Student-Centered Coaching Cycles in Action

"How can we be certain that coaching improves student learning?" (Diane Sweeney, Student Centered Coaching)  This is the driving question behind the Student-Centered Coaching model.  As we looked at various coaching models last year, Diane Sweeney's work aligned with our goals and the work we are already doing around MTSS and PLC's. 
In early October, I began several coaching cycles with teachers.  Two of them centered around supporting teachers in first and second grade with finding guided reading levels of their students through the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment kit.  We then dug into the Literacy Continuum to help set specific goals for the guided groups.  It was exciting to see how much information could be obtained from completing these assessments about our readers that will help guide instruction!
The other two coaching cycles (with a fourth grade teacher and a fifth grade teacher) centered around an Enduring Understanding.  With those teachers, we met and chose an EU to focus on, and began co-planning for that EU instruction during their reading block. 
In fourth grade, we chose EU1 (RL 4.1.1.1), which is: "Refer accurately to a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from literature."  We began by establishing how we wanted students to do this and modeling that thinking process for the students using their anchor text Eagle Song.  Then collaboratively students worked through answering a question that required them to refer accurately to the text.  We provided specific feedback for each group and modeled another example the following day.  Students then worked through one of the responses independently, we collected the work, provided specific feedback, shared exemplars (pointing out the success criteria and where it was evident in the examples).  Based on this information, we pulled groups with like "next steps."  For example, if a student was providing evidence for a part of the question but not the whole question, that is a different next step than those who did not initially provide specific text evidence.  The growth in just a few weeks has been evident!  With two teachers, there is more time to provide specific feedback and support students with the next steps on the continuum of this particular standard. 
It has been exciting to see the growth in student learning that this coaching model has helped to foster!  If you are interested in getting on my schedule at McKinley or Wilson for coaching cycles, drop me an email: ezeman@Owatonna.k12.mn.us. If you're at Lincoln or Washington, contact Joanne Harmsen at jharmsen@Owatonna.k12.mn.us to get on her schedule.  Katie Coudron is also running coaching cycles at Willow Creek and OJHS; email her at: kcoudron@Owatonna.k12.mn.us.

ESTEM Continues to Grow

A short video describing what we believe will make Owatonna Junior High a successful ESTEM school. OJHS is located in Owatonna, Minnesota and began its journey as an ESTEM school fall 2016.

Owatonna Junior High ESTEM School from Thomas Meagher on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/187047410

Celebrate September plus!

Congratulations on a fantastic six weeks!

First, a brief reflection of all the work that went in over the summer to make this September possible:

Welcome Week

  

A recap of September happenings:

• A crew of retired teachers came in to be trained on the updated DIBELS assessment administration and descended upon all of our K-6 buildings to listen to every single one of our students read.  Grand shout outs to this team, Libby, Joanne, and all of you teachers who helped make this happen. 
  
• Over 5,000 students entered our buildings, excited to learn! 
• Teachers plan hundreds of lessons to engage these kiddos in learning every single day 
• Lots of data points, reflection, and growth prepared to be shared with families at conferences
• Earth moving at Willow Creek and OJHS for building additions

Student Centered Coaching

What Is It?
Student centered coaching is designed to directly impact student learning.  Knowing that a single teacher cannot possibly, realistically, meet the individual needs of all learners, all the time - collaboration with a coach allows teachers to design instruction that targets student achievement.  (Diane Sweeney, Student-Centered Coaching)

How Does It Work?
The most meaningful work and productive results will come from engaging in a coaching cycle.  Elementary literacy coaches will want to facilitate a 4-6 week cycle with a teacher or team of teachers, focused around key learning targets for students to reach.  At the secondary level, coaching cycles may last 3-4 weeks.  Each of these cycles will include a weekly planning session and 2-3 days/week with the coach in the classroom.  When in the classroom, the coach may be co-teaching, gathering student data, or providing agreed-upon feedback to students or teacher.

Goals of the coaching cycle will be student-centered.  During the initial planning session,teacher(s) and coach will identify a goal for student learning and create a plan for assessment to determine where students are.  This formative assessment will help the team design and deliver instruction designed to meet student needs to help them progress toward mastery of the target.  The goal is to move from deliver and assess to assess and deliver!