Hawthorn 73 – Instructional Coaching: A Partner in Your PLC
This post was written by Allison Stein, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73. In this post, Allison outlines the district’s instructional coaching program, which they call A Partner in Your PLC.
During the 2022-2023 school year, we were presented with an exciting opportunity to design and implement a comprehensive instructional coaching program. In doing so, we prioritized setting a clear purpose focused on promoting the growth and learning of all students. Diane Sweeney’s Student-Centered Coaching Cycle, with its laserlike focus on student-learning, became the foundation of our work. We paired key components of Sweeney’s framework with an emphasis on developing our teacher teams into professional learning communities (PLCs). In our resulting model, instructional coaches are charged with promoting high levels of learning for all students through the facilitation of student-centered coaching cycles that follow the PLC process.
At the start of our instructional coaching cycle, a coach partners with a grade level or department PLC to identify one or more standards-based student learning objectives. Importantly, these learning goals are selected from our district’s Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum and are not related to teacher performance. Our coach then supports the teacher team in analyzing students’ pre-assessment data to inform instructional planning. They engage in co-planning and co-teaching with team members throughout the unit of study, administering a variety of formative assessments to monitor student mastery of the agreed upon learning objectives. At the end of a cycle, both the instructional coach and teaching team participate in a structured reflection to support professional learning and continued program improvements.
Each of our instructional coaches uses an Instructional Coaching Cycle Tool (ICCT) to facilitate cycles with teams. Our ICCT is designed to follow the PLC process; components are color-coded with guiding questions to support teams in responding to the four PLC questions. This highly structured tool supports consistency in our coaching processes and practices. It also helps us track student learning data to inform instruction, identify effective instructional strategies, explore areas of strength or needed development across the district, evaluate the impact of our coaching program, and ensure transparency around student learning. All team members, the coach, and the school administrator have access to the ICCT throughout a given cycle, as student growth is a shared responsibility.
Approximately once each month, our instructional coaches and department coordinators engage in an extensive data dive. Working as an instructional coaching PLC, we compile and analyze data to make any needed adjustments to our program and practices. Data points include qualitative and quantitative information from each of our ICCTs, as well as time studies from every member of our coaching team. That is, we track our professional activities to ensure time is dedicated to efforts that reflect our purpose: the growth and learning of all students. In addition, our instructional coaches participate in a robust, district-led Instructional Coaching Summer Institute at the start and end of each school year. These professional learning experiences provide our coaches with an excellent avenue for collaborative reflection, development, and planning.
Now in our third year, we are excited about the success of our instructional coaching program. Team members have presented at local coaching networks and conferences, showcasing our cycles and other coaching initiatives. We love learning and sharing with colleagues and would enjoy connecting with you! Please visit us at www.hawthorn73.org.
