Coaching on a Shoestring:Evolution of the Coaching Model

in Maryland

Elsa Velez Joan Ledvina Parr Charles County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools

Virginia Dolan Susan BarrettAnne Arundel County Public Schools Sheppard Pratt Health System

International Conference on Positive Behavior SupportBoston, MA.

March 8, 2007

Outcomes

• Gain knowledge about coaching

• Acquire tips for effective coaching

• Learn strategies to enhance coaching efficiency

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Coaching in Maryland: Building a Plane in Flight

Pennsylvania

Delaw

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D.C.

Virginia

West Virginia

Maryland PBIS Partnership and Collaboration

Maryland S tateDepartment of

E duc ation

S heppard P rattH ealthS ystem

J ohnsH opkins

U nivers ity

L oc alS c hool

S ystems

P o s itive B e h a v io r a lIn te r ve n tio n s a n d S u p p o r ts

History of PBIS in Maryland

• 1998 Collaboration: MSDE and Sheppard Pratt Health System• 1999 Tough Kids Tough Times Forum

• 15 schools trained statewide• Upon follow up it was learned very few of

these schools felt successful implementing PBIS

• Train and Hope model vs. Supportive Consultation Model

History of PBIS in Maryland and Schools Trained in PBIS

• Maryland Summer Institute

• in 2000, 20 schools trained

• in 2001, 30 schools trained

• Project Target and Johns Hopkins University join the collaboration with MSDE and SEPH, 2002

History of PBIS in Maryland and Schools Trained in PBIS

• Maryland Summer Institute

• in 2002, 54 schools trained

• in 2003, 60 schools trained

• in 2004, 85 schools trained

• in 2005, 94 schools trained

• in 2006, 118 schools trained

Number of Maryland School Teams and Behavior Support Coaches Trained

by Year

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Schools Trained Coaches Trained

Number of Maryland School Teams Trained and Number Remaining Active

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Number of School Trained Number of Active Schools

Percentage of PBIS Schools Trained and Remaining Active

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Percentage of Active PBIS Schools

No coaches 1999

Coacheslimited training2000 and 2001

Coaches—Structured Training beginning 2002

Who are the Maryland Coaches?

• Employee of the school system

• Preferably are school psychologists, social workers, counselors, administrators, behavior interventionists, special education resource teacher, etc.

• May be school based or itinerant

What are the Responsibilities of a Coach?

• Consistently attend PBIS team meetings

• Assist team with data-based decision-making, planning, and implementation

• Attend Regional/State Coaches meetings/trainings

• Send information to PBIS State/District Coordinator (e.g., checklists, action plans, etc.)

• Assist with dissemination activities (e.g., presentations, case studies, articles, etc.)

Coaches Have….

• Fluency with PBIS systems, practices, and data• Knowledge of behavior management strategies• Knowledge of PBIS technical assistance, such

as data management systems (SWIS)• Capacity to train others in PBIS practices and

systems (i.e., mentoring)• Enthusiasm to sustain school PBIS

implementation efforts

Type of Coaching

Internal Coach

• Individuals who are full time staff member of the school they coach

External Coach

• Individuals who are itinerant staff members coaching one of the schools to which they are assigned

• Individuals who are coaching another school (i.e., not their assigned position)

Considerations of Internal vs. External Coaching

• School Size

• Geographic Spread between Schools

• District Capacity/Investment in Systemic Implementation

• Personnel Skill Fluency

• Organizational Structures and Capacity

• Coaching Coordination

Advantages

Internal Coach

– Knowledge of staffing, operational procedures, organization, etc.

– Established staff relationships

– Regular access

External Coach

– Independent relationship with staff

– Outside perspective and examples

– Multiple school access

Disadvantages

Internal Coach

– Conflicting role responsibilities, lines of authority, and supervisory functions

– Narrow range of external authority, experience, and examples

External Coach

– Limited knowledge of staffing, operational procedures, organization, etc.

– Limited working relationships

– Less frequent access

What Do Coaches Do?

• Communicate with team (phone calls, emails, attend team meetings)

• Ensure that team has agenda, data, team implementation checklist-Form A, action plan)

• Ensure team communicates to staff (Marketing)• Provide awareness presentations (Marketing)• Make connections-school to school, etc.• Communicate with local coordinator and point of

contact about implementation progress, e.g. forms required and timelines for forms

Roles of the Coach

• Communicate with team (phone calls, emails, attend team meetings)

• Ensure that team has agenda, data, team implementation checklist-Form A, action plan)

• Ensure team communicates to staff (Marketing)• Provide awareness presentations (Marketing)• Make connections-school to school etc• Communicate with local coordinator, point of

contact- Forms Matrix

“Positive Nag” and Cheerleader

• Provide frequent, positive communication• Find positives in school data• Provide edible reinforcers, thank you’s, other kudos• Celebrate successes

– Cc-ing key people, PR contact, presentations

• Encourage positive behavior by administrator• Maintain coaches’ school binder

– Means of documenting efforts and celebrating success

• Encourage team’s documentation of programming

Empower the Team Leader

• Meet with Team Leader outside of scheduled meetings– Work “behind the scenes”– Establish rapport, encouragement, guidance

• Foster the image of the Team Leader– Within Team meetings and School system

• Encourage independence with website

• Offer tools from toolkit and other resources

Facilitating vs. Leading

Facilitator Team Leader

Ensures the team meets regularly Sets the dates for meetings

Offers tools to assist in record keeping, team evaluations, etc.

Checks accuracy of records, directs team in evaluation

Ensures equal distribution of roles and responsibilities

Assumes the role of leader, delegates, assigns tasks

Ensures the team is using data for decision making

Refers the team to the data during team meetings

Be a Resource for Information and a Liaison

• Multiple levels– School(s), LSS coordinator, MSDE

• Attend coaches’ meetings and other training opportunities

• Collect data for state or LSS Coordinator– Forms

• Distribute information (“timing is everything”)– Toolkit

Information Resource and Liaison

• Organizational tips– Notebook System, for example

• #1: School notebook (products specific to the individual school)• #2: Coach’s Toolkit (samples of products such as matrix, lesson

plans, parent involvement ideas, classroom strategies, etc.)• #3: Technical Information, i.e., samples of forms, coach’s meeting

minutes, other references, etc.)

– Monthly Form Requirements (timeline for data collection)– Readily-Available Contact Information

• School’s Team “Group Contact” for email• Phone contact numbers• Websites and links

• Seek out answers/support as needed

Facilitate Data-Based Decision-Making

• Use data to measure outcomes• SWIS access

– Consult with SWIS Facilitator as needed– Obtain “Read-only” passwords and use as needed

• DRIP (Data Rich, Information Poor)– What is your question?– What data do you need to answer the question?– Can you explain the data?

• Refer to the “general data-based decision making rules”

Data-Based Decision Making RulesIf…… Focus on….

•>40% of students received 1+ ODR

•>2.5 ODRs per student

School-wide System

•>60% of referrals come from classroom

•>50% of ODR come from <10% of classrooms

Classroom System

•>35% of referrals come from non-classroom settings

•>15% of students referred from non-classroom settings

Non-Classroom Systems

>10-15 students receive >5 ODR Targeted Group Interventions

•<10 students with >10 ODR

•<10 students continue rate of referrals after receiving targeted group support

•small # students destabilizing overall functioning of school

Individualized Action Team Systems

Staff Development for Coaches

• One day training for coaches prior to PBIS team training at the Summer Institute

• State coaches’ meetings three times per year

• District meetings (monthly, quarterly, or other schedule at the discretion of the district)

• District meetings for team leaders and coaches for joint training

Coaches’ Professional DevelopmentIncrease Fluency about….

• PBIS critical features

• Practices, systems, and data

• Data-based decision making and analysis

• Classroom behavior management strategies

• Functional basis of behavior and supports

• Intervention strategies for identified students

Coaches Self-Assessment

• Assists in identifying strengths• Assists in identifying professional development

goals• Assesses knowledge across levels of

– Data– Practices– Systems

• Three forms available– Coach– Coach facilitator/trainer or lead coach– Coach coordinator

Coaches Self-Assessment

• Scoring Self-Assessment:

3 = Fluent/Mastered

2 = Building skills, but not fluent

1 = Still learning

Coaches Self-Assessment: Data

• Is familiar with multiple data collection systems and their uses– ODRs, SET, surveys, achievement scores

• Can assist schools to develop other data systems as needed

• Can teach and support teams use of data to guide decision-making

Coaches Self-Assessment: Practices

• Knows and can define the essential features of school-wide PBIS

• Understands features of effective classroom instruction and management

• Can guide schools in identifying and adopting evidence-based practices

• Knows strategies to increase appropriate and decrease inappropriate behavior of groups

• Can provide schools with models and examples of other schools implementing PBIS

• Understands basic principles of applied behavior analysis (i.e., reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, etc.)

Coaches Self-Assessment: Systems

• Can facilitate effective team meetings

• Can provide effective consultation and technical assistance to school teams

• Able to effectively communicate within and across schools

• Can assist schools to establish systems that support staff and increase sustainability of PBIS efforts

Growth of Coaching in Maryland

• With the expansion of PBIS in Maryland there has come a need to coordinate the implementation of PBIS within the larger districts

• The larger districts have identified a Coach Facilitator

Role of the Coach Facilitator

• Coordinate district implementation of PBIS

• Provide technical assistance to coaches

• Serve on the Maryland State PBIS Leadership Team

• Markets PBIS to key stakeholders in their districts

• Liaison between the state leadership and the district

Successes

• Contributed to the fidelity of the implementation of PBIS in Maryland

• Contributed to the expansion of PBIS within each district and across the state

• Enhanced collegial collaboration and staff development among coaches

• Widened coaches understanding of a systems approach to implementation

Challenges

• Supervision of coaches

• Is it an add-on?: Coaching may or may not be included in the job descriptions, depending on the school system, but merely encouraged

• PBIS Team Meeting Schedules: interference with coaches’ other job responsibilities

Challenges

• Ensuring that coaches have fluency in PBIS implementation

• Good fit between coach and school, especially when using an external model

• Having enough coaches per school

Questions and Answers

For additional information:• National PBIS website

www.pbis.org

• Maryland PBIS website

www.pbismaryland.org

• School-wide Information System (SWIS) website

www.swis.org

• Elsa Velez, Ph.D., NCSP

evelez@ccboe.com

• Joan Ledvina Parr, Ph.D.

jparr@bcps.org

• Virginia L. Dolan, Ed.D., NCSP

vdolan@aacps.org

• Susan Barrett

sbarrett@pbismaryland.org