Melinda Romero Instructional Resource Center
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- Chandler Unified School District
- Teaching and Learning Supports
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Teaching and Learning Supports for Student Success in CUSD
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Essential Duties of Coaches and Specialists by Department
Instructional coaches and specialists support various projects by leveraging their unique understanding of specific programs, content areas, and processes to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to maximize the students' learning environment. The Coaches and Specialists from Curriculum & Instruction, Accountability & Research, and Personalized Learning integrate their efforts to help guide and improve student engagement and agency.
Guiding Philosophy
Jim Knight's Seven Guiding Principles
- Equality
- Choice
- Voice
- Dialogue
- Reflection
- Praxis
- Reciprocity
All Coaches and Specialists:
- Provide teachers with professional development
- Identification of appropriate and effective resources based on evidence-based practices
- On-site coaching focused on transforming teaching and learning experiences
- Utilize data in alignment with district goals, processes, and procedures related to instruction, assessment, and use of resources to improve student learning
- Mentor teachers by offering support, encouragement, and feedback
- Support the whole child through interventions, enrichment, and acceleration
- Provide support for PLCs
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Curriculum & Instruction
- Maximize the effective use of curriculum and resources
- Assist principals with initiating and sustaining whole-site improvement
- Integrate technology into curriculum and instruction
- Help administrators and teachers use data to improve student learning
- Facilitate collaboration between teachers and various district departments
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Career and Technical Education
- Prepare students for continuous learning and workforce success
- Facilitate the curriculum writing process with teacher teams
- Identify and communicate core academic skills, employability skills, and technical, job-specific skills
- Support teachers in integrating business and industry perspectives into the classroom curriculum
- Monitor progress toward four core indicators of the Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998
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Educational Technology
- Provide support for technology-enhanced teaching and learning
- Support teachers with the integration of digital curricular resources
- Maintenance/operation of district educational technology systems
- Vet digital resources to ensure inclusion, instructional quality, data privacy, etc
- Create engaging, interactive online content for virtual/blended learning environments
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Assessment
- Coordinate, organize, and support state and district assessments with site-level testing coordinators
- Support teachers in utilizing assessments to inform instruction effectively
- Determine eligibility for state assessments and ensure proper accommodations are available
- Communicate district and state testing procedures to maintain valid and reliable assessments
- Provide training and troubleshooting of assessment software systems
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Student Services
- Provide support for teachers in specialized instruction and related services for students with disabilities
- Support Individualized Education Program (IEP) Teams at all grade levels
- Use data to help determine various supports and services a student might need along the continuum of the least restrictive environment
- Ensure staff accounting for students' unique individual strengths, needs, and post-secondary goals when determining the appropriate service needs of each student
- Consider various options and reasonable accommodations and/or modifications, supplementary aids and services, and/or assistive technology in general education classes
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Federal Programs
- Support Migrant and Indigenous Education, Families in Transition Foster, Refugee, Immigrant, and English Language Learners
- Provide site support for AZELLA and ALT-ELPA data, and ADE, USDOE, and grant compliance
- Provide eligible students with academic, scholarship, and postsecondary support
- Provide cultural and family engagement opportunities, including education programs
- Support staff with cultural awareness, lesson planning, curriculum and resources, ELP standards, and ELD models
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Onboarding
The instructional coaches and specialist onboarding process acclimates new hires to the position's structure, culture, vision, and mission.
