ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE INSTRUCTIONAL COACH
Overview
Your role as an instructional
coach is to
…provide and communicate a
rationale about why the
improvement of instruction
is essential
Katherine Casey
The Craft of Coaching

Role of the Coach
 Qualifications
 Coach’s

Compact
Responsibilities of the Coach
 Coaching
Continuum
 Coach’s Schedule
 Collaborative Structures
Qualifications


Minimum of three years successful teaching
experience in content area with appropriate
certification (Reading, Mathematics, Science)
Reading/literacy coach must be endorsed or K-12
certified in the area of reading or working toward
that status by completing a minimum of two (2)
reading endorsement competencies of sixty (60) inservice hours each or six (6) semester hours of
college coursework in reading per year (F.S. 6A6.053)
Qualifications






Ability to work with administrators and faculties
Ability to prepare and deliver presentations and
workshops to varying audiences, including content
area teachers and administrators
Ability to provide coaching experiences in
classrooms using the coaching model
Exhibit knowledge of content area
Demonstrate special expertise in high quality
content instruction
Ability to analyze data and use it to inform
instruction
Reading Coach Compact
Mathematics Coach Compact
2011-2012 MATHEMATICS COACH COMPACT
To be completed for each mathematics coach regardless of funding source
Coach Name __________________________________
Employee # ____________
Position # __________
School Name _________________________________
Work Location ________
Payroll Location (Itinerant Coach) ____________
To build the capacity of the Mathematics Coach the Division of Mathematics, Science, and
Advanced Academic Programs will provide the Mathematics Coach with:
 monthly targeted professional development on foundation and coaching skills;
 a medium for networking with other coaches through a coaches’ cadre;
 skills and strategies for making data-driven instructional decisions; and,
 support for implementation of core and supplemental mathematics materials.
Years as a Mathematics Coach _______
Regional Center ______
Principal _________________________________
In addition, the Division of Mathematics, Science, and Advanced Academic Programs will
monitor:
 the professional learning of the coaches via the coaches cadre.
The School Administrator will monitor:
 the appropriate use of the coach’s time as described;
 the reporting of the coach’s daily activities and Coaching Plans;
 the onsite support of the fidelity of the implementation of the mathematics program; and,
 the certification status of the coach.
The Mathematics Coach will carry out the following requirements:
Responsibilities
 Coach and Conference with teachers
 Prepare and share research-based materials for departmental growth
 Provide professional development for mathematics personnel
 Monitor the progress of teachers in need of assistance
 Assist with administering student assessments
Tasks
 Pre-post conference with teachers
 Design lessons with teachers
 Model demonstration lessons
 Report and analyze data
 Attend monthly District sponsored professional development (knowledge building, coach conferences,
networking)
 Communicate progress of mathematics coaching efforts with administration and department chairs
Percentage of Time
70%
25%
 Share the Coaching Plan
5%
To comply with the Class Size amendment, coaches who service a single school may be directed to teach only one class. If the coach is teaching a class, please provide the following
information:
Course Title
Class Period
How often does this class meet?
Itinerant Coach should not be given a class assignment. Itinerant coach must submit one compact for EACH school serviced. Please attach a schedule that delineated daily location.
Signatures
Mathematics Coach
Date _______
_______________
Principal
Date ________
_______________
District Administrator
Date _________
_______________
Completed Forms must be sent to:
Work Location 9627, Attention: Avis Raines, no later than Friday, September 16, 2011
Science Coach Compact
2011-2012 SCIENCE COACH COMPACT
To be completed for each science coach regardless of funding source
Coach Name __________________________________
Employee # ____________
Position # __________
School Name _________________________________
Work Location ________
Payroll Location (Itinerant Coach) ____________
To build the capacity of the Science Coach the Division of Mathematics, Science, and Advanced
Academic Programs will provide the Science Coach with:
 monthly targeted professional development on foundation and coaching skills;
 a medium for networking with other coaches through a coaches’ cadre;
 skills and strategies for making data-driven instructional decisions; and,
 support for implementation of core and supplemental science materials.
Years as a Science Coach __________
Regional Center ______
Principal _________________________________
In addition, the Division of Mathematics, Science, and Advanced Academic Programs will
monitor:
 the professional learning of the coaches via the coaches cadre.
The School Administrator will monitor:
 the appropriate use of the coach’s time as described;
 the reporting of the coach’s daily activities and Coaching Plans;
 the onsite support of the fidelity of the implementation of the science program; and,
 the certification status of the coach.
The Science Coach will carry out the following requirements:
Responsibilities
 Coach and Conference with teachers
 Prepare and share research-based materials for departmental growth
 Provide professional development for science personnel
 Monitor the progress of teachers in need of assistance
 Assist with administering student assessments
Tasks
 Pre-post conference with teachers
 Design lessons with teachers
 Model demonstration lessons
 Report and analyzing data
 Attend monthly District sponsored professional development (knowledge building, coach conferences,
networking)
 Communicate progress of science coaching efforts with administration and department chairs
Percentage of Time
70%
25%
 Share the Coaching Plan
5%
To comply with the Class Size amendment, coaches who service a single school may be directed to teach only one class. If the coach is teaching a class, please provide the following
information:
Course Title
Class Period
How often does this class meet?
Itinerant Coach should not be given a class assignment. Itinerant coach must submit one compact for EACH school serviced. Please attach a schedule that delineated daily location.
Signatures
Science Coach
____
Date _________
____________
Principal
Date ___________ ____________
District Administrator
Date ________________________
Completed Forms must be sent to:
Work Location 9627, Attention: Avis Raines, no later than Friday, September 16, 2011
In an effort to make your job more
focused and more effective, you
should be moving from a “provider
of information” to a learning
partner with teachers…
An Instructional Coach Serves



as a professional development liaison within the
school to support, model, and continuously improve
the instructional programs to assure academic
improvement for ALL students.
as a stable resource at the school site to support
high quality implementation of research-based
instruction.
as a mentor in developing ideal content-rich
classrooms
“A common goal guides a … coach to support
the mathematics [science, reading] learning of
all students by supporting teachers to improve
their teaching of mathematics [science,
reading].”
Marilyn Burns (2006)
A Coaching Continuum

Coaching duties take many forms including:
 Facilitating
Workshops

 Providing
Demonstration Lessons; Co-teaching; Observing,
Conferencing, and Debriefing

The constant in all of these activities is that they lead to
better instructional practices and higher student
 Facilitating “teacher self-discovery”
achievement…
A Coaching Continuum
The activities listed on the next slide range from
providing information in order to improve instruction, to
giving teachers actual “coaching” to improve what they
are doing, and finally, to helping teachers examine
what they need and facilitating their development as
master teachers…
Facilitate a
study group
to investigate
common
interest topics
to improve
instruction
and student
achievement.
Co-teach with
colleague to
improve instruction
and student
achievement based
on mutually agreed
upon learning goals
and success
indicators.
Confer,
observe, and
debrief to
improve
instruction
and student
achievement.
Provide an
observation
lesson to improve
instruction and
student
achievement with
feedback and
collaborative
input.
Facilitate
action
research to seek
Resources after
reflection to improve
instruction and
student
achievement.
Facilitate a
workshop
or session
to improve
instruction
and student
achievement
Coaching Continuum
Confer,
Facilitate a
Provide an
Co-teach with
observe,
workshop
observation
colleague to
and
or session
lesson to improve improve instruction
debrief to
to improve
instruction and
and student
instruction
student
achievement based improve
and student achievement with on mutually agreed instruction
and student
achievement
feedback and
upon learning
achievement
collaborative
goals
input
and success
indicators
Highly directive…
Facilitate a
study group
to investigate
common
interest topics
to improve
instruction
and student
achievement
Facilitate
action
research to
seek
resources
after reflection
to improve
instruction and
student
achievement
Highly reflective…
Roles and Responsibilities Aligned
to the Coaching Continuum




Provide initial and ongoing professional
development for classroom teachers via study
groups and daily support.
Planning, developing and/or preparing PD, lessons
for modeling, coaching sessions, etc.
Model effective instructional strategies for teachers
and co-teach in classrooms to increase instructional
density to meet the needs of all learners.
Coach and mentor teachers in the classrooms which
includes observing and providing feedback.
Roles and Responsibilities Aligned
to the Coaching Continuum





Conferencing with teachers regarding lesson
planning, grouping for instruction, and intervention
strategies.
Coordinating, scheduling and facilitating student
assessments.
Analyzing student data to assist teachers with
informing instruction based on student needs.
Continue to increase your knowledge base of best
practices in instruction and intervention.
Maintain, organize and facilitate use of
instructional materials and resources.
Guiding Question
How do each of these categories affect
student achievement and lead to better
instructional practices?
Instructional Coach Schedule
The District Curriculum and Instruction Framework for
Successful Schools requires all coaches:


maintain a daily/weekly schedule
have schedule accessible in an administrators office
Guiding Question
Does the data in your
school justify how you
spend your time?
Opening the Door To Coaching





Administrative direction
Troubleshooting or problem-solving
Follow-up to professional development
Grade-level or department planning meetings
Invitation or request
Collaborative Structures
• Facilitate and foster teacher learning communities
• Address teacher beliefs and orientations
Initial Steps • Determine a core agreed upon set of instructional strategies
• Guide teacher implementation of new instructional skills
• Coaching with co-planning and debriefing
Necessary
Supports • Encourage peer collaboration
• Extend coach’s learning and knowledge
Sustaining • Expand the sphere of influence and teacher leadership
Efforts
The Challenge of Coaching

Creating a feedback mechanism

Clearly delineating outcomes

Planning follow-up based on outcomes
Successful Follow-Up Meetings



Start with what is working and has gone well. This
helps people see their progress and focus on success.
Move to what has not worked so well by framing
concerns or road blocks as
“How could I ……..? “
Ask the person being coached to generate ideas to
move forward, then select specific ones to work on.
Follow-up Reflection
“. . . Follow-up is even more commonly missed when
the coaching is about initiating alternatives. We are so
relieved to have the meeting over with and the
situation handled that we don’t give a second thought
to a follow-up meeting and we are always surprised
when the situation does not miraculously resolve itself.
It is at this point that we often blame the person we
are coaching.”
Kathy Jourdain
Characteristics of Coaching





Supportive rather than
evaluative
Observation-based and
focused
Collects data agreed upon
with the classroom teacher
Shares ideas and practices
Conversations are based on
professional dialogue and
revolve around teaching
and learning issues.





Interaction is collegial
rather than competitive
Relationship is dynamic
and should focus on the
teacher’s need
Reduce isolation
Transfer learning from
theory to practice
Assure a high quality
implementation
Non-Negotiables



All instructional coaches must submit the Coach Compact to the
appropriate subject area District office.
Ensure coaches are not the teacher of record and do not
provide pull out instruction outside the context of providing
professional development for teachers and do not teach more
than 1 class. Exception being itinerant coaches who should not
be given a class assignment.
Instructional coaches (Mathematics, reading, and science) must
provide their daily/weekly schedule in writing to a school
administrator. The schedule must be kept in a binder in the
administrator’s office.
Non-Negotiables



A school administrator must attend the instructional coach
meeting and monitor the implementation of the Coach Action
Plan.
Instructional coaches must provide required Professional
Development to school staff. Evidence should include agenda
and attendance roster.
Maintain fidelity to the Pacing Guides.