This article first appeared on TIE Online
This topic is one of the most common concerns I hear from senior leaders or school boards is:
- How do you know coaching is making an impact?
- How can I see the return on investment when I hire instructional coaches?
When schools are choosing to invest in non-teaching positions, it is essential to understand how that work is positively impacting student (and in this case, teacher) learning.
This can come as a surprise to new and even experienced instructional coaches, because as educators we are not required to formally “prove” our value on a regular basis. That process is already “baked in” to the structure of the school. However, for instructional coaches, this is not the case. If coaches are not measuring their impact, there is likely no one else on staff who will be doing this work. Which means, it can become very easy to say that no impact has been made. Instead, it is essential for instructional coaches to recognize that intentionally collecting data to measure their impact, and then sharing it within the school community is part of their role.
Although the idea of measuring the impact of instructional coaching is complex, it can and should be an integral part of coaching work. By developing sustainable and consistent practices for collecting data, coaches can regularly reflect on coaching interventions that make a positive impact on learning, allowing coaches to better structure their time and continue to refine their work, as well as to validate the program’s success to leadership and other stakeholders.
In this episode I’m sharing the two main reasons why measuring is so important, along with three types of data to gather, so you can get started immediately!
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Build a Solid Foundation
Measuring impact hinges on having defined goals to measure in the first place. In a recent AAICIS (the Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools) Leadership Speaker Series session, facilitated by Jordan Benedict, he shared the outcome of the 2024 Landscape Study of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (download the whitepaper here). Based on the results of the study, Jordan said, “in clearly defined coaching programs, they are much more likely to report benefits of coaching programs.” (Benedict, et al, 2024) Ultimately, schools can not measure what has not been defined.
If this clarity is not established, coaching programs can end up losing their focus and momentum. As Joellen Killion said on a #coachbetter podcast interview, “If I can describe it with specificity, it is far more likely to be achieved, than if I don’t have the capacity to be specific. More time on the what, and less time on the how. We do that backwards in schools. We spend a lot of time on the how without clarity on the what.” (Cofino, 2022a). This means that both instructional coaches, and school leaders, need to be aware of the importance of implementing the work with intention – understanding what we hope to achieve, and being intentional about collecting the data to determine our success.
As coaches begin this process, it is helpful to keep in mind that data is a tool to inform practice. Coaches should view the data collected as information to help make the next decision – not as evaluation. As Laura Lipton said in a #coachbetter interview, “the purpose of data is to continuously improve. One of the issues is that data is used to ‘prove,’ not ‘improve,’ and people can get uncomfortable with that.” (Cofino, 2022b). When coaches can reframe their lens to seeing data as a way to continually improve their practice, it becomes easier to start approaching data collection with an inquiry stance. With that mindset established, taking the time to track and reflect on the data collected can be both validating for coaches and a great way to share the success of coaching with others.
One Essential Key to Data Collection
Collecting data around their practice is often new for instructional coaches, and it can easily get lost in the busyness and complexity of a coaching role. It’s essential that both leaders and coaches recognize the importance of data collection, as early in the academic year as possible. Because it is difficult to know the exact data needed to evaluate the impact of coaching before the actual data collection & reflection begins. This means, the most important part of data collection is for coaches to just get started.
Once coaches recognize that data collection is part of their responsibility, they can begin to start collecting data – even if it’s with a very small first step. On an early episode of the #coachbetter podcast, Data Coach Jordan Benedict noted that “The goal is to start measuring, and taking action, and tweak questions as you review the data…. The questions don’t have to be perfect at the start. [Coaches] can fine-tune your actions over time.” (Cofino, 2019). This is an iterative process of refinement that involves layering successful strategies year after year.
As coaches are beginning to explore collecting data, it can also be helpful to remember that data is any information that coaches have access to – it doesn’t have to be just numbers. Coaches can collect all different types of data to provide a reference point in time which allows coaches to make the next decision. Data allows coaches to try something, and then collect more data, in order to make the next decision. Decisions grounded in reality require data. And, as Jordan said on that same episode, “just one point of data is enough for you to inquire further.”
It is the regular reflection, and the process of examining the data uncovered, that allows coaches to continually refine the data collection process and add layers of detail and nuance to the data collected.
To refine their tracking methods to get a clearer picture of their impact coaches may wish to ask themselves the following questions each time they reflect on the data they collected:
- What did this data tell us?
- What other data do we need?
- What questions arise?
- What’s the next decision we can make?
Asking these questions will allow coaches to uncover exactly which data they need to gather next, to continually answer the questions they, or their school leaders, have about the impact of coaching.
Two Main Purposes for Data Gathering
As already briefly mentioned above, it is essential for coaches to collect data about their practice and impact as a coach for the following two reasons.
1. Tracking Data To Refine Individual Coaching Practice
Building a practice of reflecting on data at multiple points throughout the year provides regular opportunities for coaches to reflect on how they can refine and adjust their individual coaching practice, as well as stay focused on their own professional goals (as described in a previous #coachbetter QuickTips episode, Two Ways to Reflect on Your Year as an Instructional Coach). Having data about their practice can also help coaches understand what to do more of, and what may not be a valuable use of their time.
A simple structure to start is to reflect on data collected at the end of the first semester, and then more significantly at the end of the year. Over time, coaches can build in simple practices to reflect on the data at the monthly (and even weekly) level, as the process becomes more and more streamlined.
2. Tracking Data To Evaluate And Validate Your Coaching Program
Often, positions that have no student contact time are the first to be cut when budgets are tight. Ensuring that there is a comprehensive and ongoing record of the work coaches are doing will help retain this essential position. When sharing data with school leaders, it can be very valuable to include actual feedback from teachers, like quotes, videos, and images from the classroom.
Sharing the impact of coaching among teachers can also help build a coaching culture, providing insight into what’s actually happening in coaching cycles and directly demonstrating the value of investing in coaching. In fact, in one of our conversations inside The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program, one of the cohort members, who is currently a classroom teacher, raised the point that they would be most likely to engage in a coaching cycle if they could see case study examples from their school demonstrating the impact of instructional coaching on student learning, with data and examples to back it up. In this way, collecting data can serve multiple purposes: coaches can use this data to reflect on their practice, to support the validation of the role, and to build understanding among teachers about the value of engaging in coaching.
Some simple ways to highlight the impact of coaching in your community could be to make the following types of data visible to all stakeholders:
- Readiness for coaching at the beginning of the year / end of year (compared year after year)
- How many teachers have worked with a coach
- What type of coaching: Single strategy, Short cycle, Long cycle
- Quotes from teachers / students (what do teachers / students say)
- Stories / pictures from classroom (what does coaching look like)
When coaches understand that one of the informal leadership aspects of an instructional coaching role is being an advocate for the work that coaches do, making time to track and share data becomes an essential part of the role. Tracking and measuring the impact of coaching, and then sharing those results, are part of advocating for coaching.
Three Key Types of Data to Gather
Instructional coaches can measure the impact of their work by bringing together the following three key elements, always for the purpose of guiding improvement.
1. Teacher Feedback (Lead indicators)
To initially identify if coaching is having an impact on student learning, coaches can start by collecting data around (often qualitative) lead indicators like teacher confidence, willingness to take risks, improved student engagement or understanding over the course of a unit or coaching cycle.
Coaches can collect this data in lots of different ways; they might conduct a teacher survey, ask for feedback during a coaching conversation, or even request a simple, short emoji-style piece of digital feedback via email.
In a #coachbetter interview with me, Joellen Killion highlighted that “coaching is more likely to produce results for students if you see:
- Teachers reporting that they are gaining knowledge and skills and the support necessary to put those into practice;
- Coaches are focused on topics directly related to identifying needs for students in a school; and/or
- a developing culture of collaboration (a side effect that also is an indicator)” (Cofino, 2022a).
As coaches are collecting this kind of feedback, it’s also worth considering collecting artifacts from teachers like quotes, videos, and images that can be helpful to inspire other teachers and share with leadership.
2. Student Assessment Data (Lag Indicators)
Lag indicators will likely come from student assessment data and can be used to show long-term impact. Joellen Killion points out the importance of correlating lead indicators with “common assessments, i.e., the kind of work students are actually doing, and not just high-stakes assessments.” (Cofino, 2022a).
Some examples could be:
- MAP, Exact Path, or other internal diagnostic
- ISAT, or other external standardized assessment
- individual classroom assessments
- internal assessments or internal common assessments
Once coaches have this kind of lag data, they can begin correlating their specific work with teachers with data from teachers’ internal and external assessments (see more about this in the next section).
3. Time Tracking of Coaching
In order to make the connection between the work coaches are doing and the lead and lag data, it is helpful for coaches to be tracking their own time. The goal should be to answer the question: “What did I do with this teacher, how did it impact what they did with students, and then might that have impacted student learning?”
To do this, coaches can track things like:
- Daily coaching activities: who coaches are working with, what kind of work coaches are doing during this time (including whether it’s in the consulting, collaborating or coaching stance), how this coaching cycle began, the amount of time spent coaches spent in various roles, and what happened after each coaching interaction
- Planning and preparation: tracking data about what coaches do to prepare, reflect, and refine, organized into all the services coaches offer. For example, this might include collaborating with principals, time spent planning, time spent in team meetings
Because tracking daily work can become logistically cumbersome, making it as easy, intuitive and practical as possible is important. The tracking is the start of the process, so it should be easy and quick because the end goal is the analysis. Coaches might use a survey they complete themselves, a spreadsheet, or a tool like connecthub.io. If coaches are working on a team, it will be beneficial to ensure that the format and structure for tracking works for everyone.
It’s an Ongoing Process
Developing a process to measure the impact of coaching is long-term work, and coaches and school leaders alike shouldn’t expect immediate results. This is an ongoing commitment that requires relationships, trust, and ongoing development.
As The Coach Graduate, Ashley Martin points out on a #coachbetter podcast episode, “The first year of coaching is not going to look like the end goal of our coaching program – but it is so worth the time to do those things to set ourselves up for the future.” (Cofino, 2022c). By taking time to build relationships and clarify purpose, schools provide the safety and security needed for teachers to truly engage in coaching. This also gives coaches time to refine the collection of data over time, so they can more accurately correlate their work to student learning outcomes.
Documenting that instructional coaching has made an impact on student learning outcomes requires time, intention, and support structures. This is work that requires years – not days or months. Putting structures in place to empower coaches to be successful will yield long-term results for students, teachers, and school leadership.
I’ll include the references from today’s episode in the show notes if you want to take a closer look!
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References
Benedict, J., Moreland, K., Olson-Wyman., S., Cofino, K., & Killion, J. (In press). The landscape of instructional coaching in international schools. In Barker, M. & Hammer, L. (Eds). Issues and Trends in International School Leadership. IGI Global.
Cofino, K. (5 June 2024). Two Ways to Reflect on Your Year as an Instructional Coach. The International Educator (TIE Online). https://www.tieonline.com/article/3778/two-ways-to-reflect-on-your-year-as-an-instructional-coach
Cofino, K. (2024, May 8). Five Reasons Instructional Coaching in International Schools is So Complex. The International Educator (TIE Online). https://www.tieonline.com/article/3756/five-reasons-instructional-coaching-in-international-schools-is-so-complex
Cofino, K. (2024, Feb 14). Coaching Skills Aren’t Just for Coaches: Coaching As Leadership. The International Educator (TIE Online). https://www.tieonline.com/article/3676/coaching-skills-aren-t-just-for-coaches-coaching-as-leadership
Cofino, K. (2023, Nov 22). The 3 Key Roles of a Coach: Exploring the Difference between Consulting, Collaborating & Coaching. The International Educator (TIE Online). https://www.tieonline.com/article/3620/the-three-key-roles-of-an-instructional-coach
Cofino, K. (Host). (2022a, January 26). What Makes Coaching Work with Joellen Killion (146). [Audio podcast episode]. In #coachbetter. Eduro Learning. https://coachbetter.tv/episode-146/
Cofino, K. (Host). (2022b, February 23). The Continuum of Practice for Instructional Coaches with Laura Lipton (150). [Audio podcast episode]. In #coachbetter. Eduro Learning. https://coachbetter.tv/episode-150/
Cofino, K. (Host). (2022c, November 2). Building an Intentional Coaching Program with the PASD Team (178). [Audio podcast episode]. In #coachbetter. Eduro Learning.https://coachbetter.tv/episode-178/
Cofino, K. (Host). (2019, August 7). What Can Instructional Coaches Do to Measure their Impact with Jordan Benedict (47). [Audio podcast episode]. In #coachbetter. Eduro Learning. https://coachbetter.tv/episode-47/
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