Onsite Implementation & Teacher Literacy and Math Coaching Support

Research and CORE’s own experience have shown that teacher literacy coaching and math coaching are vital for professional development to be effective and have long-term and sustained benefits. CORE’s Site Implementation, Standards Alignment and Consultation are critical components of CORE expert support. Site assistance is provided in tandem with whole district implementation to develop a seamless system that ensures equity across all sites. Specific content is determined in consultation between CORE and the school and/or district leadership. During the site visit, CORE Educational Consultants work informally with small groups of teachers, coaches and administrators. Site visits and/or demonstration site visits provide the following important services:

Collaborative Planning — The first CORE site visit is a crucial planning day to identify specific implementation issues and plan for organization, resources and support needs. A CORE Educational Consultant initiates or reviews your comprehensive school literacy and/or mathematics plan, including organization of instruction, implementation of a multi-tiered model, student grouping, time allocations, materials, personnel usage, and planned staff development. In addition, the Consultant helps you develop a pacing calendar. The Consultant conducts initial walk-through visits to classrooms. This session should include your leadership team.

Classroom Teacher Literacy Coaching, Math Coaching, Lesson Study, Program Planning — The Consultant provides a number of services directly to classroom teachers. With the local coach, she or he provides teacher literacy coaching and math coaching based on direct observation and feedback. The Consultant also conducts collaboratively planned demonstration lessons, using your adopted materials. With the coach, the Consultant works with small groups of teachers to plan grade-level grouping and interventions based on analysis of assessment data. The Consultant also works with small groups of teachers to provide review and deeper understanding of adopted instructional materials, resolve implementation issues, and provide coaching on implementing effective instructional techniques. The number of classrooms and teachers visited during any one day depends on the priorities of the school leadership and the specific issues the Consultant needs to address.

Multi-tiered System of Supports/ Response to Instruction and Intervention — For schools implementing MTSS/RtI, the CORE Consultant can provide support with data analysis, planning for robust materials and appropriate assessments and goal setting and problem-solving.

Executive Coaching — For school administrators, the Consultant provides personal literacy and math coaching sessions that combine professional development with a discussion of instructional materials and visits to selected classrooms to calibrate observations and monitor program implementation. The Consultant works closely with the building administrator to ensure he or she understands how the instructional program is designed, what effective implementation of a core curriculum and supplemental intervention programs looks like, and how to use data to leverage improved achievement. Through regular classroom walk-throughs and facilitated sessions, the CORE Consultant supports the building leadership to have the knowledge, tools and confidence to lead long-term and sustained literacy and/or mathematics improvement efforts.

Mentored Practice for Coaches — Part of the site visit allocation is devoted to building expertise of coaches and teacher leaders so that they are in turn able to provide teacher literacy coaching and math coaching. The Consultant mentors the coaches as they model lessons, observe and debrief teachers, conduct data study sessions, and analyze test data. The Consultant assists the coaches to facilitate onsite collaborative conversations and develop solutions to implementation challenges.

Alignment of Instruction to Standards — The CORE consultant will work with staff to map instruction and your curriculum materials to ensure tight alignment of instruction to your State Standards.

Assessment Support — Regular use of screening and progress-monitoring data can make intervention planning dramatically more effective. The Consultant provides assistance in the use of assessment instruments, including diagnostic data, screening and progress-monitoring instruments, both CBM and curriculum-embedded assessments. The Consultant works closely with teachers, the principal, curriculum specialists, and coaches to show them how to analyze the data to plan student groupings and specific interventions. Teachers who have learned to incorporate such data into their teaching practice frequently respond positively to the growth they see in their own students’ reading fluency and/or mathematics proficiency.

Implementation of Scientifically Based Instructional Materials — The CORE Consultant can provide, if needed, help with an analysis of your program needs and your choice of the optimal program. Since CORE does not publish instructional materials and is not aligned with any one textbook publisher, the Consultant can provide impartial advice. The CORE Consultant team is familiar with many comprehensive, intervention and supplemental materials supported by scientific research.

Specialized Program Review Sessions for Preschool, Elementary School, or Middle/High School Intervention or Core Programs — The Consultant can provide a two-day customized review and refresher for teachers new to a program. A third day can focus on setting up the classrooms. Following initial publisher training, the CORE consultant will work for two days with elementary or middle/high school staffs by grade level or team to review routines as follows:

Day 1: Preschool, K and grade 1, each for three hours

Day 2: Grades 2–3 and 4–6, each for three hours

For middle/high school intervention programs, teachers may be supported in teams.

Off site continued support — Through a combination of onsite, phone and email support, reports, and development of client resources (agendas, planning templates) the Consultant manages the CORE program of services closely with site administrators and teacher leaders and serves as the liaison to CORE.

Demonstration Site Implementation and Practice — When CORE is supporting the implementation of a comprehensive, district-wide literacy and/or mathematics approach, selected sites are identified by the district to serve as the venues for district literacy and/or math specialist, coach and site and district administrator practice. During visits to demonstration sites, district leadership will practice their observation skills, calibrate observations, observe model lessons, and observe data study. Coaches will practice their literacy and math coaching skills together and also calibrate observations and practice model lessons.

Participant Outcomes

• Identify specific implementation issues and plan for organization, resources and support needs.
• Deepen the expertise of school leaders through training on instructional materials and assessment, as well as visits to selected classrooms to observe instruction and practice teacher literacy and math coaching and feedback.
• Improve classroom instruction as the CORE Consultant models high-leverage practices and lessons in classrooms and conducts classroom observations and teacher literacy coaching and math coaching.
• Help teachers more deeply understand adopted instructional materials and resolve implementation-related issues.
• Enable all instructional staff to use data to plan student groupings and interventions.
• Help coaches learn to analyze test data, facilitate onsite collaborative conversations and develop solutions to implementation challenges.
• Alignment of instruction to standards.

Levels: PreK–12

Audience: Specific services are determined during planning for each visit. The principal or site administrator and other instructional leaders are requested to participate in all visits.