Get Their Attention—And Keep It: How to Succeed on Rubric A-3 of the EPiC™ Key Assessment

This installment of the EPiC™ Key Assessment Implementation Series focuses on Rubric A-3: Engaging Students in Learning. This portion of the assessment evaluates a candidate’s ability to actively involve students in meaningful learning and to reflect thoughtfully on what makes that engagement effective.

To support teacher candidates in planning and recording lessons that meet the expectations of Rubric A-3, the EPiC team has created a short video filled with actionable tips and reminders.

📽️ Watch: Tips for Rubric A-3 – Engaging Students in Learning 

Key Tips for Success on Rubric A-3

✅ Secure Permissions Early 

Before recording begins, candidates should ensure that all required permissions are in place. This includes clearly communicating with administrators and families about the purpose of the video and collecting any necessary consent forms. Early communication helps avoid delays and missed opportunities for capturing quality footage.

✅ Plan with Engagement in Mind 

Lessons should be designed to actively involve students in meaningful learning, not just listening, but thinking, discussing, and doing. Candidates are encouraged to use strategies such as:

• Small Group or Partner Work: Assign students to work in pairs or small groups to solve a problem, analyze a text, or create a product. For example, in a science lesson, students might rotate through hands-on investigation stations and then discuss their findings in small groups.

• Hands-On Learning Opportunities: Provide tasks that require students to manipulate materials, build models, or engage in simulations. In a math class, students might use manipulatives to explore number relationships, or in social studies, they might role-play a historical debate to deepen understanding.

• Purposeful Questioning: Use open-ended, higher-order questions that prompt discussion, analysis, and reasoning. Instead of asking for recall (“What is the main idea?”), candidates might ask, “Why do you think the character made that choice? What would you have done differently?”

• Technology Integration (when appropriate): Incorporate tools such as interactive polls, virtual whiteboards, or collaborative documents to increase participation. For example, students could use Padlet to post responses to a prompt or Flip to record short video reflections.

Most importantly, candidates should draw on students’ prior knowledge by making explicit connections between past learning and the new content. This might involve starting with a brief review, referencing a familiar concept, or asking students to share relevant personal experiences before moving on to the lesson’s core objective.

✅ Record All Three Lessons 

Recording all three lessons provides flexibility when selecting video evidence. Candidates should ensure that recordings capture both teacher and student interactions, with high-quality audio that allows scorers to hear the student's responses.

✅ Choose Video Clips Strategically 

Candidates will submit two to four video clips, totaling no more than 25 minutes in length. These clips must be continuous (not spliced) and should highlight clear examples of student engagement. Using a video organizer to tag moments in advance can help candidates identify the most effective clips. When responding to Critical Analysis prompts, citing specific timestamps strengthens the clarity and credibility of their reflections.

✅ Reflect with Intention 

In the written analysis, candidates should reflect on the success of their engagement strategies. Were students participating meaningfully? Did they respond as expected? Candidates should explain why specific approaches worked and how they might adjust their instruction in the future based on what they observed.

Rubric A-3 offers teacher candidates the opportunity to showcase how they bring lessons to life—and how they create a learning environment where students are not just present, but actively participating. By planning intentionally, recording thoughtfully, and reflecting honestly, candidates can demonstrate the depth of their instructional practice.

Next up: Rubric A-4 – Respectful Classroom Interactions.