Instructional Coaches - Internal Candidates Only*

Department of Instruction

2020-2021 School Year

*This position is open to current, regular employees only. Substitutes and temporary employees are not eligible. 

ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL COACH:

Instructional Coaching is part of the professional development system in Albemarle County Public Schools.  The mission/vision of the coaching model is to promote a culture of collaborative, public, and reflective practice, and to support the continuous improvement of curriculum, assessment, and instruction by partnering with teachers to actualize professional goals. Overall, the job of the instructional coach is to work within a team of instructional coaches to build the capacity of teachers to meet the needs of all students through implementation of the Division's three levers: (1.) Framework for Quality Learning; (2.) Professional Learning Community; and (3.) Teacher Performance Appraisal.  The effective coach is seen as an equal partner with both novice and experienced teachers, spending the majority of the time collaborating around teaching practices (i.e., co-planning, modeling, observing, co-teaching, debriefing). Coaches facilitate job-embedded professional development alongside teachers to enhance understanding of curriculum, assessment, and instruction as informed by the Framework for Quality Learning.  Coaches provide support to teachers as they engage in ongoing professional learning and to groups of teacher as they work in Professional Learning Communities to analyze student work and data.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Engages in reflective conversations with teachers
• Builds and maintains professional relationships with teachers
• Collaborates with teachers through listening and questioning to formulate next steps and solutions
• Supports collaboration across schools
• Develops student-centered goals with teachers in order to increase student achievement
• Facilitates school-based, high-quality, job-embedded professional development, working with teachers (in teams or individually) to enhance their knowledge and skills through co-developing lesson plans based on student needs, observing instruction, modeling instructional strategies (including the systemic integration of technology), supporting teachers as they analyze student work, etc.
• Engages in ongoing professional development to acquire contemporary global learning knowledge and skills necessary to effectively impact the instructional practices of teachers

The instructional coach is non-supervisory and non-evaluative. The instructional coach is assigned to a team that supports a cluster of schools and is evaluated and supervised by a centrally based Lead Coach.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The effectiveness of the ACPS coaching model hinges on the selection of a candidate who is highly qualified as a teacher, knowledgeable in content areas and global learning practices, and demonstrates a flexible mindset and willingness to learn the sophisticated practices of coaching. The following qualifications will be considered:

• Virginia teaching certification with current continuing contract status in Albemarle County
• Demonstrated deep expertise in one or more of the following areas: adult learning theory, how students learn and process literacy and numeracy, pedagogy, content knowledge, and Albemarle County Public Schools’ Lifelong Learner Standards
• Demonstrated knowledge and use of a rich array of instructional approaches, resources, and technologies
• Demonstrated commitment to understanding action research and inquiry as processes for building instructional capacity
• Demonstrated skills in analyzing and using data for instructional decision-making
• Demonstrated interpersonal, problem solving, and organizational skills required to effectively facilitate coaching and staff development
• Ability to design and implement high quality job-embedded professional development
• Knowledge and understanding of equity issues in school cultures
• Knowledge and skills to support teachers in implementing the Framework for Quality Learning, the domains and standards of the Teacher Performance Appraisal, and the protocols and purpose of Professional Learning Communities

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Five years teaching experience required, tenure in ACPS preferred
• Virginia professional teaching certification required

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS:

Duties performed typically in school settings to include: classroom, gym, cafeteria, auditorium, and recreational areas. Occasional operation of automated computer office equipment is required. Frequent travel to school sites throughout the County and occasional statewide or regional travel is required. Attendance to meetings outside the normal duty hours is sometimes required. Regular interactions with teachers and leaders throughout the School Division.