Teacher Supports for Quality Instruction Welcome
Research strongly suggests that the most direct impact upon student achievement is the experiences students have each day in classrooms. Thus, a major objective should be to equip, empower, and expect staff to implement effective instructional practices. With BSD7’s focus on quality education, we wish to support instructional staff members to deepen their understanding of
- Content knowledge
- Research-based instructional strategies
- Use of assessments to monitor student achievement and select instructional strategies
In the Bozeman Public Schools, our commitments reflect the growing national consensus about what constitutes high-quality professional development for instructional staff in order to increase student engagement, improve student achievement, and build teacher capacity in schools.
Our Instructional Coaches are teachers whose chief professional responsibilities are to bring evidence-based practices into classrooms by working with teachers, paraprofessionals and other school leaders. These supports for quality instruction help our instructional staff build capacity for effective instructional practices within content areas, specifically focusing on differentiation with an emphasis on Understanding by Design. They also assist with a variety of other topics of interest, including classroom management, technology, and Response to Intervention, to name a few.
The key to a successful support program like ours are trusting relationships that are confidential and non-evaluative. These supports are job-embedded, addressing instructional issues faced daily in classrooms. Supports are ongoing with a two-fold goal that underscores our Long Range Strategic Plan: improved instructional practice and improved student learning.