by Troy Bomgardner
Counselor/Head Football Coach
Custer County High School

Although just recently having received the prestigious “School of Distinction Award” by the Colorado Department of Education, the Custer County School District is continuing to work on improving the quality of education throughout the district. One of the key components is called a “Coach Through”. The concept involves an administrator stopping by a classroom, observing teachers educating children, making observations and taking notes, and then following up with the teacher. “There are a number of benefits to the Coach Through process,” said Custer County School Superintendent Mike McFalls. “It is not part of the formal evaluation process; therefore it is a more positive interaction between administration and the classroom teacher. It is similar to what a “coach” would do, we are looking for the good things in a classroom, but also ways to improve our instruction.”
Both McFalls and Principal Joe Vergilio are conducting the Coach Throughs with district teachers. Administrators are looking for “glows” and “grows” when they visit the classroom. A “glow” is something the teacher is doing well and a “grow” would be a suggestion for improvement. “It’s a great opportunity to get into the classroom in an informal way,” said Vergilio. “It gives the teacher another set of eyes in the classroom and it’s immediate feedback for the teacher.”
The immediate feedback is something that teachers appreciate. Administrators will have a laptop with them and within minutes after the visit, teachers will have an email with a list of what McFalls and Vergilio saw going on in their classrooms. “Initially, it was kind of nerve racking, having an administrator show up in my classroom,” said second grade teacher Sydney Benesch. “But now I look forward to having another set of eyes in my classroom and catching me in “real life” teaching, the good and the bad. It’s been very helpful to me!”
“It’s really all about improving the science of teaching,” said McFalls. “Our vision is to be one of the top school districts in the state of Colorado, so we will always be looking for ways to improve our instruction.” The district also complies with the Colorado Department of Education’s requirement for official evaluations of all teachers. Whereas the official evaluation is more cumbersome and time-consuming, the Coach Throughs take place unannounced and periodically throughout the year. “I appreciate the feedback,” noted 4th grade teacher Keely Smith. “With the more frequent informal visits, my formal evaluation will seem like a normal day and the students are familiar with seeing an administrator in the classroom and it will be less of a disruption and more productive. In addition, I feel it’s good for the students to see the administrators there in a positive role versus in a discipline role. Students often want to show off their work and that is fun to watch.” Teachers are beginning to get adjusted to the presence of the administration stopping by to check on instruction, “It’s always good to get another perspective,” said secondary math teacher Laura Krall. “And to have administrator presence in the classroom is a plus”.
The district also relies heavily on data from testing which takes place throughout the year. “There is no doubt we strive to be a data-driven school,” noted McFalls. “We have to have a way to verify if what we are teaching is making a difference, so we look at test results very closely, but there is also the aspect of an experienced teacher in the classroom, who has the skill to know when students are getting the concepts and it’s time to move on.”
In addition to administrator evaluations, the district has invested in GoPro cameras to be used to video teachers during instruction. With permission, a teacher may choose to have a lesson videotaped to watch and learn from as part of their growth process. “Both Joe and I have been impressed with the quality of teaching we have observed during our Coach Throughs”, said McFalls. “The Coach Throughs are an integral piece in preparing our students to graduate high school being college and career ready to lead successful lives as contributing members of society.”