Performance Expectations for a Coach

Introduction

Students’ achievements significantly depend on the collaborative efforts of educational staff, and enhancing their skills and knowledge is the key to the success and prosperity of any school. In this regard, performance evaluation and a professional development plan are excellent instruments applied in a school to review staff’s effectiveness in the classroom and identify drawbacks needing close consideration. This paper aims at creating a performance evaluation tool for the instructional coach’s critical tasks and behaviors that should be followed to produce professional progress. In addition, the paper will outline a coach’s professional development plan necessary for improving performance in each main criterion.

A Performance Evaluation Tool

Evaluation factors	Developing	Proficient	Distinguished
Builds and Maintains Positive Relationships	Develops a conducive school environment that promotes the learning process and relationship with students, colleagues, and parents in school. Written and verbal communication is clear and grammatically correct.	Maintains appropriate, friendly, and active interactions with students, colleagues, and parents, which generates respect and caring. Respects other views, shares ideas and materials, and builds community work in favor of students’ and collegial learning.	Actively encourage students and colleagues in discussing and forming the favorable culture of school and community, which fosters respect and leadership. Takes an active leadership role in enhancing relationships, collegial learning, and community work.
Provides Professional Development for Teachers	Promotes reflective practice among teachers to adjust future instructions. Plans professional development, utilizes educational research and various learning situations to provide teacher support.	Unceasingly participate in different problem-solving and self-assessment strategies that positively impact teachers’ growth and learning. Consistently seeks opportunities for professional development and demonstrates considerable experience in educational research to enhance teacher knowledge and skills.	Acts as a mentor for teachers in reflective practice and the use of assessment data. Systematically applies knowledge to developing professional activities and actively take part in professional progress within the professional community. Critically examine, evaluates, and implement educational research and research-based strategies in educational practice.
Establishes a Culture of Learning	Encourages teachers to establish objectives for students’ attainments by correlating the goal-setting process. Cooperates with teachers and administrators at the school and community level to evolve close partnerships supporting students’ learning.	Assists teachers in setting short and long-term aims, arranges, and realizes effective practices in the classroom through personal coaching. Consistently cooperates with teachers and colleagues at the school to develop partnerships.	Maintains high expectations for students’ results while guiding teachers to work cooperatively to reach shared learning goals. Supports the implementation of effective practices, assumes an active leadership role in collaborative partnerships with teachers and administrators at the school and district level to facilitate the learning process.
Show Knowledge of Curriculum and Resources	Demonstrates the knowledge of instructional practices and curriculum planning and assists teachers in research-based planning instruction directed at promoting students’ learning. Formulates instructional activities that address the learners’ needs.	Demonstrates rich knowledge in instructional practices and curriculum planning. Advances instructional activities based on effective strategies, innovative techniques, and extensive research, which promotes students’ cognitive and physical development.	Shows profound knowledge of instructional practices and curriculum planning. Continuously adjusts lessons based on in-depth research and applies relevant strategies to actively engages teachers in advancing their own and students’ learning. Fluently utilize diverse educational techniques targeted at cultivating critical thinking. Conducts as a leader by delivering constructive assistance through using materials, technologies, and strategies to maximize student and teacher performance.

A Professional Development Plan

Target	Activity	Resource	Timeline
Improve communication skills and relationships with colleagues, students, and community	Developing: Get acquainted with the necessary strategies and literature that helps to improve communication skills. Follow the guidelines and rules recommended by the school or district. Start correspondence with colleagues.	School and national libraries, guides, and the Internet	2-3 months
	Proficient: Attend online or other training courses allowing to improve communication skills. Participate in conferences and meetings at school and national level and lead active correspondence with staff, teachers, and students.	Web.	6 months
	Distinguished: Assume the responsibility for heading presentations or meetings at school and national level. Hire a personal couch promoting the expansion of the knowledge and understanding concerning verbal and non-verbal skills.	Web.	6 months
Broaden an understanding of professional development	Developing: Get acquainted with the primary principles a reflective practice and school instructions. Read specific literature on cooperation with teachers.	School and national libraries, guides, and the Internet	2-3 months
	Proficient: Read literature and attend special school sessions and classes on aspects of professional development and teaching. Review students’ feedback on teachers’ performance.	School and national libraries, guides, and the Internet	6 months
	Distinguished:Attend advanced training courses in terms of professional development. Examine students’ feedback on teachers’ performance.	Web.	6 months
Deepen knowledge of curriculum planning and resources	Developing: Explore the fundamental and current learning theories concerning designing instruction, activities, and curriculum planning.	School and national libraries, guides, and the Internet	2-3 months
	Proficient: Examine books and other literature on curriculum planning and developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.	Web.	6 months
	Distinguished: Take training courses enhancing leadership skills and examine the wide variety of research-based literature on curriculum planning.	Web.	6 months

Conclusion

In summary, the paper has created a performance evaluation tool and a professional development plan for an instructional coach, needed to provide sustainable professional growth and improve students’ outcomes. In particular, a performance evaluation tool contains four evaluation factors, namely, building positive relationships, providing professional development for teachers, establishing a culture of learning, and showing knowledge of curriculum and resources. At the same time, a professional development plan contains three targets, such as improving communication skills, broadening an understanding of professional development, and deepening knowledge of curriculum and resources.

References

Benzinga Staff. (2020). Best communication courses. Benzinga. Web.

Contact Garfinkle Executive Coaching (n.d.). Garfinkle Executive Coaching. Web.

Continuing professional development (CPD) (n.d.). The International Coaching Federation (ICF). Web.

The Instructional Coach Academy. Web.