WEEK 5: Professional Learning and Coaching
Professional learning and coaching is a key part in any system that serves students who need advanced tier supports and interventions. As with any new learning, feedback is imperative to the process. Ongoing coaching helps practitioners refine their skills, address challenges, and implement evidence-based practices with fidelity.
Effective advanced tiers implementation may require targeted training that addresses students’ complex academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. For example, trauma-informed practices and strategies for de-escalating disruptive behavior equip educators to respond effectively to students with elevated behavioral and emotional needs. Similarly, training in specialized academic interventions, such as Orton-Gillingham (OG), provides educators with strategies to address persistent skill deficits. Because academic difficulties may contribute to behavioral and emotional challenges, advanced tier teams must be equipped to examine the underlying causes of student needs and implement targeted, evidence-based interventions rather than addressing presenting behaviors in isolation.
Anyone tasked with coaching, supporting, or supervising practitioners must have the appropriate training and knowledge of the practices being implemented to ensure fidelity. If the individual observing and providing feedback has not received training or does not have a specific tool to assess fidelity and identify essential practices, the feedback may be imprecise, inconsistent, or even incorrect. Feedback that is not grounded in an understanding of the intervention does little to support practitioner growth and may unintentionally reinforce ineffective practices. A strong coaching system requires knowledgeable coaches, clearly defined implementation expectations, and specific tools to guide observations and provide actionable feedback.
Another critical component of an effective professional learning and coaching plan is the availability of booster sessions throughout the learning and implementation process. Learning a new practice does not end when the initial training concludes. Practitioners need continued opportunities to revisit concepts, ask questions, address implementation challenges, and strengthen their skills. Booster sessions, informed by coaching observations, fidelity measures, and student progress-monitoring data, help ensure that professional learning remains relevant and responsive to practitioner needs.
Ultimately, a coordinated system of specialized training, ongoing coaching, meaningful feedback, and booster sessions is essential to supporting effective MTSS implementation and improving outcomes for students requiring advanced-tier supports.
References
Center on PBIS. (2016). Tier 2 systems readiness guide. University of Oregon. https://www.pbis.org/resource/tier-2-systems-readiness-guide
Center on PBIS. (2025). Tier 2 School-Level Systems Guide. Center on PBIS, University of Oregon. www.pbis.org
Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports. (n.d.). Trauma learning modules. Virginia Commonwealth University. https://vtss-ric.vcu.edu/trauma-learning-modules/
Virginia Student Services Collaborative. (2026). Learning center: Defusing disruptive behavior. https://vastudentservices-clc.org/learning-center/?course_term=defusing-disruptive-behavior