Instructional Support/Instructional Specialist (IS)

Instructional Coaching is one of the Instructional Specialists roles to help support tier 1 instructional practices as to help teachers to implement new programs with fidelity. We help to facilitate PD at our district and in our building and the most important change is working on tier 1 instructional practices during core instruction through coaching in order to improve student achievement.Coaches are used in a cycle called BDA. Teachers and a coach meet prior to a lesson to discuss the goal together, coaches work in the classroom with teachers during a lesson to co-teacher, model lessons or collect data for teachers and then again after a lesson to determine what next steps might be. Instructional coaches are also used to meet with grade level and vertical teams to review data and discuss instructional strategies and supports during PLC (Professional Learning Communities) meetings.

Instructional Specialists help to coordinate tier 2 and tier 3 interventions for our students using academic support assistants to deliver interventions. We need a solid tier 1 before we can consider students for tier 2 or tier 3 academic or behavior interventions. If tier 2 and tier 3 interventions paired with instructional or behavioral strategies and supports are not effective, we will look at data as a DAT or SWPBIS team and discuss options for students. The team may decide to meet at a Child Study Team to put more strategies and support in place. Once all options have been tried, the team may decide to move forward with the MDE (Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation). This is the case when the team feels a replacement curriculum may be warranted. The Instructional Specialist still facilitates this conversation with teams including parents and then completes the achievement portion of the testing which includes weekly progress monitoring and monthly strategic monitoring data.

What can an Instructional Specialist do to support student learning?

• • Visit classrooms to observe a student

  • Test a student- BAS/QRI/FAST assessments

  • Create assignments or assessments to meet student needs

  • Set up Student Success Team meetings with the team- populate data prior to the meeting

  • Meet to discuss student concerns while reviewing and analyzing student data

  • Co-teach /work with small groups in your classroom in order to problem-solve together, locate leveled readers, or build background for students

  • Co-plan lessons

  • Peer visitation coverage to see a lesson in action

Find out more about the Instructional Specialists