Coaching Within a Statewide Multi-Tiered System of Supports

(MTSS)

Steve Goodmansgoodman@oaisd.org

miblsi.cenmi.org

December 6, 2010

Presentation Description

This session will focus on use of coaches to develop competencies around effective practices at the school and district levels. Discussion will address specific practices of coaching at different levels of the school system and ways to support coaches.

MiBLSi is accomplishing its mission of helping schools implement Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

with a two-pronged approach:

1. Working with school building teams to implement effective MTSS practices

2. Working with school districts/ISDs to, in-turn, work with their schools teams to implement effective MTSS practices.

Building local implementation capacity

How do you define coaching within your How do you define coaching within your project?project?

Your TurnYour Turn

Coaching Purpose within MiBLSi

• Enhance the implementation fidelity of Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS)

• Establish capacity for efficient and sustainable implementation of MTSS

• To impact student outcomes in meaningful ways

Coaching for Competence refers to an ongoing professional development process designed to…

• Ensure Implementation and Fidelity– Acquire and improve the skills and abilities needed to implement

an Evidence-Based Practice with fidelity or another well-defined innovation with as intended

– Generalize new and fragile skills to real world settings (classrooms, hallways, team meetings)

• Develop Professional Judgment– Developing a conceptual understanding of the core elements of

the Evidence-Based Practice processes or the core elements of the practices associated with the intervention (focus on function of key program features)

Functions of Training, Coaching, and Technical Assistance

• Training– Specific sessions with formal activities

designed for skill development• Coaching

– Ensuring transfer from training to practice– On-site skill development, enhancing the skills

through prompting and reinforcement• Technical Assistance

– An expert with specific technical/content knowledge provides information to address an identified need with customized solutions.

Do your coaches also serve the functions Do your coaches also serve the functions of trainer and content expert?of trainer and content expert?

Do you see differences in these functions?Do you see differences in these functions?

Your TurnYour Turn

Individual vs. Systems• Individual coaching (sometimes referred

to instructional coaching) – Enhancing the skills of the individual

performer (teacher, principal) around MTSS practices for fidelity and effectiveness

• Systems coaching (e.g., team coaching)– Enhancing the skills of individuals within a

group (team) around their collective practices for implementing/managing MTSS

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support for MiBLSi

StudentsStudents

Building StaffBuilding Staff

Building Building Leadership TeamLeadership Team

LEA District LEA District Leadership TeamLeadership Team

Across State

Multiple District/Building Teams

All staff

All students

Multiple schools w/in local district

Who to Coach…

How is support provided?

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support

Provides coaching for District Teams and technical assistance for Building Teams

Provides guidance and manages implementation

Provides effective practices to support students

Improved behavior and reading

ISD Leadership ISD Leadership TeamTeam

Regional Regional Technical Technical

AssistanceAssistance

MichiganMichiganDepartment of Department of

Education/MiBLSi Education/MiBLSi LeadershipLeadership

Multiple schools w/in intermediate district

Provides guidance, visibility, funding, political support

MiBLSi Statewide Structure of Support

It is important to identify the unit of implementation that will be coached

Intensity of Supports Based on Need and Experience

from K. Blase, 200911

How much to Coach…

Building Team

Local Education

Agency Team

Intermediate School

District Team

State Education

Agency Team

Practices (Intervention)

Supporting Infrastructure

(Implementation)

Grade Level Team

What to Coach: Unit of Implementation

Teacher

Con

text

ual F

ocus

Unit of Implementation

What to Coach: Stages of ImplementationFocusFocus StageStage DescriptionDescription

Exploration/Adoption

Decision regarding commitment to adopting the program/practices and supporting successful implementation.

Installation Set up infrastructure so that successful implementation can take place and be supported. Establish team and data systems, conduct audit, develop plan.

Initial Implementation

Try out the practices, work out details, learn and improve before expanding to other contexts.

Elaboration Expand the program/practices to other locations, individuals, times- adjust from learning in initial implementation.

Continuous Improvement/Regeneration

Make it easier, more efficient. Embed within current practices.

Coaching at the Classroom LevelCoaching at the Classroom Level

Who provides coaching?

Who coaches the coaches?

• Peer coaching• Reading consultant• Behavior consultant• Teacher consultant• Psychologist• Social Worker

• External Coach

Providing Conceptual Feedback

• Whenever possible, coaching should involve providing “Conceptual” feedback regarding the “Big Ideas” of the practice or intervention

• Make the general point first then illustrate it with examples from data sources (Practice Profile rubric data, permanent products, student data, observational data)

Coaching at the School (Building) Coaching at the School (Building) Leadership Team LevelLeadership Team Level

Who provides coaching?

Who coaches the coaches?

• Peer coaching• Reading consultant• Behavior consultant• Teacher consultant• Psychologist• Social Worker

• External Coach

Implementation Guide(Practice Profiles)

• Identifies critical components• For each critical component:

– Identifies gold standard– Identifies acceptable variations in

practice– Identifies ineffective practices and

undesirable practices

Adapted from the work of W. David Tilly III, and Heartland Area Education Agency 11, Iowa

Practice Profile: Building Leadership Team Example

18

Coaching at Building Level• Focus on building capacity within district and across

school buildings.

• May serve as a district or building level coach.

• May provide support to team leaders to develop skills and capacity.

• May provide support to other coaches at the building level.

• Provide communication link between district leadership team and building leadership teams.

Coaching at the Coaching at the District Leadership Team LevelDistrict Leadership Team Level

Who provides coaching?

Who coaches the coaches?

• MiBLSi Technical Assistance Partner (TAP)

• District Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) coordinator

• MiBLSi TAP Coordinator

• MiBLSi Director/Assistant Director

• Intermediate School District (ISD) MTSS coordinator

Practice Profile: District Leadership Team Example

Practice Profile: District Leadership Team Example

21

Coaching Activities at District Level• Monitor the functioning of the Implementation

team

• Prompt effective meeting mechanics, maintaining focus on “big idea”, using data, creating an action plan, acknowledging progress

• Addressing any road block team is experiencing

– Multiple conversations at one time, decisions made without consensus or input, dismissing a task as “completed” without any evidence, conversations straying to variables beyond their control etc.

Coaching at the Coaching at the Intermediate School District Intermediate School District

Leadership Team LevelLeadership Team LevelWho provides coaching?

Who coaches the coaches?

• MiBLSi Technical Assistance Partner (TAP)

• Intermediate School District (ISD) Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) coordinator

• MiBLSi TAP Coordinator

• MiBLSi Director/Assistant Director

Coaching at Intermediate School District Level

• Focus on building capacity at the district level, and potentially, across districts.

• May provide support to District-level coaches to develop skills and capacity in their role.

• May provide a more objective view, at times.

• Communication beyond the district level, connection with state.

Guided Notes for District Meeting

Guided Notes Coaching Checklist

Who provides coaching in your project?Who provides coaching in your project?

Your TurnYour Turn

Supporting Coaching

• Application of Implementation Drivers– Selection– Training– Coaching– Information– Materials

Coaching SelectionCoaching Selection– Identification of coach is embedded in application

process…

– Description of what a coach does

• Works with the schools over the course of the three years of participation, attend meeting, attend training.

– Description of possible individuals who provide coaching function

• Typically a professional who already works in a training or consultation role (Psychologist, Social Worker, Teacher Consultant, Reading Specialist)

– Background knowledge in reading or behavior support.

Example Coach Job Description from MiBLSi

Training CoachesTraining Coaches• Annual state coaches conference• Regional coaches meetings• Sessions at state implementer’s

conference

Coaching CoachesCoaching Coaches

Providing Information, Tools, and Providing Information, Tools, and ResourcesResources

• Professional Learning unit of project provides staff to develop materials and provide support

• Section on Website• Coaching tools and manual created• Work with districts implementation

teams/leadership to create a coaching structure

35

Coaching introduction and expectations

Data-Based Decision Making: Facilitator Guide

Guiding Questions for Team Guiding Questions for Facilitator38

Coaching Newsletters

School Implementation of SWPBS Coaching Support Plan

A tool for coaches to help schools achieve two goals

1. School will meet the TIC criteria of 80% or more of items achieved by the end of this school year

2. Every school will have the procedures and materials in place for full PBS implementation

What are ways that your project works to What are ways that your project works to develop coaching capacity (e.g., data develop coaching capacity (e.g., data system, information, resources, incentives) system, information, resources, incentives) to support implementers?to support implementers?

Your TurnYour Turn

Investing in Coaches: One School ExampleAverage Major Discipline Referrals per Day per Month

Coach returns Coach returns from leavefrom leave

One School’s Example

Comparison of Schoolwide Evaluation Tool (SET) Scores after training and after MiBLSi

Implementation (with coaching supports)

Effects of Coaching on PBIS Team Implementation Checklist Results