Professional Development

Coaching is a form of professional development with someone who willingly engages in reflection and learning. Coaching happens in conversation and results in practitioners who make  decisions that further the learning and achievement of all students, every day. 

~Elena Aguilar

Coaching will allow every TTSD teacher the opportunity and resources to reflect on their professional practices and meet their professional goals based on an ever-growing knowledge of how students learn

Job-embedded Personalized Professional Learning (Coaching) 
(Coach creates a bridge for personal reflection and professional growth)

• 1:1 Coaching Check-Ins

  • Coach and principal determine a no-opt out support system where coaches meet with teachers to check-in on a consistent basis (monthly minimum, twice per month ideal)

  • Purpose of Conversations: provide predictable and protected space to engage in collegial conversations rooted in relationship and centered around teachers professional needs. 
     

• Coaching Cycles 

  • A Coaching Cycle is the formal process of professional learning where the teacher identifies a goal and works with a coach to find the necessary resources, experiences or tools needed to impact student learning.

  • Coaching cycles occur with individual teachers and/or teams of teachers, depending on identified needs. For example:

    • Collaborative Goal Setting (Focus-Challenge, Concern, New Learning, etc.)

    • Learning Together (Model, Co-Teach, Video Reflection, Whisper Coaching)

    • Student Data Gathering (Data tool is determined with teacher; To see if practice impacts student learning)

    • Collaborative Reflection (Debrief data together to determine next steps for Teacher and needed supports from the Coach)

    • Learning Walks (peer, team, building)
       

• New Teacher Support

  • Coach intentionally and consistently supports new teachers throughout the school year
     

• Professional goal-setting 

  • Coach meets with teacher to create or share professional goals and plan for meeting goals 

  • Admin works with teachers and coaches through evaluation debrief and then follows up with the teacher on progress

District Level Professional Development 
(Coach creates a bridge between district systems and school implementation)

• Coach collaborates and communicates with District TOSAs and Associate Director of T&L

• Coach acts as a connector between teachers/buildings and District TOSAs/support 

• Coach facilitates/arranges professional learning opportunities for teachers through partnership with District TOSAs/support

Building Instructional Leadership Team
(Coach creates a bridge between school systems and teacher implementation)

• An active member of the school Instructional Leadership Team; working collaboratively with the building leader to develop agendas, collect data, facilitate conversations, etc.

• Collaborative goal setting around school-level coaching, building a culture of coaching (collective efficacy on instructional growth)

• Current reality

• School vision/mission

• Core values 

• Collaborate on staff meeting PD plan

• Collaborate on building-level professional learning

• Facilitate/Co-facilitate learning walks (plan, facilitate, debrief)

Reading Lab Classrooms
Reading lab classrooms are designed to build upon collective efficacy, promote networking among colleagues, encourage shared teaching practices, and provide space for reflection on instructional moves.

Background:
We first began our reading lab classrooms in 2017. Our lab teachers are highly trained in explicit instruction and small group strategies and visits into their classrooms offer a great opportunity for other teachers to observe high quality instruction that is aligned to the practices we've been focused on since initially beginning our work with Jo Robinson in 2015. We have a new group of highly skilled educators who are willing and committed to opening up their classrooms in an effort to share research-based instructional strategies with others.

Process:
All lab visits will be guided by the building instructional coach and/or our K-5 Literacy Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA). Prior to visiting a lab classroom, each teacher will be asked to select an area of focus that they'll "look for" while observing the lab teacher. Afterwards, they'll debrief, plan next steps for implementation, and create a follow-up plan.

We agree to the following co-planning non-negotiables:

• Co-planning Norms

  • Collaboratively examine formative assessment data to make instructional decisions
  • Dedicate specific blocks of time to co-planning
  • Communicate that both teachers have equal “stake” in teaching classes (e.g., syllabus, classroom doors, emails, etc.)
     

• Co-planning expectations for lessons and units

  • Lesson design

    • Partners contribute their respective strengths to the lesson design. 

      • Specialists contribute their expertise for scaffolding and differentiation for student language and learning needs and have the responsibility of learning sufficient classroom content

      • Classroom teachers contribute their content expertise and have the responsibility of implementing learning scaffolds, language supports and accommodations to meet individual student needs
         

    • Both partners design student scaffolds based on their needs. 

      • These supports include oracy routines, checks for understanding, exit tickets, vocabulary routines;

      • with consideration/anticipation of barriers that may cause student misconceptions or common errors and differentiated activities pre-planned;

      • with consideration for student English language proficiency.
         

    • Focus on both content and language standards and the language demands of the content standards
       

  • Unit design

    • Where available, co-teaching partners identify opportunities for support in curriculum maps

    • Share material and resource preparation
       

• Professional learning considerations

  • ELP Standards, how to use them

  • Language and learning outcomes (learning goals, objectives, etc.)

  • EL/Learning Specialists participate in developing unit maps and scope and sequence documents

  • Scaffolding

We agree to the following co-teaching non-negotiables:

• Include co-teaching model (duet, parallel, etc) for each activity in lesson plans, using these definitions for the models.
   

• Instructional routines include an emphasis on authentic, intentional, supported student talk. These routines may include:

  • 4 oracy strategies

  • Lines of Communication

  • Stronger/clearer each time 

  • Jeff Zwiers discourse tools
     

• Share instructional responsibilities between co-teachers 

  • Partners are present and actively engaged during class times

  • Specialists and classroom teachers honor the schedule agreements (e.g., passing time, start time)

  • All decisions are team decisions. Colleagues honor the plan they developed, unless changes are discussed and agreed upon. 
     

• The lesson includes content and language instruction

  • It’s not ELD without the ELP Standards.

  • The lesson includes attention to individual student goals, accommodations and modifications based on IEP and 504 plans. 
     

• Open and consistent communication (preference for communication to be determined by co-teaching norms)

We agree to the following co-assessment non-negotiables:

• Work together to develop daily assessments for learning.

• Examine student formative assessment data and plan accordingly so that each student reaches language and content standards

• Define norms for, and share the responsibility of providing timely feedback to students and families about student learning.

• Design lessons and assessments based on both language and content standards.

• All assessments are accompanied by standards-based task rubrics.

• Decide how frequently formative and summative assessments are scheduled. 

• When we meet to create assessments together.