Beyond Compliance: Creating Respectful, Relationship-Rich Classrooms with Rubric A-4 of the EPiC™ Key Assessment

What does it really look like when teacher candidates foster classrooms where every student feels valued, heard, and safe to learn? Rubric A-4 of the EPiC™ Key Assessment, Respectful Classroom Interactions, goes beyond surface-level civility to evaluate how well candidates build inclusive, relationship-centered learning environments. This installment in our EPiC Implementation Series explores how EPPs can support candidates in modeling respectful communication, promoting peer collaboration, and setting consistent, high expectations for student interactions—cornerstones of a thriving classroom culture.

To help candidates demonstrate these competencies, the EPiC team has compiled practical strategies and examples for building a respectful learning space.

 📽️ Watch: Tips for Rubric A-4 – Respectful Classroom Interactions

Tips for Success on Rubric A-4

✓ Build Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

Tip: Establish a respectful and encouraging rapport with students by routinely engaging with them in a professional manner.

Example: Use students’ names regularly, acknowledge their contributions, and demonstrate interest in their ideas. 

✓ Foster Respectful Student-Student Interactions

Tip: Create opportunities for students to work together in ways that promote cooperation, listening, and mutual respect.

Example: Lead structured group discussions where students are encouraged to share their thinking and respond thoughtfully to one another. 

✓ Promote a Positive Classroom Environment

Tip: Set clear expectations for how students interact with one another and consistently reinforce those expectations.

Example: Establish discussion norms such as:

• One speaker at a time

• Equal participation

• Build on each other’s ideas

These norms help create a classroom climate where all students feel comfortable sharing.

✓ Plan Intentional Student Interactions

Tip: Design lessons and learning activities that encourage students to engage with different viewpoints and communicate respectfully.

Example: Use real-world examples, case studies, or guest speakers to help students consider multiple perspectives and practice effective communication in varied contexts.

✓ Collecting Strong Evidence

Teacher-Student Interactions:

Look for video segments that show respectful exchanges, such as offering encouragement, affirming student ideas, or giving constructive feedback. For example:

“Jasmine, your comments about the Industrial Revolution’s impact on local communities were really insightful. Could you share more about how you think these changes affected different social groups in your hometown?”

Student-Student Interactions: 

Include clips where students participate in small groups or class discussions, demonstrating respectful listening, thoughtful responses, and positive peer interactions.

By applying these strategies and collecting relevant video evidence, teacher candidates can demonstrate their ability to create and maintain a classroom environment where respect is modeled, reinforced, and expected.

Next up: Rubric A-5 – Using Questioning Strategies to Develop Complex Thinking