and compassion in interactions with students and families fosters a sense of belonging and connection.

TA5.C

Explain how creating a sense of belonging in a classroom, increases perceptions of safety and improves student and staff cognitive processing and learning.

TA5.D

Use activities and strategies that help students develop skills to manage emotions, cope with stress, and regulate their nervous system.

TA5.E

Describe how to modify instruction and assessments to be sensitive to the needs of students who have experienced trauma.

TA5.F

Discuss reasons why negative consequences and punishment are not effective approaches for changing challenging behaviors and how using these approaches impacts the relationship building process.

TA5.G

Discuss components of alternative discipline approaches and how they are effective at changing behaviors.

TA6.A

Explain how trauma can contribute to chronic absenteeism and negatively impact student achievement

TA6.B

Discuss the importance of addressing the root causes of absenteeism, including potential trauma experiences.

TA6.C

Explain how student trauma can create challenges for teacher effectiveness and classroom management.

TA6.D

Discuss the potential for compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress among educators.

TA6.E

Analyze how traditional disciplinary approaches might be ineffective for students impacted by trauma.

TA6.F

Analyze how all these factors (classroom disruptions, disciplinary issues, absenteeism, and teacher stress) contribute to decreased student achievement.

TA7.A

Define self-care, community self-care, and organizational self-care.

TA7.B

Identify the signs of burnout and stress and understand the impact on teaching performance and personal stress.

TA7.C

Create a self-care plan, utilizing a self-assessment of self-care practices, that includes specific strategies based on individually identified needs and preferences for self-care (e.g. mindfulness, exercise, work-life balance, nature).

TA7.D

Develop skills to recognize and process emotions effectively, including ways to manage stress and anxiety in work and personal life (e.g. grounding, deep breathing, neutralizing routines).

TA7.E

Explain the importance of professional relationships on the development of professional resiliency.

TA7.F

Identify signs that professional support is necessary for mental health.

TVE3.A

Plan for and implement digital devices and resources in the teaching process to enhance the effectiveness of teaching, learning, and interventions. Experiment with and develop new formats and pedagogical methods for instruction.

TVE3.B

Use digital technologies and services to enhance interaction with learners and offer timely and targeted guidance and assistance.

TVE3.C

Use digital technologies to foster and enhance learner collaboration.

TVE4.A

Use digital technologies for formative and summative assessment and enhance the diversity and suitability of assessment formats and approaches. Generate, select, critically analyze, and interpret digital evidence on learner performance/ progress to inform teaching and learning.

TVE4.B

Use digital technologies to provide targeted and timely feedback to learners and adapt teaching strategies to provide targeted support.

TVE5.A

Develop plans to ensure equitable accessibility and inclusion of learning resources and activities to all learners. 

TVE5.B

Use digital technologies to address learners' diverse learning needs and allow for individual learning pathways and objectives.

TVE5.C

Use digital technologies to foster learners' active and creative engagement with subject matter.

TVE6.A

Create learning activities, assignments, and assessments which require learners to articulate information needs; find information and resources in digital environments; organize, process, analyze and interpret information; and compare and critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of information and its sources.

TVE6.B

Create learning activities, assignments, and assessments that require learners to effectively and responsibly use digital technologies for communication, collaboration, and civic participation.

TVE6.C

Design lessons to ensure learners are competent in safe, legal, and ethical practices that apply to digital content.

TVE6.D

Create learning activities, assignments, and assessments which require learners to identify and solve technical problems and/or transfer technological knowledge creatively to new situations.