Wilson Hill Elementary Student Achievement Coach

Hello, Wilson Hill Parents!  My name is Gina Piero, and I am the Student Achievement Coach at Wilson Hill Elementary.  Some of you might remember me as a third grade teacher at Wilson Hill.  Before becoming a coach for the district, I spent 18 years in the classroom—all at Wilson Hill!  My job now affords me the luxury of working with ALL teachers and students.  I tell the kids I have the BEST job in the school.  So, some of you may be asking yourself, “What is her job?”  and, “How does it affect my child?” Student Centered Coaching:  What is it?  How does it affect my child?

Ask any teacher, principal, administrative personnel, classified staff member, etc. what the most important part of our job is, and we will reply that asking the question “What’s Best for Kids?” is at the heart of every decision we make.    We use that as the filtering lens in every decision we make in Worthington schools.  Student Centered Coaching is based on the fact that growth and achievement are non-negotiables for each and every child.  And the growth and achievement are not “one size fits all” options. 

Student Centered Coaching begins with a teacher or team of teachers identifying a goal (attached to a curricular standard) for their current students.  They commit to working with me, the coach, for a six to nine week period of time. Part of that commitment includes meeting with me weekly to analyze student work samples and then plan instruction based on what we see the students need.  This is where differentiation comes in.  Although we have the same overall goal in mind, we may create three different lessons to meet the needs of learners who are far from, close to, or exceeding the standard.

 I commit to working with the teacher or grade level team in their classroom(s) one to two times a week.  When I am in the classroom, I might be modeling instruction, co-teaching with them, or simply observing to provide feedback on student engagement or other target areas. 

The cycle always begins with a pre-assessment aligned with the goal they are focusing on for their students, includes weekly formative assessments (analyzing actual student work samples) and concludes with a post assessment to document student growth and achievement that was made. 

Working through this “cycle,” teachers are collaborating with me and their peers to design and deliver instruction that is based on best practices.  The best professional development is job-embedded and incorporates time to meet and collaborate with colleagues.  Because we all know, “Two heads are better than one!”