State education officials outline math coaching push, proficiency-scale rollout

Alabama State Department of Education staff on Dec. 9 outlined a multi-part effort to raise student math achievement across the state that centers on a coaching academy for math coaches, a tiered delivery model (“AmSTI for All”), and new proficiency scales intended to raise classroom rigor.

The department’s AmSTI staff described a coaching academy that trains building‑based and district coaches in coaching techniques, leadership and math content; a parallel principal training strand is designed to help administrators conduct instructional walk‑throughs and lead school math improvement teams. Staff said they are currently supporting teacher‑in‑residence placements and coaching cohorts in targeted schools and providing monthly coaching communities for participants.

Officials framed the work as a three‑part system: (1) scalable offerings available to all teachers, (2) more intensive professional learning for schools that sign partnership agreements and commit coaches’ time to classroom coaching, and (3) targeted cohorts and teacher‑in‑residence placements in the lowest‑performing schools. Department presenters said the program has reached 145 elementary and 32 secondary building‑based math coaches and is supporting 31 teachers and residents in a multi‑year federal cohort.

Why it matters: Department staff and board members tied the initiative to statewide assessment results and to a perceived need for districts to move instruction from “practice” levels to grade‑level rigor. Presenters said proficiency scales — documents that define level‑by‑level expectations for a standard — are central to aligning instruction and formative assessment so teachers and principals can consistently identify and push for grade‑level work.

Supporting details and next steps: Staff said regional AmSTI teams will continue school‑by‑school planning at upcoming curriculum and instruction meetings and will roll out additional coaching academy levels and follow‑up coaching communities in coming summers. They described a “geometry and measurement student experience” (a station‑based event) and short, standards‑aligned task cards to give students targeted exposure to content that often falls late in local pacing calendars.

Department staff told the board they have asked the Legislature to fund a multi‑year expansion that would place state‑supported math coaches in a large number of schools (the department’s planning figures referenced an initial rollout target of roughly 200–220 schools under a multi‑year plan). Staff said a mix of state, federal (including ESSER) and local funds are currently in use to support the work, and they flagged the need for sustained funding to scale the model.

Board members asked about parent engagement and family numeracy supports; staff said the department is producing a short, family‑friendly daily numeracy routine and monthly calendars that schools and community partners can distribute. The department also reported work to link early‑years formative assessments to classroom and summative data so districts can better track predictive signals at the classroom level.

Context and constraints: Presenters noted that many of the first‑year teacher‑in‑residence placements and building‑based coaches were placed in schools that experienced remote learning during pandemic years, which affected baseline implementation and measurement. Staff said they are collecting classroom‑level formative data to assess where coaching yields measurable gains.

What’s next: The department plans to present continued rollout details at upcoming regional and statewide meetings and to seek funding through the legislative process to expand coach placements and sustain the coaching model.