A school’s single most important point of impact on scholars are its educators. How they engage scholars, how they introduce a concept, or help a scholar make sense of why something didn’t work out are the keys to unlocking scholar potential in the classroom. The goal is to always see scholars grow academically and see them achieve their greatest potential. Given this, one of my most important jobs as a school leader is to hire the staff who believe in Children First and have a strong growth mindset. Then, we must provide our staff with the data, tools, and coaching that supports them in continuing to build their skills explicitly and precisely in these areas.
A School Culture of Learning & Growth
Our school culture is one of continuous learning and growth for both our scholars and our staff. This focus is what we believe allows us as a school community to achieve the greatest outcome possible for scholars – a learning environment that prepares them for a happy choice-filled life and bright future. To this end, we are intentional in providing ongoing teacher coaching and support that is grounded in our desire to build a culture of continuous learning and feedback. It is core to our mission of academic rigor and keeps data and scholar outcomes at the heart of our work.
Skyrocket Coaching
The Skyrocket coaching model is based upon the belief that teachers should be coached where they are. It is a structured and focused approach that is about building foundational skills and layering more advanced skills on top of these, and it is the coaching framework we use at TLA. This type of direct coaching is heavy on modeling, practice, design, and feedback, all grounded in data. The goal – supporting our educators in building skills and habits that continue long after the coaching cycle.
The Skyrocket framework of coaching is made up of three strands:
Strand 1 - Classroom Culture
Scholar outcome goal: Scholars are on-task throughout the lesson.
Strand 2 – Content Mastery
Scholar outcome goal: Scholars make significant progress toward mastering a rigorous daily objective.
Strand 3 – Rigor
Scholar outcome goal: Scholars deeply engage with content and participate in academic discussions consistently throughout the lesson.
Each strand involves multiple foundational teacher actions associated with it. It also has a rubric for teacher observation related to the percentage of scholars meeting the outcome goal as follows:
65-84% of scholars meeting the outcome goal = Developing
85-94% of scholars meeting the outcome goal = Proficient
95-100% of scholars meeting the outcome goal = Advanced
A teacher must rate proficient or higher over multiple observations to move on to the next strand. As a part of the coaching process, TLA staff receive a minimum of 5 touch points per week, which may include a coaching meeting, an observation (both collecting data and real-time coaching), or an additional learning experience (observing another teacher, reading/reflecting on an article, and/or reviewing/reflecting on video of their own class or someone else’s). Staff have seen first-hand how certain teaching behaviors can assist in improving scholar outcomes (i.e., Scan and Praise). Many experienced teachers and educational assistants who have come to TLA after teaching elsewhere have learned new strategies for teaching and learning and have expressed appreciation for their own professional growth.
What Does This Approach to Coaching and Support Mean for TLA?
One of the best ways to see the impact of Skyrocket coaching in action is to observe the differentiated learning that is happening at TLA during WIN (What I Need) Time. This year, we integrated the IXL platform with WIN time, allowing us to use a data dashboard around different lessons scholars have completed related to math, ELA, corrective reading, and social-emotional content. This integration has further enhanced our teachers’ ability to provide highly targeted learning support for individual scholars and small scholar groups that are based upon similar levels of mastery. As a result, we are beginning to see some positive growth in our scholars. For example, a group of scholars in one of our Character Strong groups has started to develop positive bonds with one another and have been more willing to express themselves and look forward to coming to school. Others are starting to show growth in ELA and math.
Sharing Care
Michael Sonbert, a wise man who also happens to be my coach (yes, I continue to push myself to be explicit and precise in building my skills as well), once said to me, “Feedback is a great way to share care for somebody.” This resonated so deeply with me. Our staff at TLA are incredibly talented, passionate, and Children First focused leaders and learners. They truly are our greatest resource and are committed to pushing themselves every day to mastering their craft. As a school community, we will continue to share care for each other, ensuring our scholars achieve their greatest potential.
Dr. Kristi Cole is the Chief Education Officer at The Lincoln Academy, a K4-12 independent 2x charter school, in Beloit, Wisconsin.
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