Interview guide for teachers: a loop with a demo lesson, a data task and a parent conference

A teacher hire affects a classroom of students for at least a year, and usually far longer. Panel interviews alone favor candidates who talk well about teaching. What principals need to see is teaching itself: how a candidate opens a lesson, checks whether students understand, responds to a student who is lost, uses assessment data to plan the next day, and talks with a worried parent. This guide gives principals and hiring committees a loop for a K–12 classroom teacher: certification and safety checks, four stages, owners, a scored demo lesson, a student data task, a parent conference role-play, example weights and a decision rule. Adjustments for special education, early childhood, substitutes and new teachers are at the end.

The screening calls for related roles are in special education teacher screening questions, substitute teacher screening questions and early childhood educator screening questions.

The loop at a glance

Stages 2 to 4 fit into one visit of about two hours. Teachers already working usually need a late afternoon slot or a release day, so offer both.

Stage 1: the screen (20 minutes)

• "Which grades and subjects have you taught, and which are you certified for?" Compare the answer with the lookup.
• "This position includes [duties: lunch supervision, a club, bus duty]. How does that fit?" State the extra duties plainly.
• "Here is how we place new hires on the salary schedule." Tell candidates early; surprises at offer stage lose good teachers.

Stage 2: panel interview (40 minutes)

1. "Tell me about the first two weeks of school in your classroom. What do you teach before content?" Listen for: routines and expectations taught and practiced, and relationships built deliberately.
2. "Tell me about a student whose behavior disrupted learning. What did you do over the following weeks?" Listen for: understanding causes, consistent responses, contact with family and support staff, and the student staying in learning.
3. "Tell me about a lesson that did not work. How did you know, and what did you change?" Listen for: evidence from student work, not just a feeling.
4. "Tell me about planning with colleagues. What did you contribute, and where did you disagree?" Listen for: sharing materials and accepting team decisions.
5. "How do you make sure students with IEPs, 504 plans or English learner supports get what their plans require?" Listen for: reading the plans, working with specialists, and specific accommodations in their own classroom.

Brief the panel on questions to avoid, such as family plans, age or religion, and ask every candidate the same core questions in the same order.

Stage 3: demo lesson and data task (45 minutes)

The demo lesson (20 minutes plus 5 minutes of reflection)

Two days ahead, send every candidate the same brief: grade, topic (for example, adding fractions with unlike denominators in grade 5), what students learned last week, and a class profile that includes two English learners, a student with an IEP for reading, and a student working above grade level. A real class is best; otherwise panel members play the profiles from written cards.

• Listen for: a clear objective stated in student language, a short model, students doing the work early, at least one check for understanding of everyone (not just volunteers), and an adjustment when a "student" is confused.
• Reflection: "What did you see that tells you who understood? What would you teach tomorrow?" Listen for: specific evidence from the lesson.

The data task (20 minutes)

Give a one-page invented exit ticket summary for 24 students on the same skill: about half correct, a group making the same error, and three students who did not attempt it. Ask: "Plan the first 15 minutes of tomorrow's lesson." Listen for: naming the misconception, grouping students by need, and a plan for the three non-attempts beyond "reteach."

Stage 4: parent conference role-play (15 minutes)

An assistant principal or counselor plays a parent upset that their child's grade dropped from a B to a D and who believes the teacher "has it in for" the child. Listen for: listening first, specific evidence about the student's work, a shared plan with dates, an offer to follow up, and staying calm without promising grade changes.

Scorecard competencies and weights

Example weights for a general education classroom teacher. Lock yours before the first candidate.

The scorecard builder prints a sheet per panel member and checks that the weights add up to 100.

Certification, background checks and safety, as of October 2026

These points were checked against the linked primary sources as of October 2026. Certification and background check requirements are set mainly by state law and district policy. This is not legal advice.

• Certification. Verify the certificate on the public lookup run by the state education agency or educator standards board that issued it, and confirm the subject and grade endorsements cover the assignment. Out-of-state certificates may need a state-specific route before the teacher can be placed.
• "Pass the trash" prohibition. Under 20 U.S.C. 7926, a state, state educational agency or local educational agency receiving funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act must have laws, regulations or policies that prohibit school employees, contractors and agents from helping a school employee get a new job, apart from routine transmission of personnel files, when they know or have probable cause to believe that person engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student. Ask former principals directly about student safety in every reference check.
• Background checks. Your state sets which checks are required before a teacher may start. If a district uses a background check company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act's disclosure, authorization and pre-adverse action steps also apply (15 U.S.C. 1681b(b)); see the FCRA process.

The reference call structure is in the reference check template.

The decision rule

1. Gate 1: certification verified for the assignment, or an approved route your state allows.
2. Gate 2: no student safety concern from references or required checks.
3. Floors: instruction at 3 or above and classroom management at 3 or above for experienced teachers; 2 or above on management for first-year teachers who score 3 or above on reflection.
4. Weighted total: in this example, 2.8 or higher on a 1–4 scale is a recommendation to hire.
5. Move fast in spring. Strong candidates often accept the first solid offer; set the committee's decision meeting before the visits.

Adjusting the loop

Mistakes that weaken teacher hiring loops

• No demo lesson. Talking about teaching is not teaching.
• A different demo topic for each candidate. Fix the topic and profile for the whole search.
• Skipping the safety reference question. Ask it every time, in the same words.
• Hiring in August. Start in spring and decide within days of the visit.

After the hire, the 30-60-90 day plan for teachers covers the first quarter.