Coaching for Competence & Competent Coaching Michelle A. Duda, PhD Karen A. Blase, PhD Dean L. Fixsen, PhD Barbara Sims, MA Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1 SPDG Directors Webinar September 10, 2013

Acknowledgements-SISEP Coaching for Competence and Impact Community Susan Barrett-(MD-PBIS) Kimberly Ingram-West (OR Department of Education) Kimberly Yanek (VA Effective School-wide Discipline) Jennifer Coffey (OSEP) Ellen Nacik (MN Department of Education/PBIS Center) Cynthia Cave (VA Department of Education) Wayne Barry (VA Department of Education) Pam Williams (MO Department of Education) Butler Knight (VA Effective School-wide Discipline) Karen Blase (National SISEP Center) Bobbie Burnham (MN Department of Education) Pandora Taylor (IL Project Choices) Chris Wasick (IL Project Choices) 2

(R. Elmore, 2002) “For every increment of performance I demand from you, I have an equal responsibility to provide you with the capacity to meet that expectation”

Goals for Today What is Coaching for Competence and Impact? Strategies and tools to support competent coaching and coaching for competence: ◦ Defining “Types of Coaching” ◦ Coaching Staff Inventory ◦ Use of Practice Profiles ◦ Coaching Driver Best Practice Assessment Lessons Learned and Future Directions 4

Big Idea As leaders, how do we ensure that all students have access to effective practices that are implemented with fidelity and sustained over time? 1. Develop Staff Capacity- Focus on skill development of individual educators 2. Build Organization Capacity- Focus on systems that support strong collaborative work cultures 3. Create Leadership Capacity- Focus on building leadership across individuals

Student Benefits Student Benefits © Fixsen & Blase, 2007 Performance Assessment (Fidelity) Coaching Training Selection Systems Intervention Facilitative Administration Decision Support Data System Integrated & Compensatory TechnicalAdaptive Staff Competence Organization Supports Leadership Applies to individuals implementing EBP/EII Applies to coaches supporting individuals implementing EBP/EII

“We hear that coaching is important, but what is coaching?” Common Challenge #1 Language and Expectation Barriers

Commonly Used Terms Coaching Mentoring Consultation Peer Support External Coaching Internal Coaching Supervision Others?

Coaching for Competence Defined Coaching for Competence refers to an ongoing professional development process designed to… Ensure Implementation and Fidelity ◦ Acquire and improve the skills and abilities needed to implement an EBP with fidelity, another well-defined innovation as intended and hold fidelity to implementation processes ◦ Generalize new and fragile skills to real world settings (e.g. move from successfully demonstrating skill in training to demonstrating skill in the real world). Develop Professional Judgment ◦ Developing a conceptual understanding of the core elements of the EBP processes or the core elements of the practices associated with the innovation (focus on function of program features). 9

Coaching Defined “Goal is to give skills away” Coaching is the active and iterative delivery of: ◦ (a) prompts that increase successful behavior, and ◦ (b) corrections that decrease unsuccessful behavior. ◦ Coaching is done by someone with credibility and experience with the target skill(s) ◦ Coaching is done on-site, in real time ◦ Coaching is done after initial training ◦ Coaching is done repeatedly (e.g. monthly) ◦ Coaching intensity is adjusted to need

Defining Coaching-Brief #1 Developed in partnership with PBIS Center Content can be generalized to any EBP/EII Developed with leadership in mind Sets the foundation for furthering the understand of the importance of coaching Leads the way for defining System Coaching

“We already have several coaches why do we need any more?” or “We can’t hire additional staff, we just use staff that have some time?” Common Challenge #2 Too many or Too few

“Types” of Coaching Coaching for Individual Change: ◦ focus on skill development, support and performance feedback (content specific: academic, behavior) Coaching for Team/Group Change: ◦ focus on collaboration and facilitation, group dynamics Coaching for Systems Change: ◦ focus on organizational change

Common Functions Systems Conditions that support skill development for staff Data Information required to guide skill development process Practices/Skills The technical skill set required to achieve intervention fidelity State Regional District/Division Building Classroom Teachers/Staff Student Family State Regional District/Division Building Classroom Teachers/Staff Student Family

Practices/Skills The technical skill set required to impact individual performance Content Fluent (academic, behavior, mental health) Data collection Performance Feedback Behavioral Consultation “Soft skills” Functions of Coaching Systems Conditions that support individual skill development Job description match role/function FTE in budget Supervision and Support of Coach within Building Allocation of time and resources for observation, consultation, data analysis Link to student outcomes Link to staff satisfaction, teacher efficacy and teacher retention Data Information required to guide skill development process Action Plan with short/long term measurable goals Self Assessment Process Measures/Fidelity Checks Performance Feedback Measure Student Outcomes Data used for continuous regeneration (PEP/PIP) Individual or Content Coach

Functions of Coaching Team or Group Systems Conditions that support professional learning communities Administrative Support and Participation Link to School Improvement Clearly defined role and function with building level authority, leverage Practices/Skills The technical skill set required to achieve fidelity Team Initiated Problem Solving Team Building/Collaboration Data Analysis Team Facilitation “Soft Skills” Data Information required to guide team development process Action Plan with short/long term measurable goals Self Assessment Process Measures/Fidelity Checks Performance Feedback Measure Progress Monitoring Tools Evaluation Tools Student Outcomes Data used for continuous regeneration (PEP/PIP)

District Leadership & Implementation Teams (Assistant Superintendent, Title I Intervention Specialist Principal, Teacher, Parent Representation) State Level Implementation Team Building Leadership and Implementation Teams (School Principals, Staff Development, PBIS, RtI, Curriculum and Development) MiddleHigh School Elementary Other/EC State Department of Education – Executive Team State Transformation Specialists State level Implementation Support Team Leadership Team

Conditions that support organizational change Commitment to Continuous Regeneration Facilitative Administrator Supports PEP/PIP Cycle Recruitment and Selection Process Curriculum Development Certification Requirements The technical skill set required Implementation Science Organizational Behavior Management Applied Behavior Analysis Standards of Professional Learning Functions of Coaching Information required to guide change process Action Plan with short/long term measurable goals Self Assessment Process Measures/Fidelity Checks Performance Feedback Measure Progress Monitoring Tools Evaluation Tools Student Outcomes Data used for continuous regeneration (PEP/PIP Systems Practices/Skills Data

Name of Coach Briefly describ e their role How many people receive coachi ng from this coach? How were they selecte d to serve as a coach? Did they receive trainin g for this role? Was the coach“co ached” for this position? How do you collect informatio n on impact of coaching? Is the work of the coach tied to a particular EBP/EII? Please list Is coaching a part of this individuals job description Coaching Staff inventory The purpose of this form is to help understand the current coaching infrastructure and identify which coaching functions exist 1.With your team, define coaching. 2.Think about all of individuals in your school that play the role of a “coach”. Complete the following table:

Benefits of Coaching Staff Inventory Good initial tool to facilitate high level discussion Provides a check on common understanding of coaching roles and functions Systematic approach to develop a snap shot of current coaching infrastructure Help review coaching activities tied to specific EBPs or to general capacity

“What are the “look fors” for coaching” and how to we support good coaching practice”? Challenge #3 Understanding “Good” Coaching Behaviors

Practice Profiles for Coaching After “Type” of Coaching is identified, Practice profiles can develop our fidelity to coaching practices Each critical component is a heading Levels of performance are defined for each critical component The development of the Practice Profile enables the functional use of Implementation Drivers TIPS: 1)Sometime that ideal/expected component is defined by the program, Team can ask for this information 2)Important conversation: Goal for building internal capacity or external capacity

Coaching for Individual Change Professional Practices in Problem Solving: Benchmarks and Innovation Configurations Iowa Area Education Agency Directors of Special Education, 1994 Focused Practice Content Fluent (academic, behavior, mental health) Data collection Performance Feedback Behavior Consultation Communication Other “soft skills”

Example: Individual Coaching Performance Feedback as a Critical Component Professional Practices in Problem Solving: Benchmarks and Innovation Configurations Iowa Area Education Agency Directors of Special Education, 1994

Example: Individual Coaching Performance Feedback as a Critical Component Professional Practices in Problem Solving: Benchmarks and Innovation Configurations Iowa Area Education Agency Directors of Special Education, 1994

Practice Profile Activity-Part Two

Example: Individual Coaching Critical Component: Performance Feedback

Benefits of Using Practice Profiles for Coaching Improves everyone’s Innovation Fluency Creates and requires a permanent product of performance De-Personalizes Feedback: the conversation can be about the data Allows acknowledgement of components that did not go well without penalty (for coaching) One key goal is accuracy of the observation (at least to start) Ground work for functional “reflective” supervision

How do we prepare Coaches to Coach, as intended, to prepare practitioners to implement the intervention, as intended, to maximize the benefits for families and children? Challenge #4 Supporting and Sustaining Coaching

Performance Assessment (Fidelity) Coaching Training Selection Systems Intervention Facilitative Administration Decision Support Data System Integrated & Compensatory TechnicalAdaptive Coach Competence © Fixsen & Blase, 2007 Staff Competence Organization Supports Leadership

Competent Coaching Fluency and Coaching Embedded in Each Driver Selection of Coaches Training of Coaches Coaching for Coaches Fidelity Assessments of Coaching ◦ Did Coaching Occur as Intended? ◦ What was the quality? Outcome Measures of Coaching ◦ Improved Teacher Competence, Adherence, Fidelity KEY: Ensure data from each Driver is “fed forward” and “fed back”

Performance Assessment (Fidelity) Coaching Training Selection Systems Intervention Facilitative Administration Decision Support Data System Integrated & Compensatory TechnicalAdaptive Coach Competence © Fixsen & Blase, 2007 Staff Competence Organization Supports Leadership

Organization Drivers to Support Coaching Facilitative Administration ◦ Creating Job Descriptions, Funding, Time, Space, Support for Coaches Systems Intervention ◦ Identifying Issues for the PEP - PIP cycles at school, District, and State levels Decision-Support Data Systems ◦ Using Teacher Fidelity Data to assess Coaching Impact ◦ Using Coaching Fidelity Data to assess Coaching

Performance Assessment (Fidelity) Coaching Training Selection Systems Intervention Facilitative Administration Decision Support Data System Integrated & Compensatory TechnicalAdaptive Coach Competence © Fixsen & Blase, 2007 Staff Competence Organization Supports Leadership

“Leadership” Challenges Related to Coaching Technical Challenges and Strategies ◦ Practice Profile Development ◦ Execution of the Coaching Plan Adaptive Challenges and Strategies ◦ Practice Profile ◦ Execution of the Coaching Plan

Coaching Best Practices: Drivers Assessment In Place Partially In Place Not In Place Notes: Supervision and Coaching: Written Coaching Service Delivery Plan Uses multiple sources of information for feedback Direct observation of implementation (in person, audio, video) Coaching data reviewed to improve other Drivers Accountability structure and processes for Coaches  Regular review of adherence to Coaching Service Delivery Plan  Multiple sources of information for feedback to coaches o Satisfaction surveys from those being coached o Observations of expert coach o Fidelity measures of those being coached Ave. Percent of Supervision/Coaching Items in Each Category

Benefits Integrated with other Drivers  Builds on Selection Strengths  Matches competencies covered in Training  Reflects Fidelity Measures Compensatory in relation to other Drivers ◦ Compensates for:  Skills not found at point of hire (Selection)  Skills absent or weak at post-training (Training)  Skills not responsive to feedback/data alone (Decision-Support Data Systems)

Lessons Learned Language around “coaching” is one of the biggest barriers Clarity of coaching functions need to be defined Important to ensure that coaching infrastructure is explicit Engaging stakeholders in understanding the importance of coaching function will help sustain that key support For coaching for competence and competent coaching to sustain, it is necessary to: Develop Staff Capacity, Build Organization Capacity and Create Leadership Capacity

Future Directions Blending Learning to enhance coaching practice and support for “coachees” Dissemination of Coaching Functions and Activates to broad stakeholders Work through “negative” history with coaching by demonstrating coaching for competence and impact Create guiding questions for coaching functions and long term accountability Technology to support coaching in real time

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