Delaware Launches Data Coaching Initiative
The Delaware Department of Education has partnered with Wireless Generation to implement the state's data coaching program, an important part of the Delaware Education Plan, funded with $8.2 million in federal Race to the Top grant dollars. Data coaches will meet with small cohorts of teachers at least two times per month to review data regarding those teachers' student data, help the teachers identify areas of deficiency and progress, and offer suggestions for teachers to address student needs as identified by the data. Through this two-year program, Delaware teachers in all grades across the state will broaden and deepen their ability to use their own varied student data to improve instruction and learning. Through the coaching program, the data coaches -- all former experienced educators -- will help Delaware teachers accelerate student achievement and sustain progress.
All educators in core subjects will meet in small, relevant groups of about six to 10 educators for 90 minutes weekly in a minimum of 45-minute blocks and will be joined by data coaches two times a month. The 29 data coaches will increase data-driven instruction by facilitating collaborative instructional planning time and providing feedback to individual instructors.
"Delaware's talented educators are a vital part of our reform strategy. Developing teachers' skills in the context of their own students' strengths and challenges will have a powerful impact on the teaching and learning that happens in classrooms," Secretary of Education Lillian M. Lowery said. "This program will help educators move from simply having data to using it effectively day in and day out."
The data coaching program builds on an already robust data environment in the state's schools. Through its longitudinal data system and new computer-adaptive state testing program --- the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) -- Delaware is at the forefront of providing educators with information about student learning and progress. The data coaching program and other professional development initiatives in Delaware's education plan take the next crucial step -- ensuring that educators develop the technical and pedagogical skills to use data from state tests, formative assessments, and other sources to improve instruction and student achievement.
The data coaches program will be led by Wireless Generation's Professional Services division, which works with schools and districts nationwide to raise achievement. The approach emphasizes the use of multiple varieties of data to help educators make more effective instructional decisions and drive continuous improvement. Skilled coaches and consultants partner on-site with teachers, principals, and administrators to build lasting capacity in analyzing actual student data; adjusting and individualizing instruction; monitoring progress continuously; intervening early, intensively and in targeted ways for students who are drifting off track; collaborating across classrooms and grades; and enhancing family and community involvement in the improvement process.
"It is an honor to partner with Delaware to implement its data coaching program and further its Race to the Top agenda. The state has set ambitious goals and is moving forward to realize a powerful vision of reform," said Larry Berger, Wireless Generation's CEO and Co-Founder. "To reap the benefits of rich data, educators must have the skills to interpret, contextualize, and act on it. Delaware is a leader in making this strong commitment to school-specific professional development to drive rapid, significant, and sustainable improvements in instruction and student achievement."
Wireless Generations has posted the position for Data Coach. The posting can be found at www.wirelessgeneration.com. Click on Careers at the top of the site.
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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education
for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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