Instructional Coach Weekly Update
Weeks of September 28-October 9
Strategy - Progress Monitoring
I know this is not really a strategy, but everyone is going to be set up and ready to go with progress monitoring (PM) on the TIER system this week - woohoo! We've made great progress in getting to a point where we have scheduled meaningful and effective, research-based interventions for each and every student that has demonstrated to us that they are in need of a reading intervention. When we schedule students with a reading intervention it automatically requires us to progress monitor their progress weekly. Here's some things to remember with progress monitoring on the TIER system:
- PM passages are in the back part of the same binder you use for Universal Screening testing fall, winter, and spring
- PM is just one passage, for one minute - not three like Universal Screener
- You should find time outside of your 90 minute literacy block, math block, and 20 minute intervention time to PM your students each week
- Students should track their score somewhere (ideally on a graph) each week so they can see their improvement from week to week in comparison to their goal score (find me if you need graphs made - I've done them for one grade already!)
- Ideally you would test each student on the same day around the same time each week to be as consistent as possible with PM from week to week (for example... If I PM Susie on Monday while the rest of my class is quietly checking their spelling test, then I should try and test her on the same day/time next week)
- Divide up your students equally throughout the week so you only have to PM a small group of them each day.
- Tell each student what day/time you're going to try and PM them and try and have them help you stick to that schedule
- REMEMBER TO STICK TO THE SCRIPT - we cannot be telling students to speed read or stray from the script at all. Following the script is necessary in order to PM with fidelity and consistency among all of the classrooms in our building
Last 2 Weeks
- I attended a two day training put on by the state that dug deeper into Universal Tier and interventions
- I attended a two day Instructional Coach training with the New Teacher Center (NTC). I learned about several new tools that I will begin using with classroom observations and other interactions with teachers. I'll be looking for some teachers who would be willing to help me practice using some of these new tools with them in their classrooms :).
- I have officially completed all 16 Walpole kits as of Friday! After 30+ hours spent on these kits I am happy to be done working on Walpole kits for awhile!
- 14 of the 16 kits went out to teachers on Friday, 2 more will go out tomorrow. Some of you have pieces in your kits that are missing a couple of things due to running out of materials, but I will be around to replace those ASAP.
- We have had two weeks of literacy meetings - our focus has been on getting PM/Interventions up and going, along with some Walpole kit training
- I have done many more drop in observations the past two weeks as I try and get a better "big picture" idea of what literacy and math blocks look like at each grade level.
This Week:
- I hope to get into every grade level's intervention time Monday-Friday this week
- I will be modeling some Walpole lessons - let me know if you'd like me to cover your room so you can go watch some of our teachers that are "pros" teach Walpole (those of you that have gone through the training I'm talking about you!)
- Touching base with all teachers and grade levels to check in with weekly progress monitoring and entering time
- Wrap up some ongoing projects that teachers have requested
- Replace missing materials in the Walpole kits that went out last week
- I hope to drop in and observe two different literacy lessons and two different math lessons every day this week
Don't Forget!
- Dreambox - How are you doing three weeks into the "time goal" you set a couple of weeks ago? If you need help getting Dreambox going in your classroom let me or Drew know! I'd love to come in and try out stations or math groups in your classroom - sometimes all it takes is an extra set of hands for a couple of days to figure out how to make a new way of teaching work!
- Weekly Literacy Meetings - all grade levels will continue to have their regular weekly team planning meetings on the same days/times you normally have them. This week I will be touching base with each team (first thing Monday morning) to see what day works best for your team to have our 30 minute Literacy Meeting this week. After this week we are hoping to find a consistent day to use each week for our Literacy Meetings.
- Walpole Kits - if you feel like your kit is missing something or something breaks please let me know ASAP! Also, if another teacher comes in to borrow your materials it is up to you to keep track of those materials and get those materials back at the end of the year. If you received a kit on Friday the box and all 7 kits are checked out in your name! The box your kit came in has a bar code on it so if you want to move the kits to a different container let me know so I can transfer the bar code to the new container.