1. Coaching TBTs and BLTs
Brian A McNulty Ph. D.

2. Principals will have information and resources to lead their BTs and TBTs.
Participants can describe the roles, responsibilities, and actions of effective Building Leadership Teams (BLTs)
Participants understand the purpose and importance of Teacher-based Teams (TBTs) and the necessary interactions between them and BLTs and DLTs.

3. Question #1 to ask you TBTs and BLTs
Why do we have TBTs and BLT?
What are they supposed to be doing?

4. Answer for both TBTs & BLTs
They are supposed to be learning

5. For both BLTs and TBTs They should both be learning
“What works for our kids here!”
If your TBTs can’t identify what they have learned about their kids
They aren’t doing the right work.
If the BLT can’t identify what they have learned from their TBTs
They aren’t doing the right work

6. Let’s talk about
and

8. WHO is responsible for the improvement of the school?
Collectively –
We all are!
The BLT has the primary responsibility for the improvement of the schools

9. Have a discussion with your BLT on these 3questions:
Do we (the BLT) assume responsibility for the improvement of the whole school?
If so, how do you know if what you are doing is having an impact?
Who is responsible for sharing what is already working?

10. If you don’t want to be responsible for the progress of the school…
You shouldn’t be on the BLT

11. IF you don’t know what is working…
How do you expect
to make progress?

12. What is the most important decision or action that your BLT took this school year?
It would be helpful to explore with your BLT what important decisions you made?
Were these the right things to be working on?
Stop and see if your BLT can reach agreement on what is the primary responsibility of the BLT?

13. What is the first and primary responsibility of the
Have a discussion with your BLT on what is the primary responsibility of the

14. What is the first and primary responsibility of the BLT?
Help support and strengthen your

15. Coaching your TBTs?

16. Where are Your Teacher Teams on a 1-4 scale?
Using effective structures? (time, protocols)
Effective facilitation in the TBT process?
A clear understanding of teaching practices?
Use of student work/student thinking
Effective use of formative assessment practices to understand the impact of those teaching practices

17. First have your BLT assess their TBTs
If your BLT has not collected any data on your TBTs, use the scale (in your handout) first with your BLT to see where they think on average your TBTs are. Then have a discussion about what this means for your BLT work.

18. Then have your TBTs assess themselves
Distribute the scale to you TBTs  
Compile and analyze the data and have a discussion with your BLT as to what your TBTs might need.
Take action to provide the TBTs with the support you think they need.
Repeat at least once per semester

19. An effective must: Know what is working in the school
and WHY it is working
By sharing these effective practices with the whole school.
Leading the improvement work of the school

20. First steps for BLTs
Your BLT members need to be trained in the process
You need to have trained facilitators for each TBT
Your teacher teams need to be trained in the process?

21. Coaching BLT with their TBTs
Observations of TBTs matters
Frequency matters
Have each BLT member observe at least 3 TBTs each semester
We have been telling BLTs to do 2 rounds of observations, discussions, and provision of PD per semester. However if you want to speed up your implementation do at least 3 rounds. These observations become the agenda content for your BLT meetings.

22. Discuss with your BLT
When BLT members observe TBTs, have them bring back
One thing that they learned from each TBT
One thing that each TBTs needs to make progress
Next have a discussion with BLT members what you learning about your TBTs
What else can we do to learn more from our TBTs?

23. Have a discussion with your BLT on these questions:
How do we, as the BLT, support our TBTs?
How do we know what they need?
What supports have you provided?
How do you know if what you provided has worked, or had an impact?

24. Reach agreement on what the TBTs are supposed to do in their meetings,
Have a discussion with your BLT about “What are TBTs supposed to do?” and “HOW are they supposed to do this?
Reach agreement on what the TBTs are supposed to do
in their meetings,

25. What are TBTs supposed to do?
When I asked BLT members
what TBTs are supposed to do in their meetings, they said 2 things…

26. When I asked BLT members what TBTs are supposed to do in their meetings, they said…
2 Things
Study data, and
Fill out the forms

27. TBTs look at 3 primary things:
Unpacking standards to identify and agree on important learning outcomes
Develop and use shared Formative Assessments
Agree on a shared Instructional Practice

28. Was in developing instructional strategies
In a survey of over 9000 teachers, they perceived that the most helpful and effective focus of collaboration…
Was in developing
instructional strategies
Ronfeldt 2017

29. “Teachers who implement proven instructional strategies...
have mastery experiences when students’ performance improve on assessment measures.”
Tschannen-Moran & Barr (2004)

30. How should TBTs study teaching practices?
Choose a practice to address an important learning need
Write out a clear description of the steps in the process
Have a team member model the steps in the practice
(Deliberately) Practice until you have “mastered” the practices with all students

31. Coaching TBTs
Principals and BLT member should use the TBT self assessment when they observe
Ask the TBT where they think they are strongest in the process?
Assess where you think they need help?
Assess what would help them the most? (Solicit information and offer suggestions if you can.)

32. Common problems in TBTs
Lack of facilitation in the process
Lack of focus or understanding of:
Teaching practices
Impact of those teaching practices
Formative assessment practices

33. Only after you have effective TBTs

34. To Measure Progress towards Their Purpose the BLT Monitors (Year 2, or after your TBTs are strong)
1. Staff learning progress (Adult Actions) 2. Student learning progress

35. A direct link exits between supporting adult learning and enhanced student achievement
Drago-Severson 2009

36. 2. Student Learning Progress*
Based on benchmark assessments
- Which individual and subgroups of students are/are not making progress? Why?
- What actions will we take to facilitate progress? e.g. interventions and supports
Follow the same 5-step process as TBTs

37. The BIG question for BLTs…
Are your student supports and interventions working?
How do you know?

38. According to NAEP data, when general education teachers are effective with Tier I instruction and take responsibility for all students, those with special needs do better.
Levenson & Cleveland 2016

39. RtI
There is a statistically significant and negative effect of assignment to RtI Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention services
Balu, et al.(2015)

40. An IEP student whose score was just below the cut point and who participated in the intervention would fall further behind a counterpart who was just above the cut point and had no exposure to the intervention
Balu, et al USDOE.(2015)

41. Actual assignment to intense reading intervention services did not improve the reading skills of early readers
Balu, et al.(2015)

42. The most significant gains among struggling students [with or without IEPs happens] (are achieved) by providing these students, …with
teachers skilled in content instruction during extra instructional time
Levenson & Cleveland 2016

43. Principals and BLTs should
Review your data to see the progress of students in :
Categorical programs
Student subgroups
Other interventions

44. Coaching supports Principals should ask:
Are students making sufficient progress (i.e. are they on track to catch up? When?)
How do you know?
What is your evidence?

45. Coaching supports Principals should ask:
How often should we review progress?
How do we share what is working/not working?
Why is that working/not working?
Can we do more/less of that?

46. Research consistently show that supporting adult learning is directly and positively linked to enhancing children’s achievement.
Drago-Severson, 2009

47. Leaders have tremendous potential to influence the collective work and beliefs of teachers in their schools.
Goddard et al. 2015

48. All successful school systems have come to trust and respect teachers.
Fullan (2010)

49. Brian A McNulty Ph. D. Brian.mcnulty@creativeleadership.net