INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LITERACY COACHES

1. INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LITERACY COACHES The South Carolina Program of Professional Development for K-12 Literacy Coaches: A State and IHE Work Together

2. South Carolina Program • Where we started • The design of the professional development and coaching • Lessons we have learned • Where we are now

3. Where we started

4. Evolution of Change in Teaching Theoretical Constructs & Personal Knowledge Demonstration Conversation Reflection Problem-solving Reasoning Observation Coaching Change in Teaching Cycles of use New Ideas & Procedures Practical Knowledge & Experience

5. Participation in the professional community • Change evolves as professionals connect, construct meaning together, and engage in conversations that deepen their knowledge and their relationship. • All too often in our schools today, students, parents, teachers, and administrators feel a deep absence of authentic relationships in which they are trusted, given responsibility, spoken to honestly and warmly, and treated with dignity and respect. (Poplin & Weers, 1993, p. 19)

6. Research on Teacher Change • 5% of learners will adapt new skills into their practice as a result of theory • 10% will adapt new skills into their practice with theory and demonstration • 20% will adapt new skills into their practice with theory and demonstration, and practice within the training • 25% will adapt new skills into their practice with theory and demonstration, practice within the training, and feedback • 90% will adapt new skills into their practice with theory and demonstration, practice within the training, feedback, and coaching • Joyce, B.R. & Showers, B. (1983). Power in staff development through research on training. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

7. The design of the professional development and coaching An investment: Building teachers’ knowledge and decision-making power

8. Professional Development Plan SCRI Phase I SCRI had 1800+ classroom teachers impacting approximately 36,000

9. Professional Development • Literacy Coaches (four schools) • Three years of university coursework (27 grad. hours) • Monthly 2 days;1 regional day • Summer 1 week EOY; 3 days BOY • Yearly conference • Teachers & Principal--school based volunteer study groups • Three years of university coursework, two times per month for two hours each meeting (9 grad. hours) • Yearly conference

10. Professional Development • Foundations of Reading (3 hours) • Developmental Reading (3 hours) • Assessment and Instructional Decision-making (6 hours;1-on-1, small group) • Language Arts in the Elementary School (3 hours) • Methods of Teaching Writing (3 hours) • Inquiry in Elementary Curriculum (3 hours) • Field Study Seminar & Advanced Field Study Seminar (6 hours)

11. What We Learned • Teaching team needs to live by “less is more” (when it comes to initial content) • SCRI model needs to be changed so that coaches live what they are learning before teaching it to others • Teaching team needs to help coaches more with coaching • Coaches need to help teachers envision new practices • Administrators need to provide considerable support to coach • Administrators need to “seize the moment” and use SCRI as a catalyst for re-inventing school as a learning community

12. Professional Development • Literacy Coaches (1 school) • Four years of university coursework (30 grad. hours) • One year paired with partner teacher (no study group) • Monthly State Study;1 regional day • Summer 1 week EOY; 3 days BOY • Yearly conference • Coaching Course at end of first year of state study • Teachers--school based study groups • Three years of university coursework (9 grad. hours) • Yearly conference

13. Professional Development • Coaching Course--45 hours across 9 days • Topics we study • Building Community • Teacher’s as Learners • Building Trust • Belief’s and Practices and Continuing to Grow • Coaching Strategies • Creating and Sustaining Lift • Internal Change Forces • Organizing for and Managing Change • Standards and Study Groups

14. Professional Development • Structures we use in the course • Video Coaching Rounds • Book Clubs • Panels (Coaching lessons learned; Organization, Planning and Management; Working with Administrators) • Mini-conferences • Demonstration Lessons • Lesson Observations using One Way Glass • Read Alouds • Exit Slips, Coaching Notebook, Coaching Reflection

15. Where we are now • We have 181 school based Literacy Coaches and 25 Regional Literacy Coaches in 9 different cohorts • We started off with 6 cohorts of 20 each (3 year model)--Phase I • We added 2 cohorts with SC Reads(4 year model)--Phase II • We added 2 subsequent cohorts K-5--Phases III & IV • We added 2 cohorts SC Reading First; two cohorts of interventionists (85 total) with 4 Regional Literacy Coaches • We added 2 middle school cohorts--Phases I & II • We have 1 high school cohort--Phase I • There are 20 continuing contact coaches from Phase I • To date, approximately 4000 teachers have participated in SCRI study groups, thus SCRI has served an estimated 60,000 students in the state