Thursday, March 9, 2023
Since the creation of Wisconsin’s Coaching Competency Practice Profile, the DPI has been partnering with coaching stakeholders in all walks of coaching to create supporting documents and resources, based on the most recent research, to build the capacity of coaches and coaching systems of support. Perhaps you’ve read about some of these resources in prior Coaching Chronicles, saw them referenced in a training or even heard about them from a coaching pal. Perhaps there is also a chance you had planned to dig into these resources and consider how they applied to your own coaching world. And perhaps you couldn’t remember where to find the resources or haven’t yet set aside the time to review or revisit them.
If this final “perhaps” resonates with you, this may be a good launching point for you. In the fall of 2022, four listening sessions were offered which attempted to highlight key state coaching resources by briefly describing their history, use and application at the school and district level. Furthermore, these listening sessions acknowledged the importance of the coach/leader partnership in accessing and implementing these resources and tools to fidelity.
Below you will find recordings of the four webinars along with a brief explanation of each and some coaching questions to use (preferably in the coach/leader partnership).
Session 1: Wisconsin’s Coaching Competency Practice Profile
The Wisconsin DPI has long recognized the research promise of coaching in the education field. They also recognized that without some clear direction, coaching meant different things in different spaces. In an attempt to uphold the research, a diverse group of stakeholders began combing through the research to develop Wisconsin’s Coaching Competency Practice Profile (CCPP). Since its original release in 2016, feedback and input from coaches using the document in the field has informed several revisions resulting in its current edition, 3.0. This webinar covers the why of a practice profile and takes into consideration its usability. After viewing this 17 minute webinar, consider where you are regarding the following practices AND how you might use this tool to improve.
- Where is your school/district regarding the following? Where would you like to be?
- Inform practices of coaches
- Select Coaches
- Train Coaches
- Coach Coaches
Session 2: Coaching Self Assessment
This 13 ½ minutes webinar focuses on a tool that was designed to be aligned to the CCPP (explained in the first webinar) and support the training of coaches. Coaches in the field acknowledged that the CCPP was an invaluable tool in informing their practice, but also pointed out it was difficult to know where to start digging in. The webinar covers some of the technical components on how to access and take the self assessment as well as using the results alongside the CCPP to craft an individualized coaching goal. After viewing, reflect on the following:
- What has your experience been in the past with setting an individualized coaching goal or guiding coaches you support to do so? How might this tool further support this wor?
- If there are multiple coaches in your district/building/organization, how might you use some of the data this tool provides to create networks and peer coaching relationships?
- How might the data from this tool inform a comprehensive coach training plan?
Session 3: Coaching System Development Worksheet
Given the promise of the research, schools/districts/organizations across the state have been hiring coaches to support educators. Although well intentioned, these decision-makers often overlook the fact that coaching is a skillset and coaches need to be supported the same as any other staff. Based on research from the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), Wisconsin developed a tool to consider the key components necessary to create a coaching system of support. This support is crucial to coaches being able to get to the promise of the research; a sustained change in adult behavior and practice leading to improved student outcomes for all. This webinar is just over 14 minutes and explores how to access and use this tool in your unique setting. After viewing, talk through the worksheet with your team and leadership. Reflect on the following:
- How can you use this tool to action plan around developing a strong system of coaching support?
- In the exploration stage, what are some system-level supports that are not yet in place or only partially in place? Are there any quick wins that you could install?
- Were there any components that might take longer to install, but would greatly benefit your system? What moves can you make towards realizing this support?
Session 4: Wisconsin Coach Evaluation System
As I traveled the state to meet with coaching networks and share the resources and tools available to them, I always ended by asking what we were missing. On numerous occasions, coaches mentioned that they were being evaluated using a teaching rubric. Part of having a system of coaching support available at the state level is lifting up barriers and voices. In partnership with the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System, a coaching practice rubric and role-specific evaluation processes information were developed as optional resources for the evaluation of coaches.
To request the WI Coach Evaluation setup or move to the updated version in your Frontline platform visit the Educator Effectiveness Help Center for the Support of the Frontine Platform. Once there, you can click on a green box labeled, “Submit a Request”. In the “Description/Question/Message” section of the form simply write: “We would like the most recent version of the rubric and setup for the Wisconsin Coach Evaluation System”.
After watching this 17 minute webinar, consider the following:
- How are coaches currently evaluated in your building/system/district? How might these evaluation tools inform an aligned system of support?
Wisconsin is very fortunate to have a robust suite of tools of support for coaches in the field. While this webinar series provides information for the foundational coaching resources in Wisconsin, it only scratches the surface. I invite you to consider how you might use these resources and dig into others located at www.dpi.wi.gov/coaching. And, as always, if you come across a hiccup, a hangup or a void as you develop your own coaching system of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Joseph Kanke
Statewide Coaching Coordinator
joseph.kanke@cesa2.org
Rachel Fregien
Education Consultant for Coaching Supports
rachel.fregien@dpi.wi.gov