ABCS Curriculum

The following is a description of the curriculum that ABCS used to train the academic coaches.

Training focused on developing skills in the following areas —

Process consultation
Using data to improve instruction
Implementing the mathematics and literacy standards
Assessing and improving school climate
Parental involvement
Working with the community
Helping schools meet the accountability demands of No Child Left Behind

The Framework

ABCS developed a curriculum for effective coaching known as process consultation that is based upon the work of Edgar Schein. The curriculum stressed the idea that successful school improvement does not come from a pre-packaged, one-size-fits-all intervention. Rather, effective coaching involves deep, sustained work on-site with practitioners to understand the particular needs, culture, capacity, and constraints of individual schools.

The training prepares academic coaches to —

Assist principals, teachers, and support personnel with analyzing student demographic and achievement data
Identify and prioritize school needs and goals
Assist in establishing a sustainable plan of improvement, which includes the development of new approaches to teaching, learning, and leadership that lead to increased academic achievement for all students in the school, particularly in the areas of mathematics and literacy

Learn more about the curriculum and the training process and the Curriculum Development Team.

The Standards

The following are the standards that ABCS used to develop the curriculum and that candidates used to assess their own levels of proficiency:

The Assessment

After going through twelve full days of training over three months, the coaching candidates prepared for their assessment by teaming with other candidates to videotape themselves practicing the skills and dispositions covered in the training. They also prepared extensive reflection journals in which they identified their relative proficiency in the principles of process consultation and in the standards established for academic coaches.

Finally, candidates were examined individually by three-member panels to determine whether they could implement the principles and meet the standards in a live demonstration. Panels were made up of MDE Office of School Improvement staff, Partnership for Success (PfS) Partner Educators, and other experienced educators not involved in the Institute training.