“Listen and guide, rather than command and  control.” Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating  Office, FACEBOOK 

 “Listen and guide, rather than command and control.” Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Office, FACEBOOK Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches)
The Coaching Practice Benchmarks of the BoQ‐C has multiple purposes. For coaches, this section of the BoQ‐C can help guide and organize their work and allow for self‐reflection. For coordinators and those responsible for coordinating the coaching effort, this section serves as a guide in helping all be aware of the steps involved in the process of coaching. ThecontentsofthishandoutweredevelopedunderagrantfromtheDepartmentofEducation.However,thosecontentsdonotnecessarilyrepresentthe
policyoftheDepartmentofEducation,andyoushouldnotassumeendorsementbytheFederalGovernment.
Type of Practice and Descriptor of Each Coaching Practice Benchmark Timeline: Preparing for Coaching 1. Coach –A coaching relationship with teachers has been developed before initiating coaching visits  Identify strategies to touch base more than 1x prior to coaching. Example: Casual conversation over coffee in the teacher’s lounge to identify common experiences and mutual goals  Explore tools that examine individual learning styles (see Appendix II)  All coaches complete the same learning style assessment that teachers will be completing  May refer to initial planning form, teaching goals, timeline for coaching (see Appendix III) In Place Partially Not Yet In Place In Place Evidence of why rating is selected or next steps toward “In Place” Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 1 2. Routine for initial visit(s) with teacher is established  Consider: utilizing learning styles checklist, working on coaching agreement, sharing TACSEI resources, observation of the teacher and classroom, and other strategies or district documents. (See Appendix IV for these resources.) 3. Coaching Schedule is established  Based on frequency defined by program model and program reality  Keep a calendar‐determine if you prefer to send open dates to teachers or having teachers send open dates to you  Designate coaching time aside from other duties  Consider availability of substitutes; aim for the same substitute each time in the classroom to provide consistency for children  Respect for teachers’ time 4. Completed TPOT information is provided back to individual teachers before your next scheduled coaching visit ‐ this is done within 2 weeks of the TPOT being completed.  If the person completing the TPOT is NOT the coach, have a process in place for sharing the TPOT Summary information and classroom context. This could look like a meeting with the person who does the TPOT and the person responsible for coaching in the classroom. Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 2 5. A Professional Development Plan is made in collaboration with each teacher, including implementation steps and clear progress monitoring  Use TPOT Summary (see Appendix V) to define content for coaching visits i. Strengths ii. Emerging Skills iii. Professional Development Needs  Address TPOT Red Flags immediately  Refer to the teacher’s responses to the Inventory of Practice if utilized 6. Ongoing data‐based decisions are made for professional development and coaching based on baseline and growth on TPOT scores 7. Coach coordinator (if applicable) and Leadership Team are kept informed about what mini‐trainings might be needed to address trends in lower score areas. 8. Coaching visits are followed by a routine and structured process for providing written feedback after coaching sessions to each teacher  Consider providing strength‐based feedback and use specific examples. Ask open‐ended questions to help teacher reflect on her/his practice and teaching strategies, or use your own ideas for giving feedback (See Appendix VI for coaching visit summary and sample email providing feedback). Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 3 9. Coaching Plans are followed through  Coaching occurs as scheduled and as defined by Coaching Plan  on a regular basis: weekly, bi‐weekly, monthly, quarterly  and/or using a differentiated model based on TPOT data (e.g. new teachers, teachers with red flags, or teachers requesting specific support may receive more frequent coaching)  Length and number of visits can vary based upon the needs of the teacher receiving coaching. 10. Record is kept of visit dates, including time spent and brief summary of visit  Refer to Appendix VII for samples of ongoing feedback and monitoring of coaching process. Coaching Process 11. Plan coaching sessions, discuss purpose, activities, goals, time, and desired outcomes  Set coaching professional development goal for each session 12. The teacher, lesson, or review video are observed and the teacher is listened to as she/he describes situations (this might include the use of the data from the TPOT) Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 4 13. Direct teaching on the topic that is selected for professional development is prepared and provided by the coach  Utilize supporting research for Evidence‐based practice (EBP) directly teach rationale – why it is important, how it is designed to be implemented, etc.  Develop strategies to achieve this goal  Outline expected outcomes when this strategy is implemented correctly 14. Coach guides the teacher using modeling, demonstrating, and describing how to implement a strategy or activity Modeling can be done without children present: Consider these options  Coach models strategy and reflects afterwards with teacher  Teacher practices without children present  Teacher models strategy and reflects afterwards with coach  Teacher & coach discuss how to communicate with other adults in the classroom regarding new strategy Or modeling can be done in the classroom: Consider these options  Decide if the coach will model the strategy in the classroom  Teacher and coach discuss how to provide feedback when in the classroom. 15. Coach provides feedback: concrete, reflective, descriptive feedback on progress toward goals; guides teacher to develop new goals when previous goals are met  schedule adequate time, don’t be rushed  Use questioning and active listening to guide teacher to reflect on what she does, what happened during the Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 5 

observation, what to try Use consistent encouragement to support change and continuously improving practice Use adult learning concepts and incorporate teacher’s learning style 16. Teacher provides feedback to coach: gets feedback from the teacher on the coaching visit/conference (what worked, what was challenging, what was hard to hear, and next steps)  Per visit (informal)  General feedback (formal, anonymous survey) o the coaching process o your coach Content and Fidelity 17. Coach has professional development plan for own coaching practices addressing:  Pyramid Model content knowledge  TPOT fidelity  TPOT training and interrater reliability  coaching knowledge and skills  alternative plan if not teaching in a classroom 18. Coach and teacher monitor improvement together  Uses Pyramid Model to fidelity as a measure for growth with the ultimate goal being: (e.g. TPOT anchor score of 3.5‐5, no red flags, all 7 environmental items, etc.)  May use other data systems to monitor progress such as BIRs, individual behavior plans, and child specific objectives if Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 6 
the coach is helping to support individual children Purposefully incorporate district data systems 19. The fidelity of coaching practices and coaching skills is measured  This tool can be used to measure fidelity of coaching practices – i.e. Was a coaching plan developed with the teacher? Was it implemented? Was there feedback?  If coaches and coaching coordinators want to evaluate specific coaching skills, consider Colorado Consortium Coaching Competencies as a resource: http://www.cocoaches.net/uploads/Coaching_competencies_Oc
t_2010.pdf 20. Coaches report to Coaching Coordinator/Leadership Team on fidelity and progress with coaching  This reporting out to coordinators, administration, and leadership teams can be on progress within the coaching model – i.e. Who received coaching, how the coaching session went, how teacher felt about the coaching experience  Consider reporting to also include teacher development and gains in TPOT anchor scores. TPOT scores can be gathered at a program level and progress within the entire program can be shared 21. High fidelity is acknowledged in a variety of ways  Acknowledge coaches who have exhibited exemplary coaching skills and coaching process  Acknowledge teachers who have made gains in professional development  Consider acknowledgments such as: (e.g. announcing at Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 7 staff meetings, creating training opportunities for staff in which the teacher who has shown great improvement in certain areas leads a training to showcase her skills, gift cards for high fidelity, etc.) 22. Coaches contribute to the plan for sustainability and growth within the program by providing the data that shows the impact of coaching within the program.  Data provided can include coaching plans and monitoring progress sheets, feedback and self‐reflection data (see Appendix VIII for end of year feedback), TPOT data, etc. 1
“Teacher” is used generically in this document to be inclusive of teaching assistants, specialists, administrators, and any other professional who is formally coached. List of current materials to be in appendices: Appendix I –Coach Interview Questions; Coaching Candidate Rubric Appendix II learning style tools from LEAP Appendix III– Initial Planning Conference Questions; Goals Blueprint; Seven Steps in Sequential Coaching Appendix IV –Adult Learning Characteristics; Classroom Observation Request and Observation Form Appendix V – TPOT summary sheet; TPOT goal sheet; sample coaching action plan sheet Appendix VI – Classroom Contact/Visit Summary; structured email feedback from TACSEI Appendix VII – sample ongoing feedback and coaching monitoring sheet (Kelly) Appendix VIII‐ End of Year Feedback by Coachee; End of Year Coach Self‐Reflection Colorado Department of Education Coaching Practice Benchmarks (Individual Coaches) 8