Principal says WestEd coaching is rebuilding PLCs and instruction at Nicholas Homestead

Nicholas Homestead school leaders updated the board on a year of WestEd coaching intended to strengthen teachers’ professional learning communities (PLCs), sharpen data use, and raise instruction for the school’s special-education subgroup.

Principal (speaker identified in the report) described multiple WestEd visits and training days in which WestEd staff modeled PLC protocols, classroom tuning, and lesson analysis. The principal said WestEd worked with leaders to move teams from long, unfocused “team meetings” to time‑boxed PLCs that use data to plan instruction and progress monitoring.

Presenters described specific PLC protocols: tuning a lesson (peer review and constructive feedback), analyzing student work to select targeted instructional moves, and ongoing progress monitoring. The principal cited benchmark gains measured with IXL and other tools: third and fourth grades were reported as roughly a year’s growth; fifth grade trailed but showed recovery after staffing changes and reorganization.

WestEd coaching focused on inclusion of special‑education teachers in PLCs and on strong tier‑1 instruction intended to move all students. The district’s education program specialist with ADE participated in campus visits and virtual support, and the principal said monthly check‑ins with ADE staff were part of the effort.

The principal said the school will bring WestEd back at the start of next year to onboard new staff and reinforce expectations: “This isn’t just a this‑year thing. This is a thing now that’s an expectation for Nicholas Homestead.” Trustees praised the work, and the board received the update without formal action.