Eagle Point SD 9 presents first-year coaching data; lesson planning, engagement emerge as top needs

District staff presented the first year of systematically recorded instructional-coaching "impact cycles," reporting that 67 teachers districtwide worked with instructional coaches and that staff logged 128 impact cycles so far. "We have 38 teachers in our district who are in year 1," the district presenter said, adding that 78 cycles were elementary and 50 were secondary.

The presenter said 59 of the 67 teachers in coaching cycles are probationary (covering teachers in years one through three), three are contract teachers and five are long-term substitutes covering extended leaves. Board members questioned whether probationary status referred strictly to first-year teachers; staff clarified probationary includes teachers in years one to three.

Reading examples from a packet of 128 improvement statements, the presenter said common themes were lesson planning, instructional strategies, student engagement and behavior. "A lot of the statements I see are referring to student engagement and student behavior by increasing engagement," the presenter said, and added that some lesson-planning goals focus on increasing rigor.

Coaches in attendance introduced themselves and described prior roles in the district. Heather Morris said she is the instructional coach for Eagle Rock Elementary and Lake Creek Learning Center; Sean Davidson described experience in Los Angeles Unified and said he now coaches at Eagle Point Middle. Several board members thanked coaches and asked how the district will sustain and scale the work.

Staff described the PLC (professional learning community) framework guiding the work. The presenter framed the PLC work around four questions — what students should know, how to measure learning, how to respond when students don’t learn, and how to extend learning for students who already demonstrate proficiency — and described the TACA (team analysis of common assessments) process as the vehicle for weekly team data work.

Looking ahead, the presenter said the district has completed training with consultant Janelle Keating and is continuing a book study. Eagle Point School District 9 plans to join a new Oregon district-wide PLC project next school year; "By joining this project ... there's coaching with it," the presenter said, noting that the program includes external coaching support and a three-year planning horizon. Board members asked for a deliberate rollout and for staff to study districts that have implemented PLCs longer before broad implementation.

The briefing closed with staff noting that monitoring tools and product development (essential standards, pacing guides, proficiency scales) remain a work in progress and that principal–coach meetings and monthly coach reviews are being used to align school-level PD and interventions.