Mathematics Instructional Coach

Alabama Numeracy Act Building-Based Mathematics Coach Job Description

Role of the Building-Based Mathematics Coach:
Per the Alabama Numeracy Act  (ANA), "every public K-5 school with a student population of less than 800 K-5 students shall be allocated one mathematics coach and every public K-5 school with a student population of 800, or more, K-5 students shall be allocated two mathematics coaches." The ANA building-based mathematics coaches may not perform administrative duties, serve in administrative roles, serve as a substitute teacher, serve as a testing coordinator, serve as an interventionist, or perform any other school duties not focused on coaching or the mathematics improvement of students during the instructional day (ANA, page 28).

Allocation:
Local education agencies (LEAs) are to ensure each assigned school has a building-based mathematics coach. Allocations for Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA) building-based mathematics coaches will be sent quarterly for schools that can verify a building-based mathematics coach conforms to the ANA building-based mathematics coach job description. Assigned schools without a verified building-based mathematics coach will not receive their quarterly allocation.

Evaluation and Support:
Building-based mathematics coaches as designated by the ANA will be evaluated according to quantitative and qualitative data measures. Summative and formative student assessment data, surveys, and site visit reports will be used in determining ANA mathematics coaches' effectiveness. Support for ANA mathematics coaches will be provided by Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) Regional Specialists and monitored by Office of Mathematics Improvement (OMI) Regional Coordinators according to specifications outlined in the ANA.

Minimum Qualifications:

An ANA building-based mathematics coach shall have all the following minimum qualifications: a. Hold a valid Alabama professional certificate in early childhood education, elementary education, or special education. b. Have a minimum of five years' experience as an early childhood education, elementary education, or special education teacher. c. Demonstrate expertise, as attested by a current or former employing city or county superintendent of education, in mathematics instruction and intervention and early numeracy interventions, including dyscalculia interventions.

d. Hold a master's degree or have completed professional development recommended by the Elementary Mathematics Task Force or both.

Duties and Responsibilities:

To ensure all students are proficient on or above grade-level mathematics by the end of fifth grade, the duties and responsibilities of the building-based mathematics coach outlined in the ANA will include the following: a. Supporting the improvement of instruction with an emphasis on Tier 1 instruction to ensure students do not fall behind. b. Collaborating with the school principal and faculty to establish and implement a strategic plan for coaching and mathematics instruction to improve student achievement in mathematics.

c. Facilitating school wide mathematics professional learning, including job-embedded assistance using coaching strategies, including joint preplanning, modeling lessons, co-teaching lessons, targeted observation to collect data and debriefing. d. Modeling evidence-based mathematics instructional and intervention strategies for teachers. e. Mentoring and coaching teachers continuously. f. Assisting teachers in using data to differentiate mathematics instruction and to identify students exhibiting the characteristics of dyscalculia and other exceptionalities.

g. Monitoring the progress of K-5 students in mathematics through benchmark formative assessments at least three times per year and making recommendations for modifying instruction based on the individual needs of students and trends in student data. h. Focusing solely as a mathematics coach for schools with elementary grade students. i. Collaborating with teachers and grade-level teams of teachers to foster the use of appropriate instructional materials, including concrete materials, necessary to ensure that students understand mathematical concepts.

j. Collaborating with grade-level teams to develop rigorous tasks, lessons, and assessments aligned with grade-level mathematics content standards; to facilitate the analysis of student work samples and assessment data; and to work in partnership with teachers to provide real-time feedback and make next-step instructional decisions based on the student evidence. k. Assisting teachers in using formative assessments and analyzing student work to identify students with misconceptions, students exhibiting characteristics of dyscalculia, and students needing acceleration.

l. Assisting teachers in administering early numeracy screeners or diagnostic assessments, or both, in Grades K-2. The assistance of a mathematics coach may not exceed two hours per week. m. Assisting teachers with…