The PA Coaching Model

The PIIC Program: Supporting one-on-one coaching is the heart of PIIC. To be successful, coaches need skillful mentoring, and both coaches and mentors need ongoing professional development to help teachers improve student achievement. PIIC provides an infrastructure of training and resources by offering:

• An ongoing program of study on instructional coaching, mentoring, and teacher professional development.
• Online resources for mentors and coaches, including toolkits, guides, and training curricula.
• Materials and training for school leaders to build their capacity to support coaching.
• Specific training, as appropriate, in evidenced-based strategies for developing reading, writing, and comprehension skills across the curriculum.
• Research and evaluation to analyze the effectiveness of instructional coaching and gather data to support continuous improvement.

Mentors: Each IU will have an instructional coaching mentor, a position funded by PDE. Mentors will work with districts, schools, and coaches to make mentoring an integral part of the instructional coaching system in Pennsylvania. Mentors will:

• Collaborate with coaches, teachers, and school leadership to identify needs.
• Analyze appropriate data and develop goals and a plan of action.
• Provide support for coaches individually and in groups, on-site or by email and videoconferencing.
• Create a “coaching community” within the IU.
• Participate in PIIC training to expand their instructional coaching knowledge and skills.
• Organize a variety of professional development activities for coaches and other school staff.

Coaches: Instructional coaches provide one-on-one, “over-the-shoulder” assistance to teachers, helping them master strategies to strengthen their classroom practice. Coaches will:

• Have the opportunity to participate in PIIC professional development activities.
• Work one-on-one with teachers in classrooms, offering confidential, non-evaluative feedback.
• Foster a collegial learning network of teachers and coaches in the district.
• Work with school administrators and leadership teams to support the coaching program.