Numeracy and Literacy Coaching: A District Success Story

Dr. Youssef Mosallam, Superintendent, Crestwood School District, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

We all share a common goal: to enhance our students’ literacy and numeracy skills.  As education leaders, we are constantly bombarded with new intervention strategies, trying to stay up to date with the latest research, keeping pace with technology, and navigating the barrage of information fed to us daily.  Although there is one method of improving student achievement that has never failed, it is placing the best teacher, with the necessary tools, in front of students.  

When reviewing what our school district needed, we identified that we had many great teachers, but they required a spark, some new and fresh ideas, and opportunities to engage in conversations with someone “gets them,” who truly understands them. We clearly needed to support Tier 1 instruction, and we recognized that the best approach to do this was through a Numeracy and Literacy Coaching Model.  

First, we had to identify who these coaches would be, and we preferred internal candidates because of the connections they have with the current staff.  Secondly, we reviewed each applicant and requested data from their classrooms and an internal-only review of their internal evaluations to ensure that we selected highly effective teachers for these roles.  Third, we placed each coach in a scenario involving a teacher who needed support to see how they would address the matter.  Fourth, and very important, they were teachers, like everyone else.  They had no evaluative authority, and their job was to coach and only coach. 

In the beginning, it was difficult.  Teachers needed an opportunity to gain trust in the process and feel at ease, knowing that the coaches were only coaching and not evaluating.  As time passed, trust was established, and the coaching rotations were implemented.  Our first year of coaching was on a voluntary basis and revolved around the school improvement plan.  In the second year, all teachers were rotated.  In the third year, it became a rotation among all the teachers, with some teachers receiving more weeks based on their needs.  

Then, in year three, the proof was in the data.  Historically, our district has had one elementary school that consistently outscored the others.  This was often due to the demographics of each school.  In year three, the other elementary schools began to catch up, achieving double-digit gains in reading and math.  This included the English language learners, special education students, and at-risk students. This again emphasized that Tier 1, combined with the human element, promises to lift student achievement more than any other method.