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Peer coaches say Q‑Comp survey shows strong staff uptake and classroom shifts
Summary
Peer coaches presented the Wayzata Public School District’s annual Q‑Comp report, saying ~93% of staff reported implementing an actionable instructional step after coaching; district leaders highlighted small but measurable growth in teacher practice and plans to refine practices next year.
Peer coaches Christine Mishka and Tara Parsons presented the district’s annual Q‑Comp peer‑coaching report, telling the school board that staff survey results show broad acceptance of the program and concrete classroom changes. “On our year‑end feedback survey, 93% of staff positively responded to the statement, ‘I value the choices I have in the peer coaching program to direct my own professional growth,’” Mishka said.
The coaches framed the work around three pillars — staff‑directed learning and growth, reflective conversations rooted in data, and a focus on positively impacting student achievement and experience — and described their coaching cycle of pre‑meeting, observation and a reflective debrief. They cited examples where peer coaching prompted teams to replace an individual webquest with a culturally responsive collaborative protocol in a West Middle School seventh‑grade language‑arts PLC; teachers reported higher engagement and improved formative feedback as a result.
The presentation included survey data coaches described as evidence of uptake: 93.7% of staff said they implemented a next actionable step after working with a peer coach, and the team reported a roughly 9% increase over two years on a specific practice question tied to trying new teaching strategies. Board members pressed the presenters on causality — asking how much of student achievement could be attributed directly to peer coaching — and the coaches and administration described coaching as one piece of a larger set of supports (PLC work, curricular initiatives and professional learning).
Looking ahead, the coaches said the program will refine its use of the Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) frameworks and align smart goals more tightly with collaborative inquiry cycles. The team also plans to deepen connections among instructional roles — literacy coaches, instructional coaches, peer coaches and new partner‑teacher positions — so teachers can more readily access aligned supports. The board thanked the presenters and had no additional motions on the item.
The board heard the presentation during its June 22 meeting; the coaches encouraged continued district investment in job‑embedded professional learning but said peer coaching is one of several levers that support teacher practice and, indirectly, student outcomes.
