District presents K–2 literacy rollout and learning-lab coaching model

Committee members heard a presentation on the district’s K–2 literacy rollout and the coaching approach used to support classroom implementation. Presenters described a year-long professional development sequence, multiple coaching visits by an EL coach, and district learning labs in which teachers co-planned and taught model lessons with the coach.

The presenter said the learning labs were designed to show pacing and instructional moves in real classrooms and to address earlier teacher concerns about coaching not providing clear lesson models. “Teachers said this is exactly what I was looking for,” a literacy presenter said of the in-school lab days at Beverly J. Martin Elementary, where teachers and principals observed model lessons and debriefed with coaches.

Principals and teachers who participated reported that co-planning and co-teaching sped up implementation, helped new teachers build practical skills, and reduced the stress of long lesson plans. One second-grade teacher described the experience as “such an amazing experience,” saying the coach’s in-class guidance helped the teacher stay on pace and focus on the lesson’s end goal rather than getting stalled on individual parts.

Committee members asked whether the lab-and-coach model should inform future curriculum adoptions and whether EL coaches would be needed long-term. Presenters supported a team coaching model as an efficient way to move practice across buildings and said coaching helped identify needs before system-level decisions are made. The committee did not vote on adoption; staff said they would return with follow-up items and encouraged members to visit classrooms to observe the work in person.

Next steps: staff will share notes, follow up by email about requested agenda items, and invite committee members to observe classrooms implementing the curriculum.