The Impact of a Multi-Layered Approach to Professional Development on Early Reading Aquisition

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigated the impact of a multilayered approach to coaching that combined on-going coaching with a six hour staff development session. It examined the effects of coaching on the reading progress of students whose teachers received only staff development to teachers who received staff development and coaching. Reading progress was measured by 1st-3rd grade students’ Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) scores and running records.

The qualitative component entailed an examination of teachers’ running records as well as observations of guided reading lessons in both experimental and control groups to determine whether coaching teachers after staff development increased teachers’ use of reading prompts as compared to teachers receiving staff development without coaching. Teacher surveys and interviews of the coach and campus principal were also conducted. A one-way analysis of covariance was used to determine the effects of coaching on students reading scores.

Results provided evidence to suggest that teachers better retain what is learned during training when they receive follow-up coaching cycles. This is based on the observed decline in the use of language in teacher running records associated with the training session when teachers did not receive follow up coaching support. In contrast, when teachers received follow up coaching cycles, language used in the workshop increased in three out of five teachers’ running records.

Additionally, coaching significantly impacted student reading scores in reading when teachers experienced both professional development and coaching sessions with a focus on prompting as compared to teachers who experienced professional development with no follow up coaching sessions. The test was not significant for students identified as at-risk.