Artifacts vs. Evidence

One of the questions I frequently get asked is, "What is the difference between an artifact and evidence?"  I have to admit, it took me a while to nail this one down, and there are very few resources explaining how each is used in the Educator Effectiveness process.  What I should have done is to start with my prior knowledge.

In the social sciences, an artifact is a piece of history.  Merriam-Webster defines artifact as, "something created by humans usually for a practical purpose; especially :  an object remaining from a particular period."  In comparison, evidence is, "an outward sign, or something that furnishes proof."

Applying that knowledge to the Educator Effectiveness process, an artifact is something that you have created (for the practical purpose of enhancing instruction and improving student success).  Examples of artifacts include a lesson plan, notes about individual student abilities and special needs, or a rubric for an assignment with a spreadsheet of student scores.  All of these are items that you create and can attach to your SLO or PPG.  
Evidence, on the other hand, is what that artifact demonstrates.  Your artifacts provide evidence of certain domains in the Danielson framework.  When reviewing your SLO and PPG, administrators will look at your artifacts seeking evidence of your proficiency in domains 1 and 4.  It is their hope that you use a few artifacts that provide evidence for several domains. 

For example, that lesson plan mentioned above may contain evidence of the following domains: 

Component of Lesson Plan	Evidence for Domain
Learning target	1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes
Explanation of how this lesson fits into larger unit or connects to standards	1e. Designing Coherent Instruction
Questions for higher-level thinking	1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
Options for differentiation	1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Use of technology, community resources, varied text levels, etc.	1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
Sample formative assessment used during the lesson with a reflection on how the feedback was used to inform instruction.	1f: Designing Student Assessments 4a: Reflecting on Teaching

That pretty much covers domain 1, with only one artifact!  Teachscape gave us the option to "tag" artifacts so that they were labeled with the appropriate domain.  If you are working outside of Teachscape this year (which we recommend), you will need to do the tagging yourself.  As you collect artifacts, simply label them with the domain(s) that they represent.  Remember that you only need to provide evidence of domains 1 and 4.