Grand Valley State University



The START Coaching ModelWhy a START Coaching Model? Due to the increase in the numbers of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Michigan schools, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to adequately address their needs using a traditional Teacher Consultant (TC) caseload model. TC’s report spending a lot of their time addressing crisis situations which leaves little time for the collaboration and problem solving necessary to improve practices in classrooms. As such, the START Coaching Model is one solution for addressing the issues and is intended to result in the following outcomes:Build district capacity to educate students with ASD in general education environmentsImprove implementation fidelity of universal supports and Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs)Improve the development and implementation of Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs)START Coaching Model Development: Below are the steps for developing the systems and structure for implementing the START Coaching Model:Create a Capacity-Building Map: A Capacity-Building Map provides information that helps determine where training and coaching are most needed within the district / ISD. Once the map is drawn out (see illustration), the following information should be included for each building:Age/grade of all students in the building Number of students with ASD in the building Average level of intensity of the needs of students with ASD in the building (1=Low; 5=High)Current level of implementation of universal supports for students with ASD including schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and MTSS using the following Tier codes:Tier 1 = excellent implementationTier 2 = needs coaching for implementationTier 3 = needs training in addition to coachingIdentify Coach Leaders and Building Coaches: The START Coaching Model includes two types of coaches:Coach Leaders serve to coordinate district and/or Intermediate School District (ISD) coaching activities as well as provide support to Building Coaches. Coach Leaders are generally itinerant staff (e.g. school social workers, providers of speech and language, school psychologists, occupational therapists) with at least 3 years of experience and expertise in ASD and the implementation of universal supports and other EBPs. Coach Leaders can include other professionals, however, who have the expertise to perform the role. The START Coaching Model requires each building to have an identified Coach Leader or Coach Leader team that serves to support the Building Coach(es) as they coordinate building-level coaching activities.Building Coaches serve to identify and coordinate building-level coaching practices needed to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students with ASD. Practices can include the development and maintenance of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), support for using START’s Universal Supports Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT) and Classroom Environment and Teaching Assessment (CETA), facilitating student-specific meetings utilizing START’s Meeting Mechanics model, and providing implementation fidelity checks for EBPs. Building Coaches are professional staff that works primarily in one building (e.g. special education teacher, general education teacher, building-level provider of speech and language or social worker, principal), and START’s Coaching Model requires at least one identified Building Coach in every building serving students with ASD.Using the Capacity-Building Map and currently available staff to serve in Coach Leader and Building Coaching roles, identify which staff will serve which buildings in these roles. Be sure to consider the data in the Map regarding the intensity of student needs and level of universal supports implementation as some buildings may need more coaching support than others. This data can also be used to determine what buildings may need what type of professional development to access the information needed to address their building needs. The Map should be reviewed at least yearly to make coaching adjustments as capacity is built in each building.Develop a Systems-Level Coaching Plan: Identified Building Coaches in collaboration with their assigned Coach Leaders should develop a systems-level coaching plan. Solid foundational practices (e.g. MTSS, Schoolwide PBIS) as well as schoolwide implementation of universal supports serve to prevent a majority of behavioral and learning challenges for students with ASD and prevent the need for more intensive assessments and interventions saving resources and time. As such, focus on this level of implementation is a crucial element in coaching. The following steps are designed to guide the development of a systems-level coaching plan:Identify a Systems-Level Coaching Team: A team may already exist within the building to address universal supports for students with ASD. For example, the school improvement, MTSS, or Schoolwide PBIS teams, if in place, may be willing to enhance their work by also focusing on the needs of students with ASD in the building. A Team Audit <link> may be helpful in identifying a pre-existing team for this work. If no team is available, a team should be created to include representatives from general education, special education, administration, and itinerant staff. Collect Data: It is important to gather data about what universal practices are in place or not. START has developed two primary data sets to assist in identifying goals for implementation of schoolwide universal supports, the USAPT (building-level) and CETA (classroom-level). The identified team should complete the USAPT for the building and the CETA for identified focus classrooms to establish yearly priorities.Develop Goals: From the data collected using the USAPT and CETA, the team should develop at minimum 2-3 building-level goals for the year with explicit action plan items for team members to complete to meet the goals. Peer to peer support and schoolwide PBIS should be initial priorities if they are not already in place.Monitor Progress: The team should also establish a meeting schedule for the year to follow up on action items, review progress, and identify new needs if necessary. Monthly meetings are preferable, but teams should not meet any less than every other month.Develop Student-Level Coaching Plans: At the student level, coaching is focused on the development and implementation of the IEP. START’s IEP Implementation Coaching Checklist assists IEP teams in identifying relevant student needs, identifying effective supplementary aids and services, writing measurable goals, implementing EBPs with fidelity, and efficiently monitoring ongoing progress. The checklist includes detailed student baseline and end of year data to demonstrate improved outcomes. “Effective systems change takes 2-5 years even with concentrated and continual actions.” Centre for Strategic Planning ................
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